This research was designed to broaden the understanding of how timber-harvest affects aquatic macroinvertebrates in perennial and intermittent headwater streams. This study compared emergent and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages from 20 headwater streams in the central Oregon Coast Range that varied by harvest condition and flow duration. Through comparison of the...
Growing societal demand for forest products is pressuring managers to increase productivity from a finite land area, and it is expected that increased supply will come mostly from expansion of intensively managed stands. The USDA Forest Service and numerous collaborators created the Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) network of research sites...
Stream temperature, as an important component of stream ecosystems, can be affected by forest harvesting through removal of riparian shade and changes in hydrology. Riparian Management Areas
(RMAs), as implemented through the current Oregon Forest Practice Rules, are designed, in part, to maintain stream temperature following forest harvesting. However, effectiveness...
Previous research examining the influences of post-fire salvage logging on abundances of birds has focused primarily on the response of cavity-nesting species. There is limited research in regard to the impact of salvage logging on a broader range of bird species. In addition, little is known about how different intensities...
Stream temperature is a water quality parameter that directly influences
the quality of aquatic habitat, particularly for cold-water species such as Pacific
salmonids. Forest harvesting adjacent to a stream can increase the amount of
solar radiation the stream receives, which can elevate stream temperatures
and impair aquatic habitat. Oregon Forest...
This study quantified the magnitude and timing of summer streamflow deficits in paired-watershed experiments in the Cascade Range of Oregon where mature and old-growth conifer forests were subjected to clearcutting, patch cutting, and overstory thinning treatments in the 1960s and 1970s. Hydrologic effects of clearcutting, small-patch cutting, and overstory thinning...
Riparian vegetation (trees > 10 cm dbh), woody debris (> 10 cm diam, > 1 m long), channel, and landform characteristics were inventoried in mature (80-150 yrs) and old-growth riparian areas (>250 yrs) selected from small tributaries of the Coos and Coquille River basins in southwestern Oregon. Basal area of...
Previous research has indicated that considerable amounts of finely divided slash accumulate in small mountain streams following timber harvesting. The subsequent biological decomposition of this organic matter can result i.n the reduction of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration to levels as low as 0.6 ppm. These DO levels are lethal
to...
This paper presents a production study of a modified hydraulic excavator used for yarding and loading logs. The machine utilized in this study is a Caterpillar 245. Approximately 3067 cunits (4053 pieces) of old growth Douglas fir were logged from a 29 acre setting in the Coast Range of southwestern...
The objective of this study was to quantitatively describe the intrusion of logging debris into artificial gravel streambeds during conditions of low stream flow with a stable streambed, and begin an
analysis of the effect of high flow and unstable streambeds. This study was initiated because prior studies indicated that...
Amounts of natural debris in small headwater streams under old growth
stands of Douglas-fir vary from 6 1/2 tons per 100 ft. of stream
to 26 tons per 100 ft. of stream, depending on terrain and timber
characteristics and sequence in the natural accumulation-flushing
cycle. Approximately 10% of the weight...
Sediment yield increases following timber harvest and road construction
were predicted for four Pacific Northwest experimental
watersheds. Sediment yields were predicted using a handbook developed
by the U.S. Forest Service entitled, "An Approach to Water Resources
Evaluation of Non-Point Silvicultural Sources" (WRENS). Predicted
sediment yield increases varied from 40 to...
Many high-elevation stands of noble fir in the northern Oregon Cascades are being
actively managed. Forest managers are investigating different activities that will control
stand impacts and the subsequent spread of Heterobasidion annosum a rot pathogen on
the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The purpose of this study was to quantify...
Debris flows in the Pacific Northwest play a major role in routing wood and sediment stored on hillslopes and in first- through third-order channels to higher order channels and valley floors. Forest practices on steep, unstable slopes and removal of riparian trees along low-order streams can affect the frequency, magnitude,...
Salvage-logging and artificial seeding of grass following wildfire are common practices in coniferous forests of the western United States, yet few studies have
quantified the ecological effects of these post-fire activities. The effects of post-wildfire salvage-logging and grass-seeding on vegetation composition, aboveground biomass, and growth and survival of Pinus ponderosa...
Several streams in the mixed conifer cover type of the Ochoco and Blue Mountains of central Oregon were studied to determine what effects selective harvesting of the riparian timber stand had on the amounts and distribution of coarse woody debris (CWD) in the stream. Pristine streams were measured to develop...
Although buffer strips have long been used as a
protection tool when logging near streams, long-term
studies investigating buffer strip dynamics are rare.
Steinblums et al. (1984) inventoried 40 buffer strips 1 to
15 years old in the western Oregon Cascades beginning in
the summer of 1975. Numerous site and...
Many municipalities throughout western Oregon rely upon forested watersheds as a source for domestic water supply. These watersheds are commonly managed by state or
federal agencies or private corporations for timber production. Activities related to forest management within municipal watersheds have the potential to adversely affect water quality. Timber harvesting...
This study investigated the long-term consequences of timber stand removal on the recruitment, physical characteristics, and
spatial distribution of coarse woody debris in small (second- and third-order) streams of the Oregon Coast Range. A chronosequence of stream-stand systems, ranging from 21- to 140-years since disturbance (YSD), were sampled to determine...
This study has analyzed factors which affect the accumulation of terrestrial organic debris within natural gravel streambeds. In
addition, the amounts, sizes, and physical conditions of intruded material were measured, along with the effect of the detritus on intragravel dissolved oxygen levels. Measurements indicate that aged intragravel detritus had no...
This project examined the harvest patterns found on private forestland in western Oregon (46000 1cm2) between 1972 and 2002. The research addressed hypotheses concerning the behaviors of different classes of owners as defined by total amount of forestland owned. Existing forest stand disturbance data and ownership data were combined using...
Intragravel organic loading and intragravel dissolved oxygen were studied to determine the relationship between timber harvesting adjacent to first-, second-, and third-order streams and intragravel water quality. Twenty watersheds in the central Coast Range of western Oregon were studied of which five were undisturbed, nine were partially harvested, and six...
In the Pacific Northwest, a transition has begun that is shifting many practices in forest management. Traditionally, harvesting and regeneration has been done through clearcutting which removes all trees in the area being cut and plants an entirely new stand. Clearcutting is often the most efficient method for harvesting forests...
Land managers, scientists, and the interested public are confronted with uncertainty about the impacts of salvage logging on soil productivity. In recent years, stand-replacing wildfires in the western United States have increased in frequency, prompting the need to evaluate the effect of post-fire treatments on forest ecosystem recovery. This study...
Forested landscapes displaying evidence of timber
harvesting have often induced conflicts between forest
managers and the public. Potential conflicts with
neighboring homeowners also has been increasing because of
growing environmental concern and increasing numbers of
neighbors.
Analysis of previous studies suggests that people's
reaction toward forested landscapes will be different...
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...
Three heuristic techniques: simulated annealing (SA), tabu search (TS), and tabu search with strategic oscillation (TSSO), were used to schedule silvicultural activities designed to accelerate development of older forest structure at both stand and landscape scales over a 2450 acre forest located in northwestern Oregon. Goals for the forest over...
The Demonstration for Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study originated out of the changing management priorities associated with federal forest lands in the Pacific Northwest which included an objective to maintain mature and old-growth forest characteristics in managed stands. The DEMO project examines the effects that different levels and patterns of...
In order to restore conifers in hardwood dominated riparian forests 25% of the
experimental reach forests alongside four streams in western Oregon was clearcut.
Clearcutting removed 400 m without residual buffers from a 1600-m streamside forest
reach in patchcuts spanning 100 and 200 meters. To assess the cumulative and direct...
There is limited information on how to manage young forests of the Pacific
Northwest to benefit wildlife populations. Commercial thinning is becoming more important in young forests both as a tool for timber management and to hasten the
development of old-forest characteristics. There is some evidence that many species of...
Two hundred and fifty-four nonindustrial private forest landowners in western Oregon were surveyed to develop baseline information about harvesting practices and to
examine the influence of marketing procedures on delivered log prices. Most respondents harvested to meet income or
silvicultural objectives. Harvests on ownerships less than 50 acres in size...
Anecdotal evidence suggests many Pacific Northwest estuaries are filling with sediment due to historical logging activities in upstream watersheds. Using the Siletz River estuary as a case study, this research began by analyzing timber harvest and discharge records of the Siletz River watershed, and found that increased timber harvest coincides...
Management restrictions are simulated on streamside acres owned by private interests in western Oregon to assess forest inventory and log market implications. A dynamic, nonlinear optimization model of western Oregon's softwood log market simulates the resource and economic impacts of set-aside and minimum harvest age restrictions on forest acreage within...
Despite many studies of large wood in streams, few landscape scale studies have been conducted. Large-scale studies can reveal how the history of forest harvest and road building has influenced wood patterns in streams of the Pacific Northwest. This study examined the relationships between wood in streams, timber harvest, and...
Green-tree retention is being implemented on state and
federal lands in Oregon. Silvicultural prescriptions with
tree and snag retention are thought to mimic natural
disturbance patterns in the Pacific Northwest more closely
than traditional silvicultural practices, which reduce
structural complexity. The effects of green-tree retention
on native bird species in...
Recent evidence suggests that population declines of some avian species may be driven primarily by reduced quantity and diversity of early-successional habitat on the breeding grounds. Increasing intensity of forest management on private lands and decreased harvest rates on federal lands has resulted in a loss of the diverse early-successional...
Salmonid populations in the Pacific Northwest are at historic lows and many
populations continue to decline. Previous studies have linked salmonid declines to land
use through degradation of in-stream physical habitat, but few of these studies have taken
geology into consideration. This study relates habitat parameters known to be important...
In order to decide whether or not to develop biomass energy facilities and where to best locate them, developers and investors need accurate assessments of fuel supply. This includes information about the distribution and concentration of fuel throughout the assessment area, the quality of fuel (form, moisture content, contaminant content,...
Intermittent, headwater streams recently have been recognized as important
components of forest ecosystems and have been provided increased protection by the
Northwest Forest Plan. However, few studies have examined their distribution,
dynamics, and ecological roles, such as habitat for wildlife. My goal was to provide
additional information on the ecology...
The atmospheric trace element abundances associated with slash
burning have been measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis
(INAA). On site ground level samples were collected during the slash
burning season using high volume samplers and a cascade impactor. In
addition to the air samples, soil, wood and ashed wood samples...
The development of bioenergy from biomass has dominated the minds of forest engineering researchers over the last decade. One of the main themes that has been generated from that research is that bioenergy from biomass has major operational hurdles to overcome before becoming economically feasible. More directly, the impact of...
An understanding of the factors that influence surface erosion from roads is necessary to prevent and mitigate sediment production from forest roads. This study investigated the impacts of log truck traffic and road hydrology on sediment yield from ten forest road segments in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of...
Sediment cores were retrieved from a landslide-dammed lake, recording events back to the 5th century AD in a forested, mountainous catchment. These cores provide an opportunity to compare the impacts of known recent perturbations, including floods and timber harvesting with those of the early period of the core, flood, fire,...