Dry-conifer Ecology and Silviculture in Western Oregon

John D. BaileyOregon State University

Two provinces but…• Rainfall• Temperature

Forest Vegetation Formula:• Geology and Soils• Climate/microclimate• Disturbances - fire• Heterotrophs - humans

Ecology 101

Autecology (e.g., silvics)Synecology (e.g., Douglas-fir infill)Ecosystems – exchanges of mass and energyDisturbance (no such thing as ‘balance’)

Douglas-fir (dominant)Ponderosa and sugar pineIncense-cedarOregon white oak

Forests and woodlandsSavannasGrasslands/meadows

Stand Dynamics

Stand InitiationStem ExclusionUnderstory ReinitiationOld Growth

Seral stages (spatial and temporal patterns)• meadows?• fire-maintained woodlands• native peoples• young forest?

Historic vs. current conditions

“Axis of Evil”• settlement and land conversion• overgrazing• fire exclusion and suppression*• dewatering of drainages• scattered (often high-grade) logging*• ungulate proliferation

Fuel accumulationDensityAge and size structure

SilvicultureMechanical Treatment (e.g., “thinning”)

vs. Prescribed Burning

Advantages Disadvantages

National Program

• 13 sites in the US• Two factors (mechanical and fire)

• Basic Design and Monitoring

Control Burn Only

Thin Only Thin &

Burn

http://www.fs.fed.us/ffs/

Standard Fuels Reduction Treatment – 2 million acres/year

FFS 80/80 Treatment

FUELS REDUCTION TREATMENTS

Silvicultural Effectivenessn. Having the intended or expected effect; serving the management purpose over time and space

• Structure• tree and stand• live and dead

• Composition• Fuels levels• Stand Dynamics – DFD’s

• restoration• ecosystem-based management• carbon

• Sustainability

FFS Treatments – Southwest Plateau (northern Arizona)

Mechanical harvest only Prescribed fire only

Harvest followed by fire Control

FFS Treatment – Future Structure and Dynamics…40 years later

Other Restoration Treatments

Silvicultural Effectivenessn. Having the intended or expected effect; serving the management purpose over time and space

• Meadow encroachment• Oak savanna infill• northern spotted owl habitat• defensible fuel breaks

MULTI-AGED MANAGEMENTSTANDS AND LANDSCAPES