managing southwestern forests...2017/06/29 · ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests are...
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MANAGING PONDEROSA AND DRY MIXED-CONIFER FORESTS FOR WILDLIFE: HABITATS, BIO-DIVERSITY, FOOD WEBS
Ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests are often referred to as frequent-fire forests because of:
• Characteristic frequent surface fire (return
intervals <35 years), which
• Maintained a composition of mostly mature fire tolerant and shade intolerant tree species with
• A spatial patterns of trees in small groups dispersed within a matrix of open grass-forb-shrub habitat
Yellow pine 200+ years
Blackjack 80-200 years
Poles 25-80 years
Grass/forb
Scale - feet 100 200 300 0
Historical natural conditions Pearson Natural Area, AZ 1909
Showing grass-forb matrix and spacing and interspersion of tree
age groups in ponderosa pine
FREQUENT-FIRE FOREST DISTRIBUTION
Why Focus on Frequent-Fire Forests
Very important wildlife habitat Most abundant throughout the West Most departed from natural conditions At risk for uncharacteristic disturbances
• Fires • Insect and disease outbreaks
Luckily, there is a large body of science regarding:
Historic range of variability (HRV) Reference conditions and reconstructions Disturbances Biological diversity
Tools for Restoring Goshawk Habitats
Goshawks, Food Webs,
Trophic Interactions
Goshawk Litigation History and Legal Status 1990 lawsuits and appeals affected the timber
program in Region 3. 1991-96. Three petitions filed to list goshawk as
endangered, all denied by FWS. 1992. FWS completes Status Review, cites
insufficient data supporting claims of declines. Currently a Sensitive Species in most Natl.
Forests. Queen Charlotte subspecies listed as
Threatened in 2000 by British Columbia.
A. g. atricapillus
A. g. laingi
A. g. apache
Goshawk Range, North America
Holarcticlctic
Morphological and Behavioral Characteristics Adapted to forest
environments Long tail, short wings Sub-canopy forager Primarily perch hunter Searches for prey in
low vegetation column Short-sit, short flight
hunting behavior Food limited
Desired Forest Conditions: Syntheses of Elements
Nest areas (6) 30 ac each
PFA* 420 acres Foraging area 5,400 acres
Home Range Elements
Total Home Range 6,000 Acres
*PFA = Post-fledging family area
Goshawk Nest Habitat Structure
Relatively large trees Relatively closed
canopy Open understory Shallow slopes or flat
areas
Goshawk Foraging Habitat o Forest structure
o Lifted crowns - flight space (older forests)
o Open understory – flight space
o Dispersed hunting perches
o Edges / small openings
o Composite of prey habitats o At the scale of
territory
Birds American robin Band-tailed pigeon Blue grouse Mourning dove Stellar’s jay Northern flicker Hairy woodpecker
Mammals Chipmunks Cottontail Jack rabbit Mantled ground squirrel Red squirrel Abert’s squirrel
Goshawk Prey
Synthesis of Goshawk & Prey Habitats
GOSHAWK HABITAT GOSHAWK PREY SPECIES
Composition & structure
Tree longevity
Sustainability
Disturbance factors
Landscape patterns/scale
Goshawk nesting habitat
Goshawk foraging habitat
Species 1
Foods &
Habitat
Species 2
Foods &
Habitat
Species 3
Foods &
Habitat
Species 4
Foods &
Habitat
FHE FHE FHE
SYNTHESIS OF FOREST HABITAT ELEMENTS (FHE)
SYNTHESIS OF HABITAT ELEMENTS WITH FOREST ECOLOGY
SUSTAINING LANDSCAPE MIX OF FOREST HABITATS
FOREST ECOLOGY
FHE FHE FHE
Vegetative Components Most Important to the Goshawk Food Web
Mid-aged to old forest (VSS 4-6) -where many prey occur
Grass/forb Openings -especially important for large-bodied prey (rabbits, ground squirrels, grouse, turkey)
Growth of Tree Groups
VSS 2
VSS 3
VSS 4
VSS 5
VSS 6 Grass/forb/shrub
Seedling-sapling
Young forest
Mid-aged forest
Mature forest
Old forest
Desired Conditions
Trees grouped with interlocking crowns
Small openings (interspaces) between groups
As much old forest as is sustainable
High interspersion of age classes
Snags and logs
Desired Conditions Trees grouped with
interlocking crowns Shaded habitats
Desired Conditions
Grass/forb/shrub openings between trees groups for bird & mammal prey
Desired conditions
High tree age-class group interspersion within grass-forb-shrub habitat
Desired Habitats: dead and decaying wood
Large tree component provides: Snags Logs Woody debris Nutrient recycling
Desired Conditions As much old forest as is sustainable
for bird & mammal prey
Unique Elements Multi species, food web approach
Information across trophic levels Desired forest conditions (DFC)
Focus on what is left rather than extracted Flexible prescriptions (depends on existing
conditions) Restores evolutionary environments
Habitat conditions to which plants & animals were adapted
However, GTR-217 did not specify sizes of tree groups or grass-forb opening
Outcomes: Eagar South Before treatment After treatment
Outcomes: Warm Fire, May 2011
2-years post-Wallow 2-years post (CIR)
Ecosystem Restoration Tool
Prey
Food Webs
Ecosystems
Predator
Group size ranges from <0.1 acre (2-10 trees) to 3/4+ acre (40+ trees) in size. Tree group and opening sizes are highly variable based on site conditions.
Tree group size and variability
Outcomes of Restoration
Resumption of frequent low-severity fire and increased flexibility for the use of fire as a management tool
Increased resilience to
disturbances and climate variability
Resumed feedback loop between composition,
structure, and fire
Questions?
www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/6420
www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/44885
Added values of achieving desired conditions Provides for:
many native plants and wildlife old growth visual quality forage wood products (quality, flow) hydrologic function
Reduces fire hazards and increases flexibility in appropriate management response
Increases resilience to: Insects, disease, drought Climate change
Climate Change? Restoration of composition, structure,
and function in FFF is best option for: Enhancing ecosystem survival and retention of
component species in face of increasingly frequent catastrophic losses, which
provides more time for research and management to develop options for future climate conditions, and
increases ecosystem resistance, resilience, and response to future climates by:
• Forestalling impacts. • Improving recovery after disturbances. • Allowing species to adapt in place or migrate to
new conditions.
For Consideration
Typical fuels reduction/management is seldom restoration, whereas ecological restoration in today’s FFF is almost always fuels reduction