Index Catalog // ScholarsArchive@OSU

Social and political dimensions of forest health

Creator:: Abrams, Jesse
Abstract:: The concept of forest health has recently emerged as a focal concept for federal forest policy. At the same time, social and political conflicts over the characteristics of a healthy forest, and over the causes of poor forest health, underscore the lack of a shared understanding of what the term...
Resource Type:: Capstone Project

The story of fire on Deschutes National Forest

Creator:: Eckert, Bradley E.
Resource Type:: Capstone Project

A comparison of the value of forest plans developed under three levels of detail regarding management intentions

Creator:: Hirte, Sarah Rebecca
Abstract:: In the field of forest planning, assumptions regarding the appropriate modeling of management behavior, translated through management prescriptions, minimum harvest ages, green-up periods, and other variables are needed if a stand-level optimization process is not used to guide the selection of stand management regimes Forest planners thus generally have a...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Tradeoffs associated with managing forested landscapes for multiple-uses

Creator:: Lichtenstein, Mark E.
Abstract:: This study focuses on the tradeoffs that exist for managing forested landscapes for biodiversity and timber production. Tradeoff evaluation is important to natural resource managers so they can understand the benefits and costs of alternative management prescriptions. The study examines three watersheds in the Oregon Coast Range and 166 terrestrial...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Stand level silvicultural optimization utilizing a late-seral index constraint

Creator:: Semeliss, Wade Alan
Abstract:: A dynamic programming algorithm (MS PATH) was used to develop a stand level optimization model, FPS Optimizer. The model incorporates a late-seral constraint on the profit maximizing objective function utilizing a four-descriptor structural index as a proxy. This index, the 'Old-Growth Index', rates the late-seral structural quality of a given...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Comparing the effectiveness of virtual and traditional forestry field tours

Creator:: Easley, Elissa C.
Abstract:: Virtual tours are among the many new Internet-based tools with potential applications as continuing forestry education programs. While technology exists to create virtual tour websites, little is understood about how well they meet educational objectives and whether they are complementary alternatives to traditional field tours. The Sustainable Forestry Partnership and...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Optimizing spatial and temporal aspects of nature reserve design under economic and ecological objectives

Creator:: Nalle, Darek J.
Abstract:: Alteration of natural areas in attempts to support increasing human populations has been a crucial yet less publicized contributor to the fall of many of the world's greatest civilizations, since healthy ecosystems can help maintain stable societies and economies. Given this unhappy fact and the ancient relationship between people and...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Soil-site productivity relationships of central Oregon ponderosa pine

Creator:: Wilson, Duncan Steil, 1969-
Abstract:: The relationship between annual foliage production and nitrogen and water stress was examined in 14 naturally regenerated, mid-rotation ponderosa pine stands in central Oregon. Current-year and older foliage masses, and foliage nitrogen contents and concentration were estimated from 132 destructively sampled trees. Litterfall mass and nitrogen retranslocation rates from senescing...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Growing stock assessment and growth prediction system for managed hill dipterocarp forest of Peninsular Malaysia

Creator:: Kassim, Abd. Rahman
Abstract:: The silviculture of mixed dipterocarp forests of Peninsular Malaysia can potentially be improved by developing quantitative tools and guidelines for this forest type. This thesis addresses three key objectives; 1) to test the hypothesis that a maximum size-density relationship can be identified in hill dipterocarp forests of Peninsular Malaysia, 2)...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Mental and biophysical terrains of biodiversity : conservation of oak woodland on family forest

Creator:: Fischer, Alexandra Paige
Abstract:: This research analyzes how family forest owners conceptualize biodiversity in one high-conservation value area of oak woodland in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon. Oregon white oak (Quercus garyanna) woodland, one of the most biologically diverse ecotypes in the state of Oregon, is in decline. Much of the oak ecotype...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Characterization of community capacity in a forest-dependent community : the case of the Haut-St.-Maurice

Creator:: Nadeau, Solange, 1967-
Abstract:: In recent years, economic, social, technological, and environmental changes have all imposed challenges on forest-based communities. This has revived interest in studying these communities to understand their ability to tackle these challenges. This study is built around a case study of an industrial forest-based community and aims at characterizing the...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

The extent and implications of specified resource site protection in Oregon

Creator:: Giampaoli, Peter Paul
Abstract:: The protection of sensitive resources is an integral part of forest practices regulations in many states, affecting non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners. In Oregon, forest operations on private lands which will conflict with sensitive areas designated "specified resource sites" must meet spatial and temporal requirements to protect those sites. These...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Modeling gray wolf habitat in Oregon using a geographic information system

Creator:: Larsen, Tad
Abstract:: Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) were once found throughout North America including Oregon. Wolves were extirpated from Oregon due to heavy hunting pressure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and have been absent for over 50 years. Successful reintroduction efforts in Idaho and the greater Yellowstone area have caused...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Land cover at northern spotted owl nest and non-nest sites, east-central Coast Ranges, Oregon

Creator:: Perkins, John P.
Abstract:: This study examined the differences, at various scales, between northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) nest sites and non-nest sites, i.e., sites where no nests were found during surveys, in the Coast Ranges of Oregon. I compared land cover around 41 owl nest sites (ONS) and 41 non-nest sites (NNS)...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Choosing efficient land allocations and forest management regimes for biodiversity

Creator:: Shunk, Neal J.
Abstract:: Increasing rates of species imperilment and the loss of biological diversity in naturally functioning ecosystems can be directly linked to accelerated urban development and the conversion of natural habitats to satisfy the needs of man. In combating this loss of biodiversity, scientists and policy makers alike recognize the relevance of...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The SafeD model : incorporating episodic disturbances and heuristic programming into forest management planning for the Applegate River Watershed, southwestern Oregon

Creator:: Graetz, David H.
Abstract:: A hybrid landscape optimization/simulation model called SafeD (Simulation and analysis of forests with episodic Disturbances) was built to address the needs of forest management planning in the Applegate River Watershed, southwestern Oregon (the Apple gate Project). There are two goals of the Applegate Project: 1) search for forest policies and...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

(Re)claiming forestry : a case study of women's empowerment

Creator:: Redmore, Lauren E.
Abstract:: Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners control a significant portion of forestland nationwide. Even though women own or manage NIPF lands, we know very little about how women manage forestland and what barriers women face in forest management. In addition, while there are several forestry organizations available to NIPF owners, few...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Economic modeling of tropical deforestation in Antioquia (Colombia), 1980-2000 : an analysis at a semi-fine scale with spatially explicit data

Creator:: Orrego, Sergio A.
Abstract:: This dissertation used land rent theory and an economic model of land-use conversion to examine the main drivers of the deforestation occurred in Antioquia,Colombia, between 1980 and 2000. Land-cover information at a semi-fine scale (1:25,000) obtained largely from aerial photography was employed to calculate deforestation. In addition, free international databases...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Combining the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess current and future recreation conditions in Oregon's coast range

Creator:: Rogan, Lael M. (Lael Michaela), 1970-
Abstract:: Conflict over the best way to manage Oregon's public lands makes a land planner's job extremely challenging. Multiple uses, federal mandates, and constantly evolving knowledge all contribute to the difficulty of determining how to best use the land. The Coastal Landscape Analysis and Modeling Study (CLAMS) was developed in 1994...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Conflict and cooperation at the public-private interface : a case study of fire management in eastern Oregon

Creator:: Bergmann, Stefan Andrew
Abstract:: Cooperation across ownership boundaries is critical to most conservation efforts in mixed ownership landscapes. Where owner objectives vary widely, as at public-private landownership boundaries, cooperation can be especially challenging. This research explores the opportunities and challenges for cooperative fire management among public and private forest managers in the John Day...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Rangeland privatization and the Maasai experience : implications for livestock herding, open space, and wildlife conservation in southern Kenya

Creator:: Sundstrom, Shiloh
Abstract:: For centuries in what is now southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, nomadic, Maasai livestock herders have coexisted with vast populations of wildlife. Today, both wildlife and the Maasai herding lifestyle, a vital component of Maasai culture, are threatened by changes to the landscape and losses in mobility, including the policy...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Citizen perspectives on hazardous fuel reduction in the Blue Mountains : findings and implications from panel research

Creator:: Toman, Eric Lee
Abstract:: Forests in the Blue Mountains region of eastern Oregon and Washington are facing a large-scale forest health crisis. Poor forest conditions have greatly increased the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Resource managers in the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla, and Malheur National Forests are utilizing prescribed fire and mechanized thinning treatments to reduce hazardous...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Cultural identity and resident perceptions of recreational boating and the BLM : a case study from a gateway community

Creator:: Torres, Tami McMillen
Abstract:: Conflict among residents of a gateway community regarding the breadth of perceptions of impacts from commercial whitewater rafting and the need for mitigating policies persists despite an intensive planning process and implementation of policies to mitigate negative effects. With an overarching purpose of exploring the nature of conflict, specific study...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Historical disturbance regimes as a reference for forest policy

Creator:: Thompson, Jonathan R.
Abstract:: Using the historical range of forest conditions as a reference for managing landscapes has been proposed as a "coarse-filter" approach to biodiversity conservation. By emulating historical disturbance processes, it is thought that forest management can produce forest composition and structure similar to the conditions that once supported the native biota....
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Public knowledge, preferences and involvement in adaptive ecosystem management

Creator:: Williams, Robert Lawrence
Abstract:: Few studies analyze the relationship between ecological knowledge and public preferences for natural resource management options. The Central Cascades Adaptive Management Area (CCAMA) and McKenzie watershed of western Oregon provides an opportunity to examine the relationship. This research project employs a mixed model approach to explore public knowledge of forest...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Alterations in Douglas-fir crown structure, morphology, and dynamics imposed by the Swiss needle cast disease in the Oregon Coast Range

Creator:: Weiskittel, Aaron R.
Abstract:: Plants respond to defoliation in many different and complex ways, depending on their growth habit and form as well as the extent and duration of the defoliation. Tree crowns have been shown to be quite sensitive to disturbances such as defoliation, however quantitative relationships have rarely been developed, making the...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Measuring costs of sequestering carbon in forest stands with different management regimes in western Oregon

Creator:: Zyrina, Olga A.
Abstract:: This project was a part of larger work that compared major factors controlling patterns of carbon dynamics in two regions of the globe, the Pacific Northwest, USA and northwestern Russia. It was funded through the NASA foundation (grant # NAG5- 6242). Human economic activity is causing the release of pollutants...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Citizen knowledge and opinions about watershed management in the South Santiam Basin in Oregon

Creator:: Wright, Angela Schaefer
Abstract:: Watershed management is widely recognized as an important component of healthy ecosystems and its success depends on cultivating the good will, stewardship values, and participation of citizens. Because much of the streamside land in Oregon is in private ownership activities on public lands will not be enough to protect salmon...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Down by the creek : understanding landowner perspectives on streamside health and management

Creator:: Wiskind, Adam
Abstract:: Both policy makers and private landowners have come to recognize the importance of streamside areas in the maintenance of water quality and fish habitat. Because non-industrial landowners own 42% of the streamside area in the Coast Range, their management is a significant factor in the streamside health of Western Oregon....
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Temporal and spatial variability of historic fire frequency in the southern Willamette Valley foothills of Oregon

Creator:: Robbins, Danielle
Abstract:: A crossdated fire history was reconstructed for a 1562 km2 area in the southern Willamette foothills of Oregon, using fire scars and tree origin years from twelve sites. The purpose of this study was to determine fire frequency for each site and to quantify temporal and spatial variability of fire...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Growth analysis of heterogeneous stands of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine in central Oregon

Creator:: Mainwaring, Douglas B.
Abstract:: Basal area and height growth were analyzed for individual trees in uneven-aged ponderosa and lodgepole pine stands in central Oregon. Basal area growth was modeled as a function of other stand and tree variables to address five general objectives: 1) to compare the predictive ability of distance-dependent versus distance-independent stand...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The land-water interface : patterns of riparian vegetation and channel morphology in the Oregon Coast Range system

Creator:: Takahashi, Mayumi
Abstract:: This study was conducted to describe variation of riparian vegetation in an Oregon Coast Range system according to geomorphic characteristics and in relation to streamflow. Specific objectives of this study were to: I) examine if the vegetation composition and structure of the riparian forest varied among channel-reach morphologies, 2) examine...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Land ownership and forest cover in the Oregon Coast Range : spatial pattern and social ground-truthing

Creator:: Stanfield, Brooks J.
Abstract:: We use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore social and spatial relationships between land ownership and forest cover in the Oregon Coast Range. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and regression analysis, we tested for spatial relationships between the structure of land ownership and forest cover across 66 watersheds in...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The impacts of social change in natural resource management : a central Oregon regional study

Creator:: Sharp, Shayla B.
Abstract:: The sentiments expressed by Wells capture the fundamental nature of natural resource and land management in Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook County, Oregon. Driven by the attraction and abundance of natural and scenic amenities in central Oregon, increases in recreation, tourism, population, development and conflict, have contributed to the complexities of...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Mechanical behavior of coniferous trees subjected to wind loading

Creator:: Moore, John R.
Abstract:: The behavior of coniferous trees subjected to wind loading was investigated through a series of experiments and also through simulation modeling. Previous studies that measured the natural oscillation frequencies and damping ratios were reviewed and equations were developed for predicting the natural frequency of a tree from the ratio of...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Assessment of the accuracy of forested classifications within two broad-scale remotely-sensed vegetation databases in eastern Oregon

Creator:: Langhoff, Cory A.
Abstract:: An accuracy assessment of two broad-scale vegetation databases for eastern Oregon, both developed from satellite imagery, was performed to assess the usefulness of the databases for forest landscape planning and assessment efforts. The two databases were the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) vegetation database and the U.S. Geological Survey National...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Human influences on historical and current wildlife distributions from Lewis & Clark to today

Creator:: Laliberte, Andrea S.
Abstract:: Although it is well known that humans are strong modifiers of their environment, there is a need for greater understanding of human-wildlife interactions, both historically as well as currently. Historical journals can help shed light on early human-wildlife interactions, and the Lewis & Clark journals contain some of the earliest...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Using a heuristic programming method for incorporating wildlife habitat constraints into spatial harvest scheduling on the Elliott State Forest

Creator:: Lennette, Marie
Abstract:: The Elliott State Forest, located in the Coast Range of Oregon, is currently revising their Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Many of the constraints in the HCP are spatial, requiring identification of specific parcels in order to limit activity along habitat reserves, limit harvest opening size, and to coordinate activities within...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Effects of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program on backcountry users in Grand Canyon and Everglades National Parks

Creator:: Leahy, Jessica E.
Abstract:: Since the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program was approved in 1996, allowing public land management agencies to collect and retain recreation user fees, several research studies have gathered opinions and attitudes from different groups of recreation users. One particular group, backcountry users of National Parks, had yet to be included. This...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Learning to address complexity in natural resource management

Creator:: Kakoyannis, Christina
Abstract:: Conventional natural resource management has struggled with effectively addressing dynamically complex natural resource issues. Many organizations structured in the rational-analytical paradigm of resource management are becoming increasingly aware that new management approaches are needed. Particularly in a rapidly changing environment, organizational learning is important for promoting an organization's ability to...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Modeling light competition in the forests of western Oregon

Creator:: Hanus, Mark L.
Abstract:: A plant's immediate neighborhood reflects its realized level of competitive stress, since competition and natural selection act at the individual level. In stands with continuous canopies competition for light is the dominant spatial interaction. Over 100 spatially explicit indices have been used to characterize the local competitive environment in models...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Simultaneous equation estimation for individual tree growth in young Southern Oregon and Northern California conifer plantations

Creator:: Hamann, Jeff D.
Abstract:: This thesis presents methods for obtaining asymptotically efficient and consistent parameters and variance estimates for simultaneous equations in a forest growth modelling context. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR), Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and Three- Stage Least Squares (3SLS) are presented for linear models. The variables, model types...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Causal reasoning of wildfire damage

Creator:: Kumagai, Yoshitaka
Abstract:: Attribution studies in social psychology predict that people tend to attribute the cause of natural disasters to factors associated with humans as opposed to nature per Se. The victims of natural disaster often consider natural disaster to be the result of not only natural forces but also human actions. This...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Recruitment of ponderosa pine seedlings beneath partial overstories

Creator:: Keyes, Christopher R.
Abstract:: The objective of this project was to investigate the fate of ponderosa pine regeneration from seed to established seedling, and to determine the relative influences of several important stand elements on those fates. The project was carried out in a series of observational and experimental recruitment studies in central Oregon....
Resource Type:: Dissertation

People in the forests : interactions between community and forest health in Wallowa County

Creator:: Kelly, Erin Clover
Abstract:: Forests of the Inland West have been experiencing forest health problems arising from over a hundred years of fire suppression, logging, grazing, and mismanagement. Rural communities, meanwhile, have seen escalating unemployment, an exodus of young families, and a dearth of middle-income jobs. The objectives of this thesis are to: 1)...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

A choice experiment analysis of public preferences for conservation of biological diversity in the Oregon Coast Range

Creator:: Garber-Yonts, Brian E.
Abstract:: Ecosystem management has become an increasingly mainstream paradigm for natural resource management. Nowhere is this more evident than on the public and private forestland of the Pacific Northwest. While ecosystem management has become a widely accepted principle of resource management, substantial questions remain about its implementation. A case in point...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Crown structure, stand dynamics, and production ecology of two species mixtures in the central Oregon Cascades

Creator:: Garber, Sean M.
Abstract:: Knowledge of stand structure, stand dynamics, and production ecology of species mixtures lags well behind that of single-species, even-aged stands. Two mixed-species spacing trials in central Oregon allowed investigation of mixed-species dynamics in a controlled experimental setting. The first site, Pringle Butte, is a mixture of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Forestry at the urban fringe : issues, stakeholders and conflict potential in Oregon's Soap Creek Watershed

Creator:: Edwards, Kearstin K.
Abstract:: Increasing land fragmentation, environmental regulations and neighbors' concerns pose significant challenges to forest owners at the urban fringe, whose properties are physically caught between rural landscapes and continually expanding urban centers. Using Oregon's Soap Creek Watershed as a study site, we paired qualitative and quantitative methods to identify stakeholders, their...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

A study of the current range and habitat of fuzzy sandozi conks (Bridgeoporus nobilissimus) throughout Pacific Northwest forests

Creator:: Cowden, Margaret McAndrews
Abstract:: Bridgeoporus nobilissimus (W.B. Cooke) Volk, Burdsall, & Ammirati (BRNO) is a Survey and Manage fungi species listed under the Northwest Forest Plan. Perennial sporocarps (conks) fruit on large, dying and dead conifers in late-successional old-growth forests and on remnant stumps and snags in young and mature second-growth forests of the...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Land tenure change under recent conservation policies in China : a case study in Sichuan province, P.R. China

Creator:: Du, Ke
Abstract:: State-owned forestland in P.R. China has long been an important source of natural resources for communities. The Chinese government has undertaken several conservation initiatives with the intent to restore degraded landscapes and conserve biodiversity, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for rural people. Using Yaze Village, Pingwu County, Sichuan...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Comparing structure and development of Douglas-fir old-growth, plantations, and young natural forests in western Oregon

Creator:: Dowling, Christopher D.
Abstract:: Ages, diameter growth, density, tree size, and species were studied in old-growth, plantation, and young natural Douglas-fir stands in three areas in western Oregon: the western and eastern Coast Range and the western Cascades. The purpose was to compare the development of these three stand types and to determine whether...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Integrated research in natural resources : an exploratory analysis of five case studies

Creator:: O'Toole, Elaine Susan
Abstract:: Integrated research that attempts to bring together social, biological, and physical variables is a recent phenomenon in natural resources. Scientists, land managers, politicians, and society as a whole have recognized that in order to produce optimal decisions for both humans and the environment, research on the interactions between the two...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Sustainability, awareness, and commitment : examining Natural Resource Extension programs in the United States

Creator:: Broussard, Shorna Renell
Abstract:: Today's landowners, citizens, and natural resource professionals are increasingly concerned about issues surrounding resource sustainability. Charged with addressing societal concerns through education, Cooperative Extension is uniquely capable of meeting educational needs related to natural resource sustainability. In this research, we examined the program inputs, activities, and participation in Natural Resource...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Smallholder farmers’ decision making in farm tree growing in the highlands of Ethiopia

Creator:: Ayele, Zeleke Ewnetu
Abstract:: Past afforestation programs launched to promote private and community woodlots in rural Ethiopia have not been based on clear understanding of the incentives and constraints of smallholder farmers. This study investigated the characteristic differences between tree-growing and non-tree-growing farm households and identified factors influencing farmers’ tree-growing decisions from a farming...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Radiative forcing and forest climate policy

Creator:: Thompson, Matthew P.
Abstract:: This thesis is comprised of two manuscripts that relate to forest-based management strategies in the context of market-based climate change mitigation policies. The work questions the appropriateness of a singular focus on carbon sequestration given the albedo effect and its possible countervailing climatic impacts. Through a review of salient literature...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The presence and characterization of measurement error in forestry

Creator:: Canavan, Sean Joseph
Abstract:: Measurement error (ME) is a component of any study involving the use of actual measurements, but is often not recognized or is ignored. The consequences of MEs on estimates of tree and stand attributes and the parameters and predictions of forest models can be varied and severe, including the presence...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) habitat use and herbage (or biomass) removal from grazing at Jack Creek, Klamath County, Oregon

Creator:: Shovlain, Amie M.
Abstract:: We evaluated the effects of herbage removal from livestock grazing on Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) habitat use by monitoring frog locations in grazed and matched ungrazed treatments across a range of grazing intensities at Jack Creek, Fremont-Winema National Forest, Oregon. Thirteen cattle exclosures were deployed along Jack Creek in...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Examination of imputation methods to estimate status and change of forest attributes from paneled inventory data

Creator:: Eskelson, Bianca N. I.
Abstract:: The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program conducts an annual inventory throughout the United States. In the western United States, 10% of all plots (one panel) are measured annually, and a moving average is used for estimating current condition and change of forest attributes while alternative methods are sought in...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

A review of the social component of ecosystem assessments with recommendations for Oregon

Creator:: Armstrong, Catriona M. M.
Abstract:: Large-scale ecosystem assessments aim to assist ecosystem management by synthesizing current scientific knowledge on an area, and by providing a foundation for policy discussions and decisions on land management. These assessments go beyond traditional research efforts by moving away from narrow scope, system, and institutional boundaries, and by attempting to...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Applying the McDonaldization thesis and norm activation model to examine trends and effects of commercial outdoor recreation and tourism in Juneau, Alaska

Creator:: Janson, Sera
Abstract:: As recreation and tourism visitation increases and government budgets decrease, public land management agencies are using private commercial operators as an alternative source of offering products and services. Changes and trends in commercial outdoor recreation and tourism such as a large scale increase in the number of visitors can affect...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

TEK and tribal-federal collaboration : three case studies in the western United States

Creator:: Thompson, Sara Anne
Abstract:: The goal of this research is to understand factors influencing the use of TEK in natural resource management collaborations between tribes and federal agencies. This includes what evidence exists that TEK is being used, what tribal factors influence the use of TEK, what agency factors influence the use of TEK,...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Soil compaction in central Oregon volcanic ash soils and the subsequent effects on residual ponderosa pine growth

Creator:: Parker, Robert T.
Abstract:: Although previous research in central Oregon has shown soil compaction can lead to a decline in site productivity, the subject is not understood well enough to predict the growth changes resulting from a given level of soil compaction. A study was initiated to relate the basal area, height and volume...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Empirical modeling of windthrow occurrence in streamside buffer strips

Creator:: Drake, Timothy P.
Abstract:: Streamside buffer strips provide numerous benefits to stream ecosystems. The buffer strips create shade, provide shelter for wildlife, act as barriers to logging debris during and after timber harvest, and serve as a continued source of large woody debris. Quantifying woody inputs resulting from windthrow provides managers with estimates for...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Conifer regeneration, understory vegetation and artificially topped conifer responses to alternative silvicultural treatments

Creator:: Huff, Tristan
Abstract:: Historically, between 40-60% of the Coast Range of Oregon was comprised of structurally diverse, old forests initiated by disturbances of various spatial scales ranging from thousands of acres (large fires) to the size of a single tree (windthrow). The predominant regeneration method of the past several decades, however, has been...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Wildfire risk management : strategic interaction and spatial interdependence

Creator:: Busby, Gwenlyn M.
Abstract:: In this dissertation, I examine how the spatial configuration of forest ownership influences the risk-mitigating behavior of public and private forestland owners over time. I determine whether or not the predicted equilibrium outcomes are socially optimal and, if not, whether the introduction of regulation, liability, or private insurance would lead...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Relationship between allometric variables and biomass in western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)

Creator:: Sabin, Breanna S.
Abstract:: A tenfold expansion of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis) into the sagebrush steppe has led to the degradation of the economic and ecological potential of these landscapes. Land managers have enacted numerous methods to reduce distributions and densities of these trees. Assessment of above ground juniper biomass, expressed overall...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

An analysis of the motivations of Oregon's ranchers to diversify into agritourism

Creator:: Pegas, Fernanda de Vasconcellos
Abstract:: Agritourism is one way to sustainably conserve open space. Its potential to supplement Oregon ranchers’ income may also preserve ranching culture. Research on agritourism in Oregon and elsewhere, however, is scarce. This study focused on the motivations of Oregon ranchers to diversify into agritourism, the congruence of conservation easements and...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Citizen-agency interactions : an investigation of postfire environments

Creator:: Olsen, Christine Shaw
Abstract:: Wildfire management has grown increasingly complex in recent years, particularly in the West and in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) where a steady population growth has resulted in greater risk to people and property. Recent trends suggest the process of recovering from large fires (>100,000 acres) will become increasingly important to...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Carbon flux patterns on U.S. public timberlands under alternative timber harvest policies

Creator:: Shanks, Alyssa V.
Abstract:: This study considers trade-offs between timber harvest and carbon sequestration on National Forest and other public lands by contemporaneously linking a model of public harvest and inventory to a carbon accounting system. The public harvest model treats three harvest scenarios. The first minimizes the cost of meeting harvest requests that...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Converting forest biomass to energy in Oregon : stakeholder perspectives on a growing movement

Creator:: Stidham, Melanie
Abstract:: Within Oregon there is considerable interest in the possibility of converting woody biomass to energy. This interest stems from three converging factors: the desire to reduce the threat of uncharacteristic wildfire by removing excess material from the forests, the possibility to stimulate rural economies that are dependent on forest products,...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Persistence of western juniper resource islands following canopy removal

Creator:: Miwa, Christopher
Abstract:: Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) cover has more than doubled within the last century and currently occupies over 9 million acres in the Intermountain West. Encroachment has altered the spatial distribution of soil nutrients and plants in these systems, forming nutrient enriched 'resource islands,' under tree canopies. The purpose of this...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The Forest Field Program : a case study in forest education for Latino youth

Creator:: Gonzalez, Emily A.
Abstract:: This study involved the development of two bilingual and inquiry-based forest education programs within the Central Willamette Valley of Oregon. The first program used the participatory research (PR) process to engage 7th and 8th grade Latino students as participatory researchers to interview members of their community to learn their perspectives...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Communicating the wildland fire message : an investigation of agency outreach strategies

Creator:: Toman, Eric Lee
Abstract:: Wildfire impacts have increased in recent years. The management response outlined by recent policy initiatives (e.g., the National Fire Plan, Healthy Forests Restoration Act) emphasizes the use of prescribed fire and mechanized thinning to reduce the risk of future fire events. These policies also call for an unprecedented level of...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Taper, crown, and volume responses of a coastal Oregon Douglas-fir stand to sulfur treatments for control of Swiss needle cast

Creator:: Younger, Nicole L.
Abstract:: For nearly two decades, foresters in the Oregon Coast Range have been witnessing a substantial decease in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco.) vigor and growth, caused by Swiss needle cast (Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii). Currently, no solutions are in sight but aerially-applied sulfur may alleviate Swiss needle cast and its...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Boating in Alaska's Prince William Sound : modeling and assessment of recreational use

Creator:: Wolfe, Phillip E.
Abstract:: This study measures the recreational boating use in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Improved access conditions to the Sound over the last decade coupled with a statewide increase in outdoor recreation participation among both resident and out of state tourists have made the Sound a focal point for recreational boating in...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

The economics of carbon sequestration in western Oregon forests

Creator:: Im, Eun Ho
Abstract:: This study considered regional forest policies for sequestering carbon in existing forests in western Oregon. A model of log markets in western Oregon was employed to examine the impacts of forest policy changes on future carbon stock, harvests, and management activities. A carbon tax program, as a mitigation option for...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Evidence of a trophic cascade among wolves, elk, and aspen in Yellowstone National Park, USA

Creator:: Halofsky, Joshua S.
Abstract:: According to general top-down trophic theory, in the presence of carnivores, herbivore behavior and/or densities could change and result in an overall decrease in herbivory on plant communities. In this dissertation, I examined the potential relationship between gray wolf (Canis lupus) presence and absence on elk (Cervus elaphus) herbivory of...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Private forests, public policy : oak conservation on family forests in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Creator:: Fischer, Alexandra Paige
Abstract:: In the United States, many of the thorniest natural resource conflicts occur on private lands. This is especially true in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon where the hallmark habitat type, Oregon white oak woodland and savanna, is imperiled. Almost exclusively found on private land, Oregon white oak is threatened...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Multi-scale relationships between aspen and birds in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem

Creator:: Hollenbeck, Jeff P., 1967-
Abstract:: I conducted a multi-scale evaluation of aspen – bird relationships in the northern ungulate winter range of the northern Yellowstone ecosystem during June 2001-03. Questions addressed were: (1) Does bird diversity increase with conifer presence in aspen stands? (2) Given known habitat selection cues, are migrating birds passively intercepted by...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Spatial patterns of fuel management activities and their effects on wildfire behavior

Creator:: Kim, Young-Hwan
Abstract:: Fuel management has been used as an effective local strategy to reduce the undesirable consequences of wildfires. Many efforts toward scheduling of fuel management activities across a broader landscape have been proposed, with the hope of achieving larger landscape-scale management effects. However, scheduling of fuel management treatments across the broader...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Spatial and age class analysis of managed western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) woodlands in central Oregon

Creator:: Zophy, Kelley T.
Abstract:: Juniper is a native species to Oregon and confers ecological benefits to wildlife when it is at savannah and transitional densities. Its range and extent have fluctuated with climatic change, but the current range expansion is unprecedented in its extent. The range expansion has been associated with the degradation of...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Post-fire recreation management in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness

Creator:: Brown, Ryan N. K.
Abstract:: Natural events such as wildfires, floods, and storms can significantly alter the short-term structure and functioning of natural systems. Recreation in wilderness areas is one instance in which individuals are directly exposed to post-disturbance landscapes. Consequently, public land managers may be faced with a different set of challenges stemming from...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

Spatially explicit inter-temporal forest management decision under the risk of fire

Creator:: Konoshima, Masashi
Abstract:: This paper presents a framework for analyzing efficient spatial allocation of forest management efforts - fuel treatment and harvest - under the risk of fire. The framework integrates a fire behavior model and a spatially-explicit stochastic dynamic optimization model. I investigate the effects of spatial interaction across plots during forest...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Decision support systems for forest biodiversity management : a review of tools and an analytical-deliberative framework for understanding their successful application

Creator:: Gordon, Sean N.
Abstract:: The complexity of forest management has increased with the scope of resources of concern and the level of scrutiny from stakeholders. The design and use of specialized computer software, often referred to as “decision support systems” (DSS), is one method for helping managers deal with this complexity. DSS have proven...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

An analysis of technical efficiency and productivity growth in the Pacific Northwest sawmill industry

Creator:: Helvoigt, Ted L.
Abstract:: The objective of this project was to investigate technical efficiency and productivity growth in the Pacific Northwest sawmilling industry over the period 1968-2002. Productivity growth was decomposed into three components: technical change, efficiency change, and scale efficiency change. In addition, using econometric methods, changes in output elasticities and input substitution...
Resource Type:: Dissertation

Public acceptance of disturbance-based forest management : a study of the attentive public in the Central Cascades Adaptive Management Area

Creator:: Mallon, Angela L.
Abstract:: Growing emphasis on ecosystem and landscape-level forest management across North America has spurred an examination of alternative management strategies which focus on emulating dynamic natural disturbance processes, particularly those associated with forest fire regimes. This topic is the cornerstone of research in the Blue River Landscape Study (BRLS) taking place...
Resource Type:: Masters Thesis

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