Strategic Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

PNW Research Station: the Setting . . . . . .4

Goal Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Goal 1: Develop a Fundamental

Understanding of Ecological, Social, 

and Economic Systems and Their 

Interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Goal 2: Assess the Status and Trends 

of Ecosystems and Natural Resources

and Their Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Goal 3: Develop Science-Based Options 

for Informed Management . . . . . . . . .23

Goal 4: Communicate Science Findings

and Enhance Their Application . . . . . .37

Honors and Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Finances and Workforce . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Cooperators Who Receive Funding . . .49

Clients Who Provide Funding . . . . . . .50

Research Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

March 2002

Con†en†s Con†en†s
WE ARE HIGHLY SOUGHT FOR

OUR SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP

AND IMPARTIAL KNOWLEDGE.

OUR MISSION IS TO GENERATE

AND COMMUNICATE SCIENTIFIC

KNOWLEDGE THAT HELPS

PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND

MAKE INFORMED CHOICES

ABOUT PEOPLE, NATURAL

RESOURCES, AND THE

ENVIRONMENT.

Vision and Mission
2

We are

committed to

providing science

that informs

important 

natural resource

decisions.

he mission of the PNW Research Station is to 

"...generate and communicate scientific knowledge that helps

people understand and make informed choices about people,

natural resources, and the environment." There is a lot

packed into that one statement. We believe that new scientific

knowledge can affect how we see and understand the natural

world. New understanding leads to changed decisions, which

affect not only today’s generation but generations to come. We

believe that these decisions can be informed and improved when

people have up-to-date scientific knowledge. That is why we are

committed to developing and communicating that knowledge.

After discussions with clients, partners, and employees, we found

that although our research programs are productive and highly

valued, we could make some changes that would be more responsive to people’s changing needs. Our new strategic plan articulates our mission and goals, which are guiding incremental

changes in our programs.

We are committed to the following goals:

■ Develop fundamental scientific knowledge about aquatic and

riparian ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, and social and economic processes—we will continue to focus on the significant

long-term, basic research for which the Station has long been

recognized. 

■ Assess the status and trends of resources and their uses—for

example, we have expanded our Forest Inventory and Analysis

Program.

■ Develop science-based options for resource management—

these options can help inform the choices that resource managers and the public make about resources and their uses.

■ Communicate our science findings to a wider audience—we

want to be sure that people understand what we are learning so

that decisions about land stewardship are well-informed.

We will continue to publish our science discoveries in technical

peer-reviewed outlets to contribute to the body of science and

validate our findings. We also will do more to put our science

findings in the hands of our key audience, people who make or

influence decisions about land management. We plan to deliver

more science information in formats that are still precise but are

more reader-friendly than technical publications.

This publication is an example of improvements we will be 

making. We are replacing our "Year In Review" with this shorter,

more readable description of our work. I hope you find our

Science Accomplishments helpful as you play your role in natural

resource management in the Pacific

Northwest. Names and e-mail addresses of lead scientists are listed with the

research accomplishments throughout

this publication. Please contact these

scientists or contact us at the address

inside the back cover if you would like

to learn more about any of the stories or research programs

described in these pages. We

would also be interested in

your response to this new

publication. Thank you for

your support and for the

privilege of serving you.

THOMAS J. MILLS

Station Director 

T 

Vision & Mission
3

We made small but important

changes to our mission statement and strategy. We recognize

that the role of the Pacific Northwest

(PNW) Research Station is to offer science information that can help resource

managers make choices about how people

use natural resources.

We are setting new priorities on what we

are studying after talking with our clients,

partners, and employees. For example,

we are now doing research on both recreation and production forestry. On biodiversity issues, we are focusing less on a

few specific threatened and endangered

species and more on habitats that will

meet the needs of all species.

We will emphasize:

■ INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTEGRATED

solutions. Form interdisciplinary teams

that can develop integrated solutions.

■ RESEARCH THAT IS A BALANCED PORTFOLIO

OFLONG- AND SHORT-TERM RESEARCH.

Balance immediate responses to policy

issues with the need to improve basic

understanding, the kind of results that

come only from long-term research.

■ WORKING AT MULTIPLE SCALES AND

OWNERSHIPS to solve increasingly complex natural resource issues that society 

faces. Conduct research that cuts 

across biophysical, social, and economic dimensions, and that ranges in

scale from microscopic to large 

watersheds.

■ CONTRIBUTING TO INFORMING THE

DEBATE about controversial natural

resource policy issues. Develop links

between scientists and managers, and

scientists and policymakers.

We have

listened to people,

and we have 

written, shared,

and revised our

strategy for 

the future.

S†ra†egic Highligh†s

S†ra†egic Highligh†s
4 PNW Research S†a†ion: The Se††ing

PNW Research

S†a†ion: The Se††ing

■ 10 laboratories in Alaska, Oregon, 

and Washington

■ 10 active experimental forests, 

watershed, and range

■ Research also conducted in more 

than 20 research natural areas

(RNAs)

■ Headquarters in Portland, Oregon

■ PNW is 1 of 6 research stations in

the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service

■ 536 Station employees (266 

permanent, 270 temporary)
PNW Research S†a†ion: The Se††ing

The setting

■ Alaska, Oregon, and Washington:

21 percent of the U.S. land area

24 percent of the U.S. forest land

5 percent of the U.S. rangeland

but only 3.5 percent of the U.S. 

population

■ Forest trends:

Only 3-percent loss in total area of 

forest land since 1630

Endangered Species Act affected 

management strategies on all lands

Increasing concern over forest health

Reduction in timber harvest from 

public forest lands

Increasing demand to use forest land 

for purposes other than timber 

harvest

■ Socioeconomic trends:

Increasing population is culturally 

diverse with a wider array of 

demands for forests

Increasing diversification of economies

in Oregon and Washington (only 

2.7 percent of employment is in 

forest products)

Alaska’s economy has not grown as fast 

or diversified as much as that of 

Oregon and Washington

Communities have become more 

service oriented, changing their 

relations with the natural world

5
6 Goal Accomplishments 

Goal Accomplishmen†s

T he range of possible research questions is nearly endless, and

the PNW Research Station has limited resources. So, working together with clients, scientists, and science managers,

the Station established four goals, with priorities under each goal.

The research described in this report is organized under these

goals and priorities.

Contact information includes the name, e-mail address, and program of the lead scientist. The icons are hyperlinks on this publication’s electronic version, on the Web at www.fs.fed.us/pnw. The

programs are the organizational units by which most Station

research is conducted, and the programs and program managers

are listed on page 51 of this publication.

Goals and Priorities

Goal 1: Develop a fundamental understanding of ecological, 

social, and economic systems and their interactions.

Priority 1.1 Advance the understanding of structure, function, and 

processes of terrestrial ecological systems.

Priority 1.2 Advance the understanding of structure, function, and

processes of aquatic and riparian ecological systems.

Priority 1.3 Improve the understanding of social and economic 

processes and their interaction with natural resource values

and uses.

Goal 2: Assess the status and trends of ecosystems and natural 

resources and their uses.

Priority 2.1Conduct inventories of forest resources and use.

Priority 2.2 Analyze and assess resource trends.

Priority 2.3 Develop monitoring protocols and data analysis 

techniques.

Goal 3: Develop science-based options for informed management.

Priority 3.1Manage riparian and aquatic areas for multiple values.

Priority 3.2 Restore ecosystems at risk and reduce the risks people face.

Priority 3.3 Develop recreation and tourism options for diverse 

populations.

Priority 3.4 Produce wood within sustainable frameworks.

Priority 3.5 Create operational strategies for conservation of 

biodiversity.

Goal 4: Communicate science findings and enhance their 

application.

Priority 4.1Respond to emerging issues.

Priority 4.2 Bridge the gap between information generation and use.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1 7

Goal 1: Develop a Fundamental Understanding of Ecological, Social, and Economic Systems and Their Interactions

Only fundamental research

answers basic questions about

the structures and dynamics of

ecosystems. These findings provide

information that suddenly becomes vital

in addressing immediate issues. The

Station’s long-term research on oldgrowth forests, started decades ago, has

provided scientific information for

debates about forest management in

recent years. We expect basic research

going on now to provide crucial information for emerging issues, unanticipated problems, and options for new

answers to old problems.

Key Fin∂ings:

■ Roots of Pacific Northwest forest trees

redistribute soil water during summer

drought. As the summer drought

intensifies, Douglas-fir and ponderosa

pine roots take up water in the deep,

moist levels of the soil profile, lift the

water, and release it back into dry soil

near the surface. This process may play

a key role in the establishment and survival of tree seedlings near large trees.

■ The survival and reproductive rates of

spotted owls are influenced by many

factors, including the amount and distribution of old forest, the amount of

precipitation, age of the owl, and presence of barred owls.

■ In rain forests on southeast Alaska’s

Alexander Archipelago, total soil saturation occurs more often than previously recognized. Because landslides

do not occur that frequently, other

factors, such as root strength or

windthrow, are likely more important

to slope stability here than in drier

climates.

■ In the Oregon Coast Range, scientists

found that 3 years after a big storm,

juvenile coho salmon populations, 

fish habitat, and large wood had all 

increased significantly in a stream hit 

by 20 landslides during the storm.

Juvenile coho populations and fish

habitat decreased in another stream 

hit by only a few landslides; large wood

increased somewhat. Research continues to suggest that landslides are an

important ecological process for creating and maintaining fish habitat.

■ In the Oregon Coast Range, debris

flows help maintain plant diversity in

riparian ecosystems. Riparian plant

species are well adapted to debris flows,

and plant diversity in riparian zones is

created in part by debris flow deposits.

■ International policies, trade, and

investment are increasingly affecting

domestic forest policies and management. The United Nations criteria and

indicators for forest sustainability

(Montreal Process) are being adopted

in the United States in policies on 

sustainable forest management.
8 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1

Deep Roots of Large Trees

May Benefit Seedlings

Summer droughts are common in Pacific

Northwest forests. How do trees survive

these long dry spells? In Oregon’s ponderosa pine forests and southern

Washington’s Douglas-fir forest, scientists studied how the deep roots of large

trees bring up water from deeper underground levels and release it through their

shallower roots into the dry soil near the

surface. This process, called hydraulic

lift, brings water closer to the surface

where other plants can absorb it, and it is

particularly important during summer

droughts. It also may help fine roots near

the surface absorb nutrients. By using

isotopically distinctive water, scientists

are getting better insight into how much

hydraulic lift occurs and how it benefits

other plants. They estimate that hydraulic

lift supplies about 25 to 35 percent of the

total daily water taken up from the upper

6 feet of the soil profile during summer.

The isotopically distinctive water was

found in tree seedlings distant from the

application site, suggesting that hydraulic

lift may play a role in seedling survival

and establishment.

As summer drought progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult for trees to

extract water in the upper 19 inches of

the soil profile, where more than 90 percent of the fine root biomass is typically

located. Scientists tested to see if trees

were using water from this upper soil

layer in the upper parts of their boles.

The scientists found that during August,

water stored in the upper soil layer contributed less than 20 percent to the total

daily water used in the upper 6 feet of

tree trunks, in both an old-growth ponderosa pine stand and a 20-year-old

Douglas-fir stand. Related work implied

that about 50 percent of the water used

in the upper tree trunks was supplied by

deep roots that extract water from more

than 6 feet underground. These results

suggest that trees with deep roots are able

to tap dependable sources of soil water

during summer droughts and are less

affected by droughts.

Contacts:

Tree roots lift soil water in summer droughts:

Rick Meinzer, fmeinzer@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem

Processes Program

Tree roots and forest canopy transpiration: 

Rick Meinzer, fmeinzer@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem

Processes Program

Ways to Identify 

Hundreds of Fungi

Mycorrhizal fungi, which colonize the

fine roots of trees, provide essential

nutrients to forest trees and are a food

resource for large and small mammals,

mollusks, and arthropods. In Oregon’s

Blue Mountains and much of the inland

West, these fungi seldom produce fruiting bodies (mushrooms and truffles),

which makes it difficult to identify 

species and understand these beneficial

fungi communities. However, Station

scientists and cooperators from Oregon

State University have developed molecular methods for extracting DNA from

mycorrhizal fungi and identifying the

species. With these new immunoassay

methods, scientists were able to identify

as many as 300 fungi species from one

sampling of tree roots at the Hungry Bob

site in northeast Oregon. Scientists will

be able to use the techniques to answer

questions about the dynamics of underground fungi communities.

Contact:

Identifying mycorrhizal fungi through DNA

analysis: Jane Smith, jsmith01@fs.fed.us,

Ecosystem Processes Program

Station scientists

and cooperators

from Oregon State

University develop

molecular methods

for extracting 

DNA from

mycorrhizal fungi

and identifying

difficult-to-identity

species.

Yana Valachovic obtains a soil core with mycorrhizal

tree roots.

Photo: Jane E. Smith
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1 9

Benefits of Wind Throw

In southeast Alaska, scientists learned

that the soil disturbance from windthrown trees may have some benefits for

soil productivity. In watersheds where

significant windthrow occurred 80 years

ago, the soil had a higher percentage of

labile soil carbon, and the stream water

had higher pH and calcium concentrations and lower dissolved organic carbon

and aluminum concentrations, than was

found in watersheds with little windthrow history. Windthrow appears to

improve soil mixing by allowing water to

penetrate mineral soil and bedrock

before emerging in the stream. It appears

that in watersheds without the soil mixing

from windthrow, soil humus and waterflow are confined mostly to thick organic

horizons. In southeast Alaska, forest and

stream productivity appear to benefit

from periodic wind-throw disturbance.

Contact for Windthrow and soil productivity,

southeast Alaska: Bernard Bormann, bbormann@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes Program

Genetic Resources 

Well-Represented in

Conservation Areas

Genetic diversity in tree species is of concern to resource managers as they sustain

forests. Genetic variation can be protected

in natural populations and also in offsite

collections or plantings. Scientists

explored the extent to which genetic diversity in conifers is conserved on protected

lands in western Oregon and Washington.

They compared maps of protected areas

with maps of tree species distribution, and

also used information on genetic variation

in each species. The results show that the

distribution of conservation lands in western Oregon and Washington include

much of the genetic diversity for conifer

species. This assessment was supported by

the Pacific Northwest Forest Tree Conservation Group, including government

agencies and forest industries.

Contact for genetic diversity in tree species: 

Brad St. Clair, bstclair@fs.fed.us, Resource

Management and Productivity Program

Nest Predation Found 

Near Forest Edges

Little is known about bird nesting success in

coastal Alaska. Scientists studied patterns of

nesting success in southeast Alaska’s conifer

forests and adjacent Canadian forests. They

found that nest predation rates were higher

in bird nests near forest edges than in nests

farther from edges. This finding was true

for nests near both natural and humanmade forest edges. Red squirrels, jays,

crows, and ravens were the main predators

attacking bird nests near forest edges. 

Nests in edges near suburbs, where jays and

crows were especially abundant, were most

susceptible to predation. Southeast Alaska,

however, has large forests, and the current

level of forest fragmentation is not limiting

bird populations. Edge-related predation is

likely a significant problem at the local level,

where urban development encroaches on

the forest.

Contact for predation on bird nests, southeast

Alaska: Tom Hanley, thanley@fs.fed.us, Aquatics

and Land Interactions Program

Spotted Owls and Their Prey

Scientists are learning how the northern

spotted owl survives throughout its range.

Complex factors are emerging that differ

with place.

Soil disturbed by 

windthrow allows 

water flow into 

mineral-rich soil.

USDA FS photos

Photo: Tim Fox

Juvenile spotted owl in western Oregon’s

Cascade Range.
10 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1

A study in the Oregon Coast Range indicates that the survival and reproductive

rates of spotted owls are influenced by

factors including the amount and distribution of old forest, amount of precipitation, age of the owl, and presence of

barred owls. This study is being expanded

to the Oregon Cascade Range and other

regions in Oregon and Washington.

Scientists are developing tools that estimate survival and reproductive rates of

spotted owls based on landscape attributes. Simulation models will predict how

spotted owls would be affected by different landscape management scenarios.

In western Washington, scientists studied

spotted owl diets in 242 owl territories,

identifying a total of 6,743 prey items.

They found that flying squirrels were the

most common prey in most areas, but

wood rats, snowshoe hares, deer mice,

red-backed voles, and gophers were important prey as well. Spotted owl diets

differed among regions and even among

owl territories within regions. These data

may lead to a better understanding of

factors that affect the distribution and

abundance of spotted owls.

On the east side of the Cascade Range in

Washington, scientists are working to

understand the relations among spotted

owls, flying squirrels, and forest disturbances. The spotted owls typically avoid the

more open pine stands, even though these

stands have almost as many flying squirrels

as the stands that owls do use. Scientists are

determining factors other than prey abundance that influence the spotted owl’s use

of pine stands. Forest managers will use the

findings to assess the potential effects of

projects for reducing fuel and fire hazards

in low-elevation forests on the east side of

the Cascade Range.

In western Oregon and northern

California, little was known about the

actual distribution and abundance of tree

voles. The only way to observe tree voles

directly was to climb their nest trees.

Researchers found, however, that they

could identify prey remains in owl pellets. Scientists examined pellets from 965

owl territories in western Oregon, and

identified 16,601 prey items, of which 12

percent were tree voles. The data suggest

that tree voles are most common in the

central and southern Coast Ranges and

western Klamath Mountains. In the

Cascade Range, tree voles are found

mostly in lower elevation forests (below

3,200 feet). The results will help managers identify forests occupied by tree

voles and priority areas for protecting

tree voles.

The USDA Forest Service Pacific

Northwest Region was a partner on all

four spotted owl studies. The Washington

Department of Wildlife and the Olympic

National Park were partners on the owl

diet in Washington study, and the Bureau

of Land Management was partner on the

first three owl studies described.

Contacts:

Tree voles and spotted owl diets: Eric Forsman,

eforsman@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes

Program

Spotted owl diets, and spotted owl survival and

landscape attributes: Eric Forsman,

eforsman@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes

Program

Prey dynamics and disturbance in eastern

Washington: John Lehmkuhl,

jlehmkuhl@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance

Regimes Program

Slope Stability and Soil

Saturation: A Surprising 

Weak Link

Site conditions and forest management

practices affect stream ecology in various

ways and are key factors in the occurrence

of many landslides. Scientists are learning

the many ways these conditions interact. Adult spotted owl in western Oregon.

Photo: Gila Fox
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1 11

Mass soil failures are a key disturbance

process affecting riparian areas and

streams. These events can occur naturally

or as a result of forest management. 

In rain forests on southeast Alaska’s

Alexander Archipelago, groundwater 

levels on mountain slopes respond more

rapidly to precipitation than previously

recognized, and soil saturation also

occurs more frequently. Because total 

soil saturation occurs frequently but

landslides do not, other factors, such as

root strength or windthrow, are likely

more important to slope stability here

than in drier climates. Root strength can

be affected by timber harvest and other

forest management activities.

Contact for soil saturation and hillslope stability, southeast Alaska: Richard T. Edwards, rtedwards@fs.fed.us, Aquatics and Land Interactions

Program

Landslides: Their Role in

Creating Fish Habitat

Scientists examined the ways that landslides change, create, and maintain fish

habitat in southeast Alaska and Oregon.

In the southeast Alaska study, researchers

examined how management of young

upland forests affects landslides, streams,

and fish. Natural site conditions include

hill slope position, geology, drainage patterns, blowdown, and forest health. These

factors largely determine where landslides

start, where they go, how much material is

deposited, and the related effects on larger

streams. Coarse-level modeling indicates

that in wide, U-shaped valleys, bank erosion is the dominant process that moves

large wood to mainstem channels. The

relative contribution of landslides and

windthrow depends on topographic and

climatic factors.

In the Oregon study, researchers compared fish populations and habitat conditions in two central Oregon coastal

streams in 1999, 3 years after the

February 1996 storm, to conditions

found in 1989 and 1990. During the

1996 storm, 20 landslides occurred in

one watershed, but only a few landslides

in the other watershed. After the storm,

the amount of large wood increased in

both streams, but increased more than

200 percent in the stream with 20 landslides, and only 50 percent in the second

stream. Fish habitat increased 50 percent

in the stream with more landslides and

decreased by 50 percent in the stream

with fewer landslides. In 1999, the stream

with more landslides had 200 percent

more juvenile coho salmon than it had

had in 1989-90, but the stream with

fewer landslides had 30 percent fewer

juvenile coho salmon. Landslides are a

critical process for creating and maintaining fish habitat in the central Oregon

coast, but their impacts differ considerably depending on the size and composition of the slide.

In Oregon’s Elk River watershed, scientists examined how forest landscape characteristics affect fish populations, in particular juvenile salmon. This long-term

study has found that the distribution and

abundance of each salmonid species can

be explained by geomorphic attributes

and stream habitat. For example, juvenile

chinook salmon prefer unconstrained

valleys, nearby valley segments, and valley

segments with larger, deeper pools that

contain more wood. The number of large

wood pieces in streams was related to the

subwatershed’s rock type and how much

area was in mature to old-growth forests.

Looking at larger areas in watersheds,

Headwater channel processes maintain and modify

salmon habitat.

Photo: Richard Woodsmith

Fish habitat

increased 50 

percent in the 

stream with more

landslides and

decreased by 50

percent in the 

stream with 

fewer landslides
12 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1

scientists were able to identify source

areas most likely to supply future large

wood to streams. Managers can use these

findings to identify stream reach characteristics important for juvenile salmon

habitat and also to identify areas important for contributing large wood to fishbearing streams.

Contacts:

Young forest management and landslides, southeast Alaska: Tom Hanley, thanley@fs.fed.us,

Aquatics and Land Interactions Program

Landslide effects on streams and fish habitat,

Oregon: Gordon Reeves, greeves@fs.fed.us,

Aquatics and Land Interactions Program

Stream habitat characteristics that affect juvenile

salmonids, Elk River, Oregon: Gordon Reeves,

greeves@fs.fed.us, Aquatics and Land

Interactions Program

Riparian Plant Species WellAdapted to Debris Flows

Scientists also tracked vegetation changes

for 10 years on a new debris flow deposit

in an Oregon Coast Range riparian area.

In the first 2 years, a diverse assemblage of

herbs, grasses, shrubs, and trees colonized

the deposit. Red alder outcompeted

salmonberry and effectively captured the

site after 10 years. The patterns of plant

succession were affected by changes in the

substrate, timing of plant establishment,

seed and root sources, and shade tolerance. The scientists found that riparian

plant species are well-adapted to debris

flows and that plant diversity in riparian

zones is created in part by debris flow

deposits.

Contact for riparian vegetation changes after

debris flows, Oregon: Tom Spies,

tspies@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes Program

Place-Based Collaborations 

Are Pragmatic

In many communities, local people 

have built partnerships with their local

resource managers in recent years.

Research finds significant differences

between these place-based collaborations

and more formal traditional planning

approaches. These place-based collaborations tend to be pragmatic. Often, people

are able to work through conflicts on

resource management, and these collaborations are more likely to produce onthe-ground actions supported by more

people in the communities. To be successful, these partnerships must integrate

local knowledge with scientific knowledge,

recognize that local communities are part

of larger ecosystems and societies, and

respect individual differences.

Contact for place-based collaboration: Linda

Kruger, lkruger@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Local Forest Management

Policy Affected by

International Agreements

International policies, trade, and investment are increasingly affecting domestic

forest policies and management. Some

international agreements have been

motivated by global concern for the environment and recognition of the need to

sustain environmental services such as

carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Local forest management policies are

being affected by international agreements on large-scale natural resource

issues. One example is the international

forest sustainability process. A United

Nations working group established criteria and indicators for evaluating forest

sustainability; these are known informally

as the Montreal Process criteria. These

criteria are being adopted domestically in

the United States in policies on sustainable forest management.

Contact for international issues affecting

forestry in the United States: David Brooks,

dbrooks01@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Successful

partnerships 

integrate local 

knowledge with 

scientific knowledge,

recognize that 

local communities 

are part of larger

ecosystems 

and societies, 

and respect 

individual 

differences.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 1 13

GLOBAL

ISSUES

AFFECTING

THE

FOREST

SECTOR
14 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2

Key Fin∂ings:

■ Preliminary results show that over the

last 50 years, California had a 26-percent decline in forest area, Washington

a 15-percent decline, Oregon 3 percent, and Alaska only 1 percent. The

most dramatic change was in the structure of forests. The number of acres

covered by large trees (equal to or

greater than 29 inches in diameter)

declined by nearly 40 percent in

Alaska, Oregon, and Washington over

the past 50 years.

■ In Oregon’s nonfederal forests (state,

private, and tribal), tree growth exceeded timber harvest and tree mortality over the last 10 years. West of the

Cascade Range, tree mortality and harvest were equal to 62 percent of the

total volume of tree growth. East of the

Cascade Range, tree mortality and harvest were 19 percent greater than the

total growth.

■ Timber product output has declined

for Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and

California. Since the last assessment 5

years ago, total timber output for these

four states declined by 37 percent to

2.6 billion cubic feet.

■ The CLAMS project findings suggest

that growing population densities in

the Willamette Valley have had little

impact on the productivity of private

forest lands in western Oregon.

(CLAMS is the coastal landscape analysis and modeling study.)

■ Scientists mapped the stand-replacement disturbances that occurred on

about 11.4 million acres of western

Oregon forests between 1972 and

1995. Modern disturbance regimes,

dominated by forest management, are 

different from the historical disturbance regimes in western Oregon.

■ In forest health monitoring programs,

researchers found that balsam woolly

adelgid has a significant impact on the

distribution of tree species. It seems

that balsam woolly adelgid is eliminating grand fir from low-elevation landscapes in the Willamette Valley, Puget

Sound trough, and coastal streams.

The insect also seems to be eliminating

subalpine fir as a pioneer species in

alpine meadows, avalanche tracks, and

old lava beds.

■ Scientists developed a monitoring system for the Porcupine caribou herd in

far northern Alaska and Canada. The

monitoring system brings hunters and

biologists together, so they can cooperate on long-term sustainable management of the caribou herd.

Goal 2: Assess the Status and Trends of Ecosystems and Natural Resources and Their Uses Photo: Tom Iraci

Field crew from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program measure live and dead trees.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2 15

Criteria and Indicators Measure

Forest Change at the Regional

Scale

The United Nations criteria and indicators for forest sustainability (Montreal

Process) are being evaluated at regional,

state, bioregional, and county levels, in

the Pacific Northwest. When inventory

information is reported in ways consistent with these criteria, national and

international comparisons are possible.

Historical inventory data are being used

to chart changes in forest condition over

the last 50 years. Preliminary results

from the Resource Planning Act

Assessment show that over the last 50

years, California had a 26-percent

decline in forest area, Washington a 15-

percent decline, Oregon 3 percent, and

Alaska only 1 percent. The most dramatic

change, however, was in the structure of

forests. The number of acres covered by

large trees (equal to or greater than 29

inches in diameter) declined by nearly

40 percent in Alaska, Oregon, and

Washington over the past 50 years.

In the Pacific Coast States of California,

Oregon, and Washington, timber harvest

has dropped 40 percent since the late

1980s. This trend is expected to change,

and timber harvest in these states stay

near the level of 2.5 billion cubic feet

annually for the next several decades.

Currently, the three Pacific Coast States

supply 24 percent of the total U.S. timber harvest, but this proportion is

expected to decline to less than 20 percent by 2050. This trend indicates that

production forestry is shifting to the

Southern United States. The Western

forest products industry will be less

important nationally and is likely to be

less significant regionally also, as far as its

total contributions to state and local

economies. This shift has far-reaching

implications for western land managers,

regulatory agencies, and the research

community.

Contact for study of timber industry in Alaska,

Oregon, California, and Washington: Bert

Mead, bmead@fs.fed.us, Forest Inventory and

Analysis Program

Photo: Tom Iraci

Data collected by FIA crews showed changes in forest

structure for the region.

Production

forestry is shifting

to the Southern

United States.

California,

Oregon, and

Washington are

projected to 

supply less than 

20 percent of the

Nation’s total

timber harvest 

by 2050.

Softwood harvest in Pacific Coast states becoming small proportion of national total.
16 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2

New Oregon Forest Land

Statistics Available

Researchers looked at the size classes for

Oregon’s nonfederal (state, private, and

tribal) forest lands. They found that 25

percent of the acres had stands with an

average diameter of less than 5 inches

(seedlings and saplings), 21 percent were

between 5 and 9 inches, 47 percent were

between 9 and 20 inches, and only 3

percent had stands with an average diameter greater than 20 inches.

Scientists also found that in Oregon’s

nonfederal forests, tree growth exceeded

timber harvest and tree mortality over the

last 10 years. For the entire state, timber

harvest and mortality were only 68 percent of the growth. The trends are different, however, for moist west-side forests

and dryer east-side forests. West of the

Cascade Range, tree mortality and harvest

were equal to 62 percent of the total volume of tree growth. East of the Cascade

Range, tree mortality and harvest were 19

percent greater than the total growth.

Contact for Oregon nonfederal forest land statistics: Dave Azuma, dazuma@fs.fed.us, Forest

Inventory and Analysis Program

Projected Increase in Older

Forests on Federal Forest Lands

Looking at only federal forest lands in

Oregon (USDA Forest Service and

USDI Bureau of Land Management),

researchers assessed how much federal

timber harvest had declined over the

last 30 years. Between 1970 and 1989,

harvest from federal forest lands in

Oregon averaged about 4 billion cubic

feet per year. In the early 1990s, that

number dropped to about 1.3 billion

cubic feet annually, and by the late

1990s, it had dropped to 0.5 billion

cubic feet annually.

In 1997, only 15 percent of the forest

land on Pacific Northwest national

forests had stands older than 150 years,

but this proportion is expected to

increase to 35 percent by 2050. The shift

toward older age classes means that

mature forests, some with old-growth

characteristics, will occupy a larger area,

and there will be fewer young stands.

Although the trend to older forests

means that there will be more big trees

on national forests in the Pacific

Northwest, the overall proportion of big

trees on all forest lands may not change

much, because most trees on private forest lands are likely to be harvested well

before they reach 150 years.

Contact for projected national forest inventories: Richard Haynes, rhaynes@fs.fed.us,

Human and Natural Resource Interactions

Program

On Pacific

Northwest

national forests, 

the proportion of

stands older than

150 years is expected 

to increase from 

15 to 35 percent

between 1997 

and 2050.

Photo: Tom Iraci
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2 17

Changing Timberland Base on

the Tongass National Forest

Final results are available from the 1995-

2000 inventory of unreserved lands in

the Chatham, Stikine, and Ketchikan

areas of the Tongass National Forest.

Researchers found that there are 3.8 million acres of forest land available for timber harvest, a reduction of 0.4 million

acre from the 4.2 million acres available

in 1985. Increases in wilderness area

account for much of this change. Pure

stands of Sitka spruce are rare, covering

about 8 percent of the timberland area,

but have the highest volumes per acre,

averaging about 7,600 cubic feet per

acre. Stands of mixed Sitka spruce and

western hemlock average about 1,700

cubic feet per acre. On all federal timberland in southeast Alaska, Sitka spruce

trees account for over 28 percent of the

total net cubic volume.

Contact for study of southeast Alaska’s changing

timberland base: Bill van Hees,

bvanhees@fs.fed.us, Forest Inventory and

Analysis Program

Regional and National Trends

for Timber

For more than a century, the federal 

government has done periodic national

assessments of the future supply and demand for timber. For the 2000-2001

Resource Planning Act timber assessment,

projections were done for the next 50

years. Timber harvest in the United

States is predicted to increase 30 

percent.

National trends indicate that some private timberland will be converted to

other land uses over the same time, and

that timber harvest is unlikely to increase

significantly on public forest lands. This

means that the increased timber harvest

will come from the same amount or

Tongass National Forest.

Photo: Dave Gregovich

By 2050, 

about two-thirds 

of the national 

softwood timber 

harvest will come

from intensively

managed plantations

that occupy less 

than 20 percent 

of the total 

timberland base.

On private forest lands, timber harvest will be higher in the South than in all other regions combined.
18 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2

smaller area of forest land, much of it

private timberland. But the productivity

of U.S. forest lands is steadily increasing

also, with more trees and ultimately more

wood volume growing on forest lands.

Analysts believe that the Nation’s forests

can both accommodate the increased

harvest levels and have larger inventories

of softwood timber in 50 years. Softwood

timber inventories are projected to

increase 58 percent over the next 50

years, and hardwood timber inventories

to increase 25 percent.

Almost all the increased softwood harvest

in the United States will come from the

South. By 2050, about two-thirds of the

national softwood timber harvest will

come from intensively managed plantations that occupy less than 20 percent of

the total timberland base. These tree

plantations will be found both in the

South and in the Pacific Northwest west

of the Cascade Range.

Over 75 percent of wood imports will

come from Canada, and most Canadian

wood imports will be softwood lumber.

Canada is expected to provide about 30

percent of U.S. softwood lumber over the

next 50 years. Wood imports from other

countries also are expected to increase

over the next 50 years. Softwood sawtimber stumpage prices increased in the

1990s but are expected to stabilize in the

future.

Timber harvest scenarios were projected

for national forest lands also. For the

first time in 30 years, future timber

inventories on national forests across the

country were projected by using the same

method used for private timberlands,

giving a consistent view across ownerships. These projections were based on

aggregated plot-level data, by using

empirical yield functions. Five different

timber harvest scenarios were projected.

Under all five scenarios, national forest

inventories are projected to increase

about 70 percent between 1997 and

2050. During this same period, the percentage of the country’s total softwood

inventory found on national forests is

expected to grow from 46 to 52 percent.

Contact for projections of softwood harvest in the

United States: Richard Haynes,

rhaynes@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Timber Industry Output

Declines in Pacific 

Coast States

Researchers reviewed the timber industry

in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and

California. Since the last assessment 5

years ago, total timber output for these

four states declined by 37 percent to 2.6

billion cubic feet. Sawlogs and veneer

made up 80 percent of the total output.

Washington harvested the most timber,

followed by Oregon, California, and

then Alaska. Although Washington led

the region in total timber harvest, it was

only the sixth state nationally. Oregon

produced 57 percent of the veneer from

the region.

Forest industry lands contributed 46

percent of the total output, nonindustrial private lands 30 percent, and public

Over 

75 percent 

of wood imports

and 30 percent

of softwood

lumber are 

projected to

come from

Canada over

the next 50

years.

Softwood inventories on national forests are projected to increase 69 percent by 2050.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2 19

lands 24 percent. Douglas-fir was the

most common tree species harvested, at

45 percent of the total output, followed

by hemlock (12 percent) and ponderosa

pine (11 percent).

Oregon’s Growing Population

Has Little Effect on Private 

Forest Lands

The CLAMS project evaluates the potential outcomes for alternative forest management policies. The first phase of the

research describes the changing patterns

in where people live in western Oregon.

It also examines the effects that growing

populations, urbanization, and land use

changes may have on forests. In particular, as more people move into rural

areas, private forest lands could be affected in many ways. The Oregon Natural

Heritage Program is using the work to

identify forest lands most at risk from

urban encroachment. 

The population density projections are

one input into CLAMS and will be used

with other information to examine the

effects of western Oregon’s growing population on private forest lands. The

research suggests that growing population

densities in the Willamette Valley have

had little impact on the productivity of

private forest lands in western Oregon.

Contact for CLAMS: Tom Spies,

tspies@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural 

Resource Interactions

Competitive Position of the

Southeast Alaska Timber

Industry

A recent study assessed the competitive

position of the southeast Alaska timber

industry compared to that of the U.S.

Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.

Southeast Alaska has long been recognized as a high-cost producer that operates at the margin of profitability for

wood products. Data for the period

1985-94 confirmed this reality. Some

species and log grades harvested in southeast Alaska can sell for high prices in

some market cycles, thereby offsetting the

higher production costs. The end-market

analysis focused on Japan’s market for

softwood sawlogs and lumber. The study

has important implications for forest

policy questions such as initiatives to

increase the value-added processing in

the region and the more general debate

over appropriate harvest levels for the

Tongass National Forest.

Contact for the study of the competitiveness of

Alaska timber industry: David Brooks,

dbrooks01@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Modern Disturbance Regimes on

Western Oregon Forest Lands

Scientists mapped the stand-replacement

disturbances that occurred on about 11.4

million acres of western Oregon forests

between 1972 and 1995. Clearcut harvest

and wildfire occurred over 19.9 and 0.7

percent of the study area, respectively.

For all land ownerships, harvest rates

were lowest in the early 1970s, peaked in

the late 1980s and early 1990s, and then

decreased to near-1970s levels by the

mid-1990s. Throughout the study period, private industrial landowners harvested timber at about 22 times the rate

of public owners. On public forest lands

and nonindustrial private lands, logging

units were usually small and dispersed

through the forest. On industrial forest

lands, logging units were usually larger

and often bordered each other, forming

larger open areas over time. Modern disturbance regimes, dominated by forest

management, are different from the historical disturbance regimes in western

Oregon.

Contact for modern disturbance regimes in western Oregon forests: Warren Cohen,

wcohen@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes Program

Five different

harvest scenarios

show national 

forest inventories

to increase by

about 70 percent

between 1997 

and 2050.
20 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2

Assessment of Special Forest

Products Becomes Primary

Reference

Researchers are working on their first

national assessment of trends in special

forest products, which are nontimber

products such as mushrooms, medicinal

plants, huckleberries, floral greens, and

others. The commercial and recreational

gathering of these products has increased

in recent years and is expected to become

even more important in the future. The

work is often done as a family business or

family hobby, and frequently the gatherers are people who have limited job or

language skills for other work, and people who value the lifestyle or work environment. The national assessment will

summarize current knowledge, identify

information gaps, and provide a starting

point for developing better information.

It will be the primary reference on this

topic for the United States’ first national

report on forest sustainability. The

national forest sustainability report will

be an important step to implementing an

international agreement about forest sustainability, first adopted by the United

Nations Conference on Environment

and Development, held in Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.

Contact for national assessment of trends in special forest products: Richard Haynes,

rhaynes@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Population Growth and

Changing Communities

The Pacific Northwest population grew

rapidly during the 1990s. Although

growth rates have slowed recently, the

state of Washington is projected to grow

from 5.9 million people in 2000 to 7.8

million people by 2025, a gain of almost

2 million people. Over half this growth

will come from net inmigration. The

growing population will likely increase

the demand on water supplies and increase recreation pressures on forests and

streams. The urban-wildland interface

will likely increase, with wildland fires

becoming even more of a concern than

they are today.

A recent study analyzed the population

changes at the regional and subregional

levels. The population is growing rapidly

even in areas that used to be sparsely

populated. In the interior Columbia

Basin, the population was growing in 

94 of 100 counties surveyed during 

the early 1990s.

A high proportion of the population

growth comes from people moving into

the region, and the newcomers often

bring new sets of values, uses, expectations, and knowledge. Public land managers need to respond to these changing

values. In Washington, a study is examining the extent to which national forest

management policies reflect the changing

values of an increasingly urban society.

Resource managers need to know how to

communicate with the region’s newcomers and involve them in land management planning.

It was long assumed that the well-being of

rural communities in Washington and

Oregon depended directly on a stable

timber harvest level. Research shows,

however, that these communities have

become more diverse over the past 20

years. There are now subcommunities

with different concerns within the traditional geographic communities, and

many people drive back to urban areas

for work, education, and services. Some

subcommunities are thriving, whereas

others are in decline. Because of these

The population

is growing rapidly

even in areas 

of the Pacific

Northwest that

used to be 

sparsely 

populated.

Growing populations affect national forests and rural

communities.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2 21

larger socioeconomic changes, it is difficult to discern exactly how these rural

communities have been affected by the

reduced timber harvest from federal forest lands. Many observers and community

members believe that the migration of

people from cities to the countryside is

having a bigger effect on rural communities than reduced timber harvest.

Outside the Pacific Northwest, researchers completed a comprehensive

atlas of social and economic change in

southern California. The atlas is part of

a socioeconomic assessment that supports

ecosystem management planning for the

Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San

Bernardino National Forests in southern

California. The 26-county region has

been changing from a manufacturingbased economy to a service and knowledgebased economy. From 1987 to 1997, the

fastest growing sectors in most counties

were services, finance and related work,

and state and local government. Wages in

the region’s 3 rural counties have consistently been lower than wages in the

region’s 23 metropolitan counties, and

the gap has been increasing steadily. The

poverty rate increased in all the counties

except San Francisco County. Many

people moved into the region from the

early 1970s to the end of the 1980s, but

the region had a net loss of population

from 1988 to 1996, owing to people

moving out.

Contacts for study of population growth and

changing communities in the Pacific Northwest

and southern California: Ellen Donoghue,

edonoghue@fs.fed.us, Richard Haynes,

rhaynes@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Forest Health Monitoring

The forest health monitoring program

conducts aerial and ground surveys to

assess insects, diseases, and other risks to

forests. Surveyors look not only at the

trees but also at other plant species and

lichens. West coast field operations were

officially combined with the Station’s

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program.

Aerial surveys covered over 100 million

acres of forests in Alaska, California,

Oregon, and Washington, surveying 

for defoliation and tree mortality.

These surveys were done in partnership

with state forestry agencies, the national forests, and the Bureau of Land

Management. Three additional projects, conducted primarily by state

agencies and the USDA Forest Service

Pacific Northwest Region, looked

closely at specific problems.

In the Oregon Coast Range, aerial surveys have detected a steady increase in

Swiss needle cast infection in Douglas-fir

forests. The infected area has more than

doubled from 1996 to 1999. This year,

the surveyors found Swiss needle cast as

far as 30 miles inland, a troubling

Aerial surveys provided critical forest health information on over 100 million acres.

USDA FS photo
22 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 2

expansion of a disease that used to be

found only within 18 miles of the coast,

where Douglas-fir had been planted in

the Sitka spruce zone.

Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) is an

introduced insect that has had significant effects on fir species in the Pacific

Northwest. Ground surveys found BWA

in all northeast Oregon counties with

forest lands. Although Shasta fir and red

fir have some resistance at higher elevations, subalpine fir is susceptible to this

insect in all locations. For most fir

species, mortality from BWA is higher

in wet sites and at lower elevations. It

appears that grand fir is being eliminated from low-elevation landscapes in the

Willamette Valley, the Puget Sound

trough, and along coastal streams.

Subalpine fir is being lost as a pioneer

species in alpine meadows, avalanche

tracks, and old lava beds.

Port-Orford-cedar’s natural range is

limited to southwest Oregon and northwest California. Throughout most of its

range, the tree is highly susceptible to an

introduced root disease. Trees killed by

the root disease typically turn a cinnamon

color and are easily detected during aerial

surveys. In a project to determine the

reliability of this aerial survey information, field crews found that 65 percent of

ground-checked areas contained PortOrford-cedar root disease. All areas with

dead cedars had mortality from the root

disease, but some cedar mortality also was

because of damage by black bears. The

crews also found that in about 20 percent

of the areas classified as Port-Orfordcedar root disease mortality, the dead

trees were actually Douglas-fir, which

turned the same cinnamon color. Crews

observed that the crown shape and texture of Douglas-fir are different from

Port-Orford-cedar, and aerial surveyors

will be able to use these distinctions to

improve survey accuracy.

Contact for forest health monitoring: Sally

Campbell, scampbell01@fs.fed.us, Forest

Inventory and Analysis Program

Building Management

Cooperation Through Caribou

Monitoring

The Porcupine caribou herd is an internationally famous, shared resource

important to the subsistence economies

of rural communities in far northern

Alaska and Canada. As part of a U.S.

man and the biosphere study, scientists

modeled the role of hunting in herd

population dynamics. They designed a

monitoring system to track changes in

herd size and its vulnerability to hunting.

The easy-to-use system requires information from both local hunters and

biologists. Hunters provide data on the

body condition of adult female caribou,

and biologists provide total population

size estimates. The monitoring system

brings hunters and biologists together, so

they can cooperate on long-term sustainable management of the caribou herd.

The hunters are more likely to comply

with harvest limitations when they are

involved in the management decisions.

Contact for caribou monitoring: Tom Hanley,

thanley@fs.fed.us, Aquatics and Land

Interactions Program
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 23

Key Fin∂ings:

■ Fire regimes in riparian areas and

adjacent upland areas were about 75

percent similar on the east slope of the

Oregon Cascade Range. Elimination of

all disturbance from riparian areas may

be a departure from the historical disturbance patterns of these areas.

■ With just small amounts of global

warming, the forests in the Northwest

and Southeast United States could

improve their growth rates and extend

their ranges. With higher levels of

global warming, however, droughts

could occur in these regions, and the

forests, especially in the Southeast,

could lose many trees.

■ In second-growth forests on southeast

Alaska’s forested wetlands, scientists

found that trees are growing fast

enough to exceed USDA Forest Service

standards for productive forest land.

Resource managers used this finding to

evaluate the suitability of forested wetland soils for timber harvest in the

Tongass National Forest.

■ In the initial stages of stand development in southeast Alaska, dense

conifer stands block most sunlight 

from the ground. Understory plant

growth, and thus forage for Sitka

black-tailed deer, is limited. Longterm commercial thinning trials

showed that commercial thinning can

improve summer forage for Sitka

black-tailed deer.

■ Log grade is more closely related to

tree age than tree size. Tree diameter is

not always the most important factor

controlling log grade. Landowners who

choose to manage for structural diversity by growing large trees may find that

their financial returns are reduced.

■ When 50-year-old Douglas-fir stands

were thinned, the productivity of

chanterelle mushrooms was reduced

for 4 years after thinning. The more

trees per acre that were removed, the

greater was the decline in mushroom

productivity.

■ Scientists found that green trees

retained in patches on harvest units act

as refugia for mature and old-growth

plant species that are lost or reduced in

adjacent harvest areas.

Management Effects on 

Riparian Forests

Managers are uncertain about how to manage young forests in riparian areas. In one

study in western Oregon’s Coast and

Cascade Ranges, scientists studied microclimate in riparian forests. They found that

for both thinned and unthinned riparian

forests in western Oregon, the greatest

changes in temperature and humidity

occur in the first 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30

meters), as measured from the stream center. Early findings also suggest that headwater riparian areas provide diverse environments for a wide range of plants and animals. These studies are part of a larger

research project that should help resolve

issues related to riparian areas and the

management of young forests in the

Douglas-fir region.

In the dry forests of the interior

Northwest, fire exclusion has changed

landscape patterns and processes. Scientists

have found that in these forests, historical

fire regimes in riparian and adjacent

upland areas were about 75 percent similar.

This finding indicates that riparian areas

on the east slope of the Cascade Range

burned frequently, and suggests that elimination of all disturbance from riparian

areas may be a departure from the historical disturbance patterns of these areas.

Goal 3: Develop Science-Based Options for Informed Management

Green trees

retained in patches

on harvest units

give refuge to

mature and oldgrowth plant

species.
24 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

Scientists are studying the effects of 

timber harvest on mature riparian forests

and adjacent headwater streams in Washington’s Green River watershed. In 2001,

research was completed on the effects of

timber harvest on organic matter inputs

to streams. Clearcuts outside a narrow

riparian buffer (less than 75 feet) resulted in large inputs of organic matter into

a stream during the first autumn after

logging. Apparently wind was able to

penetrate the riparian buffer and purge

dead needles and other organic matter

from the forest canopy. In a nearby

stream with a riparian buffer wider than

100 feet, inputs of organic matter stayed

at pretreatment levels after timber harvest

was finished, suggesting that the wider

buffer provided greater protection

against wind entry.

Contacts:

Microclimate in managed riparian forests: Sam

Chan, schan@fs.fed.us, Resource Management

and Productivity Program.

Fire ecology on the Oregon Cascade Range east

slope: Walt Thies, wthies@fs.fed.us; Andy

Youngblood, ayoungblood@fs.fed.us; Managing

Disturbance Regimes Program

Organic inputs and riparian buffer widths,

Washington: Pete Bisson, pbisson@fs.fed.us,

Aquatics and Land Interactions Program

Science Synthesis 

for Forest Roads

This year, scientists published a synthesis

of what is known about the science of forest roads. Forest Roads: A Synthesis of Scientific

Information (PNW-GTR-509) pulls together current information about road issues,

risks, and management. Also, tools have

been developed to evaluate roads and

develop best management approaches at

regional and national levels.

Contact for the science of forest roads: Pete

Bisson, pbisson@fs.fed.us, Aquatics and Land

Interactions Program

Survey Assesses Attitudes of

Homeowners about Reducing

Fire Risk

Homeowners in California, Florida, and

Michigan were interviewed about their

attitudes on fire risk, fuel treatments,

and willingness to pay for actions that

would reduce fire risk to their homes by

50 percent. These homeowners lived in

zones where homes are at high risk from

wildfires. Most homeowners (75 percent)

were willing to pay over $57 annually in

increased property taxes for fire risk

reduction. Analysis confirmed the

hypothesis that homeowners made separate decisions on whether to participate

in risk reduction, and how much they

were willing to spend. Homeowners

decide to participate based on how much

risk they see, and they decide how much

they’re willing to pay based on their

property value and household income.

Homeowners did not support strategies

that they thought might lead to escaped

and catastrophic fires, were not costeffective, would result in extensive smoke

exposure, or would ruin the surrounding

landscape aesthetically. Homeowners did

support strategies that they thought were

well planned, included citizen participation, were conducted by a responsible

agency equipped to deal with contingencies, and were a manageable size. 

Homeowners preferred to see mechanical

treatments used close to developed areas.

Everywhere, homeowners’ trust in the

agency was a major factor in what was

acceptable.

Using these findings, scientists designed a

survey that managers anywhere can use to

assess the attitudes of local homeowners

toward fire risk and fuel treatments. The

survey relates attitudes of homeowners to

demographic and geographic factors, in

order to develop models that will predict

social responses. As these models are

Riparian buffer width affected the organic matter

reaching streams after timber harvest.

Photo: Johnny Grady
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 25

developed, they will include both human

factors and physical factors—people’s attitudes and fuel assessments. Eventually,

managers will be able to use these models

to identify where their best opportunities

are for reducing fire risk through fuel

treatments.

Contact for study of homeowners’ attitudes

toward fire risk and fuel treatments: Jeremy

Fried, jsfried@fs.fed.us, Forest Inventory and

Analysis Program

Natural Fuels Photo 

Series Available

Photo series are a quick and easy way to

estimate fuel loading, which is a key factor in fire behavior, fuel consumption,

smoke emissions, and fire effects. There 

were, however, no fuel series for unmanaged areas, where all fuels are the result

of natural events.

A new photo series for natural fuels is

now available. The six volumes represent

the Southeast (long-leaf pine, grasses,

pocosin, oak-hickory), Midwest (white

and red pine, grasses), Southwest-Rocky

Mountains (chaparral, pinyon-juniper,

aspen, gambel oak, sage, lodgepole pine),

Pacific Northwest (diseased mixed

conifer, sage, grass, juniper), and Alaska

(black and white spruce) regions of the

United States. The Pacific Northwest and 

Alaska volumes were printed in 1999, the

Midwest volume in 2000, and the final

two volumes (Southwest-Rocky

Mountains and Southeast) in 2001.

Contact for natural fuels photo series: Roger

Ottmar, rottmar@fs.fed.us, Managing

Disturbance Regimes Program

Database for Evaluating Smoke

Dispersal and Weather Patterns

Smoke from wildfires or prescribed fires

can affect people over a considerable

area. Scientists have generated a national

database that shows where poor smoke

Measuring fuel consumption after wildfire near

Fairbanks, Alaska.

New database shows areas where poor ventilation may worsen the effects of smoke.

Photo: Diana Olson
26 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

dispersal is likely. The database uses

information from the last 40 years on

surface winds, atmospheric level where

smoke mixes, and ventilation potential,

to show regional patterns. For example,

the Great Basin has many spring and

summer afternoons with good to excellent smoke ventilation, but has poor 

ventilation during spring and summer

mornings and often all day during fall

and winter. People can go to the Web site

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/seattle/vent4/,

and select data to create various maps.

The maps can show monthly average 

values and statistical summaries such as

the ventilation index frequency by day 

of the month, and for months of the

year. The Web site allows people to add

features such as roads, rivers, airports,

schools, and wildernesses to the maps, 

so the viewer can evaluate the potential for poor smoke ventilation in a 

specific area.

Contact for study of smoke ventilation and

weather patterns: Sue Ferguson,

sferguson@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance

Regimes Program

Contributions to National

Assessment of Global Warming

The mapped atmosphere-plant-soil system (MAPSS) team analyzed how ecosystems would respond to global warming,

for the new U.S. assessment of potential

impacts from climate change. The team

analyzed how the Nation’s forests would

respond, and also played key roles in the

regional assessments for the Pacific

Northwest, Alaska, and the Southwest.

The team developed the hypothesis,

which got wide media coverage, that

ecosystems might "greenup" with early

global warming, but would later "brown

down" if global temperatures continued

to increase. The book, Our Changing Planet,

featured the team’s simulations of how

wildfire patterns might change under

global warming. Finally, the team’s work

was presented to Congress by the director

of the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change and across the world by

members of the federal Office of Science

and Technology Policy.

Contact for contributions to national assessment

of global warming: Ron Neilson,

rneilson@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance

Regimes Program

Scientists Reconstruct 

Pandora Moth Outbreaks

Pandora moth larvae eat the needles of

ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, and lodgepole pine. A major pandora moth outbreak can lead to landscape-scale defoliation. Yet little was known about longterm patterns of moth dynamics.

Scientists reconstructed a 622-year

record of pandora moth outbreaks, using

evidence from the tree rings of oldgrowth ponderosa pines. The pandora

moth record covers 1374 to 1995, and is 

the longest reconstruction of forest insect

population dynamics yet developed for

North America.

There were 22 pandora moth outbreaks

over those 622 years, with an average 27-

year interval between outbreaks and an

average 10-year duration of outbreaks.

The recurrence of outbreaks at 20- to

40-year intervals suggests that pandora

moth population dynamics are influenced by climatic oscillations. Although

some people have suggested that forest

management practices, particularly fire

suppression, have caused recent insect

outbreaks to be worse than in the past,

the pandora moth history does not support this argument. Instead, the record

showed that recent pandora moth outbreaks have not been any more extensive,

Ecosystems

might “greenup”

with early global

warming, but

would later

“brown down” 

if global 

temperatures

continued to

increase.

Pandora moth larvae: recent outbreaks are typical.

Photo: Andy Youngblood
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 27

severe, or longer-lasting than outbreaks

in previous centuries.

Contact for Pandora moth population dynamics:

Andy Youngblood, ayoungblood@fs.fed.us,

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Links Between Beetles

and Drought

Another study investigated factors that

attracted bark beetles to Douglas-fir

branches. Scientists found that Scolytus

unspinosus, a nonaggressive bark beetle,

selectively attacked only individual

branches with severe water stress.

Chemical analysis confirmed that the

attacks coincided with the synthesis and

accumulation of ethanol in needles and

woody tissues. This finding shows that the

ethanol released from water-stressed tissues is a signal to some bark beetles that

the tree is weakened and less resistant to

their attacks. If a similar scenario occurs

in trees exposed to severe drought, then

monitoring ethanol concentrations might

be useful for predicting susceptibility to

bark beetle attacks.

Contact for Ethanol in Douglas-fir, and bark

beetle attack: Rick Kelsey, rkelsey@fs.fed.us,

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

New Bark Beetle Trapping

Technique

Scientists had success with a new technique for trapping Douglas-fir bark beetles. For many years, the most common

technique was to cut a few trees, bait

them with pheromone, and then remove

the trap trees when they were full of bark

beetles and their larvae. In a test of the

new technique, beetle traps baited with

pheromone were compared to trap trees

for effectiveness. The new traps captured

significantly more Douglas-fir bark beetles than the trap trees. More male beetles

were caught in the traps than in the trap

trees, but significantly more female beetles were caught in the beetle trap trees.

The traps should be effective devices for

removing more bark beetles, are easily

deployed, inexpensive, kill fewer beneficial insects, and do not require the loss

of valuable trees.

Contact for Trap trees vs. pheromone traps for

bark beetles: Gary Daterman,

gdaterman@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance

Regimes Program

Forest Managers can

Minimize Black Stain Hazard

Scientists evaluated the incidence and

severity of black stain root disease in

young Douglas-fir plantations in southwest Oregon. Black stain was found more

often in precommercially thinned plantations than in unthinned plantations.

The root disease was also more common

near roads and major skid trails than it

was in other areas of the plantations.

Although black stain occurred more

often than other root diseases, it had

minimal effect on precommercial stand

management. In areas with high levels of

black stain, forest managers can minimize

the black stain hazard by minimizing site

disturbance and tree injury during timber harvesting, road building, and road

maintenance. Also, managers can time

precommercial thinning to avoid the

times of year when insects that carry black

stain to new areas emerge and fly.

Contact for Black stain root disease: Paul

Hessburg, phessburg@fs.fed.us, Managing

Disturbance Regimes Program

Swiss Needle Cast

Swiss needle cast is a foliage disease that

affects Douglas-fir along the Oregon

and Washington coast. Genetic studies

have shown that certain families of

Douglas-fir tolerate the disease better

than others, but none show true resistance. All Douglas-fir tested had similar

Genetic studies

show certain families

of Douglas-fir 

tolerate Swiss 

needle cast—but

none are resistant.

Bark beetle traps baited with pheromone proved

to be effective devices.

Photo: Gary Daterman
28 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

concentrations of the disease inside their

needles, but the more tolerant trees shed

their needles as the infection level

increased. The least tolerant families

tended to hold onto needles that were no

longer effective. Scientists are examining

other traits in trees with the disease,

including growth rates, foliage color, and

crown density. As the mechanisms of

Swiss needle cast resistance are better

understood, researchers can breed trees

with improved resistance to the disease.

In other work, studies indicate that Swiss

needle cast reduces the moisture content

of sapwood in trees on severely affected

sites. Additional work will investigate the

implications of this reduced moisture.

Contact for Swiss needle cast resistance: Randy

Johnson, randyjohnson@fs.fed.us, Resource

Management and Productivity Program

"Soft Adventure" Recreation

Increasingly Popular in

Southeast Alaska

For more than two decades, tourism has

been the fastest growing component of

the Alaska economy, and an important

export sector. Researchers have developed

information about outdoor recreation

trends in Alaska, and how national forest

management might respond to those

trends. Alaska residents have much higher

rates of participation in outdoor recreation than people in the lower 48 states,

and outdoor recreation is an important

part of quality of life in Alaska. Although

the rapid growth rate of the early 1990s is

expected to slow down, both visitor and

resident demands for outdoor recreation

are expected to increase. The fastest

growing interests are wildlife and scenery

viewing and "soft adventure" activities

that combine comfort and outdoor

recreation, such as fishing trips that offer

a comfortable lodge at the end of the day.

Much of the outdoor recreation occurs 

in national forests in Alaska. Both large

firms and many small businesses will

depend on national forests for some of

the services that they are packaging and

selling to visitors. Because the preferences

of the public and business offerings are all

changing rapidly, however, it is not possible to anticipate all of the changes that

will occur in outdoor recreation.

As recreation and tourism become more

important economically to Alaskan communities, certain social challenges are

presented. As towns become more

dependent on tourism and services

instead of extractive industries and manufacturing, both local economies and

social conditions will change in fundamental ways.

Other research findings with implications

for national forest management include

the likelihood of more interaction—and

possible conflicts—between residents and

visitors, and between wildlife and both

residents and visitors engaged in outdoor

recreation. All these changes mean that

new approaches may be needed to recreation management.

Contacts for study of recreation and tourism in

southeast Alaska: David Brooks,

dbrooks01@fs.fed.us; Lee Cerveny,

lcerveny@fs.fed.us; Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

Southeast Alaska’s Forested

Wetlands Meet Productivity

Standards

During the land management planning

process for the Tongass National Forest,

questions were raised about timber harvest on forested wetland soils. The four

soil types in question cover only about

100,000 acres, but these soils typically

occur as small inclusions within more

productive forest lands. As part of its 

scientific support for the Tongass land

management plan, the Station evaluated

forested wetlands that had been clearcut

The fastest growing

interests are wildlife

and scenery viewing

and “soft adventure”

activities that 

combine comfort 

and outdoor 

recreation.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 29

over the past 50 years. Researchers found

that these forested wetlands regenerated

naturally into densely stocked stands that

grew slowly but steadily. Trees are growing fast enough to exceed the USDA

Forest Service standard for productive

forest land, which is 20 cubic feet per

acre per year.

Contact for study of forested wetlands in southeast Alaska: Dave D’Amore, ddamore@fs.fed.us,

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Thinning Can Improve

Deer Forage

Station scientists have found that in the

initial stages of stand development in

southeast Alaska, dense conifer stands

block most sunlight from reaching the

ground. Sparse understories are common

for 25 to 100 years after clearcutting or

other major disturbances, limiting forage

for Sitka black-tailed deer. Recently, scientists examined understory plant biomass, nutritional quality, and available

light on the forest floor, in commercial

thinning trial areas established on the

Tongass National Forest in the mid1980s. They found that unthinned stands

had only 110 pounds of understory plant

biomass per acre, and thinned stands had

1,400 to 2,300 pounds per acre.

Individual-tree-selection units had less

total biomass but yielded better forage

for deer because the understory had

more shrubs, ferns, and forbs, which are

more nutritious for deer. The results

show that thinning can improve deer forage and that individual-tree-selection

thinning can provide summer forage for

deer at levels comparable to old-growth

forest.

Contact for Understory plant response to 

commercial thinning, southeast Alaska: Mike

McClellan, mmcclellan@fs.fed.us, Resource

Management and Productivity Program

Silvicultural Options for 

Managing Young-Growth 

Production Forests 

The first site is on the Capitol State

Forest near Olympia, Washington, managed by the Washington Department of

Natural Resources. The second and third

sites are now being developed; the second

site is also on the Capitol State Forest

and the third is in British Columbia,

managed by the British Columbia

Ministry of Forestry. This large, longterm study examines issues related to

regeneration, stand growth, wildlife, harvest rates and effects, and public attitudes

about forest management. Another study

at Capitol State Forest is examining how

Douglas-fir, western redcedar, and western hemlock will grow underneath six

different densities of overstory retention.

Silvicultural options for young-growth production forests: David Marshall,

dmarshall@fs.fed.us, Resource Management and

Productivity Program

Silviculture and genetics in Douglas-fir, western

redcedar, and western hemlock, Capitol State

Forest: Brad St. Clair, bstclair@fs.fed.us,

Resource Management and Productivity

Thinning to Develop Old Forest

Structure and Habitat

Studies that were started decades ago,

intended to test silvicultural options for

managing young-growth production

forests, are particularly valuable, often in

ways not imagined when the studies

began. For example, the Douglas-fir levels-of-growing-stock (LOGS) study,

which was started in 1962 to study factors

related to tree growth, is providing data

about the development of older forest

structure and wildlife habitat as well. The

LOGS study sites were established at nine

places in Oregon, Washington, and

British Columbia.

The LOGS study has provided evidence

of the enormous influence thinning can

have on stand development in just a few

years. Various thinning treatments have

Sitka black-tailed deer in southeast Alaska.

Photo: Mike McClellan
30 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

resulted in stands with different appearances, average tree sizes, understories,

and crowns. New results, which are consistent with past findings, indicate that

(1) the average annual growth rate has not

yet slowed down in these stands; (2) heavy

thinnings produce trees with larger

diameters, but also reduce total stand

volume growth rates (because there are

fewer trees per acre); and (3) after light

thinnings, diameter gains are not as dramatic, but more trees per acre are growing—so the total volume growth per acre

is often similar when compared for thinnings at various spacings. These findings

suggest that if the goal is to grow wood

volume, rotation length and the length of

time between thinnings are important

factors in thinning decisions.

Contact for Douglas-fir LOGS study: David

Marshall, dmarshall@fs.fed.us, Resource

Management and Productivity Program

EnVision

Few people—even forestry professionals—

can look at a data table describing trees

and other plants in a stand and imagine

exactly how that stand looks. The stand

visualization system (SVS) and EnVision

computer programs, developed by

Station scientists, help people to see what

forests would look like in the future

under different management scenarios.

Private, state, and federal planners are

using SVS and EnVision in public meetings. The visual simulations are helpful

in discussions about riparian forests and

wildlife habitat. Technical planning teams

also are using the models. More information about this research can be found

on the Web at

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/svs and

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/envision.

Contact for Stand visualization system (SVS) and

EnVision computer model: Bob McGaughey,

bmcgaughey@fs.fed.us, Resource Management

and Productivity Program

Wood Products

Many studies examine factors that affect

wood quality and product yields. Scientists

are looking beyond traditional wood

products such as dimension lumber, and

examining the yield of specialty products

from small-dimension pine, the production of noble fir boughs, and valueadded wood products in Alaska, among

others.

In one recent study, scientists compared

wood quality in 20- to 100-year-old

Douglas-fir from thinned and unthinned

stands. They found that log grade is more

closely related to tree age than it is to tree

size, and that diameter is not always the

most important factor controlling log

grade. From the perspective of a grower,

thinning might be a good way to improve

average log grade, because poor quality

These findings

suggest that if the

goal is to grow

wood volume,

rotation length and

the length of time

between thinnings

are important 

factors in thinning

decisions.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 31

trees are removed early. Processors, on

the other hand, might want to know the

history of the logs they purchase so they

can choose those from less intensively

managed stands. These findings are useful to landowners who choose to manage

for structural diversity by growing larger

trees but still want to produce the highest

value timber possible.

In another study, scientists examined the

wood products produced from restoration treatments done in the urban-wildland interface around Flagstaff, Arizona.

They found that small-diameter ponderosa pine from densely stocked stands

yielded wood more suitable for appearance-grade lumber (moldings, trims,

etc.) than for dimension lumber (such as

two-by-fours).

Other scientists are finding new ways to

use Alaska forest resources for primary

and secondary wood products industries.

Researchers found that it was feasible to

use local forest and sawmill residues to

supply a small wood-fired thermal system that meets part of local heating

needs on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.

Working with the Alaska Railroad and

the Forest Products Laboratory in

Wisconsin, researchers are testing the

suitability of railroad ties treated with

the new double-diffusion method or

with new formulations of creosote. Also,

a comprehensive evaluation is underway

of mill capacity and use in southeast

Alaska.

In new projects, scientists will look at

how forest products companies develop

new products, options for Alaska softwood lumber drying, value-added

opportunities for sawmills in Alaska,

opportunities for special forest products, and additional strength testing 

for Alaska tree species.

Contacts:

Wood quality and product yields from managed

and unmanaged forests: Eini Lowell,

elowell@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural Resource

Interactions Program

Wood byproducts from restoration treatments in

Arizona: Eini Lowell, elowell@fs.fed.us, Human

and Natural Resource Interactions Program

Value-added wood products in Alaska: Ken

Kilborn, kakilborn@fs.fed.us, Human and

Natural Resource Interactions Program

Thinning operations in a Douglas-fir forest, in western Oregon’s Cascade Range.

Photo: David Pilz
32 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

Boughs: Estimating 

Noble Fir Volumes

Most conifer boughs used for holiday

wreaths and decorations are cut from

forests managed primarily for timber

production. In the Pacific Northwest,

large volumes of noble fir boughs are

harvested from federal, state, and private

forest lands. Scientists developed a model

that can be used to estimate the harvestable volume of noble fir boughs from

a given stand, using measurements of the

tree and a count of competing trees in

the stand. With the model, forest managers can consider the value of boughs as

they plan management regimes for noble

fir stands.

Contact for harvestable volume of noble fir

boughs: Roger Fight, rfight@fs.fed.us, Human

and Natural Resource Interactions Program

Special Forest Products Guide

Emphasizes Sustainable Use of

Native Plants

The Station has published a special forest

products information guide, a synthesis

of scientific and practical information on

over 60 species found in the Pacific

Northwest. The guide is already being

used by the wide range of people interested in the biotic resources of the

region, including native plant landscapers, forest managers, botanists, conservationists, herbalists, and recreational

gatherers. It includes information on

fungi, lichens, mosses, herbs, and trees

that provide resources for various medicinal, edible, decorative, and wood products. These plant species are increasingly

important because of their use in

restoration and native plant landscaping.

Several species are used to rehabilitate

disturbed lands; for example, some are

planted after wildfires.

About 78 percent of these plants are

commercially available as plants or seed,

suggesting multiple options for sustaining these species through cultivation. But

24 species in the guide are classified as

vulnerable, based on criteria including

rarity, under severe pathogenic attack,

difficult to cultivate, high harvest pressure, and several other factors. Of the 24

vulnerable plant species, 9 species are not

cultivated or commercially available as

seed or plants.

Contact for special forest products guide: Nan

Vance, nvance@fs.fed.us, Resource Management

and Productivity Program

Predicting Edible Forest

Mushroom Productivity

The young stand thinning and diversity

study, on the Willamette National Forest,

has produced a finding on edible mushrooms. Many prized species of edible

forest mushrooms are ectomycorrhizal,

meaning that they have a symbiotic

dependence on tree roots for their carbohydrate nutrition. The forests where

these mushrooms are commercially harvested also are managed for timber and

other uses. To manage these forests for

all their resources, including timber,

commercially valuable edible mushrooms, and other resource values, managers need more information about how

stand conditions and silvicultural choices

affect mushrooms.

Scientists found that when 50-year-old

Douglas-fir stands were thinned, the

productivity of chanterelle mushrooms

was reduced for 4 years after thinning.

The various thinning treatments ranged

Scientists

developed a

model that can be

used to estimate

the harvestable

volume of noble

fir boughs from a

given stand.

New guide has information on over 60 species used

for special forest products.

USDA FS photo
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 33

from 45- to 80-percent reductions in

the number of trees per acre, with dominant trees left, and reductions in mushroom productivity were proportional to

the number of trees removed. The

reduced mushroom growth appeared to

be correlated with the reduced photosynthetic capacity of host mycorrhizal trees

in the stand.

Contact for effects of thinning on productivity of

edible mushrooms: David Pilz, dpilz@fs.fed.us,

Ecosystem Processes Program

DEMO Study Finds

Green Tree Patches Are

Plant Refugia

In 1993, Congress directed the USDA

Forest Service to establish a large-scale

silvicultural experiment in the Pacific

Northwest. The demonstration of

ecosystem management options

(DEMO) study was designed to help

develop new timber harvest strategies

that will retain some species and ecological characteristics of mature and

old-growth forests in western Oregon

and Washington, or accelerate their

recovery after harvest. The six harvest

treatments in DEMO were completed

in 1998, and the first round of

postharvest sampling completed in

summer 2001. In their preliminary

results, the scientists found many

effects on species diversity.

When green trees were left in patches

on harvest units, these patches were

large enough to act as refugia for many

plant species that were lost from or

greatly reduced in the adjacent harvest

areas. In general, herbs and groundlevel mosses and liverworts were more

sensitive to the creation of forest edges

than were shrubs. The greatest changes

in plant abundance and diversity

occurred at the lowest tree retention

levels (15 percent of the trees left

standing, in patches or clumps).

Responses differed among blocks and

plants, suggesting that initial forest

composition and structure may strongly affect how plants respond.

Fungal biodiversity stayed high in the

untreated forest stands and in the units

where 40 percent of the trees were left

standing, evenly dispersed throughout

the harvest unit. The biodiversity of

ectomycorrhizal fungi decreased

strongly, however, in the units where

15 percent of the trees were left standing, evenly dispersed throughout the

harvest unit. In these 15-percent dispersed retention units, each individual

green tree will be important for the

maintenance of beneficial root fungi

onsite as a new forest gets established.

In the tree canopies, several individual

taxa of arthropods, as well as arthropod

functional groups, decreased significantly from the northernmost study

sites in Washington to the southernmost sites in Oregon, and from wetter

to drier sites. 

A few taxa increased in numbers. In

general, no one site or forest had all

the potential invertebrate species of the

region, thereby suggesting that the

conservation of arthropod biodiversity

could require a regional approach. The

DEMO study is a collaborative research

among the Pacific Northwest Region,

PNW Research Station, Washington

State Department of Natural Resources,

White chanterelle mushrooms.

Photo: David Pilz

Declines in chanterelle productivity after thinning

treatments.

Each green tree

will be important 

for the maintenance

of beneficial root

fungi onsite as a 

new forest gets 

established.
34 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

University of Washington, Oregon

State University, and the University of

Oregon.

Contact for DEMO study: Charley Peterson,

cepeterson@fs.fed.us, Resource Management and

Productivity Program

Old-Forest Remnant Patches

Provide Refugia

Scientists studied remnant patches 

of old forest on the Cispus Adaptive

Management Area, Gifford Pinchot

National Forest. The patches ranged

from 0.01 to 113 acres, averaging 29

acres. The scientists found that these

patches provide refugia habitat for many

species of terrestrial lichens, bryophytes

(mosses and liverworts), vascular plants,

and invertebrates closely associated with

old forest conditions. The patches did

not, however, have all the old-forest

species found in the control plots,

which were large areas of old forest. 

Still other species were found mostly in

second-growth plantations next to the

remnant patches; these young stands

were from 4 to 47 years old, averaging

18 years old.

Several rare insect taxa (and some new

forms) that are usually found on glaciers and ice fields were captured in the

old-forest remnants, including the

orthopteran gryllablatta, the rare and

primitive flightless fly Chionea, and the

uncommon snow scorpionfly Boreus.

The presence of these rare insects suggests that the Cispus high country may

be a post-Pleistocene refugium where

insects adapted to postglacial conditions

survive. Some of these insects, and

other invertebrates picked up in the

surveys, will likely be identified by

experts as newly described species.

Many species are specialized to old-forest

conditions or plantation conditions. At

least six "survey and manage" lichen and

moss species are closely associated with

old forests. Even the smallest remnant

patches of old forests serve as refugia and

dispersal sources for some species of terrestrial lichens, bryophytes, vascular

plants, and invertebrates.

Other species can live in both old forests

and plantations. The presence of substrates such as down wood, moss cover,

bare soil, rocks, and litter cover may

account for the presence of many species

in both old forests and plantations. The

species correlations with these substrates

suggest testable guidelines for maintaining old-forest habitats in younger stands.

Contact for old-forest remnant patches study:

Bruce Marcot, bmarcot@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem

Processes Program
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3 35

Small Forest Canopy Gaps

Create Microclimates in Forests

Small openings in forest canopies create

diversity in mature forests. Forest managers are interested in creating gaps to

increase forests with old-growth characteristics, but the effects of gaps on the

forest are not well-understood.

Scientists created small forest canopy

gaps ranging from 0.01 to 0.5 acre. Not

surprisingly, they found that solar radiation and soil temperatures were higher

in gaps, especially on the north edges

where sunlight was most likely to reach

the ground. But air temperature differed

little among gaps. Soil moisture was

higher in gaps than in control areas, was

highest in mid-sized gaps, and declined

during summer in small gaps and on the

north edges of large gaps. Forest managers can use these results to plan optimum gap sizes for promoting wildlife

habitat and vegetation growth.

Contact for microclimate response in forest

canopy gaps: Andrew Gray, agray01@fs.fed.us,

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Silvicultural Research

Expanded to Investigate 

Loss of Oak Habitat

In the last 150 years, the acreage in oak

woodlands, oak savannas, and associated

prairies has plummeted, because Native

American burning ended and fire suppression programs began. Oregon white

oak is a fire-dependent species. Without

fire, conifers grow in the understories of

oak woodlands or savannas and eventually

shade out the oaks.

New research on Oregon white oak may

help stabilize or reverse the habitat loss.

The research includes a bibliography on

all aspects of the species; a survey of factors affecting acorn productivity; development of a management plan for oak

woodlands, prairies, and conifer forests

at Fort Lewis; and a study of how oak

responds to release from overtopping

conifers. The oak project includes natural resource agencies, the Fort Lewis

Military Reservation near Tacoma,

Washington, and volunteers for the acorn

survey. The Web site for the Oregon

white oak project is:

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/olympia/silv/

oaksurvey/oak.htm.

Contact for management of Oregon white oak:

Connie Harrington, charrington@fs.fed.us,

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Snowshoe Hares Use 

Thinned Units

Scientists studied the effects of two thinning treatments on snowshoe hares in the

Anthony Burn and Indian Creek areas of

Oregon’s Blue Mountains. In one treatment, islands were left in thinned stands.

In the other treatment, about half of each

stand was left unthinned in islands or

corridors and the remainder thinned at

various spacings. Radio-collared snowshoe hares were monitored weekly from

October 2000 through August 2001.

The presence 

of rare insects 

in old-forest 

remnants suggests

that the Cispus high

country may be a

post-Pleistocene

refugium where

insects adapted 

to postglacial 

conditions 

survive.

New research on Oregon white oak may help

stabilize or reverse habitat loss.

Photo: Connie Harrington

Photo: Evelyn Bull

Snowshoe hare in Oregon’s Blue Mountains.
36 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 3

Preliminary analysis shows significant

differences in summer and winter habitat

use by the hares. In winter, hares moved

to more open habitats (old thinning

units) and sat on lookouts watching for

predators. During summer, hares hid in

dense cover. Hares continued to use the

modified thinning units throughout winter and summer.

Contact for effects of thinning on snowshoe

hares; implications for lynx: Evelyn Bull,

ebull@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance 

Regimes Program

Ecosystem Management, Elk,

and Deer in the Interior

Columbia Basin

In the interior Columbia Basin, a team

of state, federal, and tribal biologists

developed a model to analyze the effects

of management alternatives for federal

lands on elk, mule deer, and whitetailed deer habitat. The team estimated

that big game habitat capability has

declined by 35 percent across the basin,

mainly because of agricultural conversions of grass and shrub land, loss of

forest foraging areas, and loss of security

because of extensive road networks. The

model projected that all management

alternatives considered would increase

big game habitat capability by about 5

percent over the next 100 years.

At the Starkey Experimental Forest and

Range in Oregon’s Blue Mountains, scientists studied forage competition among

elk, mule deer, and cattle. The elk and

mule deer were free-ranging, whereas

cattle were moved through a three-pasture deferred rotation system. Scientists

used an automated telemetry system to

monitor elk, mule deer, and cattle locations from 1993 to 1996.

The scientists found that when cattle

were present, fewer elk used the pasture. Elk used the plant community

under ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir

forests less in early summer and more

in late summer. Mule deer use

increased or decreased in the opposite

direction from elk use in three out of

four season-year combinations.

Contacts:

Effects of management alternatives on big game

habitat capability in the interior Columbia

basin: Michael Wisdom, mwisdom@fs.fed.us;

Marty Vavra, mvavra@fs.fed.us; John Kie,

jkie@fs.fed.us; Managing Disturbance Regimes

Program

Competition among elk, deer, and cattle in the

Blue Mountains: Michael Wisdom,

mwisdom@fs.fed.us; John Kie, jkie@fs.fed.us;

Marty Vavra, mvavra@fs.fed.us; Managing

Disturbance Regimes Program

Big game

habitat capability

has declined by

35 percent across

the interior

Columbia basin.

Bull elk in Oregon’s Blue Mountains.

Photo: Mike Wisdom

Radio telemetry was used to study forage competition

among elk, mule deer, and cattle.
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 4 37

A s part of its mission, the PNW

Research Station delivers scientific information to high-profile

management and policy issues. This work

includes providing scientific support to

federal land management planning projects and providing syntheses of research

relevant to policy issues.

The involved scientists learn by being

exposed to real-world issues. They feel

that the experience adds to the breadth

and depth of their future research, and

they develop a better understanding of

the role of scientists in decisionmaking.

The Station added a new program,

Focused Science Delivery, this past year, 

in order to focus more resources on this

part of its mission.

Station Provides Scientific

Information for Land

Management Planning

Station scientists have provided support for

two major planning projects on federal

lands: one project in the interior Columbia

basin and the other in southeast Alaska.

The interior Columbia basin includes

eastern Oregon and Washington, most of

Idaho, and small parts of Montana,

Nevada, and Wyoming. The purpose of

the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem

Management Project (ICBEMP) is to

provide ecosystem management direction

for national forest and Bureau of Land

Management lands in this area. A Station

team has provided scientific support for

the land management planning process

since 1994.

The team’s information could lead to

significant changes in federal land management in the interior Columbia basin. 

Major findings include:

■ There are multiple risks in ecosystems,

and the risks interact with each other.

Management that tries to isolate single

components will not be effective.

Goal 4: Communicate Science Findings and Enhance Their Application

Station scientists are engaged in delivering science to high-profile policy issues.

Photo: Rod Meade, Weyerhaeuser

Science 

effort describes 

interaction of 

multiple risks 

in ecosystem and

associated 

management 

challenges in 

the interior 

Columbia 

basin.
38 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 4

■ It may be more effective to identify

groups of species with similar ecological functions and manage for these

groups, rather than manage for individual species.

■ Human uses of land have changed 

natural succession and disturbance

regimes. These altered regimes have led

to a series of cascading effects that

make it difficult for resource managers

to improve the ecological health of

these lands.

■ Key salmon, steelhead, and trout

species have declined because of 

multiple factors, including dams,

agriculture and rangeland conversion,

past management, and competition

with introduced fish species. Habitat

protection and restoration alone will

not ensure healthy populations.

■ There are connections among human

values, ecosystem conditions, and the

use of natural resource products.

People are an integral part of the

ecosystem. Stewardship must resolve

the challenge of how to meet multiple

demands with finite resources.

■ Some local economies rely heavily 

on products and services from lands

managed by the USDA Forest Service

and the USDI Bureau of Land

Management.

The Tongass National Forest sprawls

across almost 17 million acres of southeast Alaska. In 1997, the PNW Research

Station committed to a 5-year research

program to provide sound scientific

information for the Tongass land management planning process.

Station scientists developed scientific

information in five high-priority areas:

■ Stand management and silviculture

(alternatives to clearcutting, secondgrowth management, young-growth

utilization)

■ Wildlife (small mammals, wolves,

goshawks)

■ Aquatic issues (world-class fisheries

including all five salmon species)

■ Social issues (subsistence living, 

community issues)

■ Economic issues (timber demand, 

economic changes, recreation and

tourism)

Photo: Tom Iraci
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 4 39

Currently, scientists are developing an

overall synthesis of the work. This final

product will summarize the state of

current knowledge in the five areas and

discuss the implications for forest 

management.

Contacts:

ICBEMP scientific support: Becky Gravenmier,

bgravenmier@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance

Regimes Program

Tongass land management plan scientific support: Douglas A. Boyce, daboyce@fs.fed.us,

Alaska science coordinator

Wood Compatibility Initiative

Finding—Management Strategies 

Can Offer Opportunities 

for Mutual Gains

Initiatives are integrated programs of

research and development that produce

findings to address specific policy issues,

within 3 to 5 years. Because of the short

timeline, initiatives focus on development

and synthesis products rather than fundamental research. The Station currently

has several initiatives in various stages,

one of which is the wood compatibility

initiative.

The wood compatibility initiative examines the central question: Can we as a

society produce wood commodities and

other forest values in an environmentally

acceptable and sustainable manner? The

science question revolves around the possibility that people may be able to manage

the forests in a way that creates jobs, supplies wood, and benefits the environment.

Scientists looked for opportunities for

mutual gain and compatible changes,

rather than direct tradeoffs, among timber harvest and other forest values such as

wildlife and clean water.

The key finding is that some forest management strategies may provide opportunities for compatible changes that are

mutually beneficial to forests and human

communities. Alternative silviculture uses

active management to increase structural

and compositional diversity in forests

regenerated after timber harvest or wildfires. Stand-level studies showed that

there is a science-based mix of options

for providing wood products while

maintaining or enhancing wildlife habitat, water quality, and aesthetics. The

finding suggests that sustainable forest

management is compatible with healthy

communities.

Contact for wood compatibility initiative:

Richard Haynes, rhaynes@fs.fed.us, Human and

Natural Resource Interactions Program

Finding Ways to Make Adaptive

Management Work

Adaptive management is an important

strategy to improve learning and make

better decisions. Adaptive management is

based on a simple premise: policies are

experiments, learn from them. Through

careful problem identification and documentation of assumptions, actions, and

Thinned stand in Gravelly Creek watershed, 

southeast Alaska.

Photo: Ellen Anderson

Photo: Ellen Anderson

Science-based options may be able to provide wood

and maintain other forest values.

Some forest 

management 

strategies may 

provide opportunities

for compatible changes

that are mutually 

beneficial to forests

and human 

communities.
40 Goal Accomplishments • Goal 4

results, management actions can become

the source of new knowledge, which then

can subsequently inform future actions

and policies. This approach is critical to

the long-term success of the Northwest

Forest Plan. The plan designated 10

adaptive management areas (AMAs) in

Washington, Oregon, and northern

California.

A recent study examined four AMAs in the

state of Washington and two adaptive management projects in British Columbia, to

see how well adaptive management has

worked and what problems have

occurred. The scientists found that

efforts to manage adaptively have not

been successful in either country. The

findings were similar across borders, even

though the British Columbia forests are

managed under a different system of laws

than national forests in the United

States. In both countries, there was a lack

of institutional commitment to funding

and personnel for the AMAs, although

the Canadian situation was better than

the American one. Existing laws and regulations constrained experimentation,

and top-down, expert-driven planning

systems constrained more locally based,

site-specific initiatives.

Scientists involved with adaptive management could either help or hinder the

approach. Traditional scientists tended to

place a lower value on collaborative

approaches and limited their interactions

with nonscientists, thereby increasing the

chances of alienating people. Relationships and collaboration are keys to adaptive management.

To be successful, adaptive management

requires organizational commitment and

leadership, a willingness to embrace risk

and uncertainty, a willingness on the part

of scientists, managers, and the public to

work together, and permission to experiment in an otherwise constrained statutory environment.

In a separate study on the Siuslaw

National Forest, Station scientists worked

with the forest interdisciplinary team to

design the largest, replicated management

experiment in the Pacific Northwest

(16,000 acres). The management experiment will compare three methods to

implement the Northwest Forest Plan,

with four replications of each method.

The three methods are passive management (removing all road culverts, no

thinning in plantations or riparian areas),

continuous management (keeping roads

open, thinning stands lightly and repeatedly), and pulsed management (thinning

stands heavily, then removing culverts for

30 years before reentering for additional

thinning).

To be 

successful, adaptive

management

requires 

organizational

commitment and

leadership, and a 

willingness to

embrace risk and

uncertainty.

Successful adaptive management requires permission to experiment, among other factors.

Photo: Roger Ottmar
Goal Accomplishments • Goal 4 41

As one part of the study, the team is

using an experimental form of adaptive

management. They streamlined their

approach to writing environmental

impact statements. The new style

requires more precise analysis from 

specialists, and the document is only 85

pages long (before appendices). The

traditional approach would have

required about eight environmental

assessments over the next 10 years.

Contacts:

Adaptive management evaluation in Washington

and British Columbia: George Stankey,

ghstankey@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural

Resource Interactions Program

New form of adaptive management, Siuslaw

National Forest: Bernard Bormann, bbormann@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes Program

Thinning Second-Growth

Stands to Accelerate the

Development of Old-Growth

Characteristics

Currently, dense plantations of Douglasfir, established after clearcutting, cover

extensive areas of the Pacific Northwest.

Many acres of young stands are in the

late-successional reserves established

under the Northwest Forest Plan.

Management objectives for these reserves

emphasize the development of oldgrowth attributes.

Station scientists developed a synthesis of

over 30 studies of vegetation, wildlife,

and other topics in young stands. The

synthesis suggests ways that the development of old-growth characteristics can be

accelerated as young stands grow. Retrospective analyses of the early stages of

old-growth development indicate that

some of these stands began with low

stocking levels—much lower than in

today’s plantations of the same age. The

alternative futures of today’s dense plantations are being examined through various modeling studies and long-term,

multidisciplinary silvicultural experiments. Although the field experiments

are in early stages, at this point some evidence indicates that thinning may

encourage the development of oldgrowth forest characteristics, such as large

live and dead trees and multistory stands

with shade-tolerant tree species.

Accelerating the development of old-growth

characteristics: Andrew Carey, acarey@fs.fed.us,

Ecosystem Processes Program

Station Products Communicate

Scientific Knowledge

Scientists and communication staff at the

Station are reaching out to more people

than ever before. Our goal is to explain

what we are learning and describe how

information is relevant, particularly to

people who make and influence decisions

about land management.

The Station’s audiences include the

scientific community, federal and state

land managers, private land managers,

Congressional delegations, state and local

policymakers, tribal governments, nonprofit groups, and interested people. We

are also reaching out to children—elementary students, high school students,

and city kids not as familiar with federal

lands and natural resources.

Peer-reviewed publications are the foundation of Station products. Professional peers

of the author examine an article for scientific merit, before publication. Once published, an article becomes part of the

scientific literature that other scientists draw

on, take in new directions, or challenge. All

Station publications receive peer review.

Dense plantations of Douglas-fir in the Oregon 

Coast Range.

Photo: R. Alan Hoffmeister, BLM

Synthesis 

suggests ways that

the development

of old-growth

characteristics 

can be accelerated

as young 

stands grow.
42 Goal Accomplishmen†s • Goal 4

2001: Communication

Highlights

The Station publishes information for

broad, nonscientific audiences as well as

scientists and technical experts. For

example, in 1998, the Station began publishing PNW Science Findings to highlight

research topics with implications for

resource management. The newslettersize publication is free and readerfriendly. Some issue titles this year were

"Benefits of Hindsight: Reestablishing

Fire on the Landscape," "Absorbing the

Shock: Helping Communities When

Change Erupts," and "Food for Fish,

Food for Thought: Managing the

Invisible Components of Streams."

To receive PNW Science Findings, 

contact:

PNW Research Station

P.O. Box 3890, 

Portland, OR 97208-3890

E-mail: desmith@fs.fed.us; 

phone: 503-808-2127

Web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw

Production and distribution for 2001:

■ 487 publications total

■ 150,000 copies of Station series

publications distributed in response 

to requests

■ 8,000-12,000 journal article reprints

distributed by scientists in response 

to requests

■ 432 publications available online; all

new Station publications are placed

online

■ 10 issues of PNW Science Findings

published; about 10,000 copies 

distributed each issue

■ 2 CD-ROMs

Online

Electronic publications and electronic

information are becoming increasingly

important. The Station now places all

new publications online, generally as

PDF (Portable Document Format) files.

These publications can be accessed by

going to the Station’s Web site at

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw, clicking 

on one of the choices listed under

“Publication Information,” and selecting

a publication to download. All available

files are free of charge. The Station’s Web

site also provides updated information

on research projects and personnel and

their areas of expertise. It is part of a network that includes program, laboratory,

and team pages, with links to the Web

sites of partners. In fiscal year 2001,

there were over 25,000 visits to our 

Web site.

TYPES OF PUBLICATIONS

The Station 

now places all 

new Station series

publications online;

soon journal 

articles also will be

online. See

www.fs.fed.us/pnw

for a complete list 

of publications 

produced 

in 2001.

Fiscal Year

Publications

TOTAL PUBLICATIONS
Goal Accomplishmen†s • Goal 4 43

2001 Technology 

Transfer Events

■ 2,360 people participated in workshops and symposia

■ 1,700 people went on field tours

■ 1,500 people participated in conservation education

Symposia and Workshops

The following are just some of the technical and scientific events sponsored by

the PNW Research Station with partners,

including universities, colleges, and

other federal agencies, during fiscal year

2001. Over 2,360 people participated in

these events, including resource managers, landowners, policymakers, and

interested citizens.

Survey and manage salamander training

workshops — A total of 100 people attended the three workshops on the general

ecology, management, and survey protocols of rare and uncommon plethodontid

salamander species within the range of the

Northwest Forest Plan. The workshops

were held in Orleans, California;

Wenatchee, Washington; and Mount

Rainier, Washington. Biologists from the

USDA Forest Service and USDI National

Park Service and contractors attended.

Young stand development workshop —

This half-day session, held in Eugene,

Oregon, presented new science findings

related to young stand development into

forests with late-successional characteristics. The workshop was attended by 40

people, including agency silviculturists,

biologists, and interested people.

Community response to change along

the Interstate 90 greenway — Thirty

people attended this Seattle, Washington,

workshop. The workshop presented survey work completed along the I-90

greenway to a group of landscape architecture students and faculty, asking, "Can

communities grow and still retain the

values that make them special?"

Bringing the community into the planning process — This 3-day workshop on

tribal integrated resource management

planning was held in San Carlos,

Arizona. The 80 participants learned

together about how to involve community

members in planning and conducting a

community study. People shared stories

of their experiences in working with

community groups and building community capacity for involvement.

International conference on restoring

nutrients to salmonid ecosystems —

This conference, held in Eugene,

Oregon, examined the values of salmon

carcasses in aquatic ecosystems and the

potential role of carcasses in restoration

of salmon populations. A total of 380

people attended.

Adaptive management area restoration

workshop — This workshop covered a

wide range of approaches to watershed

and road restoration. In Eugene, Oregon,

the presenters discussed restoration at

site-specific, watershed, and regional

scales. The 210 participants included

federal and state agency personnel,

watershed council representatives, students, and interested people.

Klamath Basin fish and water management symposium — This symposium,

held in Arcata, California, aimed to

increase local and national understanding

of the Klamath River Basin’s biological,

Over 2,360

people attended

symposia and

workshops, 

including resource

managers,

landowners, 

policymakers, 

and interested 

citizens.
44 Goal Accomplishmen†s • Goal 4

legal, and social environment and to

enhance cooperation and collaboration

among policymakers, management agencies, and local communities. It was

attended by 450 resource professionals,

educators, and interested people.

Developing an integrated and adaptive

management approach for addressing

fire and fuels issues in dry forests of

eastern Washington — This workshop

brought together 200 researchers and

managers from the interior Pacific

Northwest and Canada, in Wenatchee,

Washington. The participants discussed

past and current fire and fuels projects

and worked at building a science-management partnership to go forward.

Tours

When people visit research sites in

forests, they often get a particularly clear

understanding of scientific concepts, new

findings, and key issues facing resource

managers and society. The Station scientists try to meet the great demand for

field trips in the forests where the

research is done. In 2001 about 1,700

people attended Station tours. Some of

these tours are listed below.

Capitol Forest tours — In the past year,

the Westside Silviculture Team hosted

eight tours, with a total of 225 people, to

the first replication of the silvicultural

options study, in the Capitol Forest near

Olympia, Washington.

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest

tours and workshops — Over 25 tours

and workshops were conducted at the

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in

Blue River, Oregon, on ecosystem

research and stand and landscape management. A total of 1,000 people

attended.

Density management studies tours —

These tours showed alternative silvicultural treatments and riparian buffer

widths in 30- to 50-year-old managed

forest stands and reported research findings on multiple resource production. 

A total of 63 people from federal agencies

went on the three tours, held at various

locations near Mount Hood, Eugene,

and Coos Bay, Oregon.

First international precision forestry

symposium — Scientists from many

countries presented papers at the

University of Washington in Seattle,

showing how advanced technologies are

being adapted to allow forest operations

to be planned, implemented, and monitored more effectively. The symposium

field tour featured presentations by

Station researchers that showed how

remote sensing, global positioning

systems, computer visualization, and

automated data-logging systems are being

used in forest research. A total of 94

people who are not Station employees

attended.

Annual levels-of-growing-stock

(LOGS) tour — The annual LOGS tour

was hosted by the Westside Silviculture

Team and was attended by people from

Oregon, Washington, British Columbia,

and Alaska. Held in the Forks,

Washington area, the tour took the 30

participants to Station-maintained

research sites and other research sites for

western hemlock, western redcedar, red

alder, and Douglas-fir.

Young stand thinning and diversity

study field tours — Held on the Middle

Fork Ranger District, Willamette

National Forest, these field tours took a

When people

visit research sites

in forests, they

often get a 

particularly clear

understanding 

of scientific 

concepts.
Goal Accomplishmen†s • Goal 4 45

total of 165 people to all four treatments

in the young stand thinning and diversity

study, showing results of third-year posttreatment measurements.

Fall River long-term site productivity

study (LTSP) tours — Four tours had a

total of 65 participants, including university administrators and faculty from

the University of Washington and from

other parts of the country, members of

the Western Forest and Paper Association

and Washington Forest and Conservation

Association, and USDA Forest Service

and Weyerhaeuser Company scientists

and administrators.

Conservation Education

Kids are naturally interested in science—

when it is hands-on. If they get a chance

to have fun with science, they may stay

interested in it for a lifetime. Many

adults are interested in science but have

not had the chance to read publications.

Last year over 1,500 people participated

in conservation education projects that

the Station helped support. The highlights of these projects are described

below.

■ Forest Camp Outdoor School —

Scientists from the Corvallis Forestry

Sciences Laboratory participated in this

program, which provides environmental

education to sixth grade students. 

The camp was an intensive 5-day, 

4-night hands-on experience where

160 students learned about natural

resources.

■ Inner City Youth Institute — This

project encourages young people to

learn about the environment and related careers. Station employees reach out

to groups who have not traditionally

been as involved with natural resource

management. Last year the employees

helped to establish ecology clubs in

inner city schools, made presentations

at schools, and helped at the summer

Inner City Youth Camp in Corvallis.

■ Portland Urban Tree House — The

PNW Research Station helped to

revitalize the Urban Tree House in

Portland. The program’s goal is to

expand conservation education programs for minority youth and to build

relations with inner-city communities.

The Station contributed funds for supplies

and equipment to the Urban Tree

House. With these funds, the program

was able to sponsor week-long summer

camp sessions that provided 100 inner

city youths with conservation education

(Alberta Nature Team). This is a collaborative effort with Oregon State

University and the Audubon Society of

Portland, Oregon.

■ Lincoln Tree Farm Natural Resource

Program — Staff from the Seattle

Laboratory helped in the Lincoln Tree

Farm Natural Resource Program,

sponsored by the Tacoma School

District. The program for elementary

and middle school students takes place

on a 400-acre site.

■ Nature talks — In this popular series

of summer talks, various scientists give

presentations at Forest Service campgrounds on the McKenzie River

Ranger District, Willamette National

Forest. The talks are about research

projects on the nearby H.J. Andrews

Experimental Forest. Last year about

500 people attended the talks over the

summer.

■ Wolftree — Station employees participated in ecology programs with

Portland and Vancouver area middle

and high schools. About 100 students

were involved. The Station also contributed funds for supplies and

equipment.

Inner City Youth Camp. Station employees teach

young people about science careers. Photo: Tom Iraci

Kids are 

naturally interested

in science—

when it is hands-on.
46 Honors an∂ A∑ar∂s

Fulbright Scholar

Given by the J. William Fulbright Program

Recipient: Ching-Yan Li, research microbiologist, was named

a Fulbright Scholar for the 2001-2002 academic year. Li used

the 3-month grant to conduct research at the Department of

Microbiology at Nicholas Copernicus University in Turan,

Poland.

Summit Award

Given by the Pacific Peaks Girl Scout Council

Recipient: The employees of the Olympia Forestry Sciences

Laboratory received this award for 10 years of involving girls in

science through the Water Detective program and other projects. Station Program Manager Deanna Stouder coordinated

the Water Detective program along with Keith Aubry, Dean

DeBell (retired), Cathy Raley, Connie Harrington, Mary

Jane Bergener, and others.

Forest Science Award

Given by the Society of American Foresters

Recipient: Richard W. Haynes, Program Manager, earned this

award for distinguished research leading to the advancement of

forestry. He was recognized for his leadership in the development of bioeconomic models used to assess forestry conditions

at the local, regional, and national levels.

USDA Secretary Honor Award

Given by the USDA Secretary

Recipient: Tom Quigley, Program Manager, earned the Secretary’s

Award in the category, "maintaining and enhancing the nation’s

natural resources and environment," for his work in leading the

Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. The 10-

year project examined land management effects on 144 million

acres across seven Western states. He was cited for leading the development of science underpinning the management of the Columbia

basin natural resources, enabling an informed debate about fish,

riparian, old-growth, and forest health issues.

Chief’s Superior Science Award

Given by the Forest Service Chief

Recipient: Marty Raphael, a science team leader, for sustained

contributions in wildlife research and its application to critical

land management issues in the Pacific Northwest. This award

recognizes the creative efforts and contributions of the USDA

Forest Service Research and Development scientists.

Chief’s Multicultural Organization Award

Given by the Forest Service Chief

Recipient: Marty Santiago, Director of Station operations, for

outstanding contributions to achieve a multicultural organization. She was recognized for many actions including supporting

and nurturing new employees, assisting the Station in achieving

a diverse workforce, and initiating innovative recruitment and

retention activities.

Honors an∂ A∑ar∂s
Honors an∂ A∑ar∂s 47

Chief’s Retiree Volunteer Service Award

Given by the Forest Service Chief

Recipients: Robert Curtis and William Stein, Emeritus

Scientists; Don Gedney, retired research forester. Curtis was

cited for providing historical perspective on current forest

resource issues and helping to establish new research trials to

develop silvicultural options. Stein was recognized for completing research on long-term regeneration and site preparation

studies in the Oregon Coast Range.

Rise to the Future—Group Research Achievement

Given by the Washington Office, USDA Forest Service

Recipients: Gordon H. Reeves, research fishery biologist; 

Mark S. Wipfli, research aquatic ecologist; and Maria Lang,

bioscience technician. These three people were cited for their

special contribution to aquatic resource protection and restoration and exceptional accomplishment on the Copper River

delta nutrient study.

2000 Alaska Region Silviculturist 

of the Year Award

Given by the Alaska Region, 

USDA Forest Service

Recipient: Mike McClellan, a research ecologist, for his leadership and innovation in the field of silviculture. He is only the

second research scientist to be honored with this award. As

team leader for silviculture and ecology in southeast Alaska,

McClellan initiated and contributed to research projects such

as the alternatives to clearcutting study, young-growth wood

quality, commercial thinning, data analysis for the secondgrowth management program, and many others. McClellan was

also instrumental in organizing sessions of the Alaska Region

resources workshop held in Sitka in April 2000.

Outstanding Customer Service Award

Given by the Pacific Northwest Research Station

Recipients: Ralph Alig, a research forester, and Jamie

Barbour, a research forest products technologist, for consistently responding to research requests from the public and fellow employees; Ilean Butler, Lynn Black, and Glenda Kuhn

for providing reprints of publications on request; Janet Jones

for maintaining Web pages; and Lynn Starr for representing

the Station and the La Grande Forest and Range Sciences

Laboratory at client meetings.
48 Finances an∂ Workforce

Finances an∂ Workforce

T he PNW Research Station is supported by two funding

sources. The largest part of our funding comes from federal

appropriations. Our other funding source is direct client

support, which comes from various organizations needing scientific information.

2001: PNW Research Station Finances 

and Workforce, by the Numbers

Fiscal year 2001: October 1, 2000, to September 30, 2001

Funding Sources

■ Federal appropriations ................................$35.3 million

■ Direct client support ...................................$15.8 million

■ Total funding.............................................$51.1 million

Distribution of Funds

■ Employee costs ..............................................49 percent

■ Support and operations ...................................32 percent

■ Distributed to cooperators ................................19 percent

■ Of $9.2 million that went to cooperators, 

95 percent went to educational institutions

Workforce Statistics

■ Permanent workforce .................................266 employees

■ Scientists .................32 percent of the permanent workforce

■ Temporary workforce .................................270 employees

■ Station total workforce................................536 employees
Coopera†ors 49

Cooperators Who Receive

Funding for Studies from 

PNW Research Station

In 2001, the Pacific Northwest Research

Station distributed about $9.2 million to

its cooperators.

Educational Institutions

Auburn University

California State University, Chico

Colorado State University

Earth Systems Institute

Eastern Oregon University

Humboldt State University Foundation

Iowa State University

Michigan State University

Oregon State University

Portland State University

Purdue University

San Diego State University

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka

University of Arizona

University of California Berkeley

University of Georgia

University of Idaho

University of Leeds, United Kingdom

University of Massachusetts

University of Montana

University of New Mexico

University of Oregon

University of Tennessee

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin

University of Wyoming

Utah State University

Washington State University

Other Federal Agencies

National Park Service

U.S Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign

Agriculture Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

National Wildlife Research Center

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau

of Land Management

U.S. Geological Survey, FRESC

Nongovernment Organization

Wildlife Conservation Society

Private Industry

The Alaska Manufacturers Association
50

Clients Who Provide Funding 

for Studies to PNW Research

Station

In 2001, the PNW Research Station

received about $2.2 million in support

from clients other than the National

Forest System and State and Private

Forestry.

Other Federal Agencies

Bonneville Power Administration 

Bureau of Land Management

Environmental Protection Agency

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Geological Survey

Private Industry

Boise Cascade Corporation

Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation

Northwest Power Planning Council

Simpson Timber Company

Western Forestry and Conservation 

Association

Weyerhaeuser Company

State Agencies

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington Department of Natural 

Resources

Washington Department of 

Transportation

Universities

Oregon State University

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Clients
Science Accomplishments 51

Research Programs

Aquatic and Land Interactions (ALI PNW-4261)

Program Manager: 

Deanna Stouder

Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3625-93d Ave. SW

Olympia, WA 98512

Phone: 360-753-7652

E-Mail: dstouder@fs.fed.us

Ecosystem Processes (EP) PNW-4362

Program Manager:

John Laurence

Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3200 SW Jefferson Way

Corvallis, OR 97331

Phone: 541-750-7357

E-Mail: jalaurence@fs.fed.us

Focused Science Delivery Program

Program Manager:

Jane Hayes (Acting)

La Grande Forestry & Range Sciences Lab

1401 Gekeler Lane

La Grande, OR 97850

Phone: 541-962-6549

E-Mail: Jlhayes@fs.fed.us

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) (PNW-4869)

Program Manager: 

Sue Willits

Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2066

E-Mail: swillits@fs.fed.us

Human and Natural Resources Interaction

Program (PNW-4865)

Program Manager:

Richard Haynes

Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2002

E-Mail: rhaynes@fs.fed.us 

Managing Disturbance Regimes (MDR) 

(PNW-4577)

Program Manager:

Ed DePuit (Acting)

Wenatchee Forestry Sciences Laboratory

1133 N. Western Avenue

Wenatchee, WA 98801

Phone: 509-662-4315 Ex. 222

E-Mail: ejdepuit@fs.fed.us

Resource Management and Productivity 

(RMP) PNW-4163

Program Manager:

Charley Peterson

Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2026

E-Mail: cepeterson@fs.fed.us

PN W S†a†ion Programs

If you are interested in more information about the PNW Research Station, would like to

receive copies of publications, software, or videos mentioned in this report, or would like

to receive a quarterly list of publications written by Station scientists, please contact:

Cynthia L. Miner

Communications Director

Pacific Northwest Research Station

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

(503) 808-2135

clminer@fs.fed.us 

or

browse PNW Research Station on the Web at:

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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the

basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or

marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require

alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination,

write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.

Credits:

Writers - Valerie Rapp and Carolyn Wilson

Editors - Carolyn Wilson and Lynn Starr

Design and Layout - Nancy Doerrfeld-Smith

Art direction and production - Frank Vanni

Photographs - credits with photos

All unaccredited photos - USDA Forest Service, Tom Iraci, Bob Szaro, or other Forest Service staff
Science Accomplishmen†s

of †he Pacific Norh†∑es† 

Research S†a†ion

USDA Forest Service