The influence of fire and climate events on age structure of different species was examined in
old-growth mixed conifer in the southern Sierra Nevada. Within a 48-ha stem-mapped sample area, after a
mechanical thinning, all stumps were examined for fire scars and 526 stumps were cut to ground level and...
Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire are widely used to restore western forests after a century of fire suppression, yet we know little about how these treatments affect understory communities where plant diversity is highest. We followed understory plants and environmental factors in old-growth, Sierran mixed conifer for two pre-treatment and...
Sierra Nevada forests have high understory species richness yet we do not know which site factors influence
herb and shrub distribution or abundance. We examined the understory of an old-growth mixed-conifer
Sierran forest and its distribution in relation to microsite conditions. The forest has high species richness
(98 species sampled),...
Sustainable elk (Cervus canadensis) habitat management on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands involves a complex relationship between management practices and ecological processes. A relatively novel Rocky Mountain elk population (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) on the Plumas National Forest (PNF) in northeastern California became established in the early 2000s, but there is...
The Teakettle Ecosystem Experiment in the southern Sierra Nevada is using thinning and prescribed
fire to recreate historical stand conditions. As part of Teakettle we assessed pretreatment diversity and density
of the soil arthropod community in 1998 and 2000. We determined the density and diversity of soil microarthropods
among treatment...
During 1997–1998, we investigated the influence of both the relative abundance of truffles, preferred food
items, and microhabitat structure on the occurrence of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus Shaw) in old-growth
forest habitat of the Sierra Nevada Range, U.S.A. Following live-trapping sessions, we searched the forest floor
for truffle diggings...
We examined the nest-tree preferences of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) in an old-growth,
mixed-conifer and red fir (Abies magnifica) forest of the southern Sierra Nevada of California. We tracked 27
individuals to 122 nest trees during 3 summers. Flying squirrels selected nest trees that were larger in diameter
and...
Knowledge of the timber production potential of a wildland area plays an important role in its wise management. For the past several years, resource managers of the United States Forest Service (USFS) at the Plumas National Forest have been concerned with the establishment of a procedure to evaluate timber production...
Mortality patterns in an old-growth, mixed-conifer forest, in the absence of wildfire, were investigated at the Teakettle Experimental Forest from 2000 to 2002. We tested the hypothesis that after a century of fire suppression, pathogen- and insect-associated mortality (between episodic droughts) would be significantly greater on ingrowth trees (i.e., smaller-diameter,...
Detailed analysis of mixed-conifer and red fir forests were made from extensive, large vegetation sampling, systematically conducted throughout the Teakettle Experimental Forest. Mixed conifer is characterized by distinct patch conditions of closed-canopy tree clusters, persistent gaps and shrub thickets. This heterogeneous spatial structure provides contrasting microclimate, habitat and resource conditions...
