2010 

SCIENCE 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station
Vision and Mission

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.
3

Contents

4 A Message From the Station Director 

6 Pacific Northwest Research Station: The Setting

8 Highlights From 2010

16 Finances and Workforce

18 Funding Partners for 2010

19 Publications

20 Climate Change

32 Community Sustainability

38 Fire Management

46 Trees and Forests

58 Landscape Assessment, Modeling, 

and Management

66 Watershed Health

74 Wildlife

80 Learning Events

86 Honors and Awards

88 PNW Research Station Organization

 Field work on the Malheur National Forest, Oregon, by Agnes Przeszlowska
4

A Message From 

 the Station Director
5

Station Director Bov B. Eav.

Tim LeBarge

I

N 2010, station researchers provided 

land managers and policymakers with 

critical information related to ecological 

processes, environmental threats, forest 

management, and use of natural resources. 

The station also capitalized on opportunities to 

expand its research in these arenas. The 2009 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was one 

such opportunity that has both created jobs and 

developed scientific knowledge that will enhance 

management of our natural resources. Thus far, 

219 people have been employed with money the 

station received under the act. They have worked 

on projects that range from road maintenance to 

developing computer-based models that predict 

smoke impacts from wildfires. The variety of jobs 

created has provided opportunities for people with 

many different skill sets, illustrating the breadth of 

“green jobs” that strengthen the Nation’s economy. 

An exciting development in 2010 was the 

creation of a new position within the station: 

Assistant Director for Program Development. Paul 

Brewster, formerly the Deputy Regional Forester 

in Alaska, joined the station’s executive team in 

this role. His experience in the National Forest 

System brings a user’s perspective to program 

development. I look forward to Paul strengthening 

existing partnerships and developing new ones 

that will lay the foundation for future research 

opportunities. This will help the station maintain 

its role as a major provider of science for natural 

resource management in the Pacific Northwest.

The station remains a leader in climate change 

research within the agency. The station co-sponsored the Forest Service’s first national workshop 

on climate change for national forest leadership 

and managers. Putting science into practice, our 

scientists have worked with the Olympic National 

Park and Olympic and Okanogan-Wenatchee 

National Forests to develop climate mitigation 

strategies. Expanding on these experiences, they 

drafted a guidebook for climate adaptation for all 

national forests. On a related front, the Climate 

Change Resource Center, initiated by the station 

in 2008, is now the agency’s official Web site for 

climate change research and includes information 

from all Forest Service research stations. 

The year 2010 marked the 30th anniversary 

of Mount St. Helens’ eruption. I’m proud of the 

station’s leadership and support of ecological 

research on the flanks of the volcano over the 

last three decades. The work accomplished there 

has yielded information and methods adopted 

around the world. 

Meeting the information needs of our clients is 

always important. One eagerly awaited product 

released in 2010 was the 5-year report on forest 

conditions and trends in Washington state produced by our Forest Inventory and Analysis team. 

The station has now published 5-year reports for 

Washington, Oregon, and California. The data and 

analyses in these reports are used by federal and 

state agencies and private firms. We established 

plots on the Hawaiian Islands, partnering with the 

Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the 

Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, and will begin 

inventorying the islands’ vegetation in 2011. The 

information yielded by this work will serve as a 

baseline against which to measure changes in the 

islands’ forest resources. 

In 2011, I look forward to initiating an intensive 

inventory of our experimental forests, which range 

from the boreal forest in Alaska to tropical forests 

in Hawaii. I anticipate this boreal to tropical 

transect to provide valuable information related 

to climate change research. 

Our progress would not be possible without the 

dedication of our scientists, support staff, emeritus 

scientists, university partners, and collaborators at 

other federal, state, tribal, and nongovernmental 

organizations. I thank all of you and look forward 

to our work together in 2011.

Bov B. Eav, Station Director

 H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, by Tom Iraci
Pacific Northwest Research Station: 

 The Setting

	Headquarters in Portland, Oregon

	11 laboratories and centers in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington

	12 active experimental areas (forests, ranges, and watersheds)

	Research also conducted in more than 20 research natural areas

	Pacific Northwest Research Station is one of five research stations 

in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

	405 employees (307 permanent, 98 temporary)
7

Fairbanks

Wenatchee

La Grande

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3

4

6

7

8

10

9

1 1

12

O REG O N

WASHINGTON

A L A S K A

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Anchorage

Juneau

Sitka

Seattle

Olympia

Portland

Corvallis

Prineville

Laboratories and Centers

	•	 Alaska Wood Utilization and

	 	 Development Center (Sitka)

	•	 Anchorage Forestry Sciences Laboratory

	•	 Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research

	 	 Unit (Fairbanks)

	•	 Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory

	•	 Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory

	•	 La Grande Forestry and Range

	 	 Sciences Laboratory

	•	 Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory

	•	 Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences

	 	 Laboratory (Seattle)

	•	 Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory

	•	 Wenatchee Forestry Sciences Laboratory

	•	 Western Wildland Environmental Threat

	 	 Assessment Center (Prineville)

Experimental Areas

	 1.	 Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest

2.	 Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed

	 3.	 Héen Latinee Experimental Forest

	 4.	 Maybeso Experimental Forest

	 5.	 Olympic Experimental State Forest

	 6.	 Entiat Experimental Forest

7.	 Wind River Experimental Forest

	 8.	 Cascade Head Experimental Forest

	 9.	 Starkey Experimental Forest and Range

	10.	 H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest

	11.	 Pringle Falls Experimental Forest

	12. 	South Umpqua Experimental Forest

 Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon, by Keith Routman 7
8

Highlights From 2010

Scientists at the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station conduct research on a 

wide range of topics pertaining to the management and use of natural resources. 

Land managers and policymakers use the information and tools stemming 

from this research in their decisionmaking processes. 

The following section highlights some key research 

underway in projects made possible by the 2009 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

and research in climate change, 

fire, and watershed health.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Creating New Jobs 

While Promoting 

Healthy Ecosystems

The PNW Research Station has 10 economic recovery 

projects underway as part of the 2009 American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The projects 

address major issues including prioritizing fuel treatments 

in fire-prone forests, managing smoke impacts, improving 

salmon habitat, and enhancing natural systems in urban 

areas. See page 18 for the list of partners who received 

ARRA funding from the station. 
9

ARRA projects 

in progress

Funding received 

in 2009

Amount expended as 

of Sept. 30, 2010

Number of individuals 

employed in 2010 

with ARRA funding

10 $14, 211,000 $3,974,115 219

 An estimated 219 people have been employed

with funds the station has provided to vendors 

and university and nongovernmental organization 

cooperators. The station has expended about 

20 percent of its economic recovery funding 

and expects to provide funding for these 

organizations to hire more people over the 

next 2 years. 

 The length of employment varies from seasonal 

to project completion. Most work will be wrapped 

up in 2 years.

 Many of the jobs offer training in addition to a 

paycheck. Workers gain unique expertise and 

skills that can be applied to future professional 

scientific careers.

What job opportunities has ARRA created?

People with skill sets ranging from construction, to field data collection, to 

high-tech computer modeling have been hired. In particular, the station’s 

ARRA projects have created opportunities for young people to gain valuable 

scientific and technical experience that will prepare them for future “green” 

jobs targeted at improving environmental quality. Here are a few examples:

 20 undergraduate interns were hired through the Hispanic Colleges 

and Universities’ internship program, which spans the United States 

and Puerto Rico, to assist with developing models to forecast and 

manage smoke from wildfires.

 30 young adults were hired as interns through the University of 

Washington, Portland State University, Oregon State University, 

and the World Forestry 

Center’s Youth Inside 

Out Program.

 About 50 jobs for 

computer modelers, 

scientists, and support 

staff have been created in 

the station’s largest ARRA 

project to help prioritize 

fuel treatments.

Sophia Polasky

An unemployed 

returned Peace Corps 

volunteer was hired 

with ARRA funds 

to analyze data for a 

project examining how 

the economic recovery 

investments are 

affecting socioeconomic well-being in 

rural areas with high unemployment and 

poverty rates. “This job has been really 

beneficial,” says Polasky. “I’ve discovered 

I like doing research as a career, and 

now I am planning on getting a graduate 

degree in anthropology with a forestry 

focus.”

Josh Halofsky

When he accepted his current ARRA-funded 

position with the PNW Research Station, 

the salary from Halofsky’s former job with 

the Washington Department of Natural 

Resources was used by the state agency to save 

a colleague’s job. Now Halofsky is building 

models that standardize data across Arizona, 

New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington as part 

of the Integrated Fuels Prioritization project. 

He sees this as stepping stone in his career. “I’ll have publications 

and an increased skill set,” he explains, “I will have made a lot of 

great contacts, and I’ll have more experience running a team.”

 Researchers and technicians funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act visit a study site on Mount Hood, Oregon
MAPSS vegetation classification map under current 

climate.

10

Climate Change Research

Highlights

Managing a landscape, an ecosystem, or a forest 

stand in a changing climate can be daunting 

given the complexities inherent in climate change 

processes. Anticipating the effects of climate 

change requires a holistic understanding of the 

multiple interactions within and between physical, 

biological, economic, and social systems.

Looking at Global and Continental Change

Accurately forecasting potential climate change impacts on terrestrial 

ecosystems is important for many reasons, including international 

negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions. The Mapped AtmospherePlant-Soil System (MAPSS) project produced simulations of projected 

vegetation changes worldwide. At a finer scale, simulations were 

produced for North America at an 8-kilometer resolution.

Use: These simulations were made available to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and will be available to 

the next U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. 

Providing Information to 

Help Land Managers and 

Decisionmakers Plan for 

a Changing Climate 

Looking at Regional Change

Land managers charged with managing to 

promote resiliency in the landscape need to 

know the likely effects of climate change at a 

local scale. To address this need, the MAPSS 

project produced simulations of projected 

vegetation changes at 800-meter resolution 

for the western United States. Another study 

examined likely changes in forest productivity 

in Oregon and Washington, finding that 

production may decrease in some parts of 

the region and increase in others. 

Use: This information helps land managers 

anticipate changes in species 

composition and production of 

ecosystem services.

Mount Rainier, Washington, © by Steve Wondzell 
11

Anticipating Climate-Related Disturbances

Climate change is anticipated to lead to changes in fire and flooding patterns. 

For example, in California, researchers found that projected changes in fire 

behavior over the next century are sufficient to increase the number of fires 

that escape initial attack, especially in shrub-covered wildlands. 

Use: Relatively modest increases to existing firefighting resources 

appear to be sufficient to compensate for climate change-induced 

changes in wildland fire outcomes. This information was submitted 

to California’s governor. 

Retreating glaciers in the Cascade Range are exposing unstable slopes of loose 

sediment susceptible to catastrophic failure and increasing the risk of massive 

debris flows during intense rainstorms. Such an event in 2006 closed Mount 

Rainer National Park for 6 months while roads, bridges, and other facilities 

were repaired.

Use: The Forest Service and National Park Service are using this 

information to reassess the risk to downstream infrastructure.
12

Highlights

Fire Research

The spectrum of fire-related research conducted by 

station scientists yields information that is used by land 

and fire managers before, during, and after wildfires. 

Findings from 2010 furthered understanding of fire 

behavior, the effectiveness of different fuel reduction 

techniques, the possibility of restoring native fisheries 

and wildfire to the landscape, and public awareness 

about fire risk.

Managing the 

Landscape 

Before, During, 

and After Wildfire 

Before the Fire

Thinning is one way to reduce potential fuel. Scientists found, however, 

that multiple treatments are likely needed to restore resiliency in fireadapted ecosystems, and that thinning followed by prescribed burning 

was more effective at reducing wildfire severity than thinning alone.

Fire Behavior

Understanding fire and smoke dynamics is vital to ensuring the health 

and safety of firefighters and nearby communities and other valued 

resources. Scientists worked with fire managers in the United States 

and abroad, contributing information that will predict what fire and 

smoke will do under different conditions.

Public Awareness

If given the chance, fire readily burns across property lines. Gauging 

public awareness of fire risk and receptivity to risk-reduction activities 

can help decisionmakers know where to best direct resources and tailor 

outreach programs to specific audiences.

Scientists surveyed private forest and range 

landowners in eastern Oregon and found that 

most have treated their land to reduce the 

risk of wildfire. However, owners indicated 

that they lacked sufficient resources to offset 

the costs of hazardous fuel reduction, and 

that they would benefit from cost share funds 

and markets for logs and wood products 

generated through thinning. 

Public education may be warranted in 

Colorado, where a survey of homebuyers 

in Colorado Springs found that most were 

unaware they were purchasing a home in 

an area at risk of wildfire.

Tom Iraci
13

New Fire Tools

 The Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS), 

Version 2.1: Predicts surface fire behavior outputs 

including reaction intensity, flame length, rate of 

spread, crown fire, and available fuel potential. 

Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fera/fccs/

Users: FCCS is being used on the OkanoganWenatchee National Forest, in central 

Oregon, and in the Lake Tahoe basin for 

fire hazard planning and evaluating fuel 

treatment effectiveness.

 Web Tools for Smoke and Fire: Centralizes access 

to a number of air quality tools, making it both 

easier and faster to obtain information for planned 

prescribed fires and (unplanned) wildland fires. 

Available at http://firesmoke.us/wfdss/

Users: Incident command teams on wildland fires 

and land managers involved in prescribed 

fire operations needing to know how their 

fires will affect air quality. 

 Hand-Piled Fuels Biomass Calculator: Allows the 

user to estimate, from easily measured dimensions, 

the volume and biomass of hand-piled fuels and 

the emissions produced when those piled fuels are 

burned. Available at http://depts.washington.edu/

nwfire/handpiles.

Users: This calculator was developed to help 

fuel managers and air quality regulators 

manage hand-piled fuels and coordinate 

and mitigate piled fuel disposal through 

prescribed burning.

 Reference Guide on the Effects of Fire, Insect, and 

Pathogen Damage on Wood Quality of Dead and 

Dying Western Conifers: Summarizes information on 

deterioration rates for western conifers and the 

potential suitability of the wood for commercial 

use. Available at http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/

pubs/35067.

Users: Land managers evaluating whether to 

leave or remove dead or dying trees 

in a stand.

2002 Biscuit Fire, Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, by Tom Iraci  13
14

Watershed Health

A watershed approach to management requires 

understanding the connections between terrestrial 

and aquatic ecosystems in the upper and lower 

reaches of a drainage. In 2010, station researchers 

conducted studies yielding information that can be 

used to maintain the many processes that comprise 

a healthy watershed.

Restoring Salmon Habitat

Considerable resources have been directed to salmon restoration efforts. Are they making a difference? Scientists found 

that in-stream habitat restoration structures in Columbia 

Basin watersheds do make detectable short-term, small-scale 

improvements in fish populations. The effectiveness of built 

habitat structures, however, may differ for various salmon species 

and can be difficult to discern owing to variation over time in the 

abundance of fishes or the quality of other habitat attributes.

Use: This information was shared with stakeholders 

interested in salmon recovery and effective 

intervention treatments.

Maintaining Integrity of Riparian Areas

Riparian ecosystems are particularly sensitive to the threat of invasive plants 

and the herbicides commonly used in uplands to control such invaders. As an 

alternative to herbicides, researchers tested the effectiveness of using flea 

beetles to control leafy spurge, an invasive weed that has appeared along 

streams throughout much of the country. They found that releasing large 

numbers of the beetle (50 per stem) effectively reduced the weed.

Use: This technique is now being used in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, 

including the Yellowstone and Teton ecosystems. 

Coordinating Management 

Scientists and natural resource managers identified key threats to Northwest 

amphibians and reptiles. They found that these species of concern would likely 

benefit from standardized regulations for managing native and nonnative 

species, increased use of data management programs, and jurisdictional 

stewards for these species to serve as liaisons among fisheries, wildlife, and 

forestry departments.

Use: In Oregon, three federal agencies are implementing a conservation 

strategy for the Siskiyou Mountains salamander on federal lands. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is using this strategy for another 

salamander species in New Mexico.

Understanding the Links 

Between Aquatic and 

Terrestrial Processes

Highlights

Pete Bisson

Middle Fork John Day River, Oregon, by Agnes Przeszlowska 
15

Working With Watershed Councils

Locally organized watershed councils can be effective forums leading to 

improved water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. Researchers working with 

the Long Tom Watershed Council in western Oregon found that restoration 

projects were possible in watersheds under diverse ownership if local 

landowners were included in initial development of goals and guidelines 

for restoration work and in ecological monitoring. They also found that by 

integrating local knowledge, responding to the fears and concerns of local 

residents, and explaining the reasons for the work undertaken, successful, 

coordinated watershed-wide restoration planning can occur.

Use: This information can be used by other watershed councils 

interested in developing coordinated watershed management 

that is responsive to ongoing scientific learning.

New Tools

NetMap is a Web-based platform used for cost-effective, timely watershed 

and landscape analyses. It now hosts a climate change component that 

includes projected changes in seasonal hydrographs, changes in the likely 

location of the snow-to-rain transition zones, and thermal loading.

Use: The Olympic and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests are 

using NetMap to consider the impact of climate change on 

watersheds. Training will be conducted at other forests in the 

Pacific Northwest Region in 2011. The Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies are interested in expanding 

this tool to non-Forest Service lands.

Incident Command Tool for Protecting Drinking Water (ICWater) v. 3: 

This software informs incident commanders and other first responders 

about risks to drinking water as they mount an effective emergency 

response. It now includes effects from deposition of toxic materials from 

airborne plumes and tidal influence on riverflows in coastal areas. 

Users: First responders use ICWater in toxic spill emergencies. The U.S. 

Forest Service Missoula Fire Laboratory uses it to assess which 

assets are at risk from active wildfires, and the agency’s Forest 

Health Protection program is using ICWater to plan a nationwide 

aquatic monitoring program for early detection of waterborne 

propagules of sudden oak death.
16  Pup Creek Falls, Oregon, by Keith Routman

Finances and Workforce

Two sources of funding support the workforce of 

the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station: 

federal appropriations, which contribute the 

greatest percentage of funds, and direct client 

support, which comes from organizations in need 

of scientific information.

The numbers below are for the fiscal year: 

October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2010

Incoming funding*

 Base research appropriations: $41.7 million

 Client support: $13.0 million

 Total funding: $54.7 million

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Base research appropriations

Dollars in millions

Year

Support from clients

2000

2001

20022003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Distribution of funds*

 Permanent employee cost: $30.0 million (54.9%)

 Support and operations: $14.3 million (26.1%)

 Distributed to cooperators: $10.4 million (19.0%)

 Of $10.4 million to cooperators, 86.5% went 

to educational institutions

* Does not include funds from the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). 

See page 9 for details on these funds.
17

Workforce statistics:

 Total station workforce: 405 employees

 Permanent workforce: 307 employees

 Of the permanent workforce, 88 employees 

(28%) are scientists

 Temporary workforce: 98 employees

Stream survey on Mount St. Helens, by Rhonda Mazza 

Total employees

Number 

Year

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Temporary positions Permanent positions

Total positions

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

250

200

150

100

50

0

Permanent employees by type

Support

Number

Year

Scientists

2000

2001

20022003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010
Educational Institutions

Auburn University*

California Polytechnic State University*

Colorado State University

Eastern Oregon University

Fort Lewis College*

Loyola University

Montana State University, College of Engineering, 

Western Transportation Institute

Ohio State University Office of Sponsored Programs

Oregon State University* Portland State University* Southern Oregon University* University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Arizona, Department of Anthropology

University of Arizona, International Arid 

Lands Consortium

University of Hawaii at Hilo

University of Idaho

University of Minnesota

University of Montana

University of New Mexico*

University of Oregon

University of Redlands

University of Vermont and State Agricultural College

University of Washington

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Washington State University

Western Washington University

Native Tribes

Douglas Indian Association, Juneau, Alaska

Educational Institutions

Evergreen State College

University of California

Other Federal Agencies

Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief 

 Economist, Climate Change Program Office

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries

 Science Center

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, National

 Marine Fisheries Service

Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Institute for Water Resources

Department of Defense, U.S. Army, Joint 

 Base Lewis-McChord

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

Funding Partners for 2010

Clients Who Provided Funding to the PNW Research Station for Studies

Other Federal Agencies

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, National

Marine Fisheries Service

Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Institute for Water Resources

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

 Land Management

State Agencies

Oregon Department of Forestry*

Municipal and County Agencies

Hillsboro, Oregon, Clean Water Services

King County, Washington

Nongovernmental Organizations

Cascade Land Conservancy*

Cascadia Conservation District*

Conservation Biology Institute*

Desert Research Institute

Earth Systems Institute*

Juneau Economic Development Council

Mount St. Helens Institute

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement

The Institute for Culture and Ecology*

Western Forestry and Conservation Association

World Forestry Center*

Private Industry and Associations

Essa Technologies, Ltd.

MacGregor Bates, Inc.

Foreign Institutes

New Zealand Forest Research Institute (Scion)

Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service

Department of the Interior, Geological Survey

Environmental Protection Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

Goddard Space Flight Center

State Agencies

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

Municipal Agencies

East Bay Regional Park District

Nongovernmental Organizations

Eco Logical Research

Institute for Systems Biology

Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

The Nature Conservancy

The Wolverine Foundation, Inc.

Cooperators Who Received Funding From the PNW Research Station for Studies

Note: cooperators funded all or in part by the American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act are marked by an asterisk (*)

18
19

Publications 

 529 total publications. (This includes station series 

publications, journal articles, books or book chapters, 

theses and dissertations, and other publications.)

 142,591 hardcopies of station publications distributed.

 1,876 station series publications available online via 

the station’s Web site and Treesearch (http://www.

treesearch.fs.fed.us).

 10 issues of PNW Science Findings published, about 

9,800 copies of each issue distributed.

 250 followers of the station’s Twitter account——up 

from 100 in 2009. Reporters, fire professionals, and 

nonprofit groups make up the majority of subscribers 

who receive instant electronic alerts (tweets) to 

station news releases, new publications, and other 

information.

600

550

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

Number of publications

Year

2000

2001

20022003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

17 theses and

dissertations 

(3%)

11 proceedings

(2%)

15 books or 

chapters 

(3%)

90 station 

series

(17%)

42

other

(8%)

354 

journal

articles

(67%)

Silver Falls, Washington, by Tom Iraci 

19
Climate Change

Key Findings 

and Products

 Global simulations of the effects of climate change

on terrestrial ecosystems were published and

made available to the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change. Higher resolution simulations

for North America (8-kilometer resolution)

and the U.S. West (800-meter resolution) were

released for testing by stakeholders.

 The Climate Change Resource Web site becomes

the Forest Service’s national Web site for climate

change research and development.

 The station co-sponsored the Forest Service’s

first national workshop on climate change

adaptation as part of the Westside Climate

Initiative. The event and resulting guidebooks

provide the scientific basis for planning and

decisionmaking in relation to climate change

across all national forests.

 The Water, Climate Change, and Forests report

is published and distributed to all units in the

National Forest System, the Western Governors

Association, and others.

 Strategically placing dispersal corridors for

headwater species allows populations to move

across ridgelines in response to climate change

and maximizes existing protected areas.

 Potential forest productivity in Oregon and

Washington over the next century varies for

different climate scenarios.

 Cascade Range volcanoes may be at greater

risk for debris flows as climate warms. As

glaciers retreat, loose sediment is exposed on

the steep flanks of the volcanoes, potentially

forming destructive debris flows during intense

rainstorms.

 Climate change is predicted to produce more

extreme wildfire behavior and lessen the success

of initial suppression efforts in California.
21

Analyzing climate change effects 

on wildlife and habitats in the 

western Arctic, Alaska

Description: 

This work provides a template and procedure for combining sources 

of models, data, and expert knowledge pertaining to forecasting 

climate change effects on hydrology, vegetation, wildlife habitats, 

and wildlife species. 

Use: 

This template and procedure is being used to guide the U.S. 

Geological Survey’s “Wildcast” Program on forecasting climate 

change effects.

How to get it: 

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

NetMap, now with climate 

change component

Description: 

NetMap is a Web-based platform for doing cost-effective, timely 

watershed and landscape analyses. NetMap contains models that 

allow the user to conduct analyses on various parameters that 

influence aquatic ecosystems such as wood recruitment, erosion 

sources, and potential habitat. It now hosts a climate change 

component that includes projected changes in seasonal hydrographs, changes in the likely location of snow-to-rain transition 

zones, and thermal loading. 

Use: 

Personnel on the Olympic and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests 

attended workshops to learn how to use NetMap to consider the 

impact of climate change on watersheds. Training will be conducted 

at other forests in the Pacific Northwest Region in 2011. The Bureau 

of Land Management and other federal agencies have expressed 

interest in expanding this work to non-Forest Service lands.

How to get it:

http://www.netmaptools.org/

Contact: 

Gordon Reeves, greeves@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Tools

 Skokomish River, Washington, © by Steve Wondzell
South-central Alaska.

22 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

c L I M A T E 

CHANGE

Global to regional simulations 

of climate change on terrestrial 

ecosystems now available

ACCURATE FORECASTING of potential climate 

change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems is 

critically important for many reasons, including 

international negotiations on greenhouse gas 

emissions. Global to continentalscale carbon balance and vegetation 

change could enhance or diminish climate change over the next 

century via trace gas and other 

biophysical feedbacks. At landscape to regional scales, however, 

land managers are concerned about potential forest 

dieback, changes in species composition, possible 

catastrophic disturbances, and decline or changes 

in ecosystem services.

The Nested Scale Experiment is the latest 

endeavor of the Mapped Atmosphere-PlantSoil System (MAPSS) project. It addresses 

natural resource management questions at 

global, continental, regional, and local scales by 

attempting to sample the range of uncertainties 

in future climate scenarios, as well as the scaling 

of uncertainties from coarse to high-resolution 

grids. The model simulations are developed to 

help ecosystem planners and managers at all 

scales answer two fundamental questions: How 

will climate change affect ecosystem structure 

and composition? How will climate change affect 

ecosystem function (goods and services)? 

A sample of the global-scale portion of these massive simulations has been published. The complete 

results present a formal uncertainty analysis of 

ecosystem change under climate change and will be 

available to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 

Change, the next U.S. National Assessment of the 

Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and 

Change, and all other stakeholders. Simulations for 

North America (8-kilometer resolution) and for the 

U.S. West (800-meter resolution) were presented 

at national and regional workshops and released 

for testing. Federal and state agencies, local and 

regional governments, nongovernment organizations, and private landowners have requested use 

of the simulation outputs. 

Contact: Ron Neilson, rneilson@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Northern, Pacific 

Southwest, and Rocky Mountain Research Stations; 

USDI Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of 

Reclamation, and National Park Service; state and 

local governments; universities; and nongovernmental 

organizations

For more information: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/video/skamania.shtml

Use: 

International 

organizations 

to private 

landowners 

request 

climate change 

simulations.

Jon Williams
23 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Climate Change Resource Center 

Web site goes national 

THE CLIMATE CHANGE Resource Center was 

initiated in 2008 by the Pacific Northwest 

Research Station. The Web site quickly became a 

collaborative project involving the Pacific Southwest 

and Rocky Mountain Research Stations. It was 

designed to provide information, access to relevant 

research findings, decision-support, and other tools 

to help land managers develop adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change. Its resources 

include video lectures, searchable libraries, selected 

tools, and the latest information about potential 

impacts to natural resources under various future 

climate scenarios. 

In 2010, the Climate Change Resource Center 

became the Forest Service’s national Web site for 

climate change research and development. It now 

includes information from research stations across 

the Forest Service. Land managers, reporters, and 

interested members of the public from around the 

country can now find information relevant to their 

region, placed within the context of global change. 

The number of visits to the site has steadily grown 

as more people learn about this resource. In 2010, 

the site had 108,297 page views from 174 countries.

Contact: Michael Furniss, mfurniss@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Group

Partners: USDA Forest Service Northern, Pacific 

Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Southern Research 

Stations, Eastern Forest Environmental Threat 

Assessment Center, Western Wildland Environmental 

Threat Assessment Center 

For more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/

Water, Climate Change, and Forests 

provides framework for watershed 

stewardship

WATER FROM forested watersheds provides 

irreplaceable habitat for aquatic and riparian 

species and supports our homes, farms, industries, 

and energy production. Secure, high-quality 

water from forests is fundamental to our Nation’s 

prosperity and is our stewardship responsibility. Yet 

population pressures, land uses, and rapid climate 

change combine to seriously threaten these waters 

and the resilience of watersheds.

Water, Climate Change, 

and Forests: Watershed 

Stewardship For a Changing Climate, published 

by the station, provides a 

framework for watershed 

stewardship in a rapidly 

warming world. It identifies steps for thinking, 

collaborating, and acting 

to implement practices that maintain and restore 

watershed processes and services.

The report was distributed to all units in the 

National Forest System. The Rocky Mountain 

Region of the Forest Service funded a second printing and distributed 1,200 additional copies. The 

Western Governors Association gave one to each 

of its members. The report’s lead author received a 

personal note of appreciation from the Secretary 

of Agriculture. 

Contact: Michael Furniss, mfurniss@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Group

Partners: USDA Forest Service National Forest System, 

Northern, Pacific Southwest, and Rocky Mountain 

Research Stations, State and Private Forestry 

For more information: Furniss, M.J.; Staab, B.P.; 

Hazelhurst, S. [et al.]. 2010. Water, climate change, 

and forests: watershed stewardship for a changing 

climate. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-812. Portland, 

OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 75 p. http://www.

treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/35295

Adapting to climate change: a short 

course for land managers

THIS SHORT COURSE summarizes the state-of-the 

science for natural resource managers and decisionmakers regarding climate variability, climate projections, and ecological and management responses 

to climate variability. The 

information and talks included 

were produced from a July 2008 

workshop at the H.J. Andrews 

Experimental Forest that brought 

together key U.S. Forest Service 

and U.S. Geological Survey scientists, and a select 

group of pioneering resource managers who served 

as reviewers.

The short course was produced as a DVD, which 

was approved by the U.S. State Department and 

Use: 

DVD distributed 

at 2009 U.N. 

Climate Change 

Conference in 

Copenhagen.
24 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

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distributed at the 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Smartphone versions of the 

lectures were also produced. The short course was 

sent to all units within the National Forest System, 

and some are using it in weekly seminars.

Contact: Michael Furniss, mfurniss@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Group

Partners: USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest and 

Rocky Mountain Research Stations, White River National 

Forest; University of Washington; U.S. Geological Survey 

For more information: Furniss, M.J.; Millar, C.I.; 

Peterson, D.L. [et al]. 2009. Adapting to climate change: 

a short course for land managers. [DVD]. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. PNW-GTR-789. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research 

Station. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/34229

Smartphone version: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/hjar/index_st.html

Station co-sponsors agency’s first 

national workshop on climate 

change adaptation 

THE STATION played a lead role in developing 

and convening “Adapting to Climate Change 

on National Forests: A Workshop for Resource 

Managers” in April, 2010. The workshop for national 

forest leadership, managers and others focused 

on processes used to facilitate learning about 

climate change science, vulnerability assessment 

of resources to climate change, adaptation to 

climate change across diverse resource disciplines, 

Scientists and land managers discuss climate change 

mitigation strategies.

and implementation of adaptation in planning. It 

provided a forum for distributing a draft guidebook 

for climate change adaptation in national forests 

and discussing how the principles being employed 

on the Olympic National Forest and in Olympic 

National Park can be used and emulated at other 

locations. Small group discussions provided an 

opportunity for learning, sharing of information, 

and development of recommendations to national 

leadership regarding climate change adaptation. 

The workshop and resulting guidebooks were a 

major milestone in the nascent effort by the Forest 

Service to prepare for climate change. They provide 

the scientific basis for planning and decisionmaking 

across all national forests and fostered the learning 

and communication needed by various management units to move forward with climate change 

adaptation.

Contact: David L. Peterson, peterson@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest 

and Rocky Mountain Research Stations

Collaborative learning efforts are 

needed to deal with climate change 

CLIMATE CHANGE adaptation strategies for federal 

forests require an integrated socioecological perspective. The recent shift toward ecologically based 

forest management provides a good starting place 

for conserving biological diversity under climate 

change. Nevertheless, undesirable changes in species and ecosystems will occur, and a number of 

adaptive actions could be undertaken to lessen the 

effects of climate change. 

Current environmental policies appear to be flexible enough to accommodate many adaptive actions. 

It is less certain, however, if sufficient social license 

and economic capacity exist to undertake these 

actions. Given the history of contentious debate 

about federal forest management in the Pacific 

Northwest, it is likely that some of these actions 

will be seen as double-edged swords, spurring 

social resistance, especially where actions involve 

cutting trees. If society and managers are to learn 

how to think about climate change and implement 

adaptive actions, collaborative learning efforts need 

to be rejuvenated and expanded. 

Michael Furniss
25 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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This research fills a knowledge gap on how 

social dimensions influence the development and 

implementation of adaptive strategies for climate 

change in the Pacific Northwest. The findings are 

being used in discussions with managers from the 

Pacific Northwest Region and Willamette National 

Forest on how to develop strategies for dealing with 

climate change at multiple scales. 

Contact: Tom Spies, tspies@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partner: Oregon State University

Pilot project yields watershed 

vulnerability assessments for 11 

participating forests

PROLONGED DROUGHT, extreme floods, and water 

quality problems are likely to be intensified by 

climate change in most regions of the United States. 

However, watersheds differ greatly in their vulnerability and resilience to climate change. To build 

and restore resiliency in a watershed, people need 

to identify and understand its vulnerabilities. It is 

essential to map watershed vulnerabilities when 

crafting strategies that will provide critical water 

and aquatic habitats in the coming decades. 

A station hydrologist is leading a watershed 

vulnerability assessment project on 11 national 

forests throughout the country. Researchers 

and forest managers are collaborating on this 

pilot project to evaluate the risks that climate 

change poses to important water resources on 

each participating forest. The working group 

uses a Web site to provide science support and 

facilitate collaboration among members. Each 

forest has prepared a draft that assesses watershed 

vulnerability at the sub-basin, watershed, 

and subwatershed scales. The next step will 

be identifying priority areas and developing 

recommendations for reducing vulnerability 

and building resilience on each forest. 

Contact: Michael Furniss, mfurniss@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Group

Partners: USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Region, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 

Chaquamegon-Nicolet, Chugach, Coconino, 

Gallatin, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre, Helena, 

Ouachita, Sawtooth, Shasta-Trinity, Umatilla, 

and White River National Forests 

Both drought and flooding are expected to intensify as the climate changes.

Tom Iraci
26 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

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Strategically linking headwater 

habitats across ridgelines benefits 

amphibians and management

THE MOVEMENT of stream-breeding amphibians overland across forested ridgelines to 

adjacent drainages can be interrupted by forest 

disturbances. To mitigate this, station scientists 

developed criteria for placing 

and managing dispersal 

corridors extending out from 

headwater riparian reserves, 

up and over ridgelines to 

the neighboring headwater riparian area. This 

design considers placing linkage areas at stand-tolandscape scales, for example (1) in north-south 

directions to allow population resiliency in the face 

of climate change, (2) across watershed boundaries 

that have no aquatic connectivity, (3) at landscape 

nodes where three discrete watersheds join, and 

(4) by co-locating linkages with debris-flow-prone 

areas, existing reserves, and federal lands. Scientists 

modeled this approach for the Oregon Coast Range. 

Federal biologists, land managers, and watershed 

stewardship councils are interested in this design. 

Implementation is being considered on several 

national forests in the Pacific Northwest Region 

as well as on federal lands in Arizona and New 

Mexico.

Contact: Dede Olson, dedeolson@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: USDI Bureau of Land Management; 

Earth Systems Institute

Briefing papers provide 

decisionmakers with current 

knowledge about climate change 

SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE about climate change 

is ever expanding and difficult to assimilate. For 

effective policy formulation and land management, 

decisionmakers and policy analysts need periodic 

syntheses of climate change information. Station 

scientists have compiled six briefing papers based 

on literature reviews and syntheses pertaining to 

specific questions about climate change. The main 

topics addressed are economic effects on the forest 

sector at the national and global scales, costs of 

forest carbon sequestration as part of mitigation 

strategies, and mitigation aspects for nonindustrial 

private and public forest ownerships in the U.S. 

forest sector. Salient findings from the literature are 

summarized in the synthesis of the literature, along 

with identified research needs. 

Contact: Ralph Alig, ralig@fs.fed.us, Goods, 

Services, and Values Program

Partners: Ohio State University, Oregon State 

University, USDA Forest Service Northern and 

Southern Research Stations 

For more information: Alig, R.J., tech. coord. 2010. 

Economic modeling of effects of climate change on 

the forest sector and mitigation options: a compendium 

of briefing papers. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-833. 

Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 169 p. 

http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/36794

Use: 

National forests 

consider opportunities 

to implement new 

management design.

The coastal tailed frog is one of many species that likely would benefit from linked headwaters that facilitate the mixing of gene 

pools among subpopulations in adjacent watersheds.

Loretta Ellenburg
27 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Projections indicated changes in 

forest productivity in Oregon and 

Washington

USING CLIMATE and site productivity data 

from 3,356 plots, station and university 

scientists developed a spatial model to estimate the 

impacts of climate change on potential productivity of forests in Oregon and Washington. Potential 

productivity was modeled as a function of annual 

temperature, precipitation, and precipitation in 

excess of evapotranspiration. The model, coupled 

with climate change output from generalized 

circulation models, was used to predict the productivity impacts of four different scenarios developed 

by the International Panel on Climate Change. 

The projections indicated decreases for some currently productive regions but increases in many 

areas that currently have low productivity. Overall 

results differed between the west and east sides of 

the Cascade Range, and Washington had a greater 

overall increase than Oregon. Potential productivity 

is projected to increase after 50 years, ranging from 

1.5 percent for the scenario with constant levels of 

carbon dioxide to a 7-percent increase for a high 

population growth or high energy use scenario. 

These projections should only be viewed as 

possible changes in potential productivity, as they 

are based on many assumptions and do not reflect 

changes in natural disturbance or shifts in forest 

management or public policy. For managers and 

policymakers, they suggest the relative magnitude 

of effects and the potential variability of impacts 

across a range of climate scenarios. Future work 

could improve projections by including interactions 

of climate-related productivity changes with genetic 

and species migration limitations and fire, insect, 

and disease disturbances.

Findings from this study received media coverage, appearing on ABC News and in the New York 

Times, Sacramento Bee, and The Olympian. 

Contact: Tara Barrett, tbarrett@fs.fed.us, Threat 

Characterization and Management Program

Partner: Oregon State University

Maps of biomass dynamics support 

North American Carbon Program 

KNOWING WHERE and at what rates biomass accumulates or is lost across broad scales is critical to 

understanding how forest disturbance and regrowth 

processes influence carbon dynamics. Station scientists modeled live, aboveground tree biomass by 

using Forest Inventory and Analysis field data and 

applied the models to more than 20 years of Landsat satellite imagery to derive trajectories of aboveground forest biomass for study locations across the 

continental United States. Maps of biomass dynamics were integrated with maps depicting the location 

and timing of forest disturbance and regrowth to 

assess the biomass consequences of these processes 

over large areas and long timeframes. 

Understanding rates of biomass accumulation is critical 

to understanding how forest disturbance and regrowth 

influence carbon dynamics. 

Connie Harrington

These maps enable a first approximation of 

continental rates of biomass loss and accumulation 

as a result of forest disturbance and regrowth 

and can be used to support the North American 

Carbon Program. Scientists from a variety of 

universities and government agencies that model 
28 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

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carbon dynamics are 

using this information. 

Policymakers and 

managers now have 

information to use in 

understanding how 

forest biomass has 

changed over the past 

20 years to inform their 

decisions about how 

forest management affects 

biomass change today 

and in the future.

Contact: Warren B. Cohen, 

wcohen@fs.fed.us, Resource 

Monitoring and Assessment 

Program

Partners: Montana State 

University, NASA Goddard 

Space Flight Center, Oregon 

State University, University 

of Maryland, USDA Forest 

Service Northern and Rocky 

Mountain Research Stations

Comparison of methods finds 

similar estimates of total 

aboveground biomass, differing 

estimates of merchantable biomass 

RELIABLE METHODS for estimating tree biomass 

and carbon stocks on forest land are increasingly in demand, as concerns over global climate 

change raise questions about issues such as carbon 

accounting and bioenergy feasibility studies. But 

models for estimating tree biomass differ. Station 

scientists examined and compared three approaches 

that might be useful for regional analyses. They 

found that the three methods produce relatively 

similar estimates of total aboveground biomass for 

softwood species in Oregon, but substantially different estimates for the proportion of total biomass 

that is merchantable. At the local scale, for example 

when analyzing the carbon dynamics of a proposed 

management regime on a watershed, or assessing 

a bioenergy project where profit margins are slim, 

the differences in results could profoundly affect 

outcomes. 

Contact: Xiaoping Zhou, xzhou@fs.fed.us, 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Managing forest land for 

profitability in southwest 

Germany will be increasingly 

difficult under climate change 

CLIMATE CHANGE predictions have indicated 

probable shifts in tree species distributions as 

moisture and temperature conditions change. But 

restricting discussion to the ecological effects of 

climate change hinders mitigation and adaptation 

planning. Considering the economic viability of 

any forest management action is also important. 

Researchers conducted an economic evaluation 

of the expected range shifts of major European 

tree species in southwest Germany, including 

Norway spruce, a highly productive species. 

Using two climate change scenarios from the 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, they 

predicted losses in the potential growing area of 

Norway spruce by 2030, 2065, and 2100. Based on 

2004 prices with an interest rate of 2 percent, the 

financial loss resulting from reduced growing area 

ranged from $857 million to $3.9 billion. Studies 

like these can help managers design adaptation 

strategies such as active forest transformation 

that can minimize economic losses. 

Contact: Susan Hummel, shummel@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Keith Routman

Olympic National Forest, Washington.
29 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Cascade Range volcanoes may be 

at greater risk for debris flows as 

climate warms 

ONE OF THE most visible impacts of climate 

warming in the Pacific Northwest is the 

retreat of glaciers located on the flanks of volcanoes in the Cascade Range. As glaciers retreat, 

they expose steep, unconsolidated 

sediment that is prone to gullying 

and may fail catastrophically during intense rainstorms, resulting 

in debris flows. These flows can 

travel downslope for many miles 

at great speeds with enormous 

destructive potential. Such was the case in November 2006 when a record rainstorm initiated multiple 

debris flows on all major volcanoes in the northern 

Cascades. These flows destroyed roads and bridges 

and resulted in the unprecedented closure of Mount 

Rainier National Park for more than 6 months. 

Station scientists studied how, where, and under 

what circumstances such debris flows initiate. They 

discovered previously unreported links between 

receding glaciers, areas of stagnant and debrismantled ice, and initiation zones for debris flows. 

These findings are helping the Forest Service and 

National Park Service reassess the risk to downstream infrastructure from such events and provide 

a potentially important example of how climate 

warming may be affecting mountain environments. These studies also are being coupled with 

downstream work by the U.S. Geological Survey to 

help explain changing patterns of channel aggradation and increased flooding potential for lowland 

areas surrounding Cascade Range volcanoes. The 

Christian Science Monitor and Los Angeles Times

reported on these findings. 

Contact: Gordon Grant, ggrant@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Oregon State University, Mount Rainier 

National Park, U.S. Geological Survey, National 

Science Foundation

Gordon Grant

Retreating glaciers leave loose sediment exposed, increasing risk of large debris flows following heavy rain.

Use: 

Forest Service 

and National 

Park Service 

use findings to 

assess risk to 

downstream 

infrastructure.
30 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

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New insights into managing 

ecosystem productivity in a 

changing climate

STATION SCIENTISTS and collaborators developed 

a forest management strategy called GreenWave. 

This strategy is based on the realization that 

the amount of solar energy captured by green 

plants is the single dominant ecosystem process 

controlling the collective delivery of nearly all 

societal benefits derived from forests. Through 

this approach, all private and public-sector jobs 

associated with managing forests can be thought 

of as contributing to the national green economy. 

The GreenWave concept has several principles, 

including: (1) Current ecosystem productivity 

does not necessarily equal potential ecosystem 

productivity. Limitations in current productivity 

can be addressed by altering species composition, 

water-holding capacity, and nutrient supply. 

(2) Energy (measured with carbon budgets) is a 

currency that can be used to track solar capitol 

as it flows through societal benefit streams and 

analyze tradeoffs between different resources or 

ecosystem services.

Because the annual energy use from fossilbased carbon in the United States is less than 0.5 

percent of the incoming solar energy to U.S. 

forest land, GreenWave 

accounting can play a 

major role in examining 

tradeoffs between energy 

production and other 

forest uses. 

Contact: Bernard 

Bormann, bbormann@

fs.fed.us, Land and 

Watershed Management 

Program

Partners: University of 

Washington, USDA Forest 

Service Pacific Northwest 

Region, USDI Bureau of 

Land Management

More fires likely to escape initial 

attacks as climate changes in 

California

SUBTLE SHIFTS in fire behavior induced by 

anticipated climate changes over the next 

century are sufficient to increase the number of 

fires that escape initial attack, especially in shrubcovered wildlands in California. 

Comparison between high and 

reduced-emissions scenarios shows 

that the lower emissions scenario is 

sufficient to produce modest reductions in the anticipated negative 

impacts on wildland fire severity 

and outcomes. Relatively modest augmentations to 

existing firefighting resources appear to be sufficient to compensate for climate change-induced 

changes in wildland fire outcomes. 

This information was submitted to the governor 

of California to serve as a basis for action on climate 

change in the state. 

Contact: Jeremy Fried, jsfried@fs.fed.us, Resource 

Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: ATMOS Research and Consulting; U.S. 

Department of Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National 

Laboratory; Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; University 

of California, Berkeley

Use: 

California 

governor 

considers 

findings in 

climate change 

action. 

Dan Elliott

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger views aftermath of 2007 Grass Valley fire.
31 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Special issue focuses on forests, 

management, and climate change 

A STATION SCIENTIST served as the guest editor for 

a special issue of Forest Ecology and Management 

titled “Adaptation of Forests and Forest Management to Changing Climate.” The issue stemmed 

from an international conference held in Sweden 

in 2008 that brought together about 350 scientists 

and forest managers to discuss what needs to be 

accomplished globally and to share knowledge and 

experience to ensure that local adaption decisions 

are supported by global science.

The concepts presented are thought provoking, 

and the applications include management tools 

for evaluating risk and reducing vulnerabilities of 

global forests in a changing climate. 

Contact: Catherine Parks, cparks01@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Canadian Forest Service, Food and 

Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 

International Union of Forestry Research Organizations, 

Natural Resources Canada, Swedish University of 

Agricultural Sciences, USDA Forest Service Pacific 

Southwest Research Station 

For more information: Forest Ecology and 

Management. 2010. 259(4).

South-central Alaska.
 Researchers found that access to parks and

trails helps promote active lifestyles in Oregon

and identified 11 counties where residents had

inadequate levels of physical activity. The state

is using this information to prioritize trail

development in these at-risk counties.

 As the cost of raw materials increased, the

lumber industry in western Washington

remained viable by investing in machinery

and reducing sawmill employment.

 The Green Cities Research Alliance, a new

research program in the Seattle metro area,

identified 600 environmental stewardship

organizations and 70 private sustainable

design groups around Seattle and Tacoma.

The research alliance will study the

combined, positive environmental effects

of these groups.

 Protecting ecosystem services requires

understanding consumer demand as well

as supply. Scientists developed a decisionsupport tool to identify where provision

and use of ecosystem services overlap

with disturbance-prone sites.

Key Findings

Community 

 Sustainability
 Community garden in Seattle, Washington, by Kathy Wolf 33

An online version of Production, 

Prices, Employment, and Trade in 

Northwest Forest Industries

Description: 

This online resource offers downloadable data on the current 

timber situation in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, 

Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia, as well as 50 years of 

historical data. Data sets include lumber and plywood production 

and prices; timber harvest; employment in forest products 

industries; international trade in logs, pulpwood, chips, lumber, 

veneer, and plywood; log prices in the Pacific Northwest; volume 

and average prices of stumpage sold by public agencies. The 

extensive data sets can be downloaded into Microsoft Excel®, a 

commonly-used program. This online version complements the 

printed quarterly publication by the same name that has been 

published continuously since 1963. 

Use: 

The Forest Service and other federal agencies, Oregon 

Department of Forestry, Washington Department of Natural 

Resources, universities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and 

Montana, and private land managing and consulting firms have 

all responded positively to this product, commenting on the 

timeliness and usefulness of the site. 

How to get it: 

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

Contact: 

Jean Daniels, jdaniels@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Tool
COMMUNITY

34 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

Parks and trails help promote 

active lifestyles

THE PERCENTAGE of American adults who 

are obese has more than doubled in 30 years, 

inciting warnings of an obesity epidemic. The 

dramatic increase in rates of obesity and inactivity 

raises critical health concerns, 

many of which can be mitigated 

by physical activity. Station scientists looked at the role parks and 

recreation can play in addressing 

these public health concerns. They found parks, 

trails, bikeways, and sidewalks increase opportunities for people to meet recommended daily levels of 

physical activity through outdoor recreation. Their 

analysis of county-level data in 

Oregon showed that the availability of trails is associated with 

higher proportions of physically 

active adults. 

This study helped identify 

at-risk communities that could 

be targeted with recreation 

planning and development. The 

study enabled the Oregon Parks 

and Recreation Department 

to identify 11 of Oregon’s 36 

counties as being “in need”—

that is, showing inadequate 

levels of current and projected 

physical activity. To address 

these disparities in recreational 

opportunities, Oregon is 

prioritizing the development 

of close-to-home nonmotorized trail access in 

identified at-risk counties. This study was also used 

to project health status indicators to 2020 for the 

2008 to 2012 Oregon Statewide Comprehensive 

Outdoor Recreation Plan. Results from this 

study also led the Oregon Parks and Recreation 

Department to develop a statewide trails Web site 

that will provide information on trail availability 

and accessibility in Oregon. 

Contact: Jeff Kline, jkline@fs.fed.us, Goods, Services, 

and Values Program

Partners: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, 

Oregon State University

Urban ecology research provides 

employment opportunities for 

youth 

YOUNG ADULTS and teens are being hired to help 

with field work for urban ecology research on 

riparian habitats in the greater Portland, Oregon, 

metro area. Made possible through the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this project focuses 

on exposing minority youth to jobs in sciencerelated fields, as this is an area where minorities are 

currently underrepresented. As participants learn 

the techniques of field work, they are gathering 

valuable data on the impact of urbanization on 

vegetation, soil, and habitat quality for species such 

as salamanders in urban stream environments. 

Use: 

Oregon prioritizes 

new trails for 

counties with low 

physical activity.

Young adults hired through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project 

collect samples from a stream in the Portland area. 

Frank Vanni

In 2010, two graduate students and four field 

technicians were hired and gained valuable career 

skills in natural resource science. By identifying and 

encouraging these students, the Forest Service is 

providing employment to underrepresented youth 

and also making strides toward the goal of improving the quality and diversity of the applicant pool 

for the workforces of natural resource agencies and 

businesses. 

Contact: Jamie Barbour, jbarbour01@fs.fed.us, 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: Portland State University, Oregon State 

University, University of Washington, World Forestry 

Center’s Youth Inside Out Program
35 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

COMMUNITY

Lumber industry reduced 

employment, invested in machinery 

to offset rising log costs

A STATION SCIENTIST examined the 

lumber industry in western Washington 

to understand production trends and how 

changes in production costs translate to changes 

in the manufacturing process. Trends in lumber 

production are of particular interest because 

sawmills are a traditional source of jobs and 

economic prosperity in rural areas. The industry 

was highly sensitive to changes in log costs; after 

all, it is impossible to create lumber without wood. 

Further results suggest that log cost variability 

had lasting consequences for sawmill workers. 

Producers compensated for rising raw material costs 

by reducing labor costs. This was accomplished 

by reducing sawmill employment and investing in 

machinery and equipment. These findings suggest 

that policies that lead to higher log costs may have 

unintended consequences for sawmill employment.

Contact: Jean Daniels, jdaniels@fs.fed.us, Goods, 

Services, and Values Program

Partners: University of Washington

Rising costs for raw material led sawmills to invest in machinery and reduce employment. 

Connie Harrington

Protecting ecosystem services 

requires understanding consumer 

demand as well as supply 

SOCIETY TENDS to want more goods and 

services from forests than forests are able to 

supply. This leads to a growing deficit between an 

ecosystem’s production capacity and society’s rate of 

consumption. Most research on ecosystem services 

focuses on how to increase or sustain their supply. 

This is accomplished in various ways, for example, 

by compensating a landowner for retaining forest 

rather than selling it to developers. However, this 

type of system lacks a feedback mechanism, such 

as payment for services used, that acts to moderate 

consumer behavior. 

One solution is to find effective ways to communicate the imbalance between supply and demand. 

In terms of natural resource management, station 

scientists created a decision-support tool to identify 

areas across the landscape where provision and use 

of ecosystem services overlap with disturbanceprone areas. In these vulnerable areas, targeted 

management interventions have a much greater 
COMMUNITY

36 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

chance of preventing the loss of ecosystem service 

flows than if these actions were applied uniformly 

or haphazardly across the landscape.

Contact: Trista Patterson, tmpatterson@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: State University of New York, College of 

Environmental Science and Forestry; The Nature 

Conservancy; University of Alaska

Green Cities Research Alliance 

launched in Seattle metro area

THE STATION launched a study of the 

positive environmental “footprint” of 600 

organizations that engage in environmental 

stewardship activities in Seattle and Tacoma and 

the 70 private groups that practice sustainable 

design in the Seattle metro area. This project is part 

of a research collaboration called the Green Cities 

Research Alliance in the Puget Sound area. 

A database of the stewardship organizations and 

sustainable design groups was created as part of 

this project. It will be used for conducting an organizational network analysis and studies on stewardship motivations and health implications of outdoor 

activities. These results will be linked to other 

studies, funded by the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act, to better understand the positive 

environmental effects of citizen-based stewardship 

activities.

Contact: Dale Blahna, dblahna@fs.fed.us, Goods, 

Services, and Values Program 

Partners: University of Washington; Cascade Land 

Conservancy; EarthCorps; Institute for Culture and 

Ecology; King County, Department of Natural Resources 

and Parks; City of Seattle Parks Department and Office 

of Sustainability; State of Washington, Community and 

Urban Forestry

EarthCorps volunteers remove invasive ivy from a Seattle green space. 

EarthCorps
37 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

COMMUNITY

Oil prices influence homeowners’ 

decision to use wood for heating

HEATING OIL is the primary fuel for home heating 

in southeast and interior Alaska. As heating oil 

prices rose in Alaska in 2008, so did interest in 

renewable energy for home heating. Wood energy 

has the potential to be an efficient and less costly 

replacement for oil, but requires investment in 

equipment such as wood stoves. 

Station scientists surveyed Alaska residents to 

learn their preferences for wood energy products 

and equipment and gauge their willingness to 

switch to wood heating. The scientists found that 

cost was a primary factor in influencing consumer 

motivation to switch to wood energy. A fuel oil 

price of $4.00 to $5.00 per gallon would be needed 

to induce most homeowners to switch to wood 

heating. Although prices hit this mark during the 

summer of 2008, they have since declined. Similarly, most consumers would be willing to pay up to 

$3,000 for a new wood energy system. Poor economic conditions over the past few years, however, 

could discourage their willingness to pay or ability 

to borrow money. Most respondents said they were 

not familiar with standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for residential burning 

and air quality or with EPA-certified woodstoves.

Contact: Dave Nicholls, dlnicholls@fs.fed.us, Goods, 

Services, and Values Program

Partner: University of Alaska-Fairbanks

For more information: Nicholls, D.L.; Brackley, A.M.; 

Barber, V. 2010. Wood energy for residential heating 

in Alaska: current conditions, attitudes, and expected 

use. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-826. Portland, OR: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 30 p. 

http: www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/35579

Many survey respondents in Alaska indicated interest 

in converting to a wood-based home heating system if 

heating oil costs rose to $4 to $5 per gallon. 

Allen Brackley
Fire Managem Fire Management

Key Findings

and Products

 Spatially integrating terrestrial

and aquatic restoration objectives

facilitates convergent solutions

for restoring native fish, forest

landscape patterns, and a more

natural role for wildfire.

 Fuel reduction and restoration

treatments can be used to begin

restoring late-successional stand

structure, but single treatments are

insufficient to mitigate structural

changes resulting from a century

of fire exclusion.

 Scientists studied the relative

success of recent fuel treatments

in reducing wildfire severity after

the 2006 Tripod Complex fires on

the Okanogan-Wenatchee National

Forest. They found that thinning

followed by prescribed burning was

more effective at reducing wildfire

severity than thinning alone.

 The majority of private forest and

range landowners surveyed in

eastern Oregon have treated their

land to reduce the risk of wildfire.

 Dry lightning is not a useful

indicator for predicting natural

fire starts in Alaska.
39

Fuel Characteristic Classification 

System, Version 2.1 

Description:

The Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) was designed 

to build and catalogue fuels, from the ground to the canopy, based 

on inventory data, photo series, or literature. The system will predict 

flame length, rate of spread and surface fire behavior, crown fire, and 

available fuel potential using a 9 point index. Version 2.1 was released 

in 2010 with refined fire behavior equations and a total carbon calculator. Another improvement includes mapped FCCS fuelbeds for the 

continental United States. 

Use: 

The FCCS is becoming a widely used tool to build and characterize 

fuels for specified areas at any scale. For example, FCCS fuelbeds 

have been created for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 

central Oregon, and Lake Tahoe basin and associated fire behavior 

predictions and total carbon represented by the fuelbeds have been 

mapped. This information is being used for fire hazard planning and 

evaluating fuel treatment effectiveness. The FCCS version 2.1 has 

been distributed through three workshops and fact sheets with an 

attached CD-ROM. It is also available online.

How to get it: 

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

Contact: 

Roger Ottmar, rottmar@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Hand-Piled Fuels Biomass Calculator 

Description: 

This calculator was developed to help fuel managers and air quality 

regulators manage hand-piled fuels and coordinate piled-fuel disposal 

through prescribed burning. By using easily measured dimensions, 

the user can estimate the volume and biomass of hand-piled fuels 

and the emissions produced when those piled fuels are burned. The 

estimation equations were developed from field measurement. The 

developers presented the calculator at the Joint Fire Science Program 

Biomass Roundtable, which prompted a request and additional funding to further develop and enhance this tool for fuel management.

How to get it: 

http://depts.washington.edu/nwfire/handpiles

Contact: 

Clint Wright, cwright@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

For More Information: 

Wright, C.S.; Balog, C.S.; Kelly, J.W. 2009. Estimating volume, 

biomass, and potential emissions of hand-piled fuels. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. PNW-GTR-805. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 23 p. 

http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/34607

Tools

 Long-term fire research on Mount Adams, Washington, by Julia Biermann
40 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

Web Tools for Smoke and Fire

Description:

This new Web portal site centralizes access to a 

number of air quality tools, making it both easier and 

faster to obtain information for planned prescribed 

fires and unplanned wildland fires. The site includes 

several help features, including a glossary and phonebased technical assistance. 

Use: 

Incident command teams on wildland fires and land 

managers involved in prescribed fire operations 

have to know how their fires will affect air quality. 

Feedback from users indicates this is a successful 

effort to help fire managers gain needed information.

How to get it: 

http://firesmoke.us/wfdss/

Contact: 

Sim Larkin, larkin@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Reference Guide on the Effects 

of Fire, Insect, and Pathogen 

Damage on Wood Quality 

of Dead and Dying Western 

Conifers 

Description: 

This desktop reference and companion field guide 

for land managers updates previous work and summarizes how fire, insects, and pathogens affect the 

wood quality of common conifer species across the 

western United States and western Canada. The guide 

summarizes what is known about deterioration rates 

for these species, factors influencing deterioration, 

species-specific changes in wood quality, and the 

potential suitability of the wood for commercial use. 

How to get it: 

This information will help land managers weigh the 

pros and cons of leaving or removing dead or dying 

trees in a stand.

Contact: 

Eini Lowell, elowell@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

For More Information: 

Lowell, E.C.; Rapp, V.A.; Haynes, R.W.; Cray, C. 2010. 

Effects of fire, insect, and pathogen damage on wood 

quality of dead and dying western conifers. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. PNW-GTR-816. Portland, OR: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Research Station. 73 p. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.

us/pubs/35067

Tools

f I R E

Tom Iraci

2006 Mount Hood Complex Fire.
41 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FIRE

Integrating management 

of native fisheries and 

wildfire is possible

WILDFIRE IS a critical land 

management issue in the 

western United States. Efforts to 

mitigate the effects of altered fire 

regimes have led to debate over 

ecological restoration versus species 

conservation. Fire-related management activities may disrupt watershed processes and degrade habitats 

of currently sensitive fishes. Restoration of more natural fire regimes, 

however, might also benefit longer 

term habitat complexity and the 

persistence of species and populations that are now only remnants 

of once-larger and more diverse 

habitat networks. 

Station scientists explored 

this idea in the context of native 

fisheries and wildfire in the 

South Fork Boise River basin, 

but expect the approach to be 

relevant in other settings as well. They found that 

developing common language between forest, 

fire, and fishery managers; clearly communicating 

goals and objectives; and analyzing spatially 

explicit objectives will help identify conflicts 

and opportunities to enable more collaborative 

management. Conflict most likely cannot be 

eliminated, but if attention is first focused to 

reveal domains where convergence and conflict are 

anticipated, collaborative management, planning, 

and further analyses could become more tractable. 

By identifying areas where terrestrial and aquatic 

management can support each other, the domain of 

areas needing more complex analyses or solutions 

may be much reduced.

Contact: Paul Hessburg, phessburg@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Boise National 

Forest and Rocky Mountain Research Station 

Field crew conduct a stream survey on a tributary to the Middle Fork John 

Day River in the Malheur National Forest as part of a modeling project that 

will project changes in riparian vegetation and salmon habitat based on 

various disturbances such as fire.

Agnes Przeszlowska

Multiple treatments likely 

needed to restore resiliency 

in fire-adapted ecosystems

ACROSS THE Western United States, the 

structure of many low-elevation dry 

conifer forests is considerably different than it 

was prior to Euro-American settlement. These 

altered conditions contribute to the increased 

probability of unnaturally severe and extensive 

wildfires. Strategies for reducing fuels and 

restoring fire-adapted ecosystems include thinning live and dead trees and burning surface 

fuels to reduce the risk of severe surface and 

crown fires. In the past decade, federal and state 

agencies have reduced hazardous fuels on nearly 

30,000 square miles of public lands. These 

treatments may be effective in initiating shortterm changes in forest structure and may shift 

existing diameter distributions toward those 

that might persist in late-successional forests, 

but single treatments or entries are insufficient 

to mitigate structural changes resulting from 

nearly a century of fire exclusion. 
42 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

f I R E

This information will help land managers implement fuel reduction and forest restoration treatments that capitalize on different strategies for 

shifting residual tree diameter distributions. 

Contact: Andrew Youngblood, ayoungblood@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: University of California Berkeley; University of 

Montana; U.S. Geological Survey; USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System, Pacific Southwest and Rocky 

Mountain Research Stations

Thinning followed by prescribed 

burn mitigates fire severity in dry, 

mixed-conifer forests

STATION SCIENTISTS conducted an 

opportunistic study to determine the relative 

success of recent fuel treatments in mitigating 

wildfire severity, as represented by tree mortality, 

tree damage, and changes in fuel structure. The 

2006 Tripod Complex fires burned more than 

180,000 acres of mixed-conifer forest in the 

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in northcentral Washington. The burned area involved 

recent fuel treatments including thin-only units 

and units where thinning was followed by a 

prescribed burn. The study provided strong 

quantitative evidence that without treatment 

of surface fuels, thinning alone is not a viable 

surrogate for pre-scribed fire in these dry, mixedconifer forests. In contrast, thinning followed by 

prescribed burning to reduce surface fuels appears 

to be an effective strategy for mitigating wildfire 

severity. Three years after the fire, more than 57 

percent of trees survived in thin+prescribed burn 

units versus 19 percent in thin-only and 14 percent 

in control units. Even small thin+prescribed burn 

units (10 to 12 acres in size) had low fire severity, 

suggesting that unit size is not as important as 

treatment type in predicting fire severity. 

Millions of acres of dry western forest lands have 

hazardous fuel accumulations. These findings will 

likely be used by fire managers to plan and justify 

prescribed burning programs and reduce future 

fire severity. 

Contact: David L. Peterson, peterson@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Joint Fire Science Program, University of 

Washington, USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Research Station 

Forest stand after thinning and prescribed burning.

Tom Iraci
43 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FIRE

Most family forest 

owners in eastern 

Oregon treat land to 

reduce wildfire risk 

AS WILDFIRES consume 

increasing areas of western 

U.S. forests each year, private 

landowners are being encouraged to reduce wildfire risk on 

their property. Station scientists 

wanted to know how nonindustrial private forest owners 

in eastern Oregon perceive 

and address wildfire risk. They 

discovered that 75 percent of 

surveyed owners of ponderosa 

pine forests had treated some portion of their land between 2003 

and 2008. Primary residents were 

almost eight times more likely to 

reduce fire risk on their property 

than absentee owners. Also, owners living near 

public lands were more likely to manage their land, 

providing the added benefit of buffering fire risk 

between public and private land. Lack of knowledge 

or skills did not emerge as a significant barrier to 

fire risk management, implying that educational 

strategies may not be the best investment of public 

funds. Instead, owners indicated that they lacked 

sufficient resources to offset the costs of hazardous 

fuel reduction, and that they would benefit from 

cost share funds and markets for logs and wood 

products generated through thinning.

This study identified types of landowners who 

might benefit from policies and programs for 

wildfire risk reduction. It also revealed insights 

into the management motivations and constraints 

of different groups of owners, which can help 

decisionmakers tailor policies and programs to 

specific audiences. 

Contact: Paige Fischer, paigefischer@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Nonindustrial private forest owners surveyed in eastern Oregon indicated they wanted 

help offsetting the costs associated with reducing hazardous fuels on their land.

Most homebuyers in Colorado 

Springs unaware of wildfire risk 

before purchasing

THE PAST FEW decades have seen an influx of 

people buying homes in the wildland-urban 

interface, where fuel loads are often elevated owing 

to aggressive fire suppression over the past century. 

Some agencies and organizations have responded 

by targeting education programs at people who 

already live in these areas, but there has been little 

information about the role of wildfire risk on the 

home purchase decisions in fire-prone areas. Of 

the homebuyers surveyed in this study, only 27 

percent realized they were purchasing a home in 

an area at risk of wildfire prior to making an offer 

on the house. When asked what would have been a 

good way for homebuyers to become more informed 

about wildfire risk, the most common response was 

that they wanted to get this information from their 

realtors.

Contact: Geoffrey Donovan, gdonovan@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 

Research Station, Montrose Interagency Fire 

Management Unit

Tom Iraci
44 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

f I R E

Fire forecasting 

system accurately 

predicts area 

burned during 

2009 fire season 

MIDTERM FORECASTS of 

drought and fire potential 

help fire management 

agencies plan how they 

will move assets and where 

they will locate firefighting 

resources for the season. 

Station researchers produce 

continuously updated 

7-month forecasts of fire 

potential and drought for 

the conterminous United 

States by using the MC1 

Fire Forecasting System. 

The MC1 hindcast for 

2009 predicted 3,251,064 

acres burned (just 9 percent 

greater than the observed 

area). The spatial resolution 

of the 2010 forecasts has 

been increased by more 

than two orders of magnitude, and twice as many 

drought and fire potential 

indexes are now posted 

monthly to the Web site for 

the Mapped Atmosphere-Plant-Soil System (MAPSS) 

project. Currently, nearly 200 land managers from 

various resource agencies are alerted each month 

to new fire forecasts posted on the station’s MAPSS 

Web site.

Contact: Jim Lenihan, jlenihan@fs.fed.us, 

Ray Drapek, rdrapek@fs.fed.us, Ecological 

Process and Function Program

Partners: National Interagency Coordination Center, 

National Interagency Fire Center, Oregon State 

University, University of Alaska 

For more information: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/mdr/mapss/index.shtml

Fire forecasts can help fire management agencies strategically locate their resources 

during the fire season. Above is a hindcast produced by the MC1 Fire Forecasting 

System indicating areas of high fire potential for the 2009 fire season (gray areas) and 

point locations of large (> 500 acre) fires during 2009.

Dry lightning not a useful indicator 

for predicting natural fire starts in 

Alaska 

THROUGHOUT THE western United States, 

dry lightning—lightning occurring with little 

or no precipitation—is a major natural cause of 

wildfires. Scientists found in Alaska, however, there 

is no significant difference between the average 

values of the moisture and stability variables used 

to distinguish dry and wet thunderstorm days. 

This suggests the high-based, dry thunderstorms 

seen in the western U.S. are not typical in Alaska’s 

interior. This finding allows more focused delivery 

of relevant information to land and fire managers 

in Alaska. 
45 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FIRE

The Web site derived from this project now shows 

only daily maps of the predicted probability of large 

lightning outbreaks for Alaska, rather than multiple 

maps. This will help land and fire managers in 

Alaska more accurately recognize when the chance 

of lightning fires is high.

Contact: Miriam Rorig, mrorig@fs.fed.us, Threat 

Characterization and Management Program

Partners: National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration Storm Prediction Center, Joint Fire 

Science Program

Scientists investigate smoke 

plume dynamics in Australia 

THE AUSTRALIAN federal government and state of 

Victoria requested the assistance of station scientists 

in understanding the catastrophic fires that burned 

in Victoria on February 7, 2009. Specifically, they 

wanted insight into the growth 

and behavior of the smoke plume 

during the various fires. After 

visiting the fire sites and analyzing 

data provided by the Australian 

Bureau of Meteorology, the scientists determined that the plume’s 

structure was strongly influenced by changing air 

properties with height and time. These changes 

determined the direction and distance of spot fires, 

as well as the overall behavior of the fires, in ways 

that made them more unpredictable. The scientists 

also provided computer code and documentation 

that are enabling Australian researchers to examine 

these types of air-mass changes in their fire weather 

and fire behavior models. 

The Bureau of Meteorology and Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment are testing 

new ways to incorporate this information about 

middle-troposphere conditions in their fire behavior 

and fire danger warning systems.

Contact: Brian Potter, bpotter@fs.fed.us, Threat 

Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 

Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, and Victoria 

Department of Sustainability and Environment

Use: 

Australian 

agencies use 

new information 

to improve 

fire warning 

systems.

Scientists quantify smoke model 

uncertainty for users

STATION SCIENTISTS combined the most commonly 

used fuel maps and consumption models to calculate the range in fuel consumption the various 

combinations produce. This provides an estimate 

of the uncertainty in model-based consumption 

estimates so that managers can better understand 

the state of the science and develop a realistic sense 

of confidence in model results. 

The results are presented as part of an interactive 

Web site that allows users to select a location 

and then look at maps and tables showing the 

fuel model and consumption model data for that 

location. This is the first step in a larger project 

aimed at providing users with clear information 

on limitations and uncertainties in the models 

routinely used for fuel and smoke management.

Contact: Sim Larkin, larkin@fs.fed.us, Threat 

Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Joint Fire Science Program, 

Sonoma Technologies, Inc. 

For more information: See http://data.semip.org

Smoke plume from fires in Victoria, Australia, in 2009.

NASA
Trees and Forests

Key Findings and Products

 Planting Native Oak in the Pacific Northwest, a summary report, is released.

The information presented on acorn

storage and nursery practices to facilitate

survival of Oregon white oak seedlings

in the field is quickly adopted by many

people planning native oak regeneration

programs.

 Five-year report highlights forest conditions and trends from 2002 to 2006 for

all forest lands in Washington state.

 Forest Inventory and Analysis work began

on the Hawaiian Islands with installation

of potential study plots on O’ahu, Lanai,

and Hawaii.

 Large dead wood, which provides important

wildlife habitat, is projected to increase on

federal land and decrease on private land

within Oregon’s coastal forests.
47

Updated Variants of the 

Forest Vegetation Simulator 

Description:

The Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) is a widely used forest 

growth model. New versions of the Pacific Northwest Coast and 

West Cascades variants were developed to improve its ability to 

accurately predict the growth and survival of Oregon white oak. 

Use: 

FVS is widely used within the Forest Service and by others to 

evaluate the effects of proposed management actions on stand 

development and to project stand development over time. In 

Washington and Oregon, there is increasing interest in active 

management of Oregon white oak. The new versions of FVS 

improve the model’s ability to predict the effects of management on oak and to project the development of stands that 

contain oak. 

How to get it: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/fmsc/fvs/index.shtml

Contact: 

Peter Gould, pgould@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Tool

 A grove of Oregon white oak on the Umpqua National Forest, 

 by Connie Harrington
48 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

FORESTS

Oregon white oak regeneration 

enhanced through proper seed 

and seedling management 

OREGON WHITE OAK has become a species of 

conservation emphasis for several state and 

federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations 

in Oregon and Washington. The tree is now found 

in a fraction of the area it was prior to Euro-American settlement. Cost-sharing programs are available 

for reestablishing the oak on the landscape, but 

prior to recent work by station scientists, planting recommendations were based on guidelines 

for other oak species in different regions of North 

America and Europe or on guesswork. Station 

scientists have conducted several studies specific to 

Oregon white oak. They found that proper acorn 

storage, nursery practices, and container culture 

can improve root morphology and lead to improved 

success of seedlings in the field. 

This information has been quickly adopted by 

many people planning regeneration programs. A 

summary publication on regenerating native oak in 

the Pacific Northwest has been widely distributed, 

with almost 2,000 copies requested the first 4 

months after publication.

Contact: Constance Harrington, charrington@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program 

Partners: Southern Oregon University, 

Washington Department of Natural 

Resources Webster Nursery

For more information: Devine, W.D.; 

Harrington, C.A. 2010. Planting native 

oak in the Pacific Northwest. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. PNW-GTR-804. Portland, OR: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 

25 p. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/

pubs/34610

Five-year report 

summarizes forest 

conditions in Washington

SCIENTISTS SUMMARIZED and 

interpreted basic information 

about public and private forest land in 

Washington. Topics include land use 

change, ownership, timber volume, 

biomass and carbon stocks, biodiversity, insects and diseases, invasive 

plants, air pollution, and more. This 

report, based on data from 2002 

through 2006, establishes a baseline 

against which future conditions can be 

compared and trends can be identified. This information is useful to state 

and federal agencies and private firms. 

The authors identified several key 

findings in the report. They found that 

Washington’s forests are presently a 

net sink for carbon, and most timber 

Science-based guidelines for planting and caring for Oregon white oaks have production is coming from private 

been quickly adopted by people planning regeneration programs to halt the 

decline of this native tree. Above, a technician examines growth on an oak 

seedling 8 years after planting. 

Warren Devine
49 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FORESTS

lands. Nonnative invasive plant species already are 

well established in Washington’s forests, covering 

4 percent of all forest land on average. They also 

found lichen communities indicative of nitrogen 

pollution in forests west of the Cascade Range, 

particularly in the Puget Trough ecoregion, which 

runs the length of the state along the Interstate-5 

corridor. 

Contacts: Karen Waddell, kwaddell@fs.fed.us, Resource 

Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: Washington Department of Natural Resources, 

USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region

For more information: Campbell, S.; Waddell, K.; Gray, 

A., tech. eds. 2010. Washington’s forest resources, 

2002 to 2006: five-year Forest Inventory and Analysis 

report. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-800. Portland, 

OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 189 p. http://www.

treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/35068

Forest Inventory and Analysis 

begins work on Hawaiian Islands 

POLICYMAKERS and natural resource managers need up-to-date, consistent, and credible 

information on the status and trends of forests in 

Hawaii and the Pacific Islands to guide decisions at 

state, national, and international levels. The Pacific 

Northwest Research Station is responsible for delivering the Forest Inventory and Analysis program in 

Hawaii and is partnering with the Hawaii Division 

of Forestry and Wildlife, the Institute of Pacific 

Islands Forestry, and numerous other agencies 

including state governments and foresters throughout the Pacific to implement this inventory. 

In 2010, the station hired Hawaiian field crew 

who installed most of the potential plots on the 

islands of O’ahu and Lanai and began work on the 

island of Hawaii. The station also strengthened its 

partnerships with the Hawaii Division of Forestry 

and Wildlife and the Institute of Pacific Islands 

Forestry and established itself as an important 

future resource to understanding the status and 

trends of Hawaii’s forest resources.

Contact: Robert Pattison, rrpattison@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 

USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research 

Station Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry

Severe fires in Alaska’s boreal 

forests will likely lead to abrupt 

shifts in plant community 

composition 

IN THE LAST 10 years, fires more severe than in the 

past have burned Alaska’s boreal forests. Scientists 

have found that this change in fire regime is leading 

to vegetation changes in these forests. Mature black 

spruce stands currently occupy more than 40 

percent of the forested landscape of boreal Alaska 

and are highly adapted to low-severity fires, in 

part because of accumulation of large amounts of 

organic soil, which buffers postfire shifts in species 

composition. As fires have increased in severity, 

organic layers of the soil have burned completely, 

A field technician installs a potential study plot on the island 

of O’ahu. 

Natalie Tangalin
50 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

FORESTS

exposing larger amounts of mineral soil. Mineral 

soil creates a high-quality seedbed for deciduous 

tree species such as birch and aspen, which can 

outcompete conifers such as black spruce. This 

change in fire regime could critically alter the 

composition of upland boreal forests.

Land and fire managers are using these results to 

predict future successional trajectories following 

fire in Alaska’s boreal forest.

Contact: Teresa Hollingsworth, thollingsworth@fs.fed.

us, Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Bonanza Creek Long-term Ecological Research 

Program, National Science Foundation, University of 

Alaska Fairbanks, University of Saskatchewan

Oregon coastal old-growth 

forests developed under different 

disturbance histories 

OLD-GROWTH FORESTS provide unique features 

compared to younger stands, thus many management plans in the Pacific Northwest aim to 

increase the area of late-successional forest. 

Researchers examined existing old-growth 

forests in the northern Oregon Coast Range 

that might serve as examples of desired future 

conditions and developmental pathways. Many 

old-growth attributes in all forests in the region 

also were assessed. Researchers found that most 

old-growth stands had experienced moderately 

severe disturbances during their development. 

Nevertheless, most of the stands had the full 

complement of old-growth attributes (large 

shade-intolerant trees, smaller shade-tolerant 

trees, snags, and down wood). 

Results from this study suggest that although 

old-growth forests can develop along multiple 

disturbance pathways, stand composition and 

productivity constrain development. Expecting 

all late-successional stands to have the full 

complement of old-growth attributes may not be 

realistic. Managers could use the detailed stand 

descriptions and inferred disturbance histories 

as reference points for establishing desired future 

conditions. Analyzing the frequency of old-growth 

attributes could be a more informative approach 

to regional monitoring than efforts based on stand 

diameter class. 

Contact: Andrew Gray, agray01@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partner: Northwest Forest Plan Adaptive 

Management Program

Increasingly severe wildfires in Alaska’s boreal forests, historically dominated by black spruce, are exposing larger 

amounts of mineral soil favored by birch and aspen seedlings.

Jill Johnstone
51 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FORESTS

Large dead wood in coastal forests 

projected to increase on federal 

land, decrease on private 

LARGE DEAD WOOD, both standing snags 

and fallen logs, provide important wildlife 

habitat and structural features in a stand. Station 

scientists assessed potential effects of future 

forest management on dead wood for a 300-year 

period across a forest region 

spanning 14,300 square miles 

and numerous ownerships. They 

found that the amount of dead 

wood was projected to increase 

over the simulation period across 

the region, primarily because conservation-oriented 

management on federal lands increased the volume 

and number of large logs and snags. Large snags 

and logs decreased on forest industry lands as 

legacy dead wood derived from historical natural 

disturbance events was not replaced through 

management. Conservation-oriented policies 

designed to maintain or increase dead wood may 

have a strong positive influence on large dead wood 

abundance and related biodiversity in parts of a 

region also under intensive management.

This information is being incorporated into dead 

wood management for wildlife on land managed 

by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Oregon’s Coast Range. The Oregon Department of Forestry has requested that these model 

approaches and systems be applied to state land, 

and researchers of dead wood in Germany have 

also inquired about the approach. 

Contact: Rebecca Kennedy, rebeccakennedy@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Events taking place early 

in forest succession have 

long-lasting effects 

BECAUSE SECOND-GROWTH forests often make poor 

habitat for old-growth dependent species, land 

managers are interested in restoring old-growth 

characteristics to these forests. However, information about how old-growth features are naturally 

acquired is incomplete. Station scientists used 

legacy stumps and historical data to reconstruct 

the stand structure and composition for two oldgrowth stands harvested around 1930. Both stands 

had a 250-year-old Douglas-fir overstory with 

scattered older Douglas-fir. Each stand followed a 

different successional pathway to an old-growth 

condition, and both modern stands also are following different pathways. One site had a modern 

composition similar to its historical composition, 

but the second site was compositionally different. 

Early successional conditions, including seed availability, were probably responsible for the differences 

between the modern and historical stands as well 

as between the two modern stands. Accelerated 

restoration of old-growth structure may be possible 

through repeated artificial gap creation, but the 

second site will remain compositionally different 

from its historical stand. Land managers interested 

in restoring old-growth characteristics to secondgrowth stands will find this information useful as 

will ecologists interested in forest succession.

Contact: David Peter, dpeter@fs.fed.us, Threat 

Characterization and Management Program

For more information: Peter, D.H.; Harrington, C.A. 

2010. Reconstructed old-growth forest stand structure 

and composition of two stands on the Olympic Peninsula, 

Washington state. Res. Pap. PNW-RP-583. Portland, 

OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 22 p. http://www.

treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/34287

Use: 

Forest Service, 

BLM incorporate 

findings in 

Coast Range 

management.

Andrew Gray

Large dead wood provides important wildlife habitat.
52 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

FORESTS

Canopy structure may not 

develop linearly 

FOREST STRUCTURE, as measured by the physical 

arrangement of trees and their crowns, is a fundamental attribute of forest ecosystems that changes 

as forests develop. Unfortunately it is difficult to 

characterize forest structure over large land areas 

by using field measurements. Looking for another 

option, researchers used information derived from 

airborne laser scanners (LIDAR data) to describe 

and classify conifer forest structure across a broad 

range of age classes. 

They found that characteristics normally 

associated with older forests (variability in vertical 

structure and in the size and distribution of gaps 

in the canopy, for example) may be present in 

younger stands, and that some older stands may 

lack these same characteristics. These results 

suggest that canopy structure may not develop in 

a linear fashion and emphasize the importance of 

measuring structural conditions rather than relying 

on development models to estimate structural 

complexity across forested landscapes.

Contact: Bob McGaughey, bmcgaughey@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: Seattle Public Utilities, University of 

Washington 

This stand in the Middle Santiam Wilderness, Willamette National Forest, has many of the attributes associated with an old-growth 

forest, including a multilayered canopy, snags, and down wood. These characteristics may also be present in younger stands.

Janet Ohmann
53 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FORESTS

New maps facilitate richer 

analysis of older forest and 

associated species 

THE 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP), covering federal lands within the range of the northern 

spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, is one of the 

most significant forest conservation efforts in the 

world. As part of a 15-year report on the effectiveness of the plan, researchers used the gradient 

nearest neighbor (GNN) mapping technique to 

develop forest maps for two years: 1996 and 2006 

in Washington and Oregon, and 1994 and 2007 

in California. The GNN maps integrate forest data 

collected on regional inventory plots with satellite 

imagery that is normalized through time using 

LandTrendr algorithms. This results in more stable 

multiyear estimates than is possible with traditional 

image-processing techniques. 

The GNN maps provide detailed attributes 

of forest composition and structure spanning all land ownerships and allocations in 

the NWFP area. Mapped attributes of forest 

structure—such as densities of large trees, 

snags, and down wood—and canopy layering are being used to identify older forest and 

model habitat for the northern spotted owl, 

marbled murrelet, and aquatic species. 

Contact: Janet Ohmann, johmann@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: Oregon State University; USDA Forest 

Service Pacific Northwest Region; USDI Bureau of 

Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service

Scientists and land managers share knowledge about the ecology 

and use of yellow-cedar and redcedar on a field trip near the 

Jordan River outside Victoria, British Columbia.

Connie Harrington

Symposium, published proceedings 

synthesize ecology and use of 

western redcedar and yellow-cedar 

APPRECIATION FOR the biological, cultural, and 

economic values of western redcedar and yellowcedar has grown in recent years, but relatively little 

information on these values has been available in 

the scientific literature. Information from the last 

major meeting on western redcedar was published 

in 1988, and there has never been a comprehensive 

conference focusing on yellow-cedar. To remedy 

this, the PNW Research Station, along with the 

British Columbia Ministry of Forests and University 

of Victoria, convened a symposium on these two 

west coast species. Participants synthesized the 

state of knowledge on the two species, which are 

similar in appearance but differ in many other ways 

including cultural uses, taxonomic position in the 

cypress family, wood properties, and markets. The 

abstracts and short contributed papers from the 

symposium were published as a general technical 

report. 

Contacts: Constance Harrington, charrington@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program and 

Paul Hennon, phennon@fs.fed.us, Threats 

Characterization and Management Program

Partners: British Columbia Ministry of Forests, 

University of Victoria

For more information: Harrington, C. 2010. A tale of two 

cedars——international symposium on western redcedar 

and yellow-cedar. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-828. 

Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 177 p. 

http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/36731

Hemlock forest near Ketchikan, Alaska.

Marc Much
54 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

FORESTS

Presence of tanoak reduces 

Douglas-fir mortality from 

black-stain root disease 

BLACK-STAIN root disease is a native pathogen 

of conifers in the Pacific Northwest. The disease 

reduces growth and ultimately kills the infected 

tree. As part of a study on the effects of tanoak competition on Douglas-fir, a station scientist discovered that where tanoaks and other hardwood had 

been retained in the stand, there was less mortality 

from the root disease in 20- to 24-year-old Douglasfir compared to stands where all tanoaks had been 

removed when the stand was 2 years old. 

The scientist hypothesized that the presence 

of hardwood roots may have slowed conifer root 

growth and served as a physical barrier to the 

spread of disease. On public lands in southwestern 

Oregon where this study took place, forest managers are already retaining low to moderate densities 

of hardwoods to increase biodiversity and provide 

wildlife habitat; such practices should also reduce 

the spread of black-stain root disease.

Contact: Tim Harrington, tharrington@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Oregon State University, USDA Forest 

Service Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest 

More Scotch broom found where 

logging debris was removed

SCOTCH BROOM, a nonnative, invasive plant species, is a severe competitor of young Douglas-fir. A 

station scientist and partners in the forest industry 

conducted a study to see if the presence or absence 

of logging debris affected planted Douglas-fir and 

associated vegetation. Their study sites included 

areas where only harvested logs were removed, 

leaving behind branches and treetops, and areas 

where all branches and treetops were taken off site. 

Woody debris after logging was removed at the site above; 3 years later Scotch broom, a nonnative invasive shrub, covered 

26 percent of the area. Where logging debris was left on site, Scotch broom covered 6 percent of the area. 

Tim Harrington
55 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FORESTS

They found that intensive forest harvesting practices that remove most of the logging debris will 

increase abundance of Scotch broom. Three years 

after debris was removed, Scotch broom, which was 

present in the understory prior to forest harvesting, 

covered 26 percent of the area, whereas it covered 

6 percent of the area where debris was retained. In 

the fourth year after the debris treatments, survival 

of planted Douglas-fir was lower where debris 

was removed (62 percent) compared to where it 

was retained (79 percent). This information will 

help land managers increase productivity of forest 

plantations by reducing the negative, indirect effects 

of debris removal.

Contact: Tim Harrington, tharrington@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Green Diamond Resource Company, 

Virginia Tech 

New index quantifying threat 

of bark beetle infestation helps 

identify regions at risk in Mexico 

MEXICO HAS A variety of bark beetle–pine species 

associations. Station scientists estimated the threat 

of beetle infestations based on factors such as pine 

and beetle species density, host preference, and 

level of mortality caused by beetle 

species. Despite vast areas of overlap 

between pine forests and bark beetles 

in Mexico, regions of highest beetle 

pressure are restricted to small zones 

within certain mountain systems. 

Pine diversity is the major determining factor of 

bark beetle threat at the regional level, whereas 

disturbances from extensive logging and ecosystem 

change are key factors behind high bark beetle 

threats at the local level.

The spatially explicit, quantitative index of bark 

beetle threat was used to identify areas that might 

be greatly affected by these insects. Mexico’s Commission of Forestry used these results to produce 

a bilingual (Spanish and English) atlas for forestry 

Use: 

Mexico’s 

Commission 

of Forestry 

uses findings 

to produce 

risk atlas.

professionals that shows distributions of the bark 

beetle species that represent the greatest threat to 

pine forests in Mexico. It was also used to provide 

a geographic database to assist with forest management and conservation in Mexico. 

Contacts: Alan Ager, aager@fs.fed.us, Western 

Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center, 

and Jane Hayes, jlhayes@fs.fed.us, Threat 

Characterization and Management Program 

Partners: Instituto Politécnico Nacional de México

Tom Iraci

Bark beetle mortality in Southern California.
56 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

FORESTS

Hydraulic lift by herbaceous 

plants slows soil drying in a 

Neotropical savanna 

HYDRAULIC LIFT, the movement of water via roots 

from moist, deeper soil layers to drier shallow soil 

layers, is widespread among tree species. Shallowrooted herbaceous plants are often assumed to 

compete for water hydraulically lifted by trees. 

Special issue of Forest Pathology

addresses white pine blister rust

A STATION SCIENTIST served as the senior guest 

editor for a special issue of Forest Pathology. The 

issue focused on white pines, blister rust, and 

Ribes—a plant genus (includes currant) that hosts 

the disease. The publication, released August 15, 

2010, marks the centennial of two historical events 

that have shaped forests and their management 

across western Canada and the United States. First 

was the Great Fires of 1910 in the northern Rockies. 

The political reaction to the fires led to the Forest 

Service’s policy of aggressive fire suppression. The 

ecological response to the fires was widespread and 

abundant regeneration of white pines and Ribes. 

The second event was detection of white pine blister 

rust in western North America. From early infested 

sites in southern British Columbia, the rust spread 

throughout the Pacific Northwest moving from its 

Ribes hosts to the pines. It continues to be a leading 

cause of white pine mortality, either directly or 

by weakening the tree so it is more susceptible to 

other damaging agents, including bark beetles. The 

special issue synthesizes information on developing and implementing management strategies 

and practices to identify, protect, and sustain 

ecosystems threatened by white pine blister rust.

Contact: Charles G. “Terry” Shaw, cgshaw@fs.fed.us, 

Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment 

Center

Partner: USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 

Research Station

For more information: Forest Pathology. 2010. 40(3–4).

A partially excavated root system of a 

tree in a tropical savanna near Brasilia, 

Brazil, showing several directional 

sap flow sensors installed in major 

lateral and descending roots to detect 

hydraulic lift.

In Brazilian savanna trees, hydraulic lift helps 

maintain conductivity of shallow roots during the 

prolonged 5-month dry season. To determine the 

relative contribution of trees and herbaceous plants 

to hydraulic lift in a Brazilian savanna during the 

dry season, researchers conducted model simulations and experimental manipulations involving 

removal of the herbaceous plant layer. Surprisingly, 

they found that water hydraulically lifted by trees 

contributed only 2 percent to partial daily recovery 

of soil water storage, whereas the herbaceous plant 

layer contributed the remaining 98 percent. During 

the peak of the dry season, hydraulic lift by herbaceous plants replaced over 20 percent of ecosystem 

evapotranspiration, highlighting its important role 

in the water economy of savanna ecosystems.

These findings have important implications for 

predicting and understanding the hydrologic and 

ecological consequences of the ongoing conversion 

of tropical savannas to other vegetation types such 

as herbaceous crops and tree plantations.

Contact: Rick Meinzer, fmeinzer@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: North Carolina State University, 

University of Miami, Universidad Nacional de 

la Patagonia San Juan Bosco 

White pine blister rust.

Chris Schnepf, Bugwood.org

Fabian Scholz
57 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FORESTS

Use: 

Forest Service 

is using findings 

to improve 

procedures and 

clarify policies.

Clear, unified purpose needed for 

agency’s NEPA processes

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL Policy Act (NEPA) 

analyses place more demand on Forest Service 

budgets and human capital than any activity other 

than fire. Yet NEPA guidance can be perceived 

as ambiguous and the Forest 

Service lacks a defined purpose 

for its NEPA processes, spurring 

inefficiency and other problems. 

Implementers find themselves 

pulled in many directions, communication is hampered, and the public image of 

the agency can suffer when the process is perceived 

as cumbersome and excessive. 

A study of Forest Service employees explored the 

wide-ranging perceptions of how processes associated with NEPA should be implemented. Researchers found that competing visions of NEPA’s purpose 

often lead to struggles for influence in the decisionRhonda Mazza

making process. This makes it challenging for the 

agency to fulfill its environmental responsibilities. 

The diversity of strategies reflects an understanding 

among agency personnel that no one-size-fits-all 

solution for planning approaches exists, yet the lack 

of coherence can lead to conflict in reaching land 

management decisions, and can cause NEPA practitioners to become disenchanted with their work.

The information from this study is being used 

by Washington office NEPA planners to improve 

administrative procedures and policies for environmental assessment and disclosure activities. It 

is also of interest to agency personnel, particularly 

NEPA implementers, disciplinary specialists, and 

advisory teams as they collaborate to fulfill the 

requirements of NEPA processes.

Contact: David Seesholtz, dseesholtz@fs.fed.us, 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partner: Virginia Tech

Columbia Gorge, Washington.
Landscape Assessment, 

Modeling, and Management 

Key Findings 

and Products

 Landscape analysis suggests that

current management strategies in

dry east-side forests will result in

fewer large trees, and forests with

low resistance to disturbances such

as fire or insect outbreaks.

 A new decision-support system

facilitates regional midscale analysis

of wildfire danger in the Pacific

Northwest. This scale of analysis

(about 5,500 units each roughly

20,000 acres in size) supports

coordinated fuel treatment planning

across the entire region and across

federal resource agencies and partners.

 Shrublands of the Great Basin

are declining rapidly in area and

quality, and remaining vegetation

communities are at high risk of loss.

Landscape-scale management based

on differences in ecological resistance

and resilience can reduce these risks.

 Scientists defined the first critical

loads for nitrogen deposition in Pacific

Northwest forests west of the Cascade

Range based on the response of

nitrogen-sensitive lichen species.
 Eastern Washington, © by Miles Hemstrom 59

Tools

Ecosystem Management 

Decision-Support (EMDS) 

System v. 4.0 

Description:

EMDS version 4.0 provides integrated, spatially 

enabled, multiscale decision support for environmental analysis and planning. The basic objectives of 

any EMDS application are to (1) develop an improved 

understanding of the state of the environment at 

whatever spatial scales are relevant to an application 

area, and (2) assist with design of strategic solutions 

for environmental protection and restoration.

EMDS 4.0 continues to maintain compatibility with 

the latest releases of the world’s leading geographic 

information system technology, ArcGIS. Numerous 

major system enhancements were introduced at 

version 4.0 to improve the robustness and usability 

of the system, and ensure its continued viability for 

the foreseeable future. 

Use: 

Major users include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

Environmental Protection Agency, Forest Service, 

National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, all forest management bureaus in the U.S. Department of Interior 

(USDI), as well as numerous state or provincial 

resource agencies, universities, and environmental 

research institutes around the world. 

Recent specific applications include decision support 

for forest fuels management for the Forest Service 

and USDI bureaus (2007 to 2011). EMDS 4.0 was also 

used in the 2011 integrated restoration and protection 

strategy for the Forest Service’s Northern Region.

How to get it: 

http://www.institute.redlands.edu/emds

Contact: 

Keith Reynolds, kreynolds@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program
60 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

Threat Mapper

Description: 

Threat Mapper employs several new technologies for 

wildland threat detection, mapping, and assessment. 

It includes an interactive, online mapping system that 

integrates risk maps generated by the Forest Service 

and other land management agencies. Users are able 

to examine spatial patterns of multiple threats and 

the human and ecological values they potentially 

affect. 

Threat Mapper also includes a data mining application 

that can search for spatial data posted on Internet GIS 

(geographic information system) servers. Systematic 

data mining of the 30,000 Internet map servers and 

estimated 1 million spatial data sets available online 

may provide a novel method for early detection and 

assessment of ecosystem change and impending 

natural disturbances. 

A third component of the Threat Mapper project is 

the Threat News Explorer, which uses a search engine 

to locate news articles and blog content relevant to 

wildland threat assessment. The site is a convenient 

way to track ongoing news about wildfires, bark 

beetles, climate change, and other important wildland 

threats. 

All components of the Threat Mapper project are 

hosted on an Amazon EC2 elastic cloud computer. 

Cloud computing is an inexpensive and relatively 

simple solution for federal agencies to build and host 

online mapping systems for internal and external 

users.

Use: 

Researchers and managers can use the mapping 

features to explore the spatial relationships between 

and among wildland threats and high-value resources 

such as wildlife habitat, power infrastructure, and 

wildland-urban interface residences. They can load 

local GIS data into the display for further analysis. 

The search engine components of the Threat Mapper 

facilitates efficient information gathering. The Threat 

News Explorer enables scientists to monitor news 

specific to their arenas of study. In the context of 

wildland threats, these news articles may be the 

first indication of the spread of an infestation and 

also may be helpful in discovering social and cultural 

issues pertaining to these threats.

How to get it: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/wwetac/threat_map

Contact: 

Alan Ager, aager@fs.fed.us, Western Wildland 

Environmental Threat Assessment Center

LANDSCAPES

Screen shot of a Web-based interactive map that allows users to identify spatial relationships among 

various threats. 
61 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

LANDSCAPES

Managing Great Basin shrublands 

for ecological resistance and 

resilience can reduce risk to habitat 

NATURAL AND HUMAN processes are causing 

extensive rapid ecological changes in arid and 

semiarid ecosystems worldwide. These changes are 

evident in the Great Basin and require landscapebased approaches for management 

based on concepts of ecological 

resistance and resilience. Station 

scientists demonstrated the use 

of these concepts in a five-step 

analytical approach by using 

greater sage-grouse habitat as an example. Their 

analysis indicates that large areas of the Great Basin 

currently provide sage-grouse habitat, but many 

areas with low resistance and resilience may be lost 

to continued woodland expansion or to invasion by 

nonnative annual grass. Preventing these losses will 

require landscape strategies that prioritize management areas based on their degree of resistance and 

resilience in response to woodland expansion or 

nonnative grass invasions. Focused management in 

areas of moderate or high resistance and resilience 

is likely to maintain the largest shrubland areas 

over time. 

Results and analytical methods from this research 

are being used nationally and regionally by the 

Bureau of Land Management to devise changes in 

land management policies and strategies. The U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service also 

are including this information in land use planning 

documents for the Great Basin.

Contact: Michael Wisdom, mwisdom@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: National Center for Ecological Analysis 

and Synthesis, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 

Research Station, USDI Bureau of Land Management

Sage grouse habitat in the Great Basin is being lost by encroaching woodlands and nonnative annual grasses. 

Sage grouse. 

Mary Rowland

Use: 

Federal agencies 

use findings as 

a basis for new 

management 

policies for Great 

Basin shrublands.

G. Kramer
62 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

LANDSCAPES

Malheur National Forest, Oregon.

Tom Iraci
63 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

LANDSCAPES

Current management of dry 

eastern Washington forests is 

leading to smaller trees

STAND AND landscape conditions of dry 

forests have been altered significantly over 

the last century, resulting in larger and more 

severe fires and insect outbreaks. The ecological 

complexity of the forested 

landscape east of the Cascade 

Range calls for a landscapescale management approach. 

The Tapash Collaborative, a 

partnership of natural resource 

management agencies and 

organizations, commissioned an analysis that 

provides a cross-ownership landscape context 

for questions regarding dry forest restoration, 

fire management, wildlife habitat, and economic 

opportunities. Researchers used integrated models 

to examine the interactions among management, 

natural disturbances, and forest structure. 

Model projections suggest that current management strategies are resetting succession, resulting 

in younger, high-density, small-diameter forests. 

This new type of forest structure may be more 

susceptible to wildfires and insects if management 

and fire suppression follow the status quo. These 

disturbance-prone forests are not treated frequently 

or intensely enough and therefore are severely 

affected by natural disturbances, which again resets 

succession. The feedback loop continues pushing 

the landscape toward a new disturbance regime. 

This has implications for many wildlife habitat 

and economic opportunities. Another implication 

may be a general decline in available biomass and 

aboveground carbon stored in trees across the 

landscape.

The Tapash Collaborative is using these analyses 

to consider alternative management approaches and 

policy scenarios. 

Contact: Miles Hemstrom, mhemstrom@fs.fed.us; 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: Tapash Collaborative (The Nature 

Conservancy, USDA Forest Service, Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington 

Department of Natural Resources, and the 

Yakama Nation)

New tool facilitates fuel treatment 

planning across ownerships

THE POTENTIAL for wildfire continues to pose 

serious threats to lives, property, and natural 

resources across the Pacific Northwest. Five federal 

natural resource agencies plus the states of Oregon 

and Washington share a common need to manage 

forest fuels to reduce wildfire potential on their 

administrative units as well as threats to adjacent 

ownerships and municipalities. Station scientists 

and their partners have developed a decision-support system that can be used for midscale analyses 

(units of about 20,000 acres) to assess wildfire 

potential and fuel treatment priorities across the 

region. Analysis at this scale facilitates efficient 

fuel management across multiple agencies. For 

example, an interagency team of fuel managers can 

much more easily plan coordinated fuel treatment 

programs by consulting midscale maps of wildfire 

potential and fuel treatment priorities, taking into 

account priorities associated with their respective 

administrative units and proximity to communities.

The prototype for this decision-support system 

can accommodate application to all potential federal 

partners as well as the states of Oregon and Washington. The development team is currently working 

with its current federal partners on an application 

for the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Keith Reynolds, kreynolds@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Region and Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDI 

Bureau of Land Management Oregon District

Use: 

Management 

collaborative is 

using findings to 

develop alternative 

management 

approaches.

Output from 

the Ecosystems 

Management 

Decision-Support 

system helps 

interagency fuel 

managers set 

watershed priorities 

for forest fuels 

treatment in the 

Pacific Northwest.
64 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

LANDSCAPES

Scientists identify amount of 

nitrogen pollution that triggers 

shift in lichen communities

A CRITICAL LOAD for nitrogen is the maximum amount of nitrogen deposition that an 

ecosystem or ecosystem component can accommodate without being damaged. Certain species 

of lichen are exceptionally sensitive to airborne 

nitrogen pollution, thus air quality management 

that uses lichen critical loads is expected to protect 

the larger forest ecosystem. Researchers analyzed 

how lichen communities west of the Cascade Range 

respond to nitrogen inputs. They found that when 

nitrogen deposition reached 3 to 9 kilograms of 

nitrogen per hectare per year, there was a 20- to 

40-percent decline in ecologically important lichen 

species that are used by wildlife and involved in 

nutrient cycling. Forests exceeding this critical 

load also characteristically see a three- to fourfold 

increase in “weedy” nitrogen-loving lichen species. 

Critical loads for pollutants provide benchmarks 

of ecological harm that guide pollution permitting 

and regulation. Critical loads developed for the 

Usnea longissima is one species of lichen that is very 

sensitive to air pollution.

most sensitive indicator species, like lichens, should 

convey ecosystem-wide protection. This research 

is likely to be integral to all forthcoming integrated 

science assessments conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency for establishing secondary 

standards for nitrogen compounds. These critical 

loads may be used by managers to set and negotiate 

target pollutant loads for lands under their charge.

Contact: Sarah Jovan, sjovan@fs.fed.us, Resource 

Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Region, Washington State University

Cloud computing makes geospatial 

information available to a broader 

range of users

LAND MANAGEMENT agencies produce voluminous 

amounts of geospatial data while planning and 

executing management activities. Disseminating 

these data is problematic because technical skills 

and software are required to import and view in a 

dynamic (zoom, pan, etc.) environment. Hosting 

map services in the Internet-based environment 

known as the “cloud” does not require purchasing 

or maintaining a server, and capacity can expand 

and contract as necessary based on the demand of 

the hosted application. Station scientists pioneered 

an application that is believed to be the first in the 

Forest Service to use cloud technology to serve 

geospatial data. They used Amazon EC2 Virtual 

Server® and installed GeoServer, free open source 

software for publishing geospatial data. 

Federal agencies have been directed to use cloud 

services because of the cost savings over traditional 

purchasing and hosting of server hardware. The 

results from this application to geospatial data 

services indicate using cloud services is a stable and 

user-friendly way to publish map data. This work 

was presented at the 1st international conference on 

computing for geospatial research and application 

in Washington, D.C.

Contact: Alan Ager, aager@fs.fed.us, Western Wildland 

Environmental Threat Assessment Center

Partners: KingBird Software, Inc., USDA Forest Service 

Remote Sensing Applications Center

Sarah Jovan
65 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

LANDSCAPES

A camera crew films Charlie Crisafulli (in photo below) as 

he conducts a small mammal survey on Mount St. Helens.

30th Anniversary of Mount 

St. Helen’s eruption receives 

broad coverage

MAY 18, 2010, marked 30 years since Mount St. 

Helens erupted in southwestern Washington. 

Station scientists have spent the past three decades 

on the flanks of the volcano studying how the 

ecosystem has responded to such a large, intense 

disturbance. Results are being used worldwide, 

in particular, in Chile where station scientists 

are collaborating with Chilean counterparts to 

formulate new research on the Chaiten volcano. 

In honor of the 30th anniversary, National 

Geographic published a 24-page article featuring 

the station’s lead scientist on Mount St. Helens. 

NOVA, of Public Broadcasting, also produced two 

documentaries on the 30 years of research on the 

volcano. Via these media outlets, several million 

viewers were exposed to the research taking place 

on Mount St. Helens. 

Contact: Charlie Crisafulli, ccrisafulli@fs.fed.us, Land 

and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon State University, Universidad de Chile, 

University of Maryland, Utah State University, University 

of Washington-Tacoma, U.S. Geological Survey

For more information: 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/

mount-st-helens/funk-text 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/mt-st-helens.html

Rhonda Mazza

Rhonda Mazza
Watershed Health

Key Findings

 Working with a watershed council in western

Oregon, researchers found science-based restoration

projects were possible in watersheds under diverse

ownership if local landowners were included in

initial development of goals and guidelines for

restoration work and in ecological monitoring.

 In-stream habitat restoration structures in

Columbia Basin watersheds make detectable shortterm, small-scale improvements in fish populations.

 Riparian buffers 50 feet wide adjacent to thinned

stands in headwater forests had vegetation and

down wood comparable to riparian areas adjacent

to unthinned stands 5 years after treatment.
67

Incident Command Tool for 

Protecting Drinking Water 

(ICWater) version 3 

Description:

ICWater version 3 now includes effects from deposition of toxic 

materials from airborne plumes and tidal influence on riverflows 

in coastal areas. These added features help incident commanders 

better assess risk to drinking water during toxic spill emergencies. 

Use: 

This tool is used primarily by incident commanders. The Missoula 

Fire Laboratory uses it to assess which on-the-ground assets are 

at risk from active wildland fires. They also use it to assess which 

public drinking water systems are potentially vulnerable to disruption by wildland fire at a national scale. Forest Health Protection 

is using ICWater for planning a nationwide aquatic monitoring 

program for early detection of waterborne propagules of sudden 

oak death. 

How to get it: 

http://eh2o.saic.com/icwater/

Contact: 

Doug Ryan, dryan01@fs.fed.us, Focused Science Delivery Program

LTERMapS Internet Mapping 

Application

Description: 

This tool uses Google Maps technology to provide information 

on Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. The U.S. LTER 

network comprises 26 sites representing a diverse array of 

ecosystems. With this new tool, users can view current weather at 

all LTER sites, zoom into individual sites, and view aerial images 

(provided by Google). The tool provides a consistent interface to 

brief site descriptions, a photo library, list of contacts, and links to 

individual LTER site Web pages.

Use: 

Researchers, LTER staff, and members of the public wanting to 

know more about LTER sites will find this tool useful.

How to get it: 

http://www.lternet.edu/map/

Contact: 

Theresa Valentine, tvalentine@fs.fed.us, Ecological Process 

and Function Program

Tools

 Scientists and land managers tour a site on the Siuslaw National 

Forest where a study of the effects of different thinning treatments 

on adjacent riparian areas is underway, by John Laurence
6868 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

WATERSHEDS

restoration work and in ecological monitoring. They 

also found that management that integrates local 

knowledge, is responsive to the fears and concerns 

of local residents, and explains the reasons for the 

work undertaken, has the potential to result in 

coordinated watershed-wide restoration planning 

and success.

The Long Tom Watershed Council used this 

experience to define their process and identify key 

successes in watershed restoration and management. Other watershed managers can use these 

findings to integrate science with social networks 

and develop coordinated watershed management 

that is responsive to ongoing scientific learning. 

These findings also have been incorporated in an 

on-line Integrated Watershed Management course 

offered by Oregon State University.

Contact: Rebecca Flitcroft, rflitcroft@fs.fed.us,

 Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Long Tom Watershed Council, 

Oregon State University

Strategically managing flows 

may help accommodate diverse, 

growing needs for water in 

the West 

SCIENTISTS CONDUCTED an assessment of threats 

to riparian ecosystems in the western United 

States. Riparian ecosystems are a high conservation 

priority because they provide a disproportionate 

quantity of ecosystem services relative to their 

extent on the landscape. In the arid western 

U.S., riparian ecosystems and wetlands occupy 

from 0.8 to 2 percent of the landscape, yet they 

provide habitat, water, and other resources to 

more than half the wildlife species in the region 

and harbor the highest plant, bird, insect, reptileamphibian, and mammal biodiversity of any 

terrestrial ecosystem. Riparian areas also subsidize 

aquatic ecosystems; provide links across and 

within landscapes for the passage of organisms 

and the exchange of material; perform important 

biochemical cycling and water quality functions; 

store groundwater; attenuate floods; serve as areas 

for agriculture, human development, and recreation; 

and are associated with a range of other services 

valued by humans and important ecologically.

Watershed restoration projects 

benefit from science-based 

stakeholder participation

COOPERATION AND commitment among 

stakeholders are critical components of 

science-based watershed restoration, yet prior to 

work by station scientists and collaborators, little 

guidance existed about how to 

develop science-based stakeholder participation. Through 

work with the Long Tom 

Watershed Council in western 

Oregon, station scientists and 

collaborators defined key elements of an effective 

social infrastructure. They found that restoration 

projects were possible in watersheds under diverse 

ownership if local landowners were included in 

initial development of goals and guidelines for 

Use: 

Watershed council 

integrates social 

networks with 

science to achieve 

restoration goals.

A volunteer collects macroinvertebrate samples from a stream 

in Oregon’s Long Tom Watershed.

Cindy Thieman
69 69 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WATERSHEDS

As human demand for water continues to increase 

and climate change threatens to alter flow regimes, 

management activities that help meet human needs 

while supporting river function become critical. 

One way to do this is to strategically manage flow 

factors such as timing, frequency, and duration. 

Federal relicensing of hydropower dams presents 

opportunities for this. Other mechanisms for protecting riparian health include protecting the soil 

and vegetation throughout the watershed. 

Contact: Charles G. “Terry” Shaw, cgshaw@fs.fed.us, 

Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment 

Center

Partner: Colorado State University

Soil type plays a critical role 

in nutrient cycle that connects 

salmon to terrestrial ecosystems in 

coastal temperate rain forests

AFTER SALMON return from the ocean and spawn 

upstream, they die and their spent carcasses wash 

up along the streambanks. As they decompose, 

their nutrients are cycled back into the terrestrial 

system. It has long been assumed that these 

salmon-derived nutrients play an important role in 

the watershed, and there was some concern about 

the impact declining salmon runs might have on 

terrestrial ecosystems. However, the underlying 

assumption about the role of salmon-derived 

nutrients in the watershed had never been explicitly 

tested. 

Station scientists tested this assumption by 

delineating riparian zones along salmon spawning 

channels on Prince of Wales Island in southeast 

Alaska. They found two distinct soil types in those 

zones and tested the soil’s response to the presence 

of decaying salmon by measuring the amount of 

the nitrogen isotope 15N present. The 15N isotope, 

which is abundant in the ocean but not as common 

in terrestrial systems, has historically been used to 

trace presumed salmon-derived nutrients in riparian systems. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the 

scientist found the soil closest to the stream (which 

happened to be the younger soil) had significantly 

lower concentrations of the nitrogen isotope 15N 

compared to the older soil found farther away from 

the stream. 

From this research, the scientists developed a 

model that provides a way to constrain the natural 

Field crew collecting soil samples on the banks of Rio Roberts Creek on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. 

Dave D’Amore
7070 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

WATERSHEDS

variability encountered in studies of riparian nutrient cycles associated with the feedbacks between 

salmon-derived nutrients and terrestrial ecosystems. This will help improve estimates of the fate of 

salmon-derived nutrients in soils and vegetation. 

Contact: Dave D’Amore, ddamore@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partner: University of Notre Dame 

Salmon habitat restoration can 

lead to small-scale improvements 

in population

STATION SCIENTISTS monitored and evaluated 

assessments of in-stream habitat restoration 

structures designed to enhance survival and vigor 

of juvenile chinook salmon and steelhead in Columbia Basin watersheds. They found that in-stream 

habitat restoration structures make detectable shortterm, small-scale improvements in fish populations. They also found that the effectiveness of built 

habitat structures may differ for various salmon 

species and can be difficult to discern owing to 

variation over time in the abundance of fishes or the 

quality of other habitat attributes. Their findings 

help identify temporal variation in the use of treated 

versus untreated habitat and determine if there are 

measurable changes in traits such as growth and 

movement. The scientists are sharing this information with stakeholders interested in salmon recovery and effective intervention treatments. 

Contact: Karl Polivka, kpolivka@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: National Marine Fisheries Service, 

Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring 

Program; Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board, 

Upper Columbia Regional Technical Team; USDE 

Bonneville Power Administration

Synthesis of riparian science 

frames future work at Olympic 

Experimental State Forest 

THE WASHINGTON Department of Natural 

Resources (DNR) wants to use the experimental 

capacity of the Olympic Experimental State Forest 

to investigate management options that could result 

in a forested landscape more closely resembling the 

range of conditions produced by natural disturbances. To this end, station scientists reviewed 

and synthesized riparian science, providing the 

conceptual foundation for designing silvicultural 

treatments in riparian areas that emulate natural 

disturbances. 

The review of riparian research and monitoring 

identified significant knowledge gaps that will be 

Rhonda Mazza

Field crew conducting stream survey on Mount St. Helens.
71 71 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WATERSHEDS

addressed by watershed-scale riparian experiments 

on the experimental forest and perhaps on adjoining national forest and park lands. These experiments are expected to yield information useful to 

land managers in the rain-forest-dominated region 

of the western Olympic Peninsula.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Washington Department of Natural 

Resources, University of Washington, USDA Forest 

Service Olympic National Forest, USDI Olympic 

National Park

Scientists assess sampling 

methods for conifer-dominated 

riparian zones 

FOREST VEGETATION in riparian zones is often more 

diverse than that of adjacent terrestrial areas. More 

frequent disturbances and environmental gradients 

associated with stream channels and hillslope 

topography create an array of habitats that differ 

between riparian and upslope forests. Accurate 

sampling of forest attributes in riparian areas is 

integral to monitoring and research efforts undertaken by the broad spectrum of private and public 

resource management entities. 

To determine which sampling methods work best 

in western Oregon, station scientists examined 16 

alternatives to quantify selected characteristics of 

overstory conifers in riparian areas. In general, they 

found that designs that used rectangular strips were 

superior to either fixed-area circular or radial plots 

or variable-area plots. Sampling 9-acre-wide strips 

perpendicular to the stream was the best sampling 

alternative.

These findings are being applied to ongoing 

research studies of riparian forest practices at the 

station. They are likely to be more broadly applied 

to general forest inventory activities and specifically in conjunction with effectiveness monitoring 

for stream wood, shade, and water temperature on 

federal lands.

Contact: Paul D. Anderson, pdanderson@fs.fed.us,

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: USDI Bureau of Land Management, 

Oregon State University

No noticeable vegetation, down 

wood changes in riparian buffers 5 

years after thinning adjacent stand

THE COMBINED effectiveness of thinning 

to increase structural complexity and 

maintaining riparian buffers to preserve riparian 

function in young, managed forests is not well 

documented. To address this knowledge gap, 

station researchers surveyed down wood and 

vegetation cover along transects that ran from the 

center of streams through riparian buffers 16 to 

500 feet wide into thinned and unthinned stands. 

In the thinned stands, 80 trees per acre were left 

in 60 to 65 percent of the stand, while 10 percent 

of the stand was cut in circular openings ranging 

from 0.25 to 1 acre; 10 percent was left in circular 

leave islands also ranging from 0.25 to 1 acre in 

size, and the remainder was left unthinned in 

Clackamas River, Oregon.

Tom IraciTom Iraci
7272 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

WATERSHEDS

riparian buffers. Researchers found the herbaceous 

cover in thinned stands was similar in wide buffers 

and increased in the narrowest buffers. Smallwood cover became more homogeneous in the 5 

years following thinning. These results indicate 

that changes in wood and vegetation cover within 

buffers 50 feet or wider were not evident 5 years 

after the thinning treatments.

This study provides pertinent information for 

land managers about the short-term dynamics of 

vegetation and down wood in response to commercial thinning operations typically practiced 

on federal lands and elsewhere. Applying similar 

analytical methods designed to detect similarities 

rather than differences also may be used to assess 

the effectiveness of other mitigation measures 

such as those relating to riparian microclimate 

and stream temperature. 

Contact: Paul D. Anderson, pdanderson@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partner: USDI Bureau of Land Management

New technique uses insects to 

control an invasive riparian weed 

RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS are particularly sensitive 

areas that can be threatened by invasive species 

and by the herbicide or pesticide options commonly 

used in uplands to control the invaders. Leafy 

spurge is one such invasive 

weed that has appeared 

along streams throughout 

much of the country. 

Station scientists set out 

to determine if the weed 

could be controlled in 

infested riparian areas by releasing a large number 

of flea beetles (Aphthona spp.), an easily collected 

natural enemy of leafy spurge. They focused their 

efforts by releasing large, or “inundative,” numbers 

of biological control insects on weed populations 

found in small isolated patches along three streams 

in southwestern, central, and eastern Idaho. 

Use: 

Salmon-Challis 

National Forest, 

ranching communities, 

and others use 

technique to 

control leafy spurge 

along streams.

Members of the Southern Idaho Biocontrol Program help with a study to determine if releasing large numbers of flea beetles 

is an effective way to control leafy spurge, an invasive weed.

Robert Progar
73 73 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WATERSHEDS

They found that releasing 10 beetles per flowering 

stem had inconclusive, potentially small negative 

effects on leafy spurge biomass, crown, stem, 

and seedling density. But releasing 50 beetles per 

flowering stem reduced the biomass, crown, and 

stem density by 80 percent and seedling density by 

60 percent, compared to untreated plots. 

These findings enabled the Jordan Valley 

Cooperative Weed Management Area to receive 

a $25,000 grant to employ inundative beetle 

releases on leafy spurge in areas along tributaries 

of the Owyhee River in Idaho. The Salmon-Challis 

National Forest is using this protocol to reduce 

leafy spurge populations on islands in the Salmon 

River. Forest Health Protection personnel in Ogden, 

Utah, used inundative releases to effectively control 

leafy spurge in regional riparian areas. Inundative 

releases of biocontrol insects also were used in the 

“Hold the Line” Program to deter the spread of leafy 

spurge into the Yellowstone and Teton ecosystems. 

Contacts: Robert Progar, rprogar@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program 

Partners: USDA Agricultural Research Service, 

Forest Health Protection, Rocky Mountain Research 

Station; USDI Bureau of Land Management; Idaho 

Department of Agriculture 

Willows host fungi that help 

clean polluted soil and water 

REESTABLISHING native vegetation on land contaminated by heavy metals is a challenge for land managers. Toxic levels of cadmium, lead, nickel, and 

copper affect plant metabolism and photosynthesis, 

and possibly affect belowground fungal communities and their associations with plant roots. 

A collaborative research project between Slovenian and American scientists focused on distinct 

mycorrhizal fungal groups associated with plant 

hosts growing on heavy metal-enriched sites. 

Willows, for example, have been successfully used 

for revegetating heavily contaminated land and 

are known to form mycorrhizal associations with 

several distinct groups of fungi. The scientists found 

that these mycorrhizal associations may add to the 

adaptability of willows on soil polluted with heavy 

metal.

This research provides insights on the ability of 

willows to clean up harmful toxins in water and soil 

and will contribute to the success of projects around 

the world that are using green plants to remove or 

neutralize pollutants from the environment.

Contact: Jane E. Smith, jsmith01@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Institute 

for Systematics of Higher Fungi, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Tom Iraci

Entiat River, Washington.
Wildlife

Key Findings

 A comprehensive map of marbled murrelet habitat reveals that federal

land provides most (64 percent) of the quality nesting habitat, and that

habitat on federal land has declined by about 77,000 acres (3 percent)

from the baseline in 1996, mostly due to wildfire.

 Northern spotted owl populations continue to decline on federal lands,

despite the considerable reduction in timber harvest during the last 15

years. This finding comes from a new meta-analysis of all data from 11

long-term population studies of northern spotted owls in Washington,

Oregon, and California.

 Station scientists helped develop procedures for panels of experts

determining if a rare species should potentially be listed as endangered,

threatened, or not listed under the Endangered Species Act.

 Station scientist sequenced entire mitochondrial genomes for

40 North American fisher and found subspecies and populations

of the fisher reflect population structure that predates current

management practices.
75

Northern Spotted Owl 

Dispersal Assessment Tool

Description:

This tool is used to assess northern spotted owl dispersal 

habitat. It has a stand-level habitat quality component based 

on the Ecosystem Management Decision-Support system. 

These results are further assessed for connectivity by using 

customized programming based on graph theory. 

Use: 

The Washington Department of Natural Resources is using this 

tool on the approximately 1.6 million acres of forested state trust 

lands they manage under a habitat conservation plan between 

the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service.

How to get it: 

Contact Sean Gordon, sgordon@fs.fed.us,

Ecological Process and Function Program

Tool

 Fisher, by Michael Schwartz
76 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

WILDLIFE

New map provides 

comprehensive view of 

murrelet nesting habitat

THE MARBLED MURRELET is 

listed as threatened under 

the Endangered Species Act, and 

its conservation is a key objective 

of the Northwest Forest Plan. 

Understanding the status and trend 

of the murrelet’s nesting habitat 

is one way to judge whether the 

plan is effective in meeting its 

conservation objective.

A station scientist led an effort 

to model the amount, distribution, and trend of murrelet nesting habitat throughout the bird’s 

range in Washington, Oregon, and 

northern California. The result is a comprehensive 

map depicting relative 

suitability of habitat 

over all lands within 

this range. Overall, 

federal lands provided 

the 64 percent (2.4 

million acres) of highersuitability potential 

nesting habitat, mainly 

in “reserved” land allocations. Federal lands 

are less important in 

California, where most 

coastal forests are in nonfederal ownership and 

where little habitat remains. Murrelet nesting habitat declined about 3 percent (77,000 acres) from 

the 1996 baseline on federal lands and declined 

by 30 percent (413,000 acres) on nonfederal lands. 

Two-thirds of the loss on federal lands was due to 

wildfire in Oregon, most of which occurred in the 

2002 Biscuit Fire. Timber harvest accounted for 

most losses on nonfederal lands.

Contact: Martin Raphael, mraphael@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

and Pacific Southwest Regions, USDI Fish and 

Wildlife Service

Marbled murrelet.

Use: 

U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service 

adopts new 

procedure for 

determining 

potential listing 

status under 

the ESA.

Martin Raphael

Rigorous procedures developed 

for recommending species listing 

under the Endangered Species Act

STATION SCIENTISTS were invited by the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service to help develop and 

apply a rigorous procedure to aid in the difficult 

process of determining the potential listing status 

(endangered, threatened, or not to 

be listed) of a rare species under 

the Endangered Species Act. 

The procedure combines expert 

panels of scientists and agency 

managers and uses structured 

decisionmaking.

The Red Tree Vole Listing 

Advisory Panel successfully used the procedure, 

with oversight and facilitation by a station scientist. 

The procedure is being applied by U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife on other species listing decisions. 

Contact: Bruce Marcot, bmarcot@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: USDI Fish and Wildlife Service

Map of marbled murrelet nesting habitat in Washington.
77 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WILDLIFE

Tom Iraci

Northern spotted owl.

Forest structure is a good 

indicator of flying squirrel habitat 

FLYING SQUIRRELS are the primary prey of 

threatened northern spotted owls throughout 

much of Oregon and Washington. Understanding squirrel habitat may be critical to recovery of 

spotted owl populations—a requirement affecting 

overall forest management across most federal and 

state lands in the region. Flying squirrels can also 

be used to measure the health of regional forests 

as they are part of an important ecological link 

connecting trees, fungi, and predators like owls 

and weasels. Management strategies that involve 

tree removal, even ones designed to have positive long-term ecological effects, almost always 

result in reduced squirrel populations. A squirrelstructure-predation connection explains this 

phenomenon and provides ecological rationale for 

developing and testing new strategies that could 

help keep squirrels on the landscape following 

management activities.

Pacific Northwest land managers operating 

under the Northwest Forest Plan now have a 

quantitative method for measuring and analyzing 

forest structure and squirrel habitat. This information can also be used to model regional 

squirrel and owl habitat under alternative management scenarios and to create new silvicultural 

prescriptions potentially beneficial for flying 

squirrels and northern spotted owls.

Contact: Todd Wilson, twilson@fs.fed.us, 

Ecosystem Process and Function Program

Partners: Southern Oregon University; 

The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Army, Joint 

Base Lewis-McChord; USDA Forest Service 

Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest, Olympic 

National Forest

Northern spotted owl populations 

continue to decline

AS PART OF the Northwest Forest Plan, federal 

agencies are required to monitor long-term 

population trends of northern spotted owls on 

federal lands. An updated analysis of the data 

from these studies is conducted every 5 years and 

published in a peer-reviewed journal. Many federal 

agencies and nonfederal stakeholders are interested 

in this analysis because the recovery of the spotted 

owl is a major goal of the Northwest Forest Plan. 

The large group of scientists who conducted the 

meta-analysis found that spotted owl populations 

continue to decline on federal lands, despite the 

considerable reduction in timber harvests over the 

last 15 years. One possible explanation for this 

continued decline is competition with the closely 

related barred owl, which invaded the Western 

United States during the last century. Another 

possible cause is continued loss of habitat from 

fire, insect damage, and timber harvest.

Contact: Eric Forsman, eforsman@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Colorado State University; Green Diamond 

Timber Company; Hoopa Tribal Forestry Program; 

Oregon State University; Raedeke and Associates; 

Simon Fraser University; USDA Forest Service Pacific 

Northwest Region; USDI Bureau of Land Management 

Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service

For more information: Forsman, E.D.; Anthony, R.G.; 

Dugger, K.M. [In press]. Population demography of 

northern spotted owls. Studies in Avian Biology. 
78 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

WILDLIFE

New model projects potential fate 

of Pacific walrus 

RECENT YEARS have seen the smallest area of Arctic 

sea ice ever observed, prompting great concern 

over the future of associated wildlife, including the 

Pacific walrus. Under invitation from, and a formal 

work agreement with, the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS), a 

station scientist developed and 

implemented a probability-based 

model that projects the potential 

fate of the walrus populations 

under effects of climate change, 

habitat conditions, and humancaused stressors throughout the 

21st century.

Results from this study were 

presented at a major conference on 

marine mammals and to the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) 

Pacific Walrus Listing Team, which 

is using the results to determine 

whether to list the species under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA). The 

modeling methods will be used on 

other species evaluations by FWS 

and USGS, and this specific model is 

providing USGS with a tool to guide 

future research. 

Contact: Bruce Marcot,

bmarcot@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and

 Function Program

Partner: U.S. Geological 

Survey Alaska Science Center

Genetic studies reveal population 

structure of fisher predate 

management

TECHNOLOGIES INITIALLY motivated by the 

Human Genome Project have been modified to bring affordable genomics to conservation 

genetics. Using this technology, station scientists 

sequenced entire mitochondrial genomes from 40 fishers. 

Previous research, based on a 

portion of the mitochondrial 

genome, had observed such 

low levels of genetic variation 

within fishers that individuals from the Great Lakes 

Region and Pacific West appeared identical. Entire 

mitochondrial genome sequences have provided 

sufficient information to support taxonomic subspecies, as well as identify unique populations. These 

results indicate that the observed genetic structure 

represents a pattern that has been in place for 

thousands of years, much longer than current land 

management practices. 

Distinct population segments of fisher have 

recently been petitioned for listing under the 

Use: 

U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service 

uses findings in 

deliberations over 

listing the walrus 

under the ESA.

Diminishing sea ice has prompted concern for the 

Pacific walrus.

Bruce Marcot

Use: 

 Results from 

genetic sequencing 

used to inform 

decisions on listing 

fisher population 

under the ESA.

New technologies enable researchers to identify genetic differences within 

a species, for example, identifying populations from different regions. This 

diagram of the fisher mitochondrial genome shows the location of genes 

(blue, red, purple), and variable nucleotide positions (tick marks, inner circle). 

Richard Cronn
79 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WILDLIFE

Endangered Species Act (ESA), and conclusions 

from this proposed listing are currently pending. 

This research is being used to aid management 

decisions about whether these populations warrant 

protection under the ESA. Scientifically informed 

management decisions regarding fishers can now be 

made, whereas in the recent past, technical information about the fisher was limited.

Contact: Richard Cronn, rcronn@fs.fed.us, 

Landscape and Watershed Management Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 

Research Station 

Continued decline of mule deer 

habitat in central Oregon projected 

as development increases 

CENTRAL OREGON has been a hotspot of tourism, 

recreation, and development in recent years. This 

development has had numerous environmental 

impacts including declining mule deer populations. 

This decline has become the 

single most pressing issue for the 

Oregon Department of Fish and 

Wildlife in the eastern part of the 

state. Researchers used models 

to evaluate the potential impacts of future forest 

and range land development on mule deer winter 

range. They found that development will continue 

to encroach onto mule deer winter range in central 

Oregon through 2040. 

Predictions from this study have helped other 

researchers to identify appropriate locations for 

more geographically focused studies of fine-scaled 

habitat impacts. The maps and predictions were 

also integral to a broader analysis effort that was 

developed to inform deliberations by the Oregon 

Use: 

Findings inform 

land use zoning 

decisions by state 

legislature.

Use: 

A tri-agency 

conservation 

strategy develops 

for the Siskiyou 

Mountains 

salamander.

Mule deer.

State legislature, the Deschutes Land Trust, and 

the State of Oregon over legislation on land use 

zoning in central Oregon.

Contact: Jeff Kline, jkline@fs.fed.us, Goods, 

Services, and Values Program

Partner: Interagency Mapping and Assessment 

Project (IMAP)

Conservation priorities identified 

for Northwest amphibians and 

reptiles 

SCIENTISTS AND natural resource managers from 

across western Canada and the western United 

States synthesized conservation concerns and 

priorities for 105 species of amphibians and reptiles. They identified key threats 

to these species and found that 

management was hindered 

by a lack of basic ecological 

knowledge, insufficient funding, and limited communication 

regionwide. These species of concern would likely 

benefit from standardized regulations for managing 

native and nonnative species, increased use of data 

management programs, and jurisdictional stewards 

for these species to serve as liaisons among fisheries, wildlife, and forestry departments. 

This heightened awareness of herpetological 

conservation has resulted in several new conservation partnerships in the Northwest. In Oregon, for 

example, three federal agencies are implementing 

a conservation strategy for the Siskiyou Mountains 

salamander on federal lands. The U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service is using this strategy for another 

salamander species in New Mexico. 

Contact: Dede Olson, dedeolson@fs.fed.us, Land and 

Watershed Management Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest 

Research Station, Natural Resources Conservation 

Service; USDI Bureau of Land Management, Geological 

Survey, and Fish and Wildlife Service; BC Ministry of the 

Environment; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; 

Montana Natural Heritage Program; Wyoming Natural 

Diversity Program; University of Wyoming; Idaho 

Department of Fish and Game; Washington Department 

of Fish and Wildlife; Alberta Conservation Association; 

National Center for Conservation Science and Policy; 

E. Wind Consulting; Weyerhaeuser Company; Longview 

Timberlands; Idaho State University; University of Alaska 

Southeast; University of Washington; Oregon State 

University; Quest University, BC, Canada

Tom Iraci
80 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

THE PNW RESEARCH Station sponsors scientific and 

technical events each year, often in partnership 

with other agencies, organizations, and universities. 

Following are descriptions of some of these events. 

A Tale of Two Cedars: The station co-sponsored 

an international symposium on western redcedar 

and yellow-cedar at the University of Victoria in 

British Columbia. The 50 attendees explored current knowledge and management experience with 

these two culturally, commercially, and ecologically 

important tree species in Alaska, British Columbia, 

and the Pacific Northwest. 

Adapting to Climate Change in National Forests: 

This workshop sponsored by the Forest Service’s 

western research stations brought together resource 

managers, Forest Service leadership, scientists, and 

representatives from other agencies and organizations to share information on adaptation to climate 

change and develop plans for future adaptation. 

About 130 people attended the event, held in 

Stevenson, Washington.

Alaska Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and 

Tourism Workshop: This workshop, “Renewing 

body and spirit, inspiring passion for the land,” 

engaged recreation leaders from inside and outside 

the Forest Service in tailoring a regional approach 

to the implementation of the new national recreation strategy being piloted in Alaska. About 100 

participants attended the event held in Juneau.

An Introduction to Next-Generation Genome 

Sequencing: This workshop was part of the 

Botanical Society of America’s annual meeting 

in Providence, Rhode Island. It gave the 55 

participants hands-on training in sequence analysis, 

using exercises and data developed at the PNW 

Research Station and Oregon State University.

Symposia, Workshops, and Tours

~ 2,430 people participated in symposia and workshops

~ 1,400 people went on field trips

~ 4,800 people participated in conservation education activities

Learning Events Learning Events

Visitors to Mount St. Helens. Photo by Simmons Buntin.
81 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ArcFuels Workshop: Two hands-on workshops 

provided participants with the opportunity to learn 

about vegetation growth and fire behavior modeling 

through the ArcFuels interface for fuel management 

planning and hazard and risk assessments. The 

workshop at the University of Idaho in Moscow 

had 20 participants and was followed by a seminar 

on quantitative wildfire risk. A second workshop 

at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff had 40 

participants and was coupled with a discussion on 

model outputs with respect to land management.

Coho Modeling Group Workshop: This workshop, 

held at the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 

provided a forum for 18 professionals with federal 

and state agencies to explore alternative approaches 

to representing the life stages of Coho salmon 

within a changing environment. 

Density Management Study Field Tour: PNW 

principal investigators of a density management and 

riparian buffer study toured a site near Mount Hood 

with 25 members of the Clackamas River Watershed Stewardship Council to explain the research 

and key findings that may be relevant to management of the Portland metro area water source.

Developing and Applying New Elk Habitat 

Models iIn Western Oregon and Washington:

Station scientists presented initial results of elk 

habitat selection modeling to 10 tribal elders 

at the Muckleshoot Indian 

Tribal Headquarters in Auburn, 

Washington. They discussed 

potentially using this information 

on ceded lands for targeting elk 

habitat improvement projects.

Dragonfly Eyes: This workshop at 

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest 

attracted 20 participants, including 

scientists, writers, philosophers, artists, architects, and social scientists. 

The gathering provided an opportunity for people from different professional backgrounds to share their 

perspectives on how people view, 

depict, and elicit action concerning 

future landscape change. 

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) California 

Client Meeting: FIA hosted a symposium in Sacramento, California, to share findings and discuss 

current research in the Pacific Northwest. The 

following day, the FIA team hosted a data workshop 

where clients were guided through methods for 

analyzing FIA data and had the opportunity to ask 

questions. About 100 people attended the event.

Genetic Resource Management: This climate 

change workshop in Corvallis, Oregon, brought 

together 40 national forest geneticists and others to 

discuss impacts of climate change on vegetation and 

genetic resources, and to identify possible strategies 

to adapt to those impacts within the Forest Service’s 

genetic resource management programs.

Integrating Ecological and Fuel Management 

Objectives: This workshop brought together 210 

practitioners from multiple disciplines to discuss 

and develop stand-level prescriptions that integrate 

ecological and fuel management objectives for dry 

forest restoration and advance conservation of the 

northern spotted owl in the eastern Cascades of 

Washington, Oregon, and California.

Keeping Wildlife Wild Day: A station scientist 

spoke to 30 people at a 1-day event designed to 

educate visitors at Mount Rainier National Park 

about the importance of not feeding or interacting 

directly with wildlife.

Scientists, writers, philosophers, artists, architects, and social scientists 

discuss perceptions of landscape change during a workshop at H.J. Andrews 

Experimental Forest.

Michael Furniss
82 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

Long-Term Ecological Research Field Trip:

Sixteen scientists and artists visited Bonanza Creek 

Experimental Forest in Alaska to describe the 

effects of a changing climate on Alaskan boreal 

forests. 

Lookout Mountain Field Trip: The 60 people 

on this field trip learned about planned research 

at Pringle Falls Experimental Forest aimed at 

developing and testing silvicultural prescriptions 

for dry forest management.

Mount St. Helens 30th Anniversary Science 

Pulse: The station hosted a week-long scientific 

gathering of researchers and their staff at the 

volcano. About 140 participants from dozens of 

universities, national laboratories, and agencies 

gathered 30-year posteruption benchmark 

measurements of key ecological parameters, 

fostered collaboration, and defined future research 

opportunities. The pulse was also an opportunity 

to recruit the next generation of researchers as 

many of the original scientists are approaching 

retirement age. A concurrent humanities pulse 

gathered 12 poets and writers who contributed 

their perspectives on understanding the volcanic 

landscape.

Natural Resource Expo: The annual meeting of 

the Association of Oregon Counties, an advocate for 

county governments and county officials in improving their services, was held in Portland, Oregon. 

Scientists from the PNW Research Station presented 

10 posters, providing an opportunity to showcase 

applied research, particularly in topic areas relevant 

to local issues. About 300 people attended the expo.

Northwest Scientific Association Symposium: 

This symposium, “30 Years of Research at Mount 

St. Helens—Lessons of Local and Global Importance,” highlighted several long-term geological and 

biological studies that have transformed current 

understanding of volcanic processes and hazard 

assessment and ecosystem responses to large, 

intense natural disturbance. About 100 

scientists, land managers, and writers attended.

Restoring Oak Woodlands: About 35 landowners and natural resource professionals attended a 

fieldtrip to the North Bank Wildlife Management 

Area in the BLM Roseburg District to learn about 

restoring oak woodlands to improve habitat for 

Columbian white-tailed deer. Station experts on 

Oregon white oak led parts of the discussion.

Landowners learn about restoring Oregon white oak woodlands to improve deer habitat.

Connie Harrington
83 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Webinars on Climate Change and Forest Vegetation Models: Two Webinars titled "Integrating 

Climate Change with Forest Vegetation Models for 

Adaptation Planning" were hosted at the University 

of Washington. In total, 300 participants from the 

United States and Canada learned about the numerous factors that need to be considered when trying 

to integrate climate change models with vegetation 

models used in forest planning and management.

Roads Workshop: Participants learned from a 

station hydrologist how climate change will likely 

alter road construction standards and what effect 

changing weather patterns will have on forest road 

systems. The workshop, sponsored by the Western 

Forestry Association, was attended by about 200 

practitioners from industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations throughout the Pacific 

Northwest.

Staney Community Forestry Project:

Four workshops were held on Prince 

of Wales Island, Alaska, to develop a 

common understanding of the current environmental, economic, and 

social conditions in the project area 

and to develop a vision for what the 

area should be like in 25 to 50 years. 

The workshops also produced specific 

desired future conditions for five sectors: timber supply, economic opportunity, terrestrial habitat, aquatic habitat, 

and subsistence. The 60 participants 

included scientists and managers from 

the Forest Service and Alaska state 

agencies, representatives from the 

island’s communities, and others with 

interest in the island.

Sensor Network Technologies: A 3-hour workshop was held in Estes Park, Colorado, to exchange 

information about sensor network development. A 

series of short talks, followed by a panel discussion 

specifically focused on identifying gaps in sensor 

network tool development explored possibilities for 

coordination of tool development and enhancing 

adoption of existing tools through training and 

support. About 45 people attended.

The Power of Nature: About 500 people attended 

this public lecture, “Reflections on Mount St. 

Helens 30 Years Post-Eruption.” The event was 

sponsored in part by the PNW Research Station. 

Guest speakers included ecologist Jerry Franklin, 

poet Gary Snyder, and writer Ursula Le Guin.

Watershed Management and Research: Station 

scientists led a research tour on stream and riparian issues in the Capitol State Forest near Olympia, 

Washington. The seven attendees were students 

participating in the “Minority Students in Natural 

Resources” program at Portland State University. 

Conservation Education

Canopy Connections: During 8 days in May, 

185 middle school and high school students 

visited H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. They 

rotated among four lessons created and presented 

by eight students in the University of Oregon’s 

Environmental Leadership Program. Activities 

included climbing and observing in the old-growth 

canopy, studying function and parts of a tree, 

discovering old-growth habitats, and learning how 

to identify native plants and their uses. 

Career Paths in Natural Resources: Station 

scientists visited Eastern Oregon University, where 

they talked to 36 students about career paths in 

natural resources with various government agencies 

and nongovernmental organizations.

Climate Change and Water: Forty educators 

attended this lecture as part of the Forestry Institute 

for Teachers held at Humboldt State University.

Middle school students enjoy the Canopy Connections program at H.J. Andrews 

Experimental Forest.

Katie Nussbaum
84 PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

Crater Lake Bioblitz: A station scientist gave a 

presentation on Cascadia amphibians to about 50 

members of the public at the rim of Crater Lake. 

Station personnel assisted with a day-long amphibian inventory of the national park conducted by 

more than 50 volunteers.

Dry Ice—Discovering the Properties of CO2: 

Third graders in the Liberty Elementary School 

District of Albany, Oregon, discovered the properties of carbon dioxide (CO2) by watching dry ice 

change from a solid to a gas. The 60 participants 

also learned that CO2 is an ingredient in soda pop, 

that humans exhale it, and plants inhale it. 

Forests Inside Out! The station was able to use 

funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to continue its partnership with 

the nonprofit World Forestry Center in Portland, 

Oregon, to support Forests Inside Out!, a successful summer conservation education program. This 

program is a series of 2-day indoor and outdoor 

experiences for 300 children ages 6 to 10 and 

family members from diverse and underserved 

communities in the greater Portland metro area. 

Eight high school students who are graduates of 

the station-supported Inner City Youth Institute 

were hired as mentors for the program. 

Forest Camp: The Siuslaw National Forest hosted 

outdoor school for 200 sixth graders at Camp 

Tadmor in Lebanon, Oregon. Several station 

employees taught the Web of Life segment of 

the camp, including a component describing the 

important and functionally diverse roles of fungi 

in the forest ecosystem.

Forestry Days: About 300 sixth graders in the 

Clatsop County school district of Astoria, Oregon, 

learned about the ecology of forest fungi. 

Inner City Youth Institute: The station provided 

continued support to the Inner City Youth Institute 

(ICYI). ICYI encourages underrepresented youths to 

pursue higher education and careers in the natural 

resource and environmental fields. ICYI sponsored forest ecology programs in Portland inner 

city middle and high schools and a summer camp 

program for high school students from Portland. 

This summer’s camp was held at Oregon State 

University (OSU) and H.J. Andrews Experimental 

Forest. Participants spent a day on campus learning 

about OSU’s degree programs and gaining a sense 

of what life might be like for a college student. The 

remainder of the week was spent at the experimental forest learning about forest ecosystems from 

onsite scientists. 

Learning About Cedar and Forest Ecology: 

Alaska Native students and educators learned about 

cedar trees at the Alaska Native Brotherhood/Alaska 

Native Sisterhood Grand Camp. Others learned 

about forest ecology at the Tlingit and Haida 

Culture Camp. About 55 people participated in 

the events.

Marys Peak Watershed Tour: About 100 middle 

school students learned about healthy watersheds 

and the importance of headwater areas.

Mentoring an Aspiring Wildlife Biologist: A 

station scientist consulted and verified species for a 

student at Sandy High School, Oregon. The scientist 

went on to mentor the student in the process of surveying for wildlife species. They discussed sampling 

methods for expected amphibians, reptiles, birds, 

and mammals in the area. The student now aspires 

to become a wildlife biologist and has developed a 

keen interest in research. 

A station science technician helps a young volunteer 

identify plants as part of the Crater Lake BioBlitz. 

Ed Reed
85 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Mount St. Helens 30th Anniversary: The station 

partnered with the Mount St. Helens Institute to 

present a virtual science field trip to over 3,000 

fourth through eigth grade students across the 

country. 

Natural Resources Internships: Two students 

at Green River Community College in Auburn, 

Washington, participated in formal internships 

with station scientists to fulfill their degree 

requirements. The students worked 400 hours 

and kept detailed diaries of their work experience. 

Natural Resources Program Advisory 

Committee: Station scientists served on a formal 

advisory committee to establish and oversee a 

2-year community college curriculum and field 

experience in natural resource management for 

Wenatchee Valley College in Washington. They 

also hosted an annual field trip for 20 students 

in the field methods lab course.

New Market Skills Center: Forty high school 

students learned about careers in forestry and forest 

research. The center in Tumwater, Washington, 

provides career and vocational and technical skills 

to high school students interested in employment 

directly after high school and/or preparation for 

entering college or apprenticeship.

Northwest Science Expo: The station sponsored 

“Outstanding Forest Science” awards to a high 

school student and a middle school student at this 

science fair for young scientists, engineers, and 

mathematicians at Portland State University in 

March. The station also participated in judging. 

Petri Dish Experiments: Sixty third graders at 

Liberty Elementary School in Albany, Oregon, 

learned scientific methods and gained experience 

by using a dissecting microscope to closely examine 

bacteria and fungi lurking on their hands. Handcleansing treatments were compared by counting 

different-colored fungi or bacteria growing on 

nutrient agar in Petri dishes.

SalmonWatch: Forty biology students at Crescent 

Valley High School in Corvallis, Oregon, learned 

about the biological and cultural aspects of northwest salmon. The learning experience included a 

field trip to the Alsea River led by several station 

scientists 

Stream Amphibian Project: Station scientists 

helped five eigth-grade students at Jane Goodall 

Elementary and Middle School in Salem, Oregon, 

complete a year-long science project examining 

abundance and diversity of stream amphibians in 

an old-growth forest and a secondary forest of the 

Oregon Coast Range. 

Streamkeeper Academy Lecture Series: A station 

scientist presented “On the Track of the Elusive 

Wolverine.” About 65 people attended this lecture 

held at the Northwest Stream Center in Everett, 

Washington.

Washington State Science and Engineering Fair: 

The station sponsored an “Outstanding Forest 

Science Project Award” to a tenth-grade high 

school student at the Washington State Science 

and Engineering Fair at Olympic College, 

Bremerton, Washington, in April.

What Eats Plankton? A station scientist organized an event at a day care facility in Corvallis, 

Oregon, on marine food webs and led art activities 

modeling plankton out of styrofoam and plankton 

necklaces out of clay. Fifteen 3- to 4-year-olds 

participated. 

Students from the Jane Goodall Environmental Middle 

School in Salem, Oregon, learn about stream ecology with 

station scientists. 

Keara Gann
Honors and Awards
87 2010 SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Best Paper in Ecology and Society

Rebecca Flitcroft, a research fisheries biologist 

with the Land and Watershed Management 

Program, was the lead author of an article 

entitled “Social Infrastructure to Integrate Science 

and Practice: the Experience of the Long Tom 

Watershed Council.” The journal Ecology and 

Society published the article in a special issue, 

honoring it as the year’s best example of translating 

transdisciplinary science theory into practice.

Early Career Scientist

Lee Cerveny, a research social scientist with the 

Goods, Services, and Values Program, received the 

Forest Service’s Research and Development’s Early 

Career Scientist award. It was given in recognition 

of her outstanding contributions in the application 

of social science to natural resource management. 

Geological Society of America Fellow

Gordon Grant, a research hydrologist with the 

Ecological Process and Function Program, was 

elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America, 

reflecting career contributions in the geological 

sciences. Dr. Grant was also selected to give the M. 

Gordon Wolman Lecture at the Biennial Meeting 

of the Council of Universities for the Advancement 

of Hydrological Sciences, Inc., an honor reflecting 

career contributions in hydrological sciences.

International Association for 

Landscape Ecology 

Rebecca Kennedy, a research ecologist with the 

Threat Characterization and Management Program, 

was honored with a certificate of appreciation for 

outstanding service as Web site coordinator for 

the U.S. chapter of the association.

International Network of Research on 

Coupled Human and Natural Systems 

Rebecca Kennedy, a research ecologist with the 

Threat Characterization and Management Program, was selected as a Fellow under the network, 

which is supported by the U.S. National Science 

Foundation.

Outstanding Editing

Mary Rowland, a wildlife biologist with the 

Ecological Process and Function Program, was 

honored by the Pacific Northwest Region and 

Washington office’s Wildlife Ecology Unit for 

outstanding productivity and achievement as the 

editor of the Habitat Monitoring Technical Guide. 

The document will provide national guidance for 

wildlife habitat monitoring in support of forest 

planning and broad-scale assessments.

Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award

Eric Forsman, a research wildlife biologist with the 

Ecological Process and Function Program, received 

this conservation award from the American 

Ornithologists Union (AOU) on behalf of the 

Northern Spotted Owl Demographic Team. The 

award was presented during the annual meeting 

of the AOU Cooper Ornithological Society and the 

Society of Canadian Ornithologists in recognition 

of contributions toward the conservation of the 

northern spotted owl.

Regional Silviculturist of the Year

Paul Hennon, a research forest pathologist with 

the Threat Characterization and Management 

Program, was named regional silviculturist of 

the year by the Alaska Region of the Forest 

Service for his work there. 

Special Exhibition at ESRI International 

User Conference

Ron Neilson, a research bioclimatologist with the 

Ecological Process and Function Program, was 

invited to have a special exhibition booth at the 

Climate Change Showcase at the 30th ESRI international user conference in San Diego, California.

 Lupine, south-central Alaska
88

PNW Research Station Organization

Station Director

Bov B. Eav

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2100

E-mail: beav@fs.fed.us

Deputy Station Director

Cynthia D. West

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2104

E-mail: cdwest@fs.fed.us 

Assistant Director 

for Administration

Lesley A. Kelly

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2102

E-mail: lakelly@fs.fed.us 

Assistant Director for 

Communications and 

Applications

Cynthia L. Miner

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2135

E-mail: clminer@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for 

Program Development

Paul Brewster

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

11305 Glacier Highway 

Juneau, AK 99801-8545 

Phone: 907-586-7801

E-mail: pbrewster@fs.fed.us 

Assistant Director 

for Research

Susan A. Willits

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2115

E-mail: swillits@fs.fed.us 

Program Managers

Ecological Process 

and Function

Beatrice Van Horne

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3200 SW Jefferson Way

Corvallis, OR 97331

Phone: 541-750-7357

E-mail: bvhorne@fs.fed.us 

Goods, Services, and Values

R. James Barbour (Acting)

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2542

E-mail: jbarbour01@fs.fed.us

Focused Science Delivery

R. James Barbour 

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2542

E-mail: jbarbour01@fs.fed.us

Land and Watershed 

Management

John A. Laurence

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2191

E-mail: jalaurence@fs.fed.us

Resource Monitoring 

and Assessment

Charles E. Peterson

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2026

E-mail: cepeterson@fs.fed.us

Threat Characterization 

and Management

Marcia Patton-Mallory

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

1133 N Western Ave.

Wenatchee, WA 98801

Phone: 509-664-1715

E-mail: mpattonmallory@fs.fed.us

Western Wildland 

Environmental Threat 

Assessment Center

Nancy Grulke

3160 NE 3rd Street 

Prineville, OR 97754

Phone: 541-416-6583

E-mail: ngrulke@fs.fed.us
The attached CD-ROM contains the following:

 2010 Science Accomplishments

 PNW Research Program Reports

 2010 PNW Research Station Publications

Credits

Assistant Director for Communications 

 and Applications—Cynthia L. Miner

Managing Editor—Rhonda Mazza

Writer—Rhonda Mazza

Publishing Director—Frank Vanni

Graphic design—Keith Routman and 

 Rhonda Mazza

Front cover photo—Crater Lake National Park, 

 by Dede Olson

Back cover photo—Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 

 by Walter Foss

All uncredited photos—U.S. Forest Service staff

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest 

Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station

The Forest Service of the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle 

of multiple use management of the Nation’s 

forest resources for sustained yields of 

wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. 

Through forestry research, cooperation with 

the States and private forest owners, and 

management of the national forests and 

national grasslands, it strives——as directed 

by Congress——to provide increasingly 

greater service to a growing Nation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its 

programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, age, disability, 

and where applicable, sex, marital status, 

familial status, parental status, religion, 

sexual orientation, genetic information, 

political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or 

part of an individual’s income is derived 

from any public assistance program. (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, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 

or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-

6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider and employer.

 H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, by Tom Iraci
February 2011

Pacific Northwest Research Station

333 SW First Avenue

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

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