History is an invaluable source of information to understand and evaluate management influences on contemporary ecosystems and landscapes. The first two chapters (Chapters 2 and 3) explored the concept of historical range of variability (HRV) in landscape structure and stand structure using a stochastic fire simulation model to simulate presettlement...
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...
Patterns of western hemlock regeneration were studied in relation to forest structural development and environment in the Oregon Coast Range. Density of western
hemlock seedlings was examined across the climatic gradient from cool, moist coastal
areas to the seasonally hot and dry Willamette Valley Margin. Seedling densities were most strongly...
Growing concerns over maintaining animal and plant biodiversity have led to significant changes in forest management policies in the Pacific Northwest. Silvicultural alternatives to clear cutting are being suggested to promote development, retention, or creation of late-successional features such as large trees, multilayered canopies, snags and logs. As alternative management...
Red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) is a common associate and a potentially severe competitor of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in the Oregon Coast Range. However, because it fixes nitrogen and increases rates of soil nutrient cycling, red alder has the potential to benefit Douglas-fir. The objective of...
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...
This study examined the abundance, size, growth, and age of advance regeneration
Douglas-fir, beneath an eighty year-old overstory at a single site on plots subjected to different overstory thinning treatments. Treatments consisted of keeping overstory basal area within upper and lower limits for periods of 12-17 years which, depending upon...
Forest roads alter hillslope hydrologic processes by intercepting, concentrating, and rerouting storm runoff. Current road drainage guidelines are based on minimizing erosion and do not take into account the impact of forest roads on hillslope hydrology. This work monitors ditch flow and rainfall for 10 road segments over the course...
Understanding the impact of low volume road networks on forested watersheds is important for future forest management and watershed restoration. This study characterized the hydrology of five segments of forest road in the Oregon Coast Range. Rainfall, infiltration, road surface runoff, and intercepted subsurface flow were measured at each road...
Stream systems in the Pacific Northwest have come to be understood in the absence of beaver (Castor canadensis). To understand the effect of beaver upon riparian plant communities, four basins in the lower Alsea drainage were examined to determine the effect of beaver and their impoundments on streamside herbaceous/shrub and...