The coast of Oregon is highly dynamic, with beach and dune morphodynamics constantly evolving in response to physical and ecological forcing at scales ranging from seconds to decades and meters to tens of kilometers. Evaluating spatial and temporal trends in shoreline evolution is paramount in understanding and eventually developing a...
Twentieth-century land management has altered the structure and composition of mixed-conifer forests and decreased their resilience to fire, drought, and insects in many parts of the Interior West. These forests occur across a wide range of environmental settings and historical disturbance regimes, so their response to land management is likely...
Swiss needle cast (SNC), an important fungal disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), has increased in severity throughout its natural and introduced range over the last half century. The role of climate change and forest management practices in the increase is unclear. We analyzed tree-ring chronologies from six late-successional...
Post-thinning natural regeneration in the Pacific Northwest of USA was evaluated 13 years after thinning
50-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco var. menziesii) stands on a drier, interior
Coast Range site (McDonald) and 10 years after thinning 50- to 55-year-old Douglas-fir/western hemlock
(Tsuga heterophylla [Raf.] Sarg.) stands on a moister,...
Agropyron spicatum, considered one of the most important native bunchgrasses in British Columbia, western Montana, the Columbia Basin and the area between the Cascades and Sierras and the Rockies, dominated millions of acres of pristine semiarid grass and sagebrush sites. It produced more herbage than all other associated species in...
The objective of this research was to determine which
environmental resources, light, water, and nutrients,
control understory plant production and composition in a
Pinus ponderosa forest in northeastern Oregon. A split-plot
experimental design, with three blocks, four
treatments, and 44 plots, was established in the summer of
1985. Twenty plots...
Coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), a keystone species in the Pacific Northwest, relies on symbioses with microorganisms to obtain nutrients, potentially defend against pathogens, and perform a variety of other tasks. Two of the tree’s primary fungal symbionts are foliar epiphytes and endophytes, which reside on the exterior or...
Questions: Are exotic plant species favoured by non-native ungulate herbivores and disadvantaged by native herbivores in forested rangelands? Do the impacts of ungulates on exotic vs native plants depend on forest management activities such as prescribed fire and stand thinning?
Location: Northeastern Oregon, USA.
Methods: We recorded changes in richness...
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pilot study. Research Paper PNW-RP-564. Portland, OR, US.
Côt�e, S.D., Rooney, T.P., Tremblay, J.-P
To improve storage/shipping quality of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), the effect of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) added to hydro-cooling water on physiological and biochemical processes related to fruit and pedicel quality was investigated on two major cultivars. The fruit tissue Ca content increased up to 29% to 85% logarithmically for...
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‘Sweetheart’) growing in the US Pacific Northwest (PNW). 91
92
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2. Materials and methods 93
2.1
Aseries of dams on the Deschutes River, Oregon, act as migration barriers that segregate the river system into upper
and lower basins. Proposed fish passage between basins would reunite populations of native potamodromous fish and
allow anadromous fish of Deschutes River origin access to the upper basin. We assessed the...
To study whether pruning young Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco var. menziesii) hastens the transition from juvenile to mature wood, we investigated the effects on wood properties in an intensively managed young plantation in the Coast Range of Oregon. Ten years after trees were pruned to a fixed height (3.4...
Climate change will impact the location of suitable habitat for tree species in the Pacific Northwest. Locations that become unsuitable will experience increased levels of tree mortality and diminished levels of tree growth. Understanding how these impacts will spatially manifest is vital for efficient management of natural resources. An invaluable...
Foliar respiration forms a large component of the carbon balance of any coniferous forest. We examine seasonal, interannual, spatial and interspecific variation of foliar maintenance respiration in a forest in Washington, USA, with measurements made quarterly for >4 years on 400-year old trees of Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla and Thuja...
The hazards associated with tsunamis are well known and have been studied for decades. The majority of research is, however, focused on open coastlines which bear the brunt of a tsunamis force. Other regions that can be strongly impacted by a tsunami are large estuaries. Here, the tsunami encounters a...
This research assessed the effect of western juniper (Junlperus
occldentalls) removal on understory plant production and cover and
ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) growth and plant water status.
A complete randomized block design, with four blocks and four
treatments was established in the summer of 1984 near Prineville,
Oregon. The four...
Increase in energy demand has led towards considering lignocellulosic feedstocks as potential for ethanol production. Aim of this study was to estimate the potential of grass straws from conservation reserve program (CRP) lands as feedstocks for ethanol production. The CRP was initiated to ensure reduction in soil erosion with a...
Yarding delays add significantly to the time and cost required to obtain a given quantity
of timber. In this study, they increased total yarding time by as much as 28 percent. As yarding system complexity increases, the frequency of delays can also be expected to increase. For one balloon yarding...
Wild fish populations are typically infected with a variety of micro- and macroparasites that may affect fitness and survival, however, there is little published information on parasite distribution in wild juvenile salmonids in three upper tributaries of the Willamette River, OR. The objectives of this survey were to document (1)...
Published September 1978. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
White and grand fir are both valuable components of the mixed-conifer stand structure managed for late-successional reserves in central Oregon. However, they are often short-lived species because of high susceptibility to root diseases, defoliating insects, bark beetles, and wildfire. This study focuses on the effects of root diseases caused by...
I focus on addressing knowledge gaps relating to management of cryptogams in Oregon's public lands in Pseudotsuga menziesii-Tsuga heterophylla forests on the west side of the Cascade Range and dryland steppe in the Cascade Range's rainshadow.
While a great deal of research has illustrated the importance of late-successional forests for...
Technological growth in agriculture increases crop output but it could lower output price in the market. Economic impact assessment in ex-ante analysis usually does not include these indirect supply responses, which can overestimate the economic potential of new technology. This dissertation provides an integrated farm-level ex-ante impact assessment model to...
During summer and fall of 1981 to 1983, mark-recapture was
conducted in riparian and upland habitats within old-growth and
mature forests in the Cascade Range of Oregon. Number of
individuals and species richness were greater in riparian than
upland habitat. For most species, the mean adult weights and
the percentages...
Bitterbrush [Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC] plants were burned or
clipped, fall and spring, under different soil moisture conditions on
two sites in east-central Oregon. Treatments, on plants of an erect
growth form on the Juniperus/Artemisia-Purshia site resulted in 38% of
the fall-clipped and 40% of the spring-clipped plants sprouting. None...
Competition for soil water resources between newly planted Douglas-fir seedlings and aggressive early-seral plants, such as Senecio sylvaticus [L.] (Woodland groundsel, Senecio), can create drought conditions that impact tree seedling physiology, growth and likelihood of mortality. However, the specific impact of Senecio on soil moisture dynamics and inducement of water...
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EmF) form symbioses with trees. These symbioses profoundly influence forest ecology. Certain EmF form specialized profusions of hyphae, known as ectomycorrhizal fungal mats (mats) which are visible to the naked eye, alter forest soil biogeochemistry, substantially contribute to soil microbial biomass/respiration and support unique microbial communities. Piloderma and...
Coastal landscape change represents aggregated sediment transport gradients from spatially and temporally variable marine and aeolian forces. Numerous tools exist that independently simulate subaqueous and subaerial coastal profile change in response to these physical forces on a range of time scales. In this capacity, coastal foredunes have been treated primarily...
This report supplements Research Bulletin 18 (1975) of the Forest Research Laboratory, School of Forestry, Oregon State University. Bulletin 18 summarized analyses of data for the first field season of the Pansy Basin Study. This Bulletin extends those analyses to the second, and final, field season. Time-study observations during the...
The ponderosa pine ecosystem of the West have changed dramatically since Euro-American settlement 140 years ago due to past land uses and the curtailment of natural fire. Today, ponderosa pine forests contain over abundance of fuel, and stand densities have increased from a grange of 49-124 trees per ha (20-50...
Wildfire exclusion over the past century or more has resulted in extensive fuel accumulations throughout much of the West that combined with recent climatic patterns have increased the frequency of relatively uncommon, large, high-severity wildfires. Forest restoration treatments intended to alter landscape-level fire disturbance patterns can be difficult to implement...
Published March 1998. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Forest managers are challenged to provide timber revenues and other resources for society while protecting and enhancing components of biodiversity that are often associated with older forests or older forest structure, such as dead wood. We examined small mammal response to timber harvest in stands 8-10 years following group-selection, two-story,...
Conceptually, the dynamics of wood in streams can be viewed in terms of input and in-channel processes. Input processes are associated with both the riparian (tree fall, bank cutting, windthrow) and upslope forests (mass failures). In-channel processes include log breakage, movement, and decomposition. A mechanistic view of these processes is...
Forest growth models in the Pacific Northwest are predominantly empirical. Predictions of yield under alternative silvicultural regimes cannot rely completely on field trials; yet empirical growth models are often inadequate for extrapolating untested regimes and genotypes. The limitations of current models include (1) long time-steps (e.g. 5-10 years); (2) insufficient...
Published May 2001. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Early in the establishment of Pacific Northwest conifer plantations, herbaceous weeds often decrease seedling growth through competition for soil moisture during the dry summer months. Critical period studies have reported that reductions in competitive weed cover are necessary during the initial years of establishment to avoid reductions in seedling growth....
Vibrio coralliilyticus (Vcor) is a bacterial pathogen that is well adapted to shellfish hatcheries and is very pathogenic to the larvae of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Vcor has been associated with several large scale larval mortality events in the Pacific Northwest that interrupt the supply of seed oysters available...
I evaluated fire occurrence, growth and recruitment and determined the fire history of 21 old and 20 young 8ha stands in Cascade, Siskiyou and mid-Coast mixed conifer and evergreen forests in southwestern Oregon. The rates and patterns of growth were measured and analyzed on 1,079 old-growth and 2,111
young stand...
The peppermint industry is the largest commercial herb industry
in the United States. Oregon is the largest peppermint producing
state with nearly 60 percent of the total United States peppermint
oil production. There is a need for economic information about current
and future prospects for the national peppermint industry as...
Proper nitrogen (N) management and variety selection are important for profitable hard red winter (HRW) wheat production in the dryland growing regions of northeastern Oregon. In these dryland systems, N management for grain yield and grain protein concentration (GPC) is challenging due to climatic and year-to-year variation in production environments....
Since the 1964 earthquake and geologic uplift, beavers (Castor canadensis) have expanded their historic range from the inland (outwash plain) Copper River Delta, Alaska to the once tidally influenced areas of the outer area (uplifted marsh). The uplift presents a unique opportunity to observe beaver expansion, habitat selection and influence...
As human impacts and demands for ocean space increase (fisheries, aquaculture, marine reserves, renewable energy), identification of marine habitats hosting sensitive biological assemblages has become a priority. Epifaunal invertebrates, especially the structure-forming species, are an increasing conservation concern as many traditional (bottom-contact fishing) and novel (marine renewable energy) ocean uses...
The temperature-dependent development of pupae and adults of strawberry root weevil (SRW) Otiorhynchus ovatus (L.) was studied in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch. var. 'Totem'). The development of pupae and adults was investigated at constant temperatures from 3-33°C at 3°C intervals. Major emphasis was on the development of a weighted...
We conducted a study to compare the bite-count technique (BC) of estimating forage intake and synthesized diet quality to direct estimates of diet quantity and quality with the use of the rumen evacuation technique (RE). We used four rumen-fistulated steers to evaluate both techniques. Four enclosures in a mixed-conifer rangeland...
This report assesses climate change impacts and associated community and ecosystem vulnerability. It was compiled by a group of Oregon State University researchers and students, outreach specialists, and coastal community members in Tillamook County, Oregon (OR). Through sustained engagement with the Tillamook County Coastal Futures Knowledge to Action Network (TCCF...
Tree mortality is an important demographic process and primary driver of forest dynamics, yet there are relatively few plot-based studies that explicitly quantify mortality and compare the relative contribution of endogenous and exogenous disturbances at regional scales. We used repeated observations on 289,390 trees in 3673 1 ha plots on...
We used spatial optimization to analyze alternative restoration scenarios and quantify tradeoffs for a large, multifaceted restoration program to restore resiliency to forest landscapes in the western US. We specifically examined tradeoffs between provisional ecosystem services, fire protection, and the amelioration of key ecological stressors. The results revealed that attainment...
Hydrologic processes within mineral flat wetlands, along with their
connections to groundwater and downstream surface water in lowland agricultural
catchments are poorly understood, particularly under different land uses. In the three
field studies included in this thesis, we examined infiltration, wetland hydroperiod,
groundwater recharge dynamics, surface runoff generation, and water...
Published January 1984. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Riparian communities dominated by members of the
Salicaceae (Salix lasiandra, S. lutea, S. lemmonii,
Populus trichocarpa, P. tremuloides and S. exiqua) were
studied at the Crooked River National Grassland in central
Oregon. The objectives of this study were to examine the
relationships between the Salix and Populus species and
microsite...
Published May 1998. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Nearly all birds communicate through sound, and there has been much study of avian populations and communities using song and other vocalizations. Owls are no exception as they defend territories, advertise for mates, and defend against threats using various vocalizations. However, due to their generally nocturnal habits, some owl species...
We conducted capture and acoustic surveys for bats in six areas along a latitudinal gradient in Southeast Alaska from mid-May to September in 2005 and we continued surveys on Prince of Wales Island from mid-May to September in 2006. We determined the level of effort required to catch each species...
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3.9. Differences in means for variables measured at the tree plot scale .....................109
Farmers typically use three applications of glyphosate to control weeds in no-till fallow. Some are now experimenting with an unconventional modification to this widely used approach. This modified approach is based on an intentional delay in the time of the first spraying. Farmers delay their first spraying because they want...
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as soon as possible after emergence of downy brome and volunteer. The initial mid-109
season
A substantial fraction of estuarine tidal wetlands have been lost to development or other human uses in the Pacific Northwest since the 1800s. Wetland restoration, typically through tidal re-connection, can restore normal tidal hydrology to these areas and improve estuarine capacity to support ecosystem functions and services. Restoration may initiate...
Three studies were conducted to evaluate different grazing systems on mixed conifer rangelands in eastern Oregon, and photo points and aerial photography was used to determine effects of 25 years of cattle grazing on stream channel changes and vegetation responses. The first study was designed to determine if grazing treatment...
Daily and seasonal habitat use by Roosevelt elk was investigated
in the Oregon Coast Range on managed, public forestland. Over 3,700
locations of 6 radio-collared cow elk were recorded during 12 consecutive
months. Two elk formed part of a north band and 4 elk were
part of a south band....
Remote sensing techniques have long been useful in quantifying changes in ecosystems and the field of remote sensing is constantly evolving to better assess and describe changes, both spatially and temporally. In this thesis I explored the novel use of two remote sensing methods to quantify ecosystems; repeat photograph to...
Multipurpose management of hydrosystems face a number of uncertainties related to hydrologic variability and nonstationarity. Anticipated air temperature increases in the Pacific Northwest region are projected to alter the timing and quantity of streamflow associated with precipitation shifting from snow to rain, including shorter winter runoff periods, earlier spring runoff,...
Forest managers of public lands in western Oregon and Washington have become increasingly interested in creating additional conifer cohorts in young, even-aged, second-growth Douglas-fir stands. The purpose of our research was to assess the establishment, survival, and growth of naturally-regenerated and underplanted conifers 10-13 years after overstory thinning and understory...
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...
Two case studies of 5 ecosystems were used to examine the nitrogen fixation rate of red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.), varnishleaf (Ceanothus velutinus var. laevigatus (Hook.) T. & G.), deerbrush (C. i ntegerrimus H. & A.), and snowbrush (C. velutinus var. velutinus Dougl. Ex Hook). The first case study assayed...
Fire is a fundamental disturbance that drives terrestrial and atmospheric carbon dynamics. Previous studies have quantified fire effects on carbon cycling from local to global scales but have focused nearly exclusively on high-severity, stand-replacement fire. Since 2002, variable-severity wildfires have burned more than 65 000 ha across the east slope...
Shell-boring polychaetes pose economic risks for oyster aquaculture industries as they reduce the aesthetic quality of oyster products by creating unsightly mud-filled blisters on the inside of the shell. Recently there has been a reported uptick in infested oysters on commercial farms along the west coast of the US, which...
This report describes initial results of a yarding time study for the Pansy Basin Study, a cooperative research project designed to test the performance of skylines, balloons, and helicopters operating under various conditions of timber and terrain, and over a range of silvicultural and landscape design prescriptions. Observations during the...
Published May 1994. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
In the last decade, many U.S. parks and protected areas (PPA) experienced record breaking visitation levels. Managers of these PPAs face the challenging task of providing a range of quality and accessible outdoor experiences without compromising the integrity and health of surrounding ecosystems. Understanding how PPA visitors move and interact...
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been steadily increasing from anthropogenic energy production, development and use. Carbon cycling in the terrestrial biosphere, particularly forest ecosystems, has an important role in regulating atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. US West coast forest management policies are being developed to implement forest bioenergy production while...
The Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins) can kill large numbers of Douglas-fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) across a landscape during periods of population outbreaks. High-value individual trees and small stands can be protected from Douglas-fir beetle infestation during outbreaks by applying the anti-aggregation pheromone, MCH (3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one). MCH treatments are...
Snags (standing dead trees) are an essential structural component of forests. Because wildlife use of snags depends on size and decay stage, snag density estimation without any information about snag quality attributes is of little value for wildlife management decision makers. Little work has been done to develop models that...
Stream temperatures were monitored on seven low-elevation western Oregon streams immediately after clearcut harvesting and 14-17 years later in two studies that examined buffer designs. One study on four streams used no-tree buffers with all trees next to the stream harvested within the clearcut units. The second study on three...
Snags (standing dead trees) are an essential structural component of forests. Because wildlife use of snags depends on size and decay stage, snag density estimation without any information about snag quality attributes is of little value for wildlife management decision makers. Little work has been done to develop models that...
Snags (standing dead trees) are an essential structural component of forests. Because wildlife use of snags depends on size and decay stage, snag density estimation without any information about snag quality attributes is of little value for wildlife management decision makers. Little work has been done to develop models that...
Coastal hypoxia, or low oxygen episodes pose a threat to marine resources in the Pacific Northwest. Previous research into nearshore oxygen dynamics have linked coastal upwelling to this seasonally occurring phenomenon, however the manifestation of hypoxic waters over coastal fishing grounds was not well understood. Through a partnership with Dungeness...
Two objectives of this research were to identify fungi which are
mycorrhizal with western hemlock and to examine the ecology of hemlock
mycorrhizal fungi indigenous to outplanting sites. Another objective
was to evaluate the effectiveness of mycorrhizal inoculation in
improving the performance of outplanted hemlock seedlings.
A list of over...
Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana) forests of south-central Oregon have been extensively researched over the last century. However, little information has been reported on overstory composition and stand structure shifts associated with fire exclusion within inter-mixed ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine stands of the...
The Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study is a large-scale, multi-year, interdisciplinary project examining the effects of various levels and patterns of green-tree retention on multiple forest features. Six retention levels and patterns were examined and replicated across six blocks of predominately Douglas-fir forested land in western Oregon and...
Disturbance, whether natural or of human origin, modifies to varying degrees
many ecosystem attributes. Fire is a natural process in the montane forests of southern
Oregon but for much of the 20th century fire was viewed as an apocalypse and thus
fervently suppressed. Effective natural resource management requires an
understanding...
Published June 1990. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The major purpose of this study was to develop a resource
unit in family life education for boys. To plan this unit, which was
divided into two parts, personal and family relations and child development,
the writer
1. Surveyed the homemaking teachers in Oregon to discover
who taught boys homemaking...
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...
Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) are important economically, ecologically, and culturally as an indigenous species in western Oregon. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) observed declines in black-tailed deer populations since the late 1980’s and attributes these declines to reduction in quality and availability of habitat, following the...
Despite its importance to biodiversity and ecosystem function, patterns and drivers of regional scale variation in forest structure and development are poorly understood. We characterize structural variation, create a hierarchical classification of forest structure, and develop an empirically based framework for conceptualizing structural development from 11,091 plots across 25 million...
Sugar pine and western white pine are widely distributed, economically valuable, and ecologically important native tree species in North America. However, white pine blister rust (WPBR), caused by a non-native fungal pathogen, Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch. in Rabh., has substantially affected populations of these species. Cronartium is an obligate parasite,...