cience 

ccomplishments

DEPAR

PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION TMENT OF AGRICULT URE
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.

Moose Pass, Chugach Range, south-central Alaska. Photo by Jon Williams.
3

Contents

4 A Message From the Station Director 

6 Pacific Northwest Research Station: The Setting

8 Highlights From 2011

16 Communications—Print, Web, and Twitter

18 Finances and Workforce 

19 Funding Partners for 2011

20 Climate Change

28 Community Sustainability

36 Fire and Smoke

44 Forests and Grasslands

60 Watershed Health

70 Wildlife

78 Learning Events

84 Honors and Awards

86 PNW Research Station Organization
4

A Message From

 the Station Director
 Columbia Gorge, Oregon. Photo © by Miles Hemstrom. 5

Bov B. Eav

XPERTISE, dedication, and partnership: these are key elements to success 

within the Pacific Northwest Research 

Station. Fostering these elements enables 

the station to generate timely scientific information for land managers and policymakers to use for 

decisions about managing natural resources. 

In 2011, several projects examined 

ecosystem processes across large 

landscapes. The Integrated Landscape Assessment Project, for example, developed models for assessing 

wildlife habitat, fire risk, vegetation, 

development, and likely effects of 

climate change across watersheds in 

Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and 

New Mexico. These models are helping public and private land managers 

prioritize management efforts. 

Another project examined changes in old forests 

in the 15 years since the Northwest Forest Plan 

went into effect. Byproducts of this effort have 

given forest managers rare, seamless information 

that spans ownerships, allowing owners to consider how their management decisions fit into the 

broader landscape.

As we tackle questions at large scales of analysis, 

our partnerships with other agencies, nongovernmental organizations, tribes, and universities grow 

in importance. Together we leverage our expertise 

to address relevant questions, provide information 

to long-time stakeholders, and become acquainted 

with new stakeholders. 

This year we made significant progress toward 

improving the physical spaces that will enable 

research and partnerships to flourish. In Oregon, 

construction is well underway on the new wing 

of the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory 

located on the Oregon State University campus. 

This energy-efficient building will provide shared 

laboratory and office space for scientists and 

support staff from the station, the Siuslaw 

National Forest, and the Natural Resource 

Information System group. 

Construction began in August on the new 

Juneau Forestry Science Laboratory on land 

adjacent to the University of Alaska Southeast. 

Like the Corvallis Laboratory, this facility is 

being constructed to meet or exceed the Leadership in Energy and Environment silver certificate 

requirements. The energy efficiencies will mean 

lower energy costs and a smaller carbon footprint. 

Proximity to the campus, which is also home of 

the station-sponsored Alaska Coastal Rainforest 

Center, will facilitate collaborative research.

The station remains a key supporter of the 

Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, which was 

started in 2009 as a collaborative effort to expand 

and enhance education and research opportunities 

among six partners. It now 

has 14 partners, including the 

Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes 

of Alaska, the City of Juneau, 

British Columbia Ministry of 

Forestry, U.S. federal agencies, and 

nongovernmental organizations. 

The center is becoming a research 

hub; in 2012 it will host the 

international symposium “Coastal 

Temperate Rainforests: Integrating 

Communities, Climate Science, 

and Resource Management.”

The station continues to improve its service 

to underserved communities. Station scientists 

worked with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe in 

Washington state to develop new elk habitat 

models. Elk are an important cultural resource for 

the tribe. Scientists and partners are also mapping 

public land use by the Hispanic community in 

Washington. This project arose after a Hispanic 

man harvesting floral greens in a forest was accidentally shot by a hunter. The maps will be used 

to generate dialog with state and federal agencies 

about harvester safety.

In 2012, new projects will include a study 

of the forest dynamics after thinning and fuel 

reduction at Pringle Falls Experimental Forest. 

This experiment has been designed to test which 

fuel treatments best accelerate development of 

large trees while reintroducing natural disturbance 

processes that provide ecosystem resilience. 

Another question considers the interactions 

between climate change and fuel treatments on 

vegetation dynamics and forest structure. These 

are timely questions—answers to which will surely 

provide insight to management issues across dry 

forests of the West. 

Thank you to station partners and employees for 

a productive year, and I look forward to our work 

together in 2012.

 Station Director Bov B. Eav

E

Tim LeBarge
Pacific Northwest Research 

 Station: The Setting

	The Pacific Northwest Research Station is one of five research 

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

	Headquarters are in Portland, Oregon

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

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

	Research is conducted in more than 20 research natural areas

	413 employees (311 permanent, 102 temporary)

6

Jon Williams

Southeast Alaska
7

Fairbanks

Wenatchee

La Grande

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2

3

4

6

7

8

10

9

11

12

OREGON

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

7
The Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station conducts research on a 

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

Categorizing this research is often difficult because in many cases the crux 

of an issue lies in its connection to many natural processes. Climate change, 

for example, affects all natural processes and thus is an inherent component 

of much of the station’s research. The following section highlights emerging 

narratives from research described in more detail throughout the report. 

Living With a Changing Climate

THE EFFECTS of warmer global temperatures are far reaching, 

yet nuanced: local effects will differ. Station scientists are 

studying climate change from many angles. Their work is 

instrumental in providing land managers and policymakers 

with needed tools and information to manage the Nation’s 

natural resources under changing conditions.

Providing information 

to help land managers 

and decisionmakers 

plan for a changing 

climate

Highlights From 2011

8
9

Managing for Change

The North Cascadia Adaptation Project—This collaborative effort was developed by the 

Forest Service and the National Park Service with a goal of incorporating climate change 

adaptation into current management on federal lands in northern Washington. 

 A vulnerability assessment and climate change adaptation strategy for Olympic 

National Forest and Olympic National Park (http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/

pubs/38702).

 Education workshops for 330 staff from the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National 

Forest, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Mount Rainier National Park, and 

North Cascades National Park.

American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes—They face disproportionate risks associated 

with climate change because of their close cultural and economic relationship to the 

land. A station scientist and university partners develop collaborative tools to help build 

awareness of the unique problems faced by tribal stakeholders and document tribes’ 

innovative approaches to adaptation.

 The Lummi Nation and Swinomish, Coquille, and Nez Perce Tribes used the 

collaborative model to initiate climate adaptation planning. 

 The collaborative model was replicated in Forest Service Research and Development 

(R&D) across the agency as part of the All Station Tribal Climate Change Initiative. 

Assisted Adaptation

Understanding the role of genetics in the adaptive 

ability of plants. This is important so that seed sources 

can be matched with planting locations.

 Seed transfer zones developed for mountain 

brome, a grass commonly used in restoration 

efforts and used by the Malheur, Ochoco, Umatilla, 

and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests.

 More than 38,000 genes identified in Douglasfir and 21,000 genes in two subspecies of big 

sagebrush. 

Change in the Far North

Understanding carbon loss—The largest fire ever recorded on the Arctic 

slope, in 2007, led to new knowledge of carbon levels in Alaskan tundra.

 Carbon released to the atmosphere by the 600-square-mile fire was 

20 times more carbon than what is annually lost from undisturbed 

tundra, according to estimates by station scientists and collaborators.

 Techniques were implemented that measure carbon loss in tundra areas. 

Tundra permafrost stores carbon sequestered for millennia. Frequent 

wildfires could release this carbon, leading to further global warming.

 Under a formal work agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey, a station scientist helped develop 

models to forecast the future viability of polar bears under different climate scenarios. The polar 

bears were safely anesthetized and subsequently released unharmed. Photo by Steve Amstrup.

Researchers developed seed transfer zones 

for mountain brome.

Richard C. Johnson
Dede Olson

An Oregon State University employee hired with 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 

funds directed through the station explains an 

ARRA project to University of Oregon journalism 

students. 

THE PNW Research Station directed $14.2 million under the 

2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 

toward projects addressing fuel treatments, smoke impacts, 

salmon habitat, and natural systems in urban areas.

Creating new jobs 

while promoting 

healthy ecosystems

American Recovery

 and Reinvestment Act

 More than 220 people, with skills ranging 

from construction to field data collection to 

high-tech computer modeling, have been 

employed for varied lengths of time. 

 Students at the University of Oregon School of 

Journalism and Communications are helping 

tell the economic recovery story. Multimedia 

packages developed by the students are at 

http://sciencestories.uoregon.edu/.

10
11

 Earth Corps volunteers help stabilize a shoreline in the Seattle metropolitan area. Station scientists 

and cooperators are studying what motivates people to engage in urban stewardship activities to 

make the most of citizen involvement efforts. Photo by Earth Corps.

Completed projects

New Solar-Powered Stream Gauge Stations

 At South Umpqua Experimental Forest, dilapidated, unsafe stream gauge stations

were replaced by new solar-powered facilities on Coyote Creek (known for its

high-quality salmon habitat). 

Jobs: 10 

Olympia Lab Windows Replacement

 Single-pane windows from the 1960s were replaced with modern energy-efficient 

windows to retain heat in the winter and keep the building cool in the summer.

Jobs: 10

Road Maintenance 

 Infrastructure and erosion control improvement 

projects were completed, including bridge 

replacement, resurfacing roads, and correcting 

drainage issues. 

Jobs: 20 

Impact of Economic Recovery Funding in 

Rural Communities

 Social and economic impacts of ARRA-funded 

projects were evaluated in eight economically 

distressed rural areas across the United States. Forest Service investments in projects 

helped meet the goals of the Recovery Act, with investments having far-reaching social 

and economic benefits for rural communities.

Jobs: 12

Projects in progress

Smoke Forecasting

 Reduce human health hazards by providing timely smoke forecasting. 

 Deliver accurate smoke forecasts from both wild and prescribed fires. 

 Accelerate development of improved tools for smoke and fire management. 

Jobs: 20. To continue through 2012. 

Restoring Critical Habitat for Listed Pacific Salmon

 Assess watersheds in southeast Alaska and the interior Columbia Basin 

vulnerable to climate change.

 Identify key places for habitat restoration.

 Examine climate change and fire effects on watershed and fish habitat.

 Map fish habitat in southwest Oregon and northwest California.

 Develop a stream chemistry tool for establishing water-quality regulations 

for timber harvest.

Jobs: 20. To continue through 2012. 

Roadside brush removal being conducted by 

hand crews on the Six Rivers National Forest.

Susan Charnley

Outcomes

Outcomes
12

Contractors receive training from station specialists about 

how to inventory urban forests in Portland, Oregon. 

Cynthia Orlando

Youth Summer Employment and Education

 Provide leadership and learning opportunities in natural resources for 

students in middle school to graduate school. 

 Hire college interns to collect data on the timing of bud burst, bud set, 

and growth periods of Douglas-fir, toward developing seed transfer zones.

 Hire and train high-school and college students to collect data on riparian 

vegetation, soil, and habitat quality at sites in the Portland-Vancouver 

metropolitan area in a study of the response of riparian areas to urbanization.

Jobs: 13 to date. To continue through 2012.

Outcomes

Adapting Forests to Climate Change Effects

 Assess contribution of urban 

trees to carbon sequestration, 

energy savings, water management, and quality of life for 

residents. 

 Provide baseline data on forest 

conditions in populated areas 

in five western states. 

Jobs: 15 to date. To continue 

through 2013.

Outcomes
13

 An intern hired with ARRA funds records weather data for a project that will 

develop seed transfer zones for Douglas-fir. Photo by Connie Harrington. 

Station scientists and partners in Arizona’s Sky Islands. Tools and information from the Integrated 

Landscape Assessment Project can be used in watershed restoration strategies, forest plan 

revisions, statewide assessments, and bioregional plans.

© Miles Hemstrom

Outcome

Ecosystem Restoration in the Puget Sound Area

 Provide municipalities with information to plan for green 

spaces and development in urbanizing areas through 

ecosystem restoration. 

Jobs: 30. To continue through 2013. 

Fuel Loads and Tree Mortality 

 Field-test new technology to reduce tree mortality from 

bark beetles and sudden oak death, toward lessening risk of 

uncontrollable wildfire and impacts on nearby communities. 

Jobs: 2. To continue through 2013.

Outcome

Integrated Landscape Assessment 

 Help prioritize land management at the watershed scale in 

Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.

 Assess wildlife habitat, community economics, fire risk, 

vegetation development, and likely effects of climate change. 

 Provide webinars on fuels characteristics, decision support, 

climate change, and vegetation. Presentations are available at 

http://oregonstate.edu/inr/ilap-webinars.

Jobs: 60. To continue through 2013. 

Outcomes
14

Assessing Threats to 

 Shrub-Steppe Ecosystems

Cheatgrass and juniper invasions

Cheatgrass, a nonnative, highly flammable grass, is altering historical fire cycles in sagebrush 

shrublands. Intense fires favor the invasive grass and threaten the survival of sagebrush and 

other native vegetation. Encroaching juniper can exacerbate soil erosion, reduce forage, and 

highten risk of crown fires.

 Expected spread of cheatgrass and juniper was mapped in the Columbia Basin.

 Models were developed to predict the risk of cheatgrass and juniper spreading across 

watersheds of the Great Basin. The USDI Bureau of Land Management is using these 

projections to prioritize watersheds for restoration.

Sage grouse habitat needs

Sage grouse populations and habitat are declining across North America; legal actions 

seek protection for this species. 

 Changes in land use and habitat in the Great Basin were assessed for contribution 

to sage grouse declines in the Great Basin. 

 Threshold values were identified for sagebrush cover needed by the bird at 

particular elevations.

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is using this information to negotiate with other 

federal agencies about changes in landscape management to improve conditions 

for sage grouse and prevent the need for future Endangered Species Act listings.

New models compared historical habitat conditions with current recommendations for 

sage grouse on the Malheur High Plateau. Findings suggest sage grouse either do not 

need as much winter habitat as currently recommended or the amount of historical winter 

habitat has constrained their populations. 

DUSKY SAGEBRUSH spreading across an expansive landscape: 

an iconic scene of the American West. It’s also one of the most 

threatened ecosystems in the country. Invasive cheatgrass, 

changing fire regimes, encroaching juniper trees, and human 

development are taking a toll on shrub-steppe ecosystems. 

Station scientists are working 

with partners to conserve 

the wildlife and plants 

in this unique landscape
Sharing What We’ve Learned

 Shrub-steppe ecosystems are threatened by invasive species, changing 

fire regimes, and human development. Photo by Mary Rowland. 15

Timely smoke forecasts

The 2011 Wallow Fire was Arizona’s largest in history, and its effects combined 

with other fires in the Southwest to produce large regions of unhealthy air. 

 The National Interagency Fire Coordination Center used station-modeled smoke 

projections to issue daily smoke forecasts that TV stations relayed to the public.

PNW-FIA database

New database allows users to customize their analyses. 

 The California Climate Action Registry developed baseline levels of carbon 

stocks in private forests. 

 Quick answers were provided for Congressional queries about biomass size 

distribution and availability of wood supplies from western national forests.

Tracking water contaminants

After severe damage to Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by the 

March 2011 earthquake, radioactive contaminants in rivers were tracked by the 

U.S. Department of Defense.

 The tool used to track contaminants, the Incident Command Tool for Protecting 

Drinking Water (ICWater), was developed by a station scientist and others.

 Analyses were shared with emergency managers in Japan to assess public 

risks of waterborne radioactivity. 

SCIENCE is meant to be used. 

Examples below highlight 

station efforts to share data, 

conclusions, and tools.

Station scientists are active in research 

networks, professional societies, and 

other forms of collaboration

Sharing Knowledge and Tools

From research networks and professional societies to local 

watershed councils—station scientists are active in many 

different communities. Sharing knowledge and building 

relationships in these communities helps foster collaboration, 

knowledge transfer, and education. In 2011,

 ~6,920 people participated in symposia, workshops, and 

webinars sponsored by the station.

 ~1,300 people went on field trips led by station researchers.

 ~1,770 people participated in conservation education 

activities sponsored by the station.
16 Pacific Northwest Research Station

Communications—

 Print, Web, and Twitter

	340 total publications. (This includes station 

series publications, journal articles, books or 

book chapters, theses and dissertations, and 

other publications.)

	106,280 hard copies of station publications 

distributed.

	43,942 electronic publication downloads 

from the station’s Web site and Treesearch 

(http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us).

	1,906 station publications available online 

via the station’s Web site and Treesearch. 

	9 issues of PNW Science Findings published, 

about 9,800 copies of each issue distributed.

Web Visitors

	Total number of visits: 75,243 from 155 

countries and territories (+ 8.5% from 

FY2010)

	Total number of unique visitors: 48,851 

(+8.7% from fiscal year 2010)

	Total number of page views: 205,698 

(about 3 pages viewed per visit)

	Percentage of new visitors: 56.2%

600

550

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

Number of publications

Year

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

16 theses and

dissertations 

(5%)

11 proceedings

(3%)

40 station 

series

(12%)

208 

journal

articles

(61%)

36 books 

or chapters 

(11%)

29

other

(8%)
17 2011 Science Accomplishments

Twitter

The station’s Twitter account has 560 followers—up from 250 in 2010. 

Reporters, natural resource professionals, and nonprofit groups comprise 

the majority of subscribers, who receive instant electronic alerts (tweets) to 

station news releases, new publications, and other information.

Our Most Popular Publications

All of the station’s publications are available online. Listed below are the 10 

publications by station scientists most frequently downloaded from the 

station’s Web site and Forest Service Treesearch site. Some of these publications 

are decades old but still relevant today.

1. Simulating Fuel Treatment Effects in Dry Forests of the Western 

United States: Testing the Principles of a Fire-Safe Forest (2011; 

Canadian Journal of Forest Research) 

2. Water, Climate Change, and Forests: Watershed Stewardship for 

a Changing Climate (2010; PNW-GTR-812)

3. Adaptive Management of Natural Resources: Theory, Concepts, 

and Management Institutions (2005; PNW-GTR-654)

4. FRAGSTATS: Spatial Pattern Analysis Program for Quantifying 

Landscape Structure (1995; PNW-GTR-351)

5. A Tale of Two Cedars—International Symposium on Western 

Redcedar and Yellow-Cedar (2010; PNW-GTR-828) 

6. Natural Vegetation of Oregon and Washington (1973; PNW-GTR-008)

7. Nonnative Invasive Plants of Pacific Coast Forests: A Field Guide 

for Identification (2011; PNW-GTR-817)

8. The Formula Scribner Log Rule (1952; OSN-PNW-078)

9. Advances in Threat Assessment and Their Application to Forest 

and Rangeland Management (2010; PNW-GTR-802)

10. Ecological Characteristics of Old-Growth Douglas-Fir Forests 

(1981; PNW-GTR-118)
18 Pacific Northwest Research Station

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, 2010, to September 30, 2011

Incoming funding

 Base research appropriations: 

 $41.7 million (77%)

 Client support: $12.8 million (23%)

 Total funding: $54.5 million

Distribution of funds

 Permanent employee cost: 

 $31.1 million (57%)

 Support and operations: 

 $13.1 million (24%)

 Distributed to cooperators: 

 $10.4 million (19%)

 Of $10.4 million to cooperators, 

 71% went to educational institutions

Workforce statistics:

 Total station workforce: 413 employees

 Permanent workforce: 311 employees

 Of the permanent workforce, 

 85 employees (27%) are scientists

 Temporary workforce: 102 employees

250

200

150

100

50

0

Permanent employees by type

Support

Number

Year

Scientists

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Permanent positions

Temporary positions

Total positions

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Total employees

Number

Year

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Base research appropriations

Support from clients

Year

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Dollars in millions

Incoming funding
19 2011 Science Accomplishments

Funding Partners for 2011

Educational Institutions

Colorado State University

Loyola University

Michigan State University

Oregon State University

Portland State University

Southern Illinois University

Stanford University

State University of New York

University of Alaska (Anchorage)

University of Alaska (Southeast)

University of Hawaii (Hilo)

University of Idaho

University of Minnesota

University of New England

University of Oregon

University of Redlands

University of Washington

Native Tribes

Douglas Indian Association, Juneau, Alaska

Other Federal Agencies

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, National

Marine Fisheries Service

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, National

Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center

Department of Defense, Department of the 

Navy, Systems Management Activity

Educational Institutions

Oregon State University

University of Alaska (Southeast)

University of California, Berkeley

University of Oregon

Other Federal Agencies

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 Energy, 

Bonneville Power Administration

Department of the Interior, 

Bureau of Land Management

Department of the Interior, 

Fish and Wildlife Service

Department of the Interior, 

Geological Survey

Clients Who Provided Funding to the PNW Research Station for Studies

Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

Department of the Interior, Geological Survey

Department of the Interior, National Park Service

State Agencies

Arizona Board of Regents

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Municipal and County Agencies

Hillsboro, Oregon, Clean Water Services

Crook County, Oregon

Nongovernmental Organizations

Cascade Land Conservancy

Cascadia Conservation District

Conservation Biology Institute

Earth Systems Institute

Ecotrust

Forest Guild

Hawaii Forest Industry Association

Mount St. Helens Institute

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. 

Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

Student Conservation Association, Inc.

The Institute for Culture and Ecology

Western Forestry and Conservation Association

Private Industry

Carlson

MacGregor-Bates, Inc.

Seattle Biometrics and Analysis

Cooperators Who Received Funding From the PNW Research Station for Studies

Environmental Protection Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

 Goddard Space Flight Center

State Agencies

Oregon Department of Agriculture

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

Municipal Agencies

East Bay Regional Park District, California

Nongovernmental Organizations

National Fish and Wildlife Federation

Cascade Land Conservancy

Ecological Research, Inc.

Ecotrust

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. 

Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Private Industry

Dow Agrosciences
Climate Change

Key Findings and Products

 Recent changes in tundra fire regimes,

probably in response to climate warming,

may cause large amounts of carbon to be

released and offset any increases in carbon

storage acquired through Arctic greening.

 Researchers identify ecosystem processes

that can be monitored to track climaterelated change in Alaska’s forests.

 Gene expression atlases for Douglas-fir

and two subspecies of big sagebrush have

been produced in an effort to identify

climate-responsive genes in these species.

 New synthesis of physiological and

ecological responses of forest trees to

climate change is a resource for forest

vulnerability and risk assessments.

 Maps of predicted vegetation impacts

and associated climate change effects

on environmental services are available

on the Internet. 

20
 Mount St. Helens, Washington. Photo by Keith Routman. 21

Use: 

Federal agencies

use assessment 

to coordinate

monitoring.

Arctic fire releases large amounts of 

stored carbon to the atmosphere

Arctic tundra stores large amounts of carbon in 

cool wet soil that is hundreds to thousands of years old. 

Fire has been largely absent from this biome for thousands 

of years, but its frequency and extent are increasing, probably 

in response to climate warming. The Anaktuvuk River Fire 

in 2007 burned 645 square miles of Alaska’s Arctic slope, 

making it the largest fire on record for the tundra biome and 

doubling the cumulative area burned since 1950. The fire 

released 20 times more carbon to the atmosphere than what 

is lost annually from undisturbed tundra. This amount is 

similar in magnitude to the annual net carbon sink for the 

entire Arctic tundra biome averaged over the last quarter of 

the 20th century. If fires become a regular disturbance in the 

Arctic, massive amounts of stored carbon could be released 

to the atmosphere, leading to further warming of the Earth’s 

climate.

This research is being used to implement measurement 

techniques that estimate carbon loss in tundra areas. It is 

also being used by scientists who are initiating studies on the 

effect of fire disturbance on tree migration into the Arctic.

Contact: Teresa Hollingsworth, thollingsworth@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Bonanza Creek Long-Term Ecological Research Program, 

Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University 

of Florida, USDI Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service

Researchers identify options for monitoring 

climate-related changes in Alaska 

As temperatures have increased in the boreal 

forest region of Alaska over the past half century, 

spruce beetle outbreaks have become larger and more severe, 

wildfire frequency has increased, permafrost is melting, and 

boreal tree species in some regions are showing 

signs of drought stress. Yet impacts on species 

composition and ecological processes within 

forests are difficult to monitor. 

Researchers from the PNW Research Station and the Department of the Interior examined options 

for monitoring ecoregional-level change in northern latitudes. Climate-related changes to Alaska’s forests that could 

be monitored include changes in abundance and rarity of 

vascular plants, wildlife habitat, invasive species, fire risk, 

fire effects, postfire succession, impacts on forest growth and 

mortality from insects and diseases, and alterations in carbon 

pools and fluxes. Although managers of individual parks and 

refuges often have specific needs that require more targeted 
22 Pacific Northwest Research Station

cLIMATE C H A NGE

monitoring, regional level monitoring can help 

provide context for changes observed within 

smaller areas.

The researchers published an assessment of 

the Forest Service’s forest inventory program for 

monitoring climate-related change in Alaska’s 

forests in a 2011 special issue of the journal 

Biological Conservation. This information and an 

associated 2009 symposium on monitoring in 

northern latitudes led to the creation of Landscape 

Conservation Cooperatives, a multiagency effort 

to coordinate federal monitoring.

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

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: U.S. Geological Survey; USDI Fish and 

Wildlife Service, National Park Service 

Mycorrhizal fungi on roots of 

tundra shrubs may facilitate postfire 

establishment of tree seedlings 

Understanding the complex mechanisms 

controlling treeline advance or retreat has important 

implications for projecting ecosystem responses to 

direct and indirect effects of global environmental 

change. A warming climate not only promotes 

growth of seedlings and mature trees; it also 

enhances disturbances, such as fire that leads to 

further seedling establishment. Critical factors 

in postfire tree seedling establishment at treeline 

may be the availability of fungal inoculum for the 

formation of critical mycorrhizas, which facilitate 

water and nutrient acquisition. 

Preliminary results indicate that most species of 

tree seedlings can have overlapping fungal taxa 

with adjacent resprouting shrubs. Also, mature or 

late-successional fungi may be housed on the roots 

of tundra shrubs during fire disturbance, which are 

then available for recruiting seedlings. Synergistic 

activity between resprouting tundra shrubs and 

newly established seedlings after fire could either 

maintain boreal community dynamics at the limit 

of tree establishment or provide a mechanism for 

expansion under future scenarios of warming 

and fire.

Land and fire managers are using these results 

to help predict future successional trajectories in 

treeline and tundra ecosystems, and modelers are 

using these results to more accurately model mechanisms that limit and facilitate tree migration into 

previously unoccupied areas.

Contact: Teresa Hollingsworth, thollingsworth@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Bonanza Creek Long-Term Ecological Research 

Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Alaska 

Fairbanks, University of Florida, USDI Bureau of Land 

Management Alaska Fire Service

Warmer winters likely to expand 

range of dwarf mistletoe; yellowcedar continues uphill retreat 

Climate is a key control that regulates where 

tree species and their pathogens can survive. By 

analyzing forest inventory data, station scientists 

found that hemlock dwarf mistletoe, a leading 

disease agent for western hemlock, is restricted 

to the warmer southerly and low-elevation forests 

in Alaska. The absence of dwarf mistletoe in 

some hemlock forests may be attributed to shorter 

growing seasons or suggest that snow limits dwarf 

mistletoe’s reproductive dispersal. Both western 

hemlock and hemlock dwarf mistletoe are projected 

to benefit from a warmer, less snowy climate. 

Scientists are projecting the potential distributions 

of both the tree and disease agent to interpret the 

health of western hemlock forests during the next 

century in Alaska.

Olaf Kudgler

As the climate changes, bark beetles and fire pose 

increasing threats to Alaska’s boreal forests.
23 2011 Science Accomplishments

CLIMATE CHANGE

Western hemlock tree in Alaska killed by a dwarf mistletoe infection.

Paul Hennon

Continuing research on yellow-cedar populations 

in southeast Alaska found many dead trees at lower 

elevations, live trees most common at mid elevation, 

and that regeneration peaked at higher elevations. 

These trends are consistent with our understanding 

that the presence of spring snow is a primary factor 

in the health and successful regeneration of yellowcedar. This knowledge is guiding decisions about 

where to favor this valuable tree through planting 

and thinning.

Contact: Paul Hennon, phennon@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization Management Program

Partner: The Nature Conservancy

Changing climates present new 

threats to the conservation of 

forest genetic resources 

Conserving genetic resources is important 

for ensuring sustainability. It allows populations to 

continue to adapt to new environments and ensures 

that traits of interest for genetic improvement 

programs are available. As climates change, populations of native trees may become maladapted and 

genetic diversity may be lost. Some losses may be 

minimized by managing stands to be more resistant 

to threats by using silvicultural treatments such as 

thinning and prescribed burning. Natural selection 

and adaptation to changed environments may be 

promoted in reserves by increasing genetic diversity 

and promoting gene flow by locating reserves in 

areas of high environmental heterogeneity, minimizing fragmentation, and using assisted colonization. Collecting seeds, particularly from rare and 

isolated populations, is another important piece of 

genetic conservation efforts.

This research highlights the importance of identifying species and populations that are vulnerable 

to climate change and other threats. It also identifies steps that may help protect and conserve those 

species and populations. National forests in Oregon 

and Washington and the Washington Department 

of Natural Resources have begun working toward 

these goals by identifying stands for monitoring and 

seed collection.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program 

Partner: Oregon State University
24 Pacific Northwest Research Station

cLIMATE C H A NGE

Douglas-fir needles are flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen to 

preserve the status of gene expression at that instant. Back 

in the lab, researchers will look for adaptive genes that may 

help the species adapt to climate change. 

Geneticists make progress identifying 

genes responsible for climate tolerance 

in Douglas-fir and big sagebrush

Many forest and range plants are 

finely attuned to their local climate, 

making it necessary to match seed sources with 

planting locations. From ecological and economic 

perspectives, the adaptability of the plants is critical. 

Forest Service and university geneticists are working 

to identify genes that enable certain trees and plants 

to tolerate and adapt to climatic extremes. This 

knowledge will enable nursery managers to deliver 

locally adapted, genetically appropriate materials for 

restoration even as the climate changes. 

Gene expression atlases have been developed for 

two subspecies of big sagebrush, which together 

include 21,000 genes. Similar efforts in Douglas-fir 

have identified over 38,000. These atlases are being 

used in conjunction with common garden studies to 

identify the relevance of differential gene expression 

and genetic polymorphism in climatic adaptation. 

Candidate adaptive genes will be targeted for 

detailed study so that the genes responsible for 

climate tolerance and adaptability can be identified 

and managed in future forests.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Brigham Young University, Oregon State 

University, Utah State University, USDA Forest Service 

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Understanding physical processes of 

tree development offers clues to tree 

response to warmer climate

A tree undergoes many physical changes during 

its life. Leaf physiology, wood structure, mechanical properties, reproductive ability, and interactions 

with herbivores and pathogens are just some of the 

features that change as a seedling grows to maturity. Many of these changes are presumed to allow 

trees to acclimate to the environment and endure 

for millennia. Understanding these processes may 

be key to anticipating their response to warmer 

climates. 

A new book, Size- and Age-Related Changes in 

Tree Structure and Function, highlights some implications of these size- and age-related changes for 

commercial forestry plantations with shortened 

rotational ages. It also discusses how current and 

future forests will likely respond to climate and 

other environmental changes. 

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Oregon State University, University 

of California Berkeley

For more information: Meinzer, F.C.; Lachen-bruch, B.; 

Dawson, T.E., eds. 2011. Size- and age-related changes in 

tree structure and function. Tree Physiology 4, Springer 

Science and Business Media. http://www.springer.com/

life+sciences/forestry/book/978-94-007-1241-6.

Scientists synthesize knowledge of 

tree responses to climate change

Several decades of research exist on 

the potential responses of trees and forests 

to climate-related stresses. Station scientists and 

colleagues at Oregon State University synthesized 

more than 400 research articles addressing 

physiological and ecological responses of trees 

and forests to variations in climate and associated 

stresses and disturbance agents. Although based 

Richard Cronn
25 2011 Science Accomplishments

CLIMATE CHANGE

on an international body of research, the 

synthesis highlights potential climate 

changes and responses from species and 

ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. It 

is organized around key themes: elevated 

levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, 

temperature, precipitation, fire, pests, 

and their interactions, and discusses 

vulnerabilities and risks from a forestry 

management perspective. The authors 

identify options for silvicultural and 

genetic approaches to managing for forest 

adaptation.

The synthesis is a resource when 

conducting forest vulnerability and risk 

assessments and planning adaptation 

strategies. Researchers and modelers may 

also find it useful when developing and 

testing hypotheses or models of forest 

development and production under various 

future climatic conditions. 

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon Department of Forestry; Oregon 

Forest Resources Institute; Oregon State University; 

Taskforce on Adapting Forests to Climate Change; 

USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region; USDI

Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service; 

Washington Department of Natural Resources

For more information: Chmuraa, D.J.; Anderson, 

P.D.; Howe, G.T. [et al.]. 2011. Forest responses 

to climate change in the northwestern United 

States: ecophysiological foundations for adaptive 

management. Forest Ecology and Management. 

261: 1121–1142.

Spring budburst model projects 

timing of budburst under different 

winter conditions 

Many plant species and different populations 

within species have evolved so that their spring 

budburst coincides with environmental conditions 

conducive to growth. Plants sense cold and warm 

temperatures during winter so that they can tell 

when winter has passed and it is safe to burst bud. 

New growth that emerges too early in the spring, 

for example, could be killed by a later cold snap. 

Climate change has the potential to alter the 

signals that plants use, thereby changing the timing 

of budburst. Models are needed to predict the 

timing of budburst under different types of winter Connie Harrington

Different populations of Douglas-fir burst bud at different times. 

The seedling in the foreground has not burst bud while the one 

from a different population behind it has begun to grow. 

conditions. Because different populations have 

evolved to survive in different winter environments, 

the models need to be sensitive to how each 

population determines when it is safe to burst bud. 

Station scientists developed a model to predict the 

timing of budburst for populations of Douglas-fir, 

the major tree species in northwest forests.

The budburst model has been published so that 

it can be used by other scientists and land managers. It can be used to help assess climate impacts on 

scales ranging from individual trees to the entire 

range of coast Douglas-fir. 

Contact: Peter Gould, pgould@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon State University, USDI Bureau 

of Land Management, Washington Department 

of Natural Resources
26 Pacific Northwest Research Station

cLIMATE C H A NGE

Maps summarizing projected change 

in global and North America 

vegetation available online

Until now, the sheer volume of 

information generated by the MC1 dynamic 

global vegetation model simulations has created a 

bottleneck when it comes to analysis, limiting its 

utility to managers, regulators, and policymakers. 

The MC1 model is routinely used in North 

America to predict vegetation impacts associated 

with climate-change projections to the year 2100, 

as well as associated changes to ecosystem services 

such as water availability and carbon sequestration. 

When using 5- by 5-mile grid cells, roughly 

350,000 cells cover North America, and MC1 

outputs for each cell include over 50 measures for 

each of three climate realizations (from multiple 

general-circulation models) and three carbonemission scenarios, and data are output monthly for 

a 200-year simulation. The MC1 user community 

spans a large number of international, federal, 

state, local, and nongovernmental organizations. 

Now, the most commonly requested summary map 

products from the global and North American 

MC1 simulations are available to this community 

for viewing and download from the DataBasin Web 

site at http://databasin.org/. 

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Conservation Biology Institute, Environmental 

Systems Research Institute, Oregon State University

New NetMap module facilitates 

climate change planning at the 

watershed level

The effects of climate change differ depending 

on local conditions such as topography and aspect, 

making it difficult for natural resource managers 

and decisionmakers to plan ahead. To remove some 

of the guesswork, Forest Service 

scientists and collaborators 

developed NetMap, a tool to 

help users determine where a 

suite of ecological processes that 

influence aquatic ecosystems are 

likely to occur in a particular 

landscape. Now, researchers 

have added a feature to NetMap 

so users can further scale likely 

climate-change impacts to 

specific watersheds in national 

forests of the Pacific Northwest. 

Changes in the pattern and 

amount of streamflow, water 

temperatures, and wildfire 

frequency and magnitude are 

the main impacts considered. 

Results from this analysis can 

be exported to Google Earth to 

better show where changes are 

most likely to occur.

NetMap and the associated 

downscaled projections were 

shared with five national forests 

in the Pacific Northwest in 

2011. National forest personnel 

are using the projections to help 

develop management strategies 

and programs to respond to 

climate change and to develop 

Global climate models indicate that areas of highest elevation are predicted to 

have the greatest reduction in snowmelt runoff by 2080 in the upper Yakima basin, 

Washington. In NetMap, downscaled predictions from global climate models are 

routed downstream, creating a fish-eye view of potential climate impacts that 

include increased winter flooding or reduced summer low flows.

Use: 

Five national 

forests use new 

projections to plan 

for climate change.
27 2011 Science Accomplishments

CLIMATE CHANGE

more strategic monitoring plans. All national forests 

in the Pacific Northwest will have NetMap and the 

climate change module by September 2012. The 

Bureau of Land Management has contracted the 

PNW Research Station to make NetMap available 

for selected districts in Oregon, as has the Tongass 

National Forest in Alaska.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Earth Systems Institute, University of Washington

How to get it: http://netmaptools.org/

Science-management partnership 

facilitates management adapted to 

climate change

As part of an agency-wide effort, station scientists have been collaborating with national forest 

managers and other agencies to ensure that climate 

change will be addressed effectively on federal land. 

Through a science-management partnership, they 

have developed scientific principles, processes, and 

tools for communicating about climate science, 

conducting assessments of the vulnerability of 

natural resources to climate change, and developing 

adaptation strategies and tactics that ensure sustainability of resources in a warmer climate. 

In the Pacific Northwest, scientists and land 

managers have developed (1) a vulnerability 

assessment and climate change adaptation strategy for Olympic National Forest and Olympic 

National Park, (2) a national adaptation guidebook 

for national forests, and (3) the North Cascadia 

Adaptation Partnership (http://northcascadia.org), 

which is implementing education, vulnerability 

assessment, and adaptation planning across two 

national forests and two national parks in Washington state.

This effort is helping national forests follow the 

U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Roadmap and 

addresses specific elements in the Climate Change 

Scorecard, which is used by national forests to 

track progress on the integration of climate change 

into their operations.

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

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: University of Washington Climate Impacts 

Group, USDI National Park Service

For more information: Peterson, D.L.; Millar, C.I.; Joyce, 

L.A. [et al.]. 2011. Responding to climate change in 

national forests: a guidebook for developing adaptation 

options. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-855. Portland, OR: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Research Station. 109 p.

Field crew inventory a study plot on the Wenatchee National Forest.

Jon Williams
Community

 Sustainability

Community 

 Sustainability

 Forest Service projects funded by the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act produced short- and longterm jobs and other social, economic, 

and health benefits in economically 

distressed rural communities while 

helping the agency meet its forest 

management goals.

 Comprehensive report on woodto-energy projects guides USDA 

initiative to build a forest restoration 

economy. 

 Airborne LIDAR sampling provides 

a tool for efficiently estimating forest 

bioenergy supply near communities in 

interior Alaska.

 Partnerships expand agency capacity 

and build community ties. 

 Recreation activities in national 

forests burn billions of calories each 

year, helping combat obesity.

Key Findings and Products

28
29

Tools

Tribal Climate Change Project Profiles

Description: 

With their close cultural and economic relationship to the land, 

American Indian and Alaska Native tribes face disproportionate risks 

associated with climate change. Station scientists have developed 

information tools to help build awareness of the unique problems 

faced by tribal stakeholders in addressing natural resource issues, 

as well as their innovative approaches to adaptation. These profiles 

summarize climate change mitigation and adaptation projects 

implemented around the United States to share success stories 

and provide examples for others to learn from. In addition, profiles 

include information on available resources, key contacts, and government programs that can provide services or grants.

Use: 

The Lummi Nation and Swinomish, Coquille, and Nez Perce Tribes 

have all participated in the process, using the method to initiate 

adaptation planning and projects that anticipate further climate 

change. The collaborative model is being replicated in Forest Service 

research stations across the agency as part of an all-station tribal 

climate change initiative. 

How to get it: 

http://tribalclimate.uoregon.edu/tribal-profiles/

Contact: 

Ellen Donoghue, edonoghue@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Web Site: Green Cities—Good Health

Description: 

This Web site concisely summarizes the benefits of urban trees and 

green spaces, based on more than 1,700 scientific articles. Key findings are presented for multiple audiences, such as resource managers 

in local government, conservation groups, and nongovernmental 

organizations. The research evidence about the benefits of the 

human experience of nature in cities indicates proximity to nature 

can lead to stress reduction, healing, better learning and work productivity, and improved social dynamics in communities. All of these 

findings have broad implications, from human capital enhancement, 

to community cohesion, to economic costs and benefits.

Use: 

This project provides a suite of evidence-based products that explain 

the diverse benefits associated with having well-managed nature in 

cities and towns.

How to get it: 

http://www.greenhealth.washington.edu/

Contact: 

Dale Blahna, dblahna@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

 Loading kiln-dried lumber at dry kiln and restacker facility in

Tamarack, Idaho, a project funded by the American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act. Photo by Jessi Kershner.
community

30 Pacific Northwest Research Station

Investment in rural communities 

created social and economic benefits 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed in 2009 as 

part of a nationwide stimulus to create jobs for 

Americans in economically distressed locations 

across the country. The Forest Service received 

$1.15 billion in ARRA stimulus money for recovery 

projects intended to increase economic opportunities in local communities, while addressing the 

agency’s mission of sustaining the health of public 

forests and grasslands. Did these investments make 

a difference in rural areas? 

A station scientist led an evaluation of the social 

and economic impacts of ARRA-funded projects in 

eight economically distressed rural areas across the 

United States. Her team found that Forest Service 

investments in these projects helped meet the goals 

of the Recovery Act and demonstrated that Forest 

Service investments in rural communities can 

have far-reaching social and economic benefits 

for local residents, as well as positive outcomes 

for the agency.

Some of these outcomes included short and longterm job creation, revitalizing existing economic 

sectors, stimulating new economic capacity, and 

accomplishing restoration work of a type and at a 

scale that would not have happened otherwise. 

Contact: Susan Charnley, scharnley@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: Auburn University; Fort Lewis College; 

Southern Oregon University; University of Oregon; 

USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, 

Southern Research Station 

Citation: Charnley, S.; Jakes, P.; Schelhas, J., tech. coords. 

2011. Socioeconomic assessment of Forest Service American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects: eight case 

studies. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-831. Portland, OR: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Research Station. 168 p. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/

pubs/37857 

Lessons learned from past 

wood-to-energy project 

may help current effort

As oil prices climb, rural communities 

struggle, and forests accumulate fuel, the 

pressure to address these challenges becomes more 

insistent. An interagency wood-to-energy program 

could provide a solution that would benefit the 

American people in several ways, including reducing or completely offsetting costs of forest restoration and fire-risk-reduction activities; reducing the 

use of fossil fuels for production of electricity, thermal energy, and liquid fuels; and helping to stabilize 

the economies of rural communities. Recognizing 

this, Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas 

Vilsack stated a goal of advancing forest restoration 

efforts through woody biomass utilization. 

A station scientist was asked to contribute to 

this effort by developing a comprehensive report 

on lessons learned from previous wood-to-energy 

projects. The report yielded recommendations that 

will help the Department of Agriculture form new 

partnerships and maximize opportunities to pursue 

development of wood to energy.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

An American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project on 

the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest enabled some 

contractors to stay in business through the recession.

Emily Jane Davis
community

Station scientists are contributing to various efforts examining the feasibility of wood-to-energy projects. Above, a truck 

unloads woody biomass that will be used to produce electricity at the Blue Lake power plant in California.

31 2011 Science Accomplishments Susan Charnley

LIDAR used to estimate biomass supply 

near interior Alaska communities

Remote rural communities in interior Alaska generally rely on fossil fuel to 

meet their power and heating needs. Diesel prices 

increased 83 percent from 2000 to 2005, however, 

and utility costs can amount to more than a third 

of a household’s income. Wood-based energy may 

be a viable alternative, but estimates of available 

forest biomass are needed before comprehensive 

plans for bioenergy production can be developed. 

Interior Alaska has relatively few roads, making it 

difficult to measure biomass availability over a large 

area using conventional ground-based sampling 

methods. Therefore, researchers tested the precision 

of data collected by aircraft equipped with LIDAR 

(airborne laser scanners) and used it in conjunction 

with data from sparse field plots.

The LIDAR sampling approach estimated total 

biomass with an 8 percent level of precision, indicating that the 200,000-hectare study in the upper 

Tanana valley contained 8.1 million (± 0.7 million) 

metric tons of biomass. They found that precision 

increased when plot locations were more accurately 

located, when larger plots were measured, and when 

additional smaller trees in the ground plots were 

measured. 

This study indicates that airborne LIDAR 

sampling can be useful in planning bioenergy 

development in interior Alaska. In regions with very 

limited road access, an approach to field plot selection within accessible areas can be used to ensure 

that representative plots are measured to develop 

robust LIDAR biomass estimates. 

Contact: Hans Andersen, handersen@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partner: Oregon State University 
community

Volunteers build a trail on the Sandy River Delta, Oregon. 

32 Pacific Northwest Research Station

Partnerships expand agency capacity 

and build community ties

The Forest Service has responded 

to declining budgets and diverse public 

demands by increasing its reliance on collaboration with partners. A station scientist developed a 

conceptual framework of recreation partnerships 

to help identify some of the implications of these 

interactions for accomplishing agency goals. The 

scientist found that partnership durability can be 

enhanced through strong personal connections, 

clear communication, and transparent expectations 

and roles. In some cases, strong relationships that 

balance partner priorities and agency goals can yield 

greater outcomes, provide access to new partnership networks, and supply additional resources. 

However, the assumption that partnerships provide 

free services that can simply replace agency functions with minimal investment can be problematic. 

Partnerships actually require considerable effort 

and investment in fostering relations and ensuring 

followthrough. 

Contact: Lee Cerveny, lcerveny@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partner: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Houses with street trees are 

less prone to crime 

A study in Portland, Oregon, found that houses 

fronted with more street trees experience lower 

crime rates, as do houses with large yard trees. 

These results hold for total-crime rates as well as 

specific property crimes such as 

vandalism and burglary. Trees 

may reduce crime by signaling 

that a neighborhood is well cared 

for. These findings are consistent with the “broken window” 

hypothesis, which maintains that signs of neighborhood neglect, such as graffiti or untended yards, 

send a signal to potential criminals that the area is 

run down and that residents may not take steps to 

protect it. However, yards that contain many small 

trees had higher crime rates. Small trees and shrubs 

can obstruct views, making it easier for criminals 

to hide. Other view-obstructing features, such as 

fences, were also associated with higher crime rates. 

This finding underlines the tradeoff homeowners 

must make between security and privacy.

The City of Portland’s Crime Prevention 

Program is incorporating these findings in its 

Use: 

Portland’s Crime 

Prevention 

Program uses 

finding to educate 

homeowners.

Megan McGuire
community

Researchers found a relationship between large urban 

trees, lower crime rates, and higher birth weights. 

33 2011 Science Accomplishments

education and outreach work with local service 

providers, public safety activists, neighborhood 

associations, and other community members. 

This study received considerable media coverage. 

The Associated Press picked it up, leading to over 

300 stories in newspapers and magazines and on 

television and radio. Outlets include the Washington 

Post, USA Today, Associated Press, UPI, Daily 

Mail (England), NPR, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN, 

Discovery News, Science Daily, and Landscape 

Architecture Magazine.

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

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station 

Urban trees linked to better 

birth outcomes 

A recent study by the PNW Research Station 

explored the link between tree cover and human 

birth outcomes in Portland, Oregon. Scientists 

compared tree cover around the homes of nearly 

6,000 women who delivered babies 

in Portland in 2006 and 2007. They 

found that women in homes with 

more canopy cover within 50 meters 

were less likely to have an underweight baby. Proximity to private 

open space also reduced this risk. 

To rule out other possible effects, scientists controlled for over 100 variables including the mother’s 

age, ethnic background, household income, and 

education level. Previous research has shown that 

exposure to nature can reduce stress levels, which 

suggests that trees may improve birth outcomes by 

reducing maternal stress. 

As the first study to demonstrate the link 

between the natural environment and reproductive 

health, this information supports urban planning 

and policymaking by providing specific examples of 

the positive impact trees have on community wellbeing. Findings are directly relevant to the Multnomah County Health Department’s mission to 

enhance the health of the people in the community. 

The Alliance for Community Trees in Maryland 

is using the study in its education and outreach 

campaign. These findings were reported widely 

in the media, including several newspapers in the 

Pacific Northwest, radio interviews, and online 

sources. 

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

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: Drexel University, Multnomah County Health 

Department, National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Annual recreation on national 

forests burns 289 billion calories

Despite the known benefits of exercise, 

two-thirds of Americans do not get enough. 

Children average 30 hours a week in front of 

television or computer screens, and one in five 

are obese. But humans still have a psychological 

affinity for nature, and physical activity—especially 

outdoors—can contribute greatly to a healthy 

lifestyle. Scientists evaluated the public health 

benefits provided by national forests by estimating 

the calorie expenditure of visitors recreating on 

national forest lands. They found that national 

forests receive over 170 million recreation visits 

per year, featuring a range of physical activities 

including hiking, camping, skiing, wildlife viewing, Rhonda Mazza

Use: 

Alliance for 

Community Trees 

in Maryland 

includes findings 

in education 

campaign.
community

Hikers stay in shape on the Mount Hood National Forest.

Forests near Sitka, Alaska, sequester more carbon dioxide than the city 

produces, and opportunities exist for the city to further reduce its carbon 

emissions.

34 Pacific Northwest Research Station

and fishing. These and other activities burned 

more than 289 billion calories, of which nearly 264 

billion were expended by adults and about 26 billion 

were expended by youth. Expressed in terms of 

food, those calories equal enough french fries placed 

end-to-end to reach the moon and back, twice. 

The annual energy expenditures from national 

forest recreation are equivalent to the exercise necessary for 6.8 million adults and 317,000 youths to 

meet the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention guidelines regarding 

daily aerobic physical activity for a 

year. The President’s Taskforce on 

Childhood Obesity report called 

for continued investments in a wide 

range of outdoor recreation venues, such as national parks, forests, 

refuges, and other public lands as 

one approach to lessening childhood 

obesity. As a result, public health 

officials, policymakers, and recreation 

planners all need information on how 

outdoor recreation on public lands 

influence opportunities for physical 

activity. 

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

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partner: Oregon State University

Forests near Sitka, Alaska, 

sequester more CO2 than 

city produces 

Sitka, Alaska, has substantial 

hydroelectric resources, limited 

driving distances, and a relatively 

mild maritime climate, all suggesting strong opportunities for the 

city to lessen its carbon footprint. 

Station scientists evaluated humancaused carbon dioxide (CO2) 

emissions from Sitka, Alaska, and 

compared results with the estimated 

carbon sequestration potential of 

forest ecosystems on Baranof Island 

in southeast Alaska. They found 

that forest carbon sequestration 

was conservatively estimated to be 

about twice that of human-caused 

emissions from Sitka. Several factors could reduce 

Sitka’s carbon footprint even further, including a 

proposed expansion of the Blue Lake hydroelectric 

facility near Sitka, increased use of wood energy 

for residential heating, use of electric vehicles, and 

adoption of energy conservation practices throughout the community.

Contact: David Nicholls, dlnicholls@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Keith Routman

David Nicholls
community

Team harmony and an empowered leader were the most consistent predictors of 

positive outcomes in meeting NEPA requirements.

35 2011 Science Accomplishments

Evaluation of NEPA 

processes finds that 

team harmony and 

empowered leaders 

lead to success

The Forest Service

has struggled to understand 

why its planning procedures 

associated with the National 

Environmental 

Policy Act 

(NEPA) are 

sometimes 

inefficient, 

perform poorly in the eyes of 

the public, and fail to deliver 

outputs that advance agency 

mission. Looking for solutions, 

researchers examined a representative sample 

of NEPA processes conducted by the agency 

between 2007 and 2009. They examined 

interdisciplinary team leaders’ perceptions of 

the following outcomes: achievement of agency 

goals and NEPA mandates, process efficiency, 

public relations, and team outcomes. The most 

consistent predictors of positive outcomes 

in meeting NEPA requirements were team 

harmony and a team leader who felt empowered. 

The results suggest the importance of genuine 

concern and respect for participating members 

of the public, as well as effective interagency 

coordination.

Forest Service leadership and others who 

regularly work with NEPA planning are using 

this information to develop new training sessions 

for managing interdisciplinary teams.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partner: Virginia Tech

Use: 

Forest Service 

develops new 

NEPA training 

based on findings.

NEPA processes influenced by 

external social pressures 

The National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) requires an environmental assessment 

(EA) or a more involved environmental impact 

statement (EIS) to be completed before federal 

action can occur, if there is potential for the activity 

to negatively affect the environment 

Researchers found that the reasons for preparing 

an EIS were in many cases not clearly related to 

the environmental focus of NEPA and its regulations. The NEPA for the 21st Century Initiative 

found that practitioners followed several themes 

for preferring an EIS over an EA that went beyond 

the considerations outlined in official regulations. 

These themes included threat of litigation and 

ability to withstand legal challenges, level of public 

controversy, and the ability to incur a significant 

impact.

The possibility that a NEPA practitioner may 

consider these factors is being built into a riskmanagement framework under development. This 

framework will help practitioners determine an 

appropriate course of action for accomplishing their 

NEPA responsibilities.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: State University of New York, Virginia Tech

Tom Iracis
Fire and Smoke

 A new book, The Landscape Ecology of Fire, analyzes wildfire

in western North America at the spatial scales most relevant

for management, with an emphasis on how fire regimes may

evolve in an era of rapid global change.

 Intensive thinning treatments are needed to reduce crown

fire hazard in dry forests of the western United States.

 The MC1 Fire Forecasting System provides the basis for

experimental forecasts of annual firefighting expenditures

and optimal timing for prescribed fire.

Key Findings and Products

36
37

Tools

 June 2011 Wallow Fire, Apache-Sitgreaves 

National Forest, Arizona. Photo by Jayson Coil.

Fuel Characteristic

Classification System

(FCCS) v. 2.2

Description:

The Fuel Characteristic Classification System 

(FCCS) was designed to build and catalog 

fuelbeds by using inventoried fuel data, 

photo series, or literature. Fuelbeds span 

the canopy to the ground and have been 

mapped for the continental United States. 

The system predicts surface fire behavior 

including reaction intensity, flame length, 

and rate of spread; and surface fire behavior, 

crown fire, and available fuel potential using 

a 9-point index. Version 2.2 was released in 

2011 with refined fire behavior equations, a 

total carbon calculator, and options for both 

metric and English units. Station scientists 

are working with the University of Aveiro, 

Portugal, and the University of Alcala, 

Spain, to build FCCS fuelbeds representing 

Portugal and the world. 

Use: 

The FCCS is used to build and characterize 

fuels for specified areas at any scale of interest. FCCS fuelbeds have been created for 

the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 

central Oregon, the Lake Tahoe Basin, and 

the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah 

River Site. The associated fire behavior 

predictions and total carbon represented 

by the fuelbeds for these areas also have 

been mapped. This information is being 

used for fire hazard planning and evaluating 

fuels treatment effectiveness. 

How to get it:

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

Contact: 

Roger Ottmar, rottmar@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and 

Management Program
38 

Tools

Fuel Characteristics Classification System/

Forest Vegetation Simulator Postprocessor

Description:

The Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) is used to predict forest stand dynamics. It is used extensively throughout the United States. The Fire and Fuels 

Extension to FVS, when combined with the Fuel Characteristic Classification 

System (FCCS), has the potential to model fire effects and succession more 

realistically and with higher resolution. Postprocessors are stand-alone 

applications that extend the capabilities of a model. This new postprocessor 

will integrate the effects of silvicultural and surface fuel treatments, using 

realistic fuels and making the fuels component more visible, user friendly, 

and flexible within the modeling system. 

Use:

The FVS is the standard model used by various government agencies including the USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management, and USDI

Bureau of Indian Affairs. The new interface provided by this postprocessor 

will allow managers to more accurately determine the outcomes of fuel 

treatments, especially with respect to duration of treatment effectiveness. 

How to get it:

Tool will be distributed with the FVS program, or download from 

http://www.fs.fed.us/fmsc/fvs/software/postprocessors.php

Contact:

Morris C. Johnson, mcjohnson@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Modeling the Effect of Fire on Aquatic Systems

Description: 

These models predict the potential of fire to alter critical in-stream salmon 

habitat by modeling a fire’s potential to facilitate delivery of sediment and 

large wood to stream channels. The models are also used to consider road 

impacts following fires.

The analysis tools incorporate the physical attributes of hillslopes and 

of stream channels with models of fire behavior and fire intensity across 

the landscape. These tools are designed to be used with output from 

FlamMap—a fire behavior mapping and analysis program. The models 

are available in the ArcGIS version of NetMap and some portion of them 

will become available in a Web browser in 2012. 

Use: 

These tools are intended for land and natural resource management. 

How to get it: 

http://www.netmaptools.org/

Contact: 

Rebecca Flitcroft, rflitcroft@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partner: 

Earth Systems Institute

 June 2011 Wallow Fire, Apache-Sitgreaves 38 National Forest, Arizona. Photo by Jayson Coil.
39

FIRE and smoke

A 2011 study provided quantitative guidelines for thinning and fuel treatments in the western United States.

New book analyzes landscape fire 

regimes across western North America 

Understanding wildfire dynamics 

across a broad range of spatial scales is critical in an era of rapid climate change. Ecological 

fire science is most complex at intermediate scales 

(e.g., watersheds or national forest districts). The 

recently published book The Landscape Ecology of 

Fire presents new work on the theoretical context 

of landscape fire, including cross-scale analyses; 

fire climatology specifically applied to landscapes; 

effects of fire on biogeochemistry, wildlife populations, and other ecosystem elements; and management and the human dimension of landscape fire 

in a warming climate. For example, cross-scale 

analysis of fire regimes from watersheds to ecoregions suggests that shifting controls on fire occurrence and spread (climate, topography, fuels) can be 

quantified and projected into new climate regimes. 

On the human side, regional-scale adaptation strategies are presented along with a West-wide analysis 

of the effects of population growth on wilderness 

fire management.

The book is written for university students, 

agency scientists, and land managers with jurisdictions from local watersheds to broad ecoregions 

(e.g., Forest Service regions). Two new lines of 

research stem from this book: the ecohydrology 

of fire and landscape fire theory.

Contact: Don McKenzie, donaldmckenzie@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program 

Partners: University of Arizona, University of Washington, 

USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station

For more information: McKenzie, D.; Miller, C.; Falk, D.A., 

eds. 2011. The landscape ecology of fire. Ecological Studies. 

V. 213. New York: Springer Science. 312 p.

Simulating fuel treatments on 

40,000 stands yields quantitative 

guidelines for resource managers 

Dry forest ecosystems prevalent in 

western North America historically exhibited 

high-frequency and low- to moderate-severity fire 

regimes. Several decades of fire exclusion have 

made these forests more susceptible to active crown 

fire and higher burn severity. Fuel treatments are 

Tom Iraci
FIRE and smok e

40 Pacific Northwest Research Station

often implemented to reduce fire hazard caused by 

increased stem densities in low- to moderate-severity fire regimes. With millions of hectares of dry 

forests in the western United States requiring fuel 

treatment, forest and fire managers need information to support science-based decisionmaking for 

fuel management. 

In the largest study ever evaluating the effectiveness of fuel treatments, researchers used simulation results from over 40,000 stands to infer that 

thinning to 50 to 100 trees per acre followed by 

prescribed burning to remove slash was the most 

effective treatment combination to reduce crown 

fire hazard in dry forest types throughout the 

western United States. These quantitative guidelines for thinning and fuel treatment provide 

resource managers and fire managers with the 

scientific basis for reducing stand densities and 

surface fuels.

This study received significant media coverage; it was featured in Greenwire, Land Letter, 

National Public Radio, and the Arizona Daily 

Sun, among others.

Contact: Morris C. Johnson, mcjohnson@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partner: University of Washington

Fire forecasting system provides basis 

for expenditure forecast and timing 

of prescribed fire

Station scientists produce continuously updated 7-month forecasts of fire 

potential and drought for the conterminous United 

States for use in fire management planning. As 

of 2010, these high-resolution forecast models are 

routinely run at the Arctic Region Supercomputer 

Center in partnership with the University of 

Alaska. Along with summary maps of predicted 

drought and fire potential, the MC1 Fire Forecasting System now also predicts area burned, 

the moisture content of several live and dead fuel 

classes, and measures of potential fire behavior 

including rate of spread, fireline intensity, and the 

energy release component. These detailed data 

are being provided as input to two new experimental forecasting systems under development 

by researchers at the Rocky Mountain Research 

Station and Western Regional Climate Center 

(WRCC).

The Rocky Mountain Research Station is using 

MC1 burn forecasts to predict annual firefighting expenditures with results that are significantly 

better than the professional judgments currently 

made at the National Interagency Fire Center. 

The WRCC is using MC1 forecasts of fuel moisture and fire behavior to predict optimal timing 

for prescribed fire and posting them monthly to a 

WRCC-sponsored Web site. 

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

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

and Function Program

Partners: Desert Research Institute, Oregon State 

University, National Interagency Fire Center, University 

of Alaska, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research 

Station, Western Regional Climate Center

 June 2011 Wallow Fire, Apache-Sitgreaves 

40 National Forest, Arizona. Photo by Jayson Coil.
FIRE and smok e

41 2011 Science Accomplishments

June 2011 Wallow Fire, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona.

Station expertise helped predict 

smoke from Southwest fires 

This year, numerous large wildfires burned 

across the southwestern United States. Fueled by 

historically low fuel moistures, these fires exhibited explosive growth and grew to unprecedented 

size—the Wallow Fire is the largest 

in contemporary Arizona history. 

The smoke from these fires created 

a significant public health challenge, 

blanketing large swaths of Arizona 

and New Mexico with unhealthy air 

quality conditions. 

Federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies pooled resources to create a coordinated smoke 

and health effects outlook that was disseminated 

to the public. Expertise from the PNW Research 

Station was requested and was a key component of 

this effort. Station scientists provided a core set of 

customized advanced smoke modeling results and 

expert analyses to the group on a daily basis. Their 

efforts were instrumental in determining the daily 

smoke outlook. 

These reports were linked to the Web site that 

lists information about all active fires in the Nation 

(Inciweb) and accessed thousands of times by 

involved agencies and the public. The reports were 

redistributed by up to 20 agencies that coordinated 

their message through daily consultations. The 

smoke outlooks were also picked up by television 

stations around the region and were used by the 

public for such things as rescheduling sporting 

events to avoid times of peak smoke. 

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

Characterization and Management Program 

Partners: Desert Research Institute; Lawrence Livermore 

National Laboratory’s National Atmospheric Release 

Advisory Center; Mazama Science; National Weather

Service; Sonoma Technology, Inc.; USDA Forest Service 

Southwestern Region Fire and Aviation Management, 

Wildland Fire Research Development and Application

Use: 

National 

Interagency Fire 

Coordination 

Center uses 

expertise to issue 

daily smoke 

forecasts.

Jayson Coil
FIRE and smok e

42 Pacific Northwest Research Station

Analysis of atmospheric thermal 

troughs suggests why they cause 

more active fire behavior 

Thermal troughs are atmospheric structures 

found along the west coast of the United States, 

characterized by high surface temperatures and low 

pressure. They typically form along the coast or in 

Oregon’s Willamette Valley and eventually move 

eastward across the Cascade Range. They are associated with active, highly variable fire behavior at 

all times, but most notably as they cross the ridge of 

the Cascades. Analysis of historical thermal troughs 

using atmospheric models revealed characteristic 

wind patterns aloft, patterns that are not detectable 

on the ground but capable of intensifying winds and 

fire behavior. Continuing, more detailed analysis of 

a small set of thermal trough events and the associated fire behavior is clarifying finer scale structure 

and the forces causing the wind patterns.

A prototype Web page has been created and 

shared with the Northwest fire weather community 

for their use and evaluation. The numerical prediction maps and atmospheric cross-sections displayed 

were chosen based on ongoing discussions with 

the National Weather Service and the Northwest 

Interagency Coordination Center.

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

Characterization and Management Program

Partners: National Weather Service, Northwest Interagency 

Coordination Center, University of Washington, USDA 

Forest Service Washington office

For more information: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/

mm5rt/firewatch.html

A prescribed burn in a 

stand of Oregon white 

oak will keep fuel 

levels low and help 

prevent conifers from 

encroaching. 

Dave Peter

Summer prescribed burns can 

reduce acorn production by 

Oregon white oak 

The Oregon white oak is a sun-loving tree. 

Without fire, conifers increasingly dominate the 

stand, and oak is eventually shaded out. Prior to 

Euro-American settlement, American Indians who 

gathered acorns for food frequently burned Oregon 

white oak woodlands to favor the tree. This killed 

the young conifers and led to grassy understories. 

These low-intensity grass fires often caused only 

minor canopy damage to oaks. Prescribed fire is 

once again being used in many Pacific Northwest 

woodlands to control competition from woody 

vegetation. Understory conditions have changed, 

however. Where shrubs have replaced grass, fire 

burns hotter and causes more tree damage. 

Because white oak flowers and leaves form 

inside the buds one year prior to actual flowering, 

researchers found that buds are particularly vulnerable to summer fire damage. Researchers were able 

to relate fire intensity to acorn production. Even 

when tree buds are not killed, flowering and acorn 

production the following year may be reduced. This 

information will help land mangers effectively use 

prescribed burns to manage oak woodlands and 

wildlife that depend on acorns for food. 

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

Characterization and Management Program

Partner: U.S. Department of Defense, 

Joint Base Lewis-McChord 
FIRE and smok e

43 2011 Science Accomplishments

Aftermath of 2002 Biscuit Fire, Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon.

Tom Iraci

Postfire management influences 

later plant communities 

Restoring burned forests on federal 

lands in southwest Oregon may have multiple 

objectives, including protecting site productivity, 

maintaining diversity of species in the near and 

long term, and developing structurally complex 

mature stands. Station scientists have monitored 

various reforestation methods that were applied to 

burned plantations following the 2002 Timbered 

Rock Fire. They observed that removing 

competing vegetation had a greater effect on 

the composition of plant communities than did 

planting conifer seedlings.

Woody shrubs were cut back repeatedly during 

the first 3 years following conifer planting. This 

did not remove shrubs from the sites, but the 

temporary reduction in their abundance resulted 

in the early development of different postfire 

vegetation communities, when compared to 

sites where woody shrubs were not cut back. 

Initial increases in the occurrence of nonnative 

invasive species were very small, suggesting that 

the reforestation treatments were not likely to 

directly lead to invasive species problems.

This information may be useful to land 

managers in southwest Oregon who are 

preparing postfire strategies for reforestation, 

vegetation, and fuel management. It can also be 

applied more broadly by modelers interested in 

predicting postfire vegetation and fuel dynamics 

at stand and landscape scales. 

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon State University, 

USDI Bureau of Land Management
44

Forests and 

 Grasslands

Forests and 

 Grasslands

 New field guide highlights 56 of the most prevalent or 

problematic nonnative invasive plants in Pacific Coast forests.

 Landscape models indicate that sage grouse breeding habitat 

may historically have been more abundant than current 

management plans recommend.

 Spatial modeling helps land managers locate sudden oak 

death in Oregon and prioritize eradication efforts.

Key Findings and Products
45

Tools

Forest Sector Carbon Calculator

Software (FSCC)

Description: 

This online tool allows users to compare how stores of carbon in 

the forest and in forest products change over time following forest 

harvest and wildfire. The calculator is designed to give users a way to 

compare the short- and long-term effects of different forest management practices, wildfire occurrence, and assumptions about forest 

product use. It contains tutorials and produces graphs and data that 

can be downloaded for further analysis. It is intended to complement more technical models that are used to give precise estimates 

of actual levels of carbon storage for particular stands or landscapes 

with good forest inventory information. 

Use: 

This carbon calculator is designed for forest managers and educators 

who want to know how forest management practices might affect 

carbon storage and flux in forests and forest products. The tool will 

facilitate more informed debates, decisions, and policies concerning 

carbon and forest management.

How to get it: 

http://landcarb.forestry.oregonstate.edu/

Contact: 

Tom Spies, tspies@fs.fed.us, Ecological Process and Function Program

Virtual Trail for Olympic Habitat

Development Study

Description: 

This interactive Web site features photos, maps, and original artwork. 

Visitors can explore a study site on the Olympic Peninsula and learn 

about some of the silvicultural techniques that have been suggested 

for use in accelerating the development of structures and ecological 

communities associated with old-growth forests. 

Use: 

Natural resource professionals are using it to learn more about 

variable-density thinning, an experimental technique being used 

to accelerate development of old-growth characteristics. It will also 

be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about the plants 

and animals found in conifer forests on the Olympic Peninsula.

How to get it: 

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

Contact: 

Connie Harrington, charrington@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

 Coyote Wall, Washington. Photo by Keith Routman.
46 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Seedlot Selection Tool

Description: 

The Seedlot Selection Tool is a GIS 

mapping program designed to help 

forest managers match seedlots 

with planting sites based on climate 

information. The tool can be used 

to map current climates, or future 

climates based on selected climate 

change scenarios.

Use: 

Although the Seedlot Selection 

Tool is tailored for matching 

seedlots and planting sites, it can 

be used by anyone interested in 

mapping present or future climates 

defined by temperature and precipitation. Forest geneticists in the 

Pacific Northwest and the eastern 

Seedlot Selection Tool Web site.

United States have begun to 

use this tool to map climates 

corresponding to specific seed 

zones of interest, explore the 

ranges of climates within seed 

zones, and indicate how the 

locations of those climates 

change in the future. 

How to get it: 

http://sst.forestry.oregonstate.

edu/pnw/

Contact: 

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partner:

Oregon State University 

Center for Forest Provenance Data

Description: 

The Center for Forest Provenance Data is a centralized data and information management system 

designed to archive data from long-term provenance 

tests and seedling genecology studies and make 

those data available to facilitate collaboration among 

researchers. A provenance test is a planting where 

population samples from different geographical 

areas are grown together in one or more locations. 

Use: 

The Center for Forest Provenance Data promotes 

national and international collaboration among 

researchers studying the genetics of adaptation, as 

well as natural and managed responses to climate 

change. Over the past century, many provenance 

studies of forest trees have been established around 

the world, resulting in considerable long-term field 

data and seedling genecological information. These 

data are invaluable for developing and refining seed 

transfer guidelines, testing forest growth models, 

and understanding how trees will respond to climate 

change, as well as other uses yet to be determined. 

Researchers have begun to archive data in the database and make it available for collaboration.

How to get it: 

http://cenforgen.forestry.oregonstate.edu/index.php

Contact: 

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partner:

Oregon State University 

LandTrendr and TimeSync

Description: 

These tools are used in tandem to detect trends 

in forest disturbance and recovery. LandTrendr 

(Landsat-based detection of Trends in Disturbance 

and Recovery) is a mapping tool that automatically 

extracts information on land surface changes (e.g., 

fire, insect and disease damage, timber harvesting or 

regrowth) from Landsat satellite imagery. TimeSync 

is a companion image interpretation software tool 

for synchronizing algorithm and human interpretations of Landsat imagery. These tools capture both 

Tools
47 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Forest Inventory and Analysis crew in Alaska conducts daily briefing.

Walter Foss

short-duration events such as harvest and fire, and 

long-term trends such as declines in forest health 

and regrowth. Researchers can use these new tools 

to comprehensively map change over every Landsat 

pixel (30 m) since 1972 in forested ecosystems and 

understand the accuracy of the maps.

Use: 

The National Park Service uses these tools for its 

inventory and monitoring program. The Forest 

Service Pacific Northwest Region uses them for the 

Effectiveness Monitoring Program of the Northwest 

Forest Plan. The PNW Research Station, Oregon State 

University, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and 

the University of Maryland are using these tools to 

help characterize the U.S. carbon budget.

How to get it: 

http://landtrendr.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ 

http://www.fsl.orst.edu/larse/

Contact: 

Warren Cohen, wcohen@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners:

Oregon State University, NASA, University of 

Maryland, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 

Research Station

PNW-FIADB

Description: 

This tool allows users to work with the database 

populated and maintained by the Pacific Northwest 

Research Station’s Forest Inventory and Analysis 

team. Users can answer questions about the status 

and trends of forest resources by summarizing data 

on live and dead trees, down woody materials (fuels), 

and understory vegetation. 

Use: 

Resource managers and policymakers can use this 

tool to help inform their decisionmaking process. The 

LANDFIRE project used the database to update its 

comprehensive fuels maps and spatial data layers 

for the Pacific Northwest. The California Climate 

Action Registry used the database to develop baseline levels of carbon stocks in private forests in the 

state. The database was used to quickly respond to 

congressional requests about biomass size distribution and the availability of wood supplies from 

national forests.

Contact: 

Karen Waddell, kwaddell@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program
48 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

A greenhouse experiment found that native grasses slowed growth of invasive 

Scotch broom seedlings.

Seeding native grasses on soil 

with Scotch broom seeds slows 

development of this invasive species

Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a large 

nonnative shrub that has invaded forest and prairie 

sites throughout western Oregon and Washington. It produces many seeds that remain viable for 

several years, enabling Scotch broom to occupy sites 

for decades. Several native grasses of the Pacific 

Northwest, however, show promise as effective 

competitors for inhibiting development of Scotch 

broom seedlings.

In greenhouse experiments, three native perennial grass species were seeded into soils containing 

Scotch broom seeds. Biomass of Scotch broom 

seedlings decreased by 72 to 90 percent when 

grown under grass competition. The most competitive species, spike bentgrass (Agrostis exarata), was 

able to colonize all growing space and deplete soil 

water rapidly. The least competitive species, western 

fescue (Festuca occidentalis), developed more slowly. 

When combined with Scotch broom control treatments and seedbed preparation, native grass seeding 

is a promising approach for restoring invaded areas 

to native grasslands.

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

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partner: Center for Invasive Plant Management, 

Bozeman, Montana

New field guide highlights 

nonnative invasive plants found 

in Pacific Coast forests 

Nonnative plants affect the composition and function of natural and managed 

ecosystems. They can limit or degrade land use 

options and can be costly to eradicate. Despite their 

influence, very little comprehensive information 

on the abundance, distribution, and impact of 

nonnative invasive plants is available. To remedy 

this, researchers developed a prioritized list of 

nonnative invasive plants affecting forest lands in 

the Pacific coastal states of California, Oregon, 

and Washington. They produced a field guide 

featuring 56 invasive plants believed to be the most 

prevalent or problematic. The color photos of each 

plant in various stages of development and written 

descriptions in nontechnical language facilitate 

reliable identification in the field. 

The PNW Forest Inventory and Analysis program (FIA) is considering adopting the list and 

guide for targeted sampling of nonnative plants. 

Future FIA analyses would be able to assess the 

distribution and impact of these key nonnative 

species more effectively than current protocols.

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

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: Institute of Applied Ecology, 

University of Washington

For more information: Gray, A.N.; 

Barndt, K.; Reichard, S.H. 2011. 

Nonnative invasive plants of 

Pacific coast forests: a field guide 

for identification. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. PNW-GTR-817. Portland, OR: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Research Station. 91 p. http://

www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/

pnw_gtr817.pdf

Tim Harrington
49 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

At the Central Ferry Research Farm in Washington, a geneticist looks for variation in mountain brome grown from different 

seed sources. 

Seed transfer zones for mountain 

brome identified 

Mountain brome (Bromus carinatus) is a grass 

commonly used in restoration efforts. This means 

that populations are regularly transferred from one 

place to another. This research addresses questions 

about how far populations may be 

moved and still adapt to the new 

environment.

Researchers used common-garden 

studies at two contrasting test sites 

to evaluate mountain brome from a 

range of environments in the Blue 

Mountains. They found that plant 

traits varied significantly among populations and 

were frequently correlated to gradients of precipitation and temperature at source locations. The 

relationships between traits and climates were used 

to develop maps of genetic variation in multivariate 

adaptive traits, which were in turn used to delineate 

seed transfer zones for mountain brome in the Blue 

Mountains.

Seed transfer zones for mountain brome are 

being used by the Malheur, Ochoco, Umatilla, and 

Wallowa-Whitman National Forests to ensure that 

plant material used in restoration is adapted to the 

prevailing environmental conditions.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: USDA Agricultural Research Service, 

National Forest System

Native grasses need time but are part 

of an effective restoration effort 

Worldwide, invasive exotic plants have become 

one of the most pressing issues of grassland conservation and management. Herbicides are the primary 

method used to control invasive plants. Working 

in the Oregon Wenaha Wildlife Area, station 

scientists evaluated restoration efforts applied to 

grasslands dominated by the invasive plant, sulfur 

cinquefoil, 6 years after treatments. They found that 

combining herbicide use with sowing native grass 

seed was an effective grassland restoration strategy, 

when combined with temporary livestock exclusion. 

Of the five herbicides they evaluated, picloram 

best controlled sulfur cinquefoil during the study. 

However, without the addition of native perennial 

grass seeds, the sites continued to be dominated by 

exotic grasses. Seeding with native perennial grasses 

resulted in a 20-percent decrease in exotic grass 

cover, although success of was not apparent until 6 

years after treatment. Seeding success of grassland 

restoration projects may appear poor in the first 

years because of the slow growth of native perennial grass species in the interior West, even though 

recovery is well underway. 

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

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

Oregon State University, Wallowa Resources

Richard C. Johnson

Use: 

National forests in 

northeast Oregon 

and southwest 

Washington are 

using these newly 

identified seed 

transfer zones in 

restoration efforts.
50 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Few large, old juniper remain from the years prior to Euro-American settlement. 

Mary Rowland

Scientists model cheatgrass invasion 

and pinyon-juniper woodland 

encroachment into sagebrush 

Sagebrush ecosystems are one of the most 

imperiled in the United States, and the Great 

Basin ecoregion is particularly threatened by 

nonnative, invasive cheatgrass and encroaching 

pinyon-juniper woodland. Cheatgrass invasion 

can alter fire cycles, leading to more frequent and 

intense fires that eventually eliminate sagebrush 

shrublands. Pinyon-juniper encroachment can lead 

to soil erosion, altered plant communities, losses in 

forage production, and high risk of crown fires. 

Station scientists developed models to predict the 

risk of cheatgrass invasion and woodland encroachment across watersheds of the Great Basin. They 

found that watersheds differ in their spatial patterns 

of habitat abundance and risk, resulting in different implications for conservation and restoration. 

In central Oregon, they found that the densities 

and distribution of juniper trees pose substantial 

risk to sagebrush. Few of the juniper trees that were 

growing prior to Euro-American settlement (about 

140 years ago) remain, and high densities of juniper seedlings and postsettlement junipers indicate 

extensive encroachment into sagebrush. This 

information can guide active restoration through 

targeted removal of encroaching 

juniper in sagebrush communities 

in this region.

Land managers from the U.S. 

Department of the Interior Bureau 

of Land Management have used 

these model projections to quantify 

potential habitat loss to sagebrushassociated species and to highlight 

watersheds for potential restoration.

Contact: Mary Rowland, mrowland@

fs.fed.us, Ecological Process and 

Function Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Remote 

Sensing Applications Center, Rocky 

Mountain Research Station, Washington 

Office Terrestrial Ecology Unit

Encroaching juniper and 

exotic grasses threaten 

shrub steppe in southeast 

Oregon 

Many threats are jeopardizing the shrub steppe of the 

Columbia Basin, including the 

spread of invasive species such 

as cheatgrass and expansion of 

western juniper into shrub steppe 

beyond its historical range. Native 

shrub steppe provides important 

habitat for many wildlife species 

and is valued for its biodiversity. 

Land managers have asked for 

tools to assess risk of shrub steppe 

conversion and management 
51 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Encroaching young juniper threaten to alter sagebrush ecosystems.

options for maintaining native shrub steppe. The 

Integrated Landscape Assessment Project used a 

state-and-transition modeling approach to project 

changes in shrub steppe vegetation over time. 

Without aggressive management, cheatgrass is 

expected to increase in many warm, dry Wyoming 

big sagebrush communities, and juniper invasion is 

likely to expand throughout much of the cool, moist 

mountain big sagebrush habitat where seed sources 

are readily available. In transitional communities 

between Wyoming big sagebrush and mountain big 

sagebrush zones, researchers expect much of the 

landscape to convert to either cheatgrass or juniper 

woodland.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: Institute for Natural Resources, 

Oregon State University

Amount of historical sage grouse 

habitat differs slightly from current 

recommendations

Sagebrush ecosystems in the western 

United States face several threats, including invasive grasses, which lead to different fire 

regimes, and development. As this habitat has 

declined, species such as the sage grouse that 

depend on sagebrush ecosystems have become 

a management concern. Researchers analyzed 

how much sage grouse habitat might have existed 

prior to 1850 and how 

that amount compares 

to current management 

recommendations. By using 

the Vegetation Dynamics Development Tool, 

researchers identified 

reference conditions for the 

Malheur High Plateau in 

eastern Oregon and estimated historical breeding, 

brood-rearing, and wintering habitat. Their models 

showed that the median 

amount of sage grouse 

breeding habitat may have 

been slightly more abundant 

than levels currently recommended, but wintering habitat may have been 

less abundant. These results suggest that either 

sage grouse do not need as much winter habitat 

as sage grouse biologists recommend or that the 

amount of winter habitat may have constrained 

sage grouse populations.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: Oregon State University, USDI Bureau 

of Land Management 

Postfire cattle grazing affects 

ponderosa pine forest understory 

plants more than reintroduction 

of fire 

Prescribed fire is used to manage and 

restore millions of acres of forests in western 

North America, and livestock grazing occurs on 

approximately 91 percent of all federal lands in 

the West. Yet, few studies have experimentally 

examined the interaction of prescribed fire and 

cattle grazing in western interior forests. 

To better understand ecosystem response to 

these combined management regimes, station 

scientists evaluated grazing effects (grazing, no 

grazing) on ponderosa pine plant communities 

over five growing seasons after prescribed fire 

reburns (spring, fall, no burn). They found that 

for all treatments (including no burning), excluding cattle grazing for five seasons significantly Mary Rowland
52 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Researchers examined the effects of prescribed burns 

and grazing on understory vegetation in a ponderosa 

pine forest. 

increased the total vegetative cover, native perennial 

forb cover, grass height, grass flowering density, and 

shrub cover. The 5-year study found that grazing 

exclusion in this setting caused a greater degree of 

change in vegetation than the initial reintroduction 

of fire. 

Contact: Becky Kerns, bkerns@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service Malheur National Forest 

Retaining logging debris on site 

sustains soil productivity 

Logging debris that remains after forest 

harvesting is currently viewed by some land managers as a hindrance to tree planting, a source of fuels 

for wildfire, and a potential feedstock for energy, 

but new research indicates that it provides important ecosystem functions. At two sites in western 

Oregon and Washington, logging debris was found 

to act as a mulch to conserve soil water, and the 

additional water promoted survival and growth of 

planted Douglas-fir seedlings. On soils low in carbon and nitrogen, retaining logging debris resulted 

in greater accumulations of these elements after 

5 years, compared to areas where debris had been 

removed. By insulating and cooling the soil surface, 

the debris reduced losses of soil carbon from microbial respiration or leaching of soluble forms. These 

accumulations of soil carbon and nitrogen will help 

to improve and sustain productivity of forest soils.

Glacial outwash soils of the Puget Sound region 

are likely to benefit from logging debris retention 

after forest harvesting because of their droughty, 

coarse texture and innately small pools of soil 

carbon and nitrogen. 

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

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Green Diamond Resource Company; Port Blakely 

Tree Farms, LLC; Virginia Tech; University of Minnesota

Site quality indicators and 

maximum stand density calculated 

for western redcedar

Western redcedar is an ecologically and 

economically important tree species in the Pacific 

Northwest. Its ability to grow in deep shade makes 

it as an important component in forest stands 

with multiple canopy layers. It 

is a species that most people can 

identify on sight, but surprisingly 

little information was available 

on its growth rates under various 

stand and management conditions 

and how environmental variables influence site 

quality. To remedy this, station scientists compiled 

data from more than 73,000 trees from several 

western states and Canadian provinces to look 

at these relationships. They also examined data 

from research trials on thinning and fertilization 

and from a large network of ecology plots. They 

determined the climate variables most important 

for site quality of redcedar and calculated maximum 

stand density index—a parameter in many growth 

models. They also compared growth rates of 

western redcedar to Douglas-fir, a common tree 

associate, under different types of stand conditions. 

Managers from the Washington Department 

of Natural Resources, Green Crow, and Starker 

Forests are using this information to identify areas 

to plant redcedar and stands that warrant thinning, 

and to evaluate the projected effects of alternative 

management scenarios.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Green 

Crow, Starker Forests, Washington Department of Natural 

Resources, USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region

Becky Kerns

Use: 

Public and 

private forests 

use findings to 

manage western 

redcedar.
53 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

These young Port-Orford cedars are 

resistant to an introduced root rot 

fungus (Phytophthora lateralis) that 

has decimated much of the species. 

Station scientists are working with 

partners to screen potential clones 

for genetic resistance to the fungus. 

Scientists develop cost-effective 

method for identifying genetic 

markers in threatened and 

endangered conifer species 

Conserving and managing natural populations 

requires accurate and inexpensive genotyping methods to identify parentage, movement and migration, 

estimates of effective population sizes, and rates 

of inbreeding. Microsatellites are 

among the most popular genetic 

markers because they are easy to 

use, simple to analyze, and clearly 

identify genetic differences. Microsatellite development has historically 

been prohibitively expensive, and 

has been sparingly applied to domesticated species 

and species of the highest conservation concern. By 

adapting multiplexed massively parallel sequencing—an approach pioneered by PNW Research 

Station geneticists—station scientists developed a 

cost-effective method for identifying thousands of 

microsatellite markers from any organism. They 

used this approach to identify more than 1 million 

genetic markers for 30 conifer and bird species.

These markers are helping to guide Phytopthoraresistance breeding in Port-Orford cedar in the 

Pacific Northwest, and to characterize genetic 

variation in yellow-cedar in the Alaska Region. 

Genetic markers are available for threatened whitebark pine and torrey pine, charismatic giant sequoia, 

and landscape dominants like ponderosa pine. 

These genetic tools are available without restriction 

at http://openwetware.org/wiki/Conifermicrosat/.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon 

State University; 

USDA Forest 

Service Special 

Technology and 

Development 

Program, Dorena 

Genetic Resource 

Center; U.S. 

Geological 

Survey 

Drought-related constraints on 

Douglas-fir growth are not 

primarily those of photosynthesis 

As trees grow, they sequester increasing amounts 

of atmospheric carbon, and thus have a crucial role 

in mitigating climate change. Climate projections 

for many areas of the western United States indicate 

the likelihood of longer dry spells, which would 

inhibit tree growth. The exact mechanisms behind 

drought and decreased tree growth, however, are 

not known. 

To better understand this, researchers analyzed 

shoot growth, plant and soil water stress, and storage of nonstructural carbohydrates in stem wood, 

branch tips, and foliage of Douglas-fir across a 

range of tree heights over 17 months. They found 

that contrary to previously accepted hypotheses, 

increasing drought severity leads to scenarios in 

which photosynthesis is less a determinant of productivity than other factors such as cell expansion 

and long-distance transport of carbon within trees. 

Findings from this study can be used to improve 

models in which tree growth is primarily determined by the degree to which parameters such as 

humidity, soil moisture, and temperature limit a 

tree’s ability to obtain carbon via photosynthesis. 

This may improve our understanding of how 

current and future climates may influence forest 

productivity.

Contact: David Woodruff, dwoodruff@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Use: 

PNW and Alaska 

Regions use genetic 

markers in efforts 

to conserve PortOrford cedar and 

yellow-cedar.

Connie Harrington

Dorena Genetic Resource Center
54 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Maybeso Experimental Forest, Alaska.

Greater demand for bioenergy 

could lead to less forest land, 

more cropland in Midwest 

Land use in the United States is influenced 

by many economic and social factors. One of the 

most important recent influences on land use in 

the United States has been the increasing use of 

corn-based ethanol in bioenergy production. High 

energy prices have sparked substantial growth in 

ethanol production and demand for corn, which 

could lead to loss of forests as landowners shift to 

agricultural uses. 

Station scientists explored the relationship 

between land use and aesthetic or environmental values for forest land in Ohio, Indiana, and 

Illinois. Results suggest that as population density 

increases, desire for aesthetic amenities associated 

with open space or recreation could potentially 

lead to more forest land, relative to cropland. 

With a higher emphasis on bioenergy, however, 

a dramatically different future is presented, in 

which large areas of forest land are lost in the 

next 40 years. 

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

Goods, Services, and Values Program 

Initial reduction in carbon pools 

following fuel treatment is likely 

temporary 

Station scientists applied species-specific 

regional equations for tree volume and aboveground 

live tree biomass estimations to a landscape in 

central Oregon. They demonstrated how outputs 

from vegetation simulation models can be used for 

a variety of landscape analyses, including timber 

products, biomass supply, and carbon accounting 

under an active fuel treatment management scenario. 

The simulations suggest that an active fuel-treatment management approach might initially reduce 

the amount of carbon stored in trees. After the first 

50 years of the 300-year simulation, aboveground 

carbon pools in forests less susceptible to severe 

wildfire or insect outbreaks were increasing steadily 

and approaching what they had been prior to fuel 

treatments.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

Tom Iraci

With sufficient incentive, Alaska forests 

could be managed to store carbon 

The Environmental Protection Agency is 

considering mechanisms to control the emission 

of greenhouse gases, which pose a threat to the 

environment and public health. One regulatory tool 

being considered is a cap and trade system, in which 

a ceiling is set for allowable carbon dioxide emissions, 

and forest management activities that increase 

carbon sequestration or reduce use of fossil fuels can 

be assigned a dollar value and sold to an emitting 

organization. With Alaska’s vast forests, which 

account for 17 percent of all forest land in the United 

States, this type of system could have a substantial 

impact here. Station scientists developed a report that 

addresses the basic principles of a cap and trade system 

and its potential impact on Alaska’s forest stakeholders. 

However, because Alaska forest landowners would face 

high operating costs for afforestation and reforestation 

projects, the price of carbon offsets would have to 

be high enough to cover these costs and provide a 

reasonable return on investment. 

Contact: Allen Brackley, abrackley@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

University of Washington 
55 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

The power of models will transmute this diameter measurement into an estimate of live carbon mass (the sum of stem, branches, 

bark, and roots) for this tree, which will be expanded several thousand-fold to account for all the trees in the forested landscape 

that this sample tree represents. 

Choice of model influences live-tree 

carbon estimates

Estimates of the amount of carbon stored in a 

tree are influenced by numerous uncertainties. One 

of them is model-selection uncertainty: the user has 

to choose among multiple empirical equations and 

conversion factors that can be plausibly justified as 

locally applicable to calculate the carbon store from 

inventory measurements such as tree height and 

diameter at breast height. Researchers quantified 

model-selection uncertainty for the five most common tree species in northwest Oregon. They found 

that model-selection error may introduce 20 to 40 

percent uncertainty into a live-tree carbon estimate, making this form of error the largest source 

of uncertainty when estimating live-tree carbon 

stores. Uncertainty from sampling error, represented 

as a 95-percent confidence interval, was only 6 

percent. Predicted carbon content of individual 

trees can vary even more among model aggregating 

pathways, especially the predictions for large trees, 

which on the Pacific Coast comprise an unusually 

large share of carbon stores. 

Model-selection uncertainty is not an easily remedied error and may call into question the premise 

of tracking forest carbon with the precision and 

accuracy required to support contemplated offset 

protocols. The greatest risk is the potential for 

choosing a particular calculation pathway to justify 

a preferred outcome. 

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

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partner: Oregon State University

Knot detection improves with 

nondestructive method for 

assessing wood quality 

Knots and other defects in wood products come 

in a variety of sizes, shapes, types, and colors. 

When products are visually inspected, it can be 

difficult to accurately assess the effects of these 

defects on wood quality. Researchers found that 

acoustic technology tools are simple to use and a 

relatively inexpensive way to test wood quality. 

They took acoustic velocity measurements of 

Jeremy Fried
56 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Douglas-fir trees in Oregon and Washington using 

hand-held sensors. Veneer sheets were subsequently 

peeled from felled trees, and were then digitally 

analyzed for wood quality characteristics. The 

researchers found that the digital knot detection 

technique was accurate and can be used to create 

digital log models. They are continuing to use 

acoustic measurement to investigate the relationship 

between the average stiffness of veneer sheets, 

stiffness of the log, and stiffness of the parent 

tree from a range of silvicultural treatments. This 

technology has the potential to add value all along 

the forest-to-products chain. 

Contact: Eini Lowell, elowell@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: Scion Research

Updated log-to-lumber conversion 

rates reflect improved utilization of 

small logs

Over the past 40 years, sawmills in the western 

United States have become more efficient. They 

now produce more lumber while using less timber. 

This efficiency occurred even as the size of logs 

used by sawmills decreased. This finding, based 

on a review of forest industry surveys, meant the 

primary technique for estimating lumber production based on volume of harvest wood was now 

outdated. The Scribner Log Rule was developed 

in 1846 and was designed to estimate board foot 

volume that could be produced from a log. As the 

Dean Perry

A technician marks veneer sheets to determine if wood-product properties can be predicted from acoustically tested 

tree properties.
57 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

wood-processing industry has diversified to produce 

not only lumber but pulp, composite panels, and 

wood-based fuels, the industry needs to be able to 

accurately estimate the volume of wood fiber available for use. 

Thus, scientists updated conversion rates and 

recovery factors that are essential for estimating 

production efficiency, timber supply and demand, 

and whole-tree volume, which is required for biomass assessments and carbon accounting.

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

Goods, Services, and Values Program 

Partners: University of Montana, Western 

Washington University

Because mills use small logs more efficiently than in 

the past, log-to-lumber conversion rates needed to be 

updated. 

Forest Inventory and Analysis 

in the Pacific Islands

Researchers collected, analyzed, and summarized field data gathered on islands throughout the 

western Pacific. They summarized forest information for the Federated States of Micronesia and 

compared it to prior vegetation mapping work done 

there. Researchers found that the extreme diversity 

of vegetation across Micronesia can be attributed to 

differences in longitudinal climatic influences and 

human land use practices. Similar data collection 

and analysis of forest resources were done on the 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; 

there researchers found that urban areas have 

grown, contributing to losses in forest land area. 

On the Marshall Islands, rising sea level is threatening numerous native plant species. 

Data and summaries from these inventories are 

used by island groups to develop their statewide 

assessments and resource strategies that enable them 

to compete for funding. The data also are used to 

guide resource management and policy decisions.

Contact: Joseph Donnegan, jdonnegan@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: American Samoa Forestry; Department of 

Land and Natural Resources, Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands; Federated States of Micronesia 

Forestry; Kosrae Forestry; Marshall Islands Forestry; 

National Tropical Botanical Garden; University of 

Guam; USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research 

Station Region, State and Private Forestry

Field crew work 

around tidal 

fluctuations as 

they inventory 

forest conditions 

in a mangrove 

swamp on the 

island of Kosrae 

in the Federated 

States of 

Micronesia. 

Mika Falaniko

USDA Forest Service
58 Pacific Northwest Research Station

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

Collaboration explores an ecosystem 

services stewardship approach on 

national forests 

The PNW Research Station is collaborating with 

the Deschutes National Forest to explore how 

an ecosystem services approach could be used to 

organize and enhance forest stewardship activities 

in central Oregon. Current natural resource agency 

accounting systems define management accomplishments in terms of output-oriented program 

targets, such as board feet of timber sold or acres 

treated to reduce fire risk. These metrics describe 

actions undertaken, but do not account for the nonmarket goods and services provided by public lands. 

This project provides examples of how management activities and performance measures could be 

characterized in terms of ecosystem services. 

This project aims to apply an operational ecosystem service approach in a forest management 

context. It uses the Deschutes National Forest as a 

place-based model showing how ecosystem services 

could be used as a framework for enhancing forest 

stewardship. It is demonstrating the possibilities 

of this approach in a way relevant to managers and 

policymakers. 

Contact: Robert Deal, rdeal@fs.fed.us, 

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: Defenders of Wildlife, Willamette Partnership, 

USDA Forest Service Deschutes National Forest

Airborne laser data combined with 

field surveys facilitates landscape 

planning 

Foresters rely on inventory data to understand the condition and distribution of the trees 

they manage. Traditionally, this information came 

from stand exams, which can be labor-intensive 

and difficult to obtain for 

landscape-scale management 

decisions. This study, conducted 

on the Malheur National Forest 

in eastern Oregon, found that 

Light Detection and Ranging 

(LIDAR) data, in combination with field plots, 

generated a stand-level forest inventory of structural attributes comparable to one produced from 

stand exams. By exploring the potential of remote 

sensing technologies to provide landscape-scale 

data, this study helps forest science stay current 

with the evolving needs of forest managers. In 

turn, landscape-scale data can support a variety of 

research objectives, which can facilitate the 

integration of disciplines and enhance collaborative landscape planning and assessments.

Malheur National Forest staff helped design and 

implement this study, and are using the results to 

weigh the cost-effectiveness of traditional forest 

inventory versus satellite and LIDAR-derived 

Use: 

Malheur National 

Forest uses data 

to select stands 

for fuel reduction 

treatments.

Jim Hughes

Scott Lake, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon.
59 2011 Science Accomplishments

FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS

estimates of forest structure. They are also using 

the data to identify target stands for fuel-reduction 

treatments. Study results are also being used in the 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment, which 

is sponsored by the National Digital Elevation 

Program and includes the Forest Service, other 

agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. 

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

Goods, Services, and Values Program

Partners: Malheur National Forest; 

Michigan Technological University; USDA 

Remote Sensing Applications Center, 

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Use: 

Oregon 

Department 

of Forestry 

uses models 

in eradication 

efforts.

New models help detect spread of 

sudden oak death

Sudden oak death (SOD) was discovered 

in Oregon forests in 2001. Despite considerable control efforts, the disease continues to spread. 

In response, scientists developed two models to 

map where SOD was likely to become 

established and its risk of spread. The 

scientists determined that 40 square 

miles of forested land were likely 

invaded by 2009, and that the disease 

threatens more than 1,300 square miles 

of forests across western Oregon. The 

greatest risk is in southwest Oregon where susceptible host species, such as tanoak, are concentrated. 

The Oregon Department of Forestry and other 

agencies are using the models to prioritize early 

detection and eradication efforts in the state.

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

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Partners: Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon 

State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Oregon white oak stand.

James Dollins

Dave Peter

Oregon white oak acorns.
Watershed Health Watershed Health

 The number of Chinook salmon and the size of steelhead 

trout increased in areas where in-stream habitat restoration 

efforts occurred in the upper Columbia River basin.

 Long-term trends in temperature of western North 

American streams show both cooling and warming trends.

 Everyday effects of vegetation on soil carbon loss may be 

as important as wildfire to carbon budgets.

Key Findings and Products

60
61

Riparian Management

Explorer

Description: 

This tool is used to explore the implications 

of different riparian management options 

for future wood recruitment and abundance 

of in-stream wood. The Riparian Management Explorer illustrates how differences in 

riparian-management buffer widths and thinning prescriptions within each buffer affect 

expected recruitment rates and abundance 

of large wood. 

The tool is flexible, accommodating different stand-growth models, topography, 

bole-taper equations, and bank erosion rates. 

Results, using either wood volume or number 

of pieces, can be viewed graphically for (1) 

recruitment rate and in-stream abundance 

over time, or (2) the amount of wood accumulated as a function of distance from the 

channel edge at a specific future date. Results 

can be formulated in terms of wood-piece 

diameter, the diameter of the source trees, 

and by source-tree species classes (hardwood 

or conifer).

Use: 

Riparian Management Explorer was designed 

specifically for the U.S. Forest Service and 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration to aid in discussions of riparian 

management options and potential effects on 

future fish habitat. It may be used by public 

and private forest managers to explore the 

effects of riparian management alternatives. 

How to get it: 

http://www.netmaptools.org/

Contact: 

Gordon Reeves, greeves@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Tools

 Stream in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon.

Photo © by Miles Hemstrom.
62 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WATER SHED HE A LTH

A GIS-based tool for linking field and digital stream data

Description: 

This tool based on a geographic information system 

(GIS) matches stream-survey data to digitally produced stream layers created with NetStream software. 

The output is a shapefile of survey reaches with 

both the survey data and attributes associated with 

the digitally produced stream layer (e.g., drainage 

area, gradient, and valley width). It enables users to 

extrapolate survey results to unsurveyed streams by 

using GIS to estimate habitat abundance, potential 

fish abundance, or fish carrying capacity, for example.

Use: 

This tool was collaboratively funded and is being 

used by the U.S. Forest Service, Kalispel Tribe, Oregon 

Watershed Enhancement Board, and Arctic Yukon 

Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative.

How to get it: 

http://www.netmaptools.org/ 

Contact: 

Kelly Burnett, kmburnett@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Aquatic and riparian state and transition models for the Blue Mountains

of northeastern Oregon and the northern Oregon Coast Range

Description: 

These state and transition models simulate the effects 

of plant succession, natural disturbance, land use 

and restoration practices on conditions of riparian 

forests, channel morphology, and salmon habitat. 

State classes in the models are defined by channel 

morphology and riparian vegetation. Transitions are 

defined by plant succession, natural disturbances 

(floods, debris flows, wildfires, native ungulate 

browsing), land use activities (fuel treatments, timber 

harvests, livestock grazing) and restoration practices 

(planting riparian hardwoods, exclusion of domestic 

livestock or native ungulate browsing). Habitat suitability rankings for anadromous salmonids (migration, spawning, winter rearing, summer rearing) are 

derived from channel and vegetation attributes 

associated with each state in the models.

The models were specifically designed for two 

watersheds: the upper Middle Fork John Day River 

in the interior Columbia River basin and the Wilson 

River in the Oregon Coast Range. The model 

structure and the suite of factors simulated in the 

models are designed for portability so that these 

models should be reasonably easy to modify and 

apply to other areas in the Blue Mountains or Coast 

Range. Further, the models will serve as a template 

for developing new models for more distant 

regions.

Use: 

The models are designed for landscape planners. 

How to get it: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/lwm/aem/projects/

ar_models.html

Contact: 

Steve Wondzell, swondzell@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Global Bd Mapping Project database

Description: 

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a diseasecausing fungus that is devastating amphibian populations worldwide. This Web-based mapping project 

facilitates communication between scientists and 

natural resource managers as they try to learn more 

about the fungus and assess risk to local amphibian 

populations. 

Use: 

Scientists and managers use the Web site to determine locations of Bd worldwide. Scientists have used 

this information to determine where to conduct 

surveillance for Bd or learn who to contact for information from an area. Managers use this information 

to assess risk to populations and make strategic 

decisions about reintroducing amphibian species 

or conducting surveillance or disinfection activities. In 2011, the database was updated with more 

than 2,000 new records.

How to get it: http://www.Bd-maps.net/

Contact: 

Dede Olson, dedeolson@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: 

Imperial College, London, United Kingdom; 

Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
63 2011 Science Accomplishments

WAT E R S H E D H E A LT H

In-stream restoration efforts benefit 

Chinook salmon and steelhead trout 

Station scientists and cooperators 

evaluated the effectiveness of in-stream habitat 

restoration structures designed to enhance rearing 

habitat for juvenile salmonids. Habitat restoration 

structures consisted of engineered logjams and rock 

barbs extending from streambanks in the Entiat 

River watershed of the upper Columbia River basin. 

The researchers found that the number of juvenile 

fish from a threatened run of Chinook salmon were 

greater in microhabitats with restoration structures 

compared to microhabitats without the structures. 

Steelhead trout, although less abundant in restored 

microhabitats, possibly because of competition from 

Chinook salmon, showed faster growth rates compared to steelhead trout in untreated microhabitats.

The information is being used by restoration planners and by a larger monitoring program to further 

inform the design and implementation of additional 

restoration structures in the same watershed and in 

other watersheds throughout the upper Columbia 

River basin.

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Bonneville Power Administration; Cascadia 

Conservation District; National Marine Fisheries Service, 

Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program 

Scientists develop sampling and 

modeling tools to characterize 

microclimates in riparian areas 

Providing high-quality habitat for fish, amphibians, and other aquatic and riparian organisms is 

one management objective for headwater forests in 

the Pacific Northwest. The compatibility of timber 

harvest or other vegetation manipulations with 

quality riparian and aquatic habitat is often contingent on the effects these disturbances may have on 

riparian microclimate. Microclimate changes with 

distance from the streams. The ability to predict this 

variation and the influences of upslope harvesting 

and riparian buffers is important when designing 

management and monitoring strategies that will 

provide quality aquatic and riparian habitats while 

affording opportunities for the production of wood 

and other ecosystem services. 

Microclimate data can be difficult and expensive 

to collect, so in this study, efficient sampling strategies were developed to account for the spatial variation in riparian forest structure and its influence on 

microclimate. Understory air temperature was then 

modeled based on topographic and forest structure. 

With increasing availability of remotely sensed forest structure data, this type of modeling may prove 

an efficient way to indirectly monitor microclimate 

Chinook salmon.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
64 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WATER SHED HE A LTH

attributes and to incorporate those attributes into 

forest management planning tools.

The modeling efforts have yielded insights to 

the relative accuracy and bias of alternative modeling approaches. Near-term utility is emerging in 

discussions among land managers and regulatory 

entities about the width of riparian buffers needed 

to mitigate potential effects of upslope harvest 

on the warming of air near streams and stream 

temperatures. 

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon State University, USDI Bureau of 

Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey

Alternative buffer designs influence 

abundance of small mammals along 

headwater streams 

Under the Northwest Forest Plan, all streams 

on federal land are protected by buffer zones intended to protect riparian and stream ecosystems 

from logging effects and other human disturbances. 

Different rules apply to state and private land, 

however. In Washington state, headwater streams 

in state and private industrial forests generally are 

less protected than those on federal land. This 

discrepancy has led to debate over how much 

protection fishless headwater streams should receive 

during logging. To find middle ground, station 

scientists worked with the Washington Department 

of Natural Resources (DNR) to evaluate alternative 

buffering strategies.

The scientists found that several small mammal 

species responded differently to different buffer 

widths following logging. The northwestern 

deer mouse declined in all treatments compared 

to unlogged drainages, while more creeping 

vole, southern red-backed vole, and Townsend’s 

chipmunk were found after logging in all buffer 

treatments. Relative to the unlogged drainages, 

the overall diversity and total abundance of small 

mammals did not change significantly following 

logging in any of the treatments.

These findings support the development of a 

long-term headwater stream conservation strategy 

for the DNR and the proposed adaptive management strategy for western Washington.

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

and Randall Wilk, rwilk@fs.fed.us, Ecological 

Process and Function Program

Partner: Washington State Department of 

Natural Resources

Practical management actions 

can minimize the effects of 

climate change on amphibians 

Leading the world campaign to 

develop practical tools to guard species from the adverse effects of climate 

change, an ad hoc group of international 

amphibian experts have compiled innovative examples of habitat protection and 

mitigation to preserve amphibian species 

across habitats in several nations. These 

examples fall into three categories: 

installation of microclimate and microhabitat refugia, enhancement of breeding sites, and manipulation of water or 

hydroperiods. Water and temperature 

A fixed-width riparian buffer zone with upland timber harvest. 

Martin Raphael
65 2011 Science Accomplishments

WAT E R S H E D H E A LT H

management approaches are critical for this taxon. 

Microclimate mitigation tools include creating 

riparian buffers, restoring stream and pond habitat, 

and managing for down wood. The group’s products 

aim to bridge science and management, resulting in 

“adaptation management” approaches for amphibians and climate change.

Research and management agencies around the 

world are using these practical conservation ideas to 

take action. To share this information widely, the 

group maintains a Web page that includes a showcase of innovations and a list of new programs for 

conserving the rarest species. 

For more information:

http://parcplace.org/news-a-events.html

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/lwm/aem/news/

climate_change_and_herpetofauna.html

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

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Department of Climate Change, Canberra 

ACT, Australia; James Cook University of North 

Queensland, Australia; University of Queensland, 

Australia; Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, 

Australia; The University of Newcastle, Australia; 

University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; 

Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 

University of Helsinki, Finland; Pontificia Universidad 

Católica del Ecuador; University of Otago, New 

Zealand; EcoGecko Consultants, New Zealand; Florida 

International University; University of Washington; 

U.S. Geological Survey; Aldo Leopold Wilderness 

Research Institute 

Stream gravel bars can be a nitrate 

source or sink depending on time it 

takes for water to move through them 

Excess nitrogen stemming from human 

activities is a common water pollutant. Fertilizer 

runoff, sewage, and fossil fuel emissions all contain 

nitrogen that often ends up in streams. But aquatic 

systems are natural filters, able to process and 

remove some nitrogen. Fully understanding the 

denitrification process will help efforts to improve 

water quality. 

Station scientists used a stable isotope tracer to 

track the movement and transformation of nitrate 

nitrogen in stream water flowing through a 14-foot 

gravel bar of an upland agricultural stream in the 

Willamette Valley, Oregon. Dissolved organic 

carbon and oxygen were used up quickly by microorganisms where stream water entered the head of 

the gravel bar, leading to initial increases in nitrate 

and ammonia concentrations. Further into the 

gravel bar, where travel times exceeded 7 hours, the 

In Seattle’s Cedar River Municipal Watershed, managers 

are placing logs perpendicular to pond shorelines to 

provide sheltered routes for young frogs leaving the 

water to disperse across the land. 

Sally Nickelson

Gravel bars can 

influence water 

temperature and 

water quality. 

Clackamas River, 

Oregon. Portland General Electric
66 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WATER SHED HE A LTH

scientists observed a net loss of nitrate to denitrification. This suggests that gravel bars could be net 

sources of nitrate to streams wherever travel times 

were short, but with longer travel times, denitrification will make gravel bars net sinks of nitrate to 

streams.

This study provides detailed understanding of 

the processes that control water quality, especially 

the processes that remove nitrate from nitrogenpolluted streams. 

Contact: Steve Wondzell, swondzell@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partner: Oregon State University

Hillslope hydrologic connectivity 

controls riparian groundwater 

turnover 

Hydrologic connectivity between uplands 

and near-stream riparian zones is essential for the 

export of water, nutrients, and other solutes from 

watersheds. However, our current understanding of 

the role of riparian zones in buffering watershedscale export of water and solutes is limited. To learn 

more about these processes, station scientists and 

collaborators compared the turnover time for shallow groundwater in riparian areas along four well 

transects in the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental 

Forest, Montana. They found that where hillslopes 

were large and riparian areas were small, hillslope 

water flowed through the riparian zone so that 

hillslope and riparian zone water were chemically 

similar. Conversely, where riparian zones were large 

relative to the size of the adjacent hillslope, water 

in the riparian zone was chemically distinct from 

hillslope-source water. These observations suggest 

that the relative sizes and spatial arrangement of 

hillslopes and riparian zones along a stream network is a primary control on the export of water 

and solutes from watersheds. 

This export versus retention of solutes is critically 

important to stream ecosystem processes determining attributes such as ecosystem productivity and 

the ability of riparian zones to buffer streams from 

inputs that could alter water quality.

Contact: Steve Wondzell, swondzell@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Montana State University, Pennsylvania 

State University, U.S. Geological Survey

Sandy River, Oregon.

© Miles Hemstrom
67 2011 Science Accomplishments

WAT E R S H E D H E A LT H

Novel modeling effort links land use, 

disturbance, and riparian and aquatic 

habitats across large landscapes 

Interactions between land use and ecosystem 

change are complex, especially in riparian zones. To 

date, few models are available to project the influence of alternative land use practices, natural disturbance, and plant succession on the likely future 

conditions of riparian zones and aquatic habitats 

across large landscapes.

Station researchers used a state-and-transition 

framework to model the effects of various management and restoration practices on conditions of 

riparian forests, channel morphology, and salmonid 

habitat. These models incorporate the effects of 

plant succession, natural disturbances such as fire 

or native ungulate browsing, management, and 

restoration practices. Researchers used 

the models to analyze habitat suitability rankings for two watersheds: the 

upper Middle Fork John Day River 

and the Wilson River, Oregon. They 

found that efforts to improve habitat 

for anadromous fish in the Middle 

Fork John Day Basin will likely 

require considerable work on in-stream 

conditions, not just management of 

the adjacent terrestrial and riparian 

vegetation.

Contact: Steve Wondzell, 

swondzell@fs.fed.us, Land 

and Watershed Management 

Program; Miles Hemstrom, 

mhemstrom@fs.fed.us, Focused 

Science Delivery Program 

Decision-support systems developed 

to assess vulnerability and impacts 

of sulfur deposition across southern 

Appalachia

The Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) and federal land management agencies are 

concerned with the health of aquatic ecosystems in 

the southern Appalachian Mountains. Acid rain 

and dry acidic deposition has increased the sulfate 

concentration in many Appalachian streams. Coalfired electric generating facilities, cars, and factories are the main sources of human-caused sulfur 

emissions. 

A large water-sampling network was built in 

the region over the last few decades, but locations 

of sampling sites historically were highly biased 

toward watersheds with high sulfur depositions. 

Station scientists worked to develop statistical 

methods that overcame sampling biases and allowed 

accurate predictions of spatial variables required to 

assess vulnerability of ecosystems and aquatic biota 

to atmospheric sulfur deposition across the region. 

Their results were used to develop a decision-support system of immediate practical value to regional 

land managers, regulators, and policymakers with 

the Forest Service, National Park Service, and EPA.

A second decision-support system was developed to predict ecological and biotic impacts of 

atmospheric sulfur deposition across the southern 

Appalachian region. It can be used to prioritize 

watersheds for restoration and protection activities. 

Decision support interprets long-term ecosystem effects of atmospheric 

sulfur deposition in the southern Appalachian region. Pete Bisson

Juvenile cutthroat trout.
68 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WATER SHED HE A LTH

Policymakers in the region can use the same system 

to explore the biological and ecosystem implications 

of alternative sulfur emission scenarios.

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

Keith Reynolds, kreynolds@fs.fed.us, Ecological Process 

and Function Program

Partners: E&S Environmental Services, Environmental 

Protection Agency, University of Virginia, USDA Forest 

Service Southern Region

Connections between air and stream 

temperature more complex than 

previously thought

Recent warming of the terrestrial 

climate in most parts of the world has 

motivated concern about corresponding increases 

in water temperature. Based on observed climate 

trends in the Pacific Northwest, scientists expected 

to find warmer streams and increasing temperature 

variability over time. However, they found as many 

cooling as warming trends in 18 reference streams 

across western North America. Winter minimums 

have been increasing, but summer maximums 

less so. Scientists compared the reference streams 

with 45 streams that have been more influenced 

by humans. The temperatures during the past two 

decades show mostly cooling trends in minimally 

human-influenced sites, whereas more humaninfluenced systems showed mixed responses. The 

scientists also noted a lack of coherence between air 

temperature, stream temperature, and flow, which 

may be related to complex and lagged interactions 

among nonclimate and climate variables. These 

findings inform climate researchers as well as state 

and federal resource managers about temporal 

trends in stream temperature dynamics. 

Contact: Sherri Johnson, sherrijohnson@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Oregon State University, U.S. Geological 

Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Pete Bisson

Thomas Lake, Indian Heaven Wilderness, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
69 2011 Science Accomplishments

WAT E R S H E D H E A LT H

Soil respiration may influence carbon 

budgets as much as wildfire 

Fire intensity influences how much 

soil carbon is released into the atmosphere. 

Researchers found that intense wildfire associated 

with high tree mortality induced losses of soil carbon about twice that of lower intensity wildfire and 

fires set as a backburn. Prescribed fire resulted in 

about half as much lost soil carbon when compared 

to intense and moderate wildfire. 

In unburned Douglas-fir plantations, however, 

carbon lost over 11 years through soil respiration 

had an extrapolated rate equivalent to an intense 

wildfire every 30 years, suggesting that day-in, dayout vegetation effects on soil carbon are potentially 

as or more important than wildfire. Soil respiration is a key measurement in the carbon budget. 

Researchers have used this data to develop a conceptual model of effects of management on carbon 

stocks. This model also points out that shrubs have 

greater potential to increase soil carbon when leaf 

areas are similar to trees because shrubs have less 

capability to store carbon above ground. 

Improved understanding of the effects of natural 

disturbance and forest management on carbon budgets will allow land managers to refine estimates of 

a forest’s potential to mitigate climate change.

Contact: Bernard Bormann, bbormann@fs.fed.us, 

Land and Watershed Management Program

Partners: Oregon State University; Washington 

Department of Natural Resources Olympic 

Experimental State Forest; Western Washington 

State University; USDA Forest Service Rogue River–

Siskiyou National Forest, Siuslaw National Forest, 

Willamette National Forest; USDA Forest Service Pacific 

Northwest Region Regional Climate Change Program, 

Regional Ecology Program, Regional Soils Program

Field crew learn how to conduct postfire soil surveys.

Jon Williams
Wildlife

Key Findings and Products

 West-side nutrition and resource selection models for elk are 

developed, validated, and used in local habitat evaluation and 

land management planning in western Oregon and Washington.

 Climate change is predicted to shift wolverine distributions, 

habitat connectivity and dispersal corridors.

 Scientists map habitat connectivity, landscape integrity, and 

climate gradient patterns for 16 wildlife species in Washington. 

70
Equations for Evaluating

Nutritional Quality of Available

Moose Forage

Description: 

These equations for evaluating the nutritional quality 

of moose forages are based on laboratory analyses 

of small quantities of forage samples. Prior to their 

development, predictive equations for quantifying the 

nutritional quality of wild, native forages for moose in 

their natural habitats did not exist. 

Use: 

Wildlife scientists and land managers can use these 

equations to quantitatively evaluate habitat for moose 

anywhere in the world.

How to get it: 

Spalinger, D.E.; Collins, W.B.; Hanley, T.A.; Cassara, N.E.; 

Carnahan, A.M. 2010. The impact of tannins on protein, 

dry matter, and energy digestion in moose (Alces alces). 

Canadian Journal of Zoology. 88: 977–987.

Contact: 

Tom Hanley, thanley@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

New Model Predicts Marten Age

Based on Genetic Material

Description: 

Researchers developed a Bayesian network model for 

predicting the age of martens based on chromosomal 

evidence and other environmental factors. This is the 

first model of its kind—calibrated and tested with 

empirical data—that can accurately predict a marten’s 

age by using hair samples or other genetic material collected without actually trapping the animal. 

Use: 

Researchers can now estimate the population structure 

(number of animals by age class) solely from indirect 

evidence such as hair samples, rather than needing to 

trap and mark or biopsy individual animals. With further 

testing, such an approach could revolutionize wildlife 

field research of mammals. 

How to get it: 

Pauli, J.N.; Whiteman, J.P.; Marcot, B.G. [et al.]. 2011. 

DNA-based approach to aging martens (Martes 

americana and M. caurina). Journal of Mammalogy. 

92(3): 500–510.

Contact: 

Bruce Marcot, bmarcot@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Tools

71
72 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WILDLIFE

New models aid management 

of elk habitat

Elk are widely distributed across western 

Oregon and Washington, and elk hunting and viewing contribute substantially to rural 

economies. Elk habitat models and management 

guidelines had become outdated, so 

station scientists updated elk nutrition and habitat selection models 

with an innovative approach that 

incorporates the latest research on 

elk nutrition and current spatial 

data. They used elk radiotelemetry data from 

many sources and geographic areas to develop and 

validate these models. They also created maps of 

nutritional adequacy for elk to evaluate how public 

access and other factors limit the degree to which 

nutritional resources are available to elk. 

Modeling results are being used to coordinate 

management of elk habitat and populations among 

state and federal agencies, Indian tribes, hunting 

organizations, and other interested groups. The 

station hosted a workshop for users where several 

beta testers, including biologists with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Oregon Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Region, demonstrated how they are incorporating 

modeling results in local habitat evaluation and 

land management planning. 

Contact: Mary Rowland, mrowland@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Boone and Crockett Club, Lower Elwha 

Klallam Tribe, Makah Nation, Muckleshoot Indian 

Tribe, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, 

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Oregon State 

University, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

Quileute Tribe, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, SaukSuiattle Indian Tribe, Sporting Conservation Council, 

USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, USDI

Bureau of Land Management, Washington Department 

of Fish and Wildlife, West, Inc.

Framework Facilitates Designing Effective Wildlife Corridors

Description: 

Wildlife populations in fragmented landscapes 

experience reduced gene flow, lose genetic diversity 

over time, and ultimately face greater extinction risk. 

Improving connectivity in fragmented landscapes 

is a major focus of conservation biology. Designing 

effective wildlife corridors for this purpose requires 

understanding of how landscapes shape gene flow. 

Station scientists developed a framework that uses 

expert opinion as a starting point and then systematically either validates the assumptions of expert 

opinion or identifies a peak of support for a new 

model more highly related to genetic isolation. This 

approach also accounts for interactions between 

variables, allows for nonlinear responses, and 

excludes variables that reduce model performance. 

Station scientists demonstrated its utility on a population of mountain goats inhabiting a fragmented 

landscape in the Cascade Range, Washington.

Wildlife planners with the Washington Department of Transportation are using this tool to assess 

landscape connectivity along the I-90 freeway in 

Washington.

How to get it: 

Andrew Shirk, ashirk@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program 

Tools

Use: 

Tribe, state, and 

federal land 

managers use 

model to manage 

elk habitat.

Elk calf.

Rachel Cook
73 2011 Science Accomplishments

WILDLIFE

Columbian white-tailed deer avoid 

livestock areas as fawning habitat

Columbian white-tailed deer historically 

ranged throughout much of western Oregon and 

southwestern Washington. The deer prefer oak 

woodlands and savannas, ecosystems that have 

greatly declined since Euro-American settlement. 

Today, two remnant populations of the deer remain: 

one lives along the lower Columbia River and the 

second lives in the interior valleys of the Umpqua 

Basin in Douglas County, Oregon. 

The lower Columbia River population has been 

federally listed as an endangered species since 1967. 

The Douglas County population has been protected 

by the state of Oregon since 1978 and is considered 

a discrete population with separate recovery goals. 

The minimum recovery goals have been met, but 

Thinning and slash treatments 

dramatically increase deer forage in 

older even-aged stands in Alaska

To improve the management of young-growth 

stands for multiple values, the station and Tongass 

National Forest established four operationalscale, widely replicated adaptive management 

experiments known as the 

Tongass-Wide Young-Growth 

Studies (TWYGS). A key goal of 

TWYGS is to assess the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments 

for improving forage availability 

for Sitka black-tailed deer, which is highly valued 

for sport and subsistence hunting and as prey for 

wolves and bears. In the fourth TWYGS experiment, thinning and slash treatments were applied to 

even-aged stands more than 35 years 

old. Five years after treatment, forage 

biomass in treated stands was four to 

six times greater than in untreated 

stands. Analysis of the biomass data 

with the FRESH-Deer forage availability model showed that treatments 

increased deer-days of forage availability by five times in summer and three 

to four times in winter, depending on 

the treatment.

The TWYGS experiments are 

the primary means for effectiveness monitoring of young-growth 

management under the Tongass land 

and resource management plan. The 

vegetation response data and outputs 

from the FRESH-Deer forage model are being used 

by the Tongass National Forest to develop a new 

deer habitat model for southeast Alaska. This new 

model will be used for project- and landscape-level 

planning.

Contact: Michael McClellan, mmcclellan@fs.fed.us, 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service Tongass National Forest

the deer occupies less than 5 percent of its historical 

range. Understanding how land use affects its fawning habitat is fundamental to supporting further 

recovery of the species. 

Scientists found that the does avoided areas with 

livestock during fawning and chose to give birth in 

areas concealed by dense vegetation, typically along 

a permanent stream. Areas with livestock offered 

less vegetative cover.

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Oregon State University, Oregon 

Department of Fish and Wildlife

White-tailed deer.

Use: 

Tongass 

National Forest 

uses vegetation 

data in new deer 

habitat model. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
74 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WILDLIFE

Wolverine habitat projected to 

decline as climate warms 

The wolverine ’s range is confined to 

cold areas, typically arctic or alpine habitats, 

where relatively deep snow cover persists through 

the end of the reproductive denning period in 

mid-May. In the western contiguous United States, wolverine habitat 

occurs in an archipelago of alpine 

meadows and subalpine parklands 

that contain the climatic conditions 

necessary for their persistence. In 

that region, continued warming is 

expected to cause wolverine habitat 

to shift upward in elevation, decreasing both its 

geographic extent and connectivity. Consequently, 

understanding the potential effects of continued 

climate warming on the distribution, extent, and 

connectivity of wolverine habitat is essential for 

their conservation in the contiguous United States.

Researchers modeled the distribution of spring 

snow cover within the Columbia, Upper Missouri, 

and Upper Colorado River Basins. They projected 

that 67 percent of suitable wolverine habitat in the 

study area will persist through 2030–2059, but 

only 37 percent will persist through 2070–2099. 

Although large (>600 square miles) contiguous areas 

of wolverine habitat are likely to persist throughout 

the 21st century, such areas will become smaller 

and more isolated over time. Dispersal modeling 

indicated that by the late 21st century, habitat 

isolation will occur at or above levels associated 

with the genetic isolation of wolverine populations. 

These findings played a key role in the recent 

decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list 

the wolverine in the contiguous United States as a 

candidate species under the Endangered Species Act.

The lead scientist was interviewed by several 

media outlets, including National Public Radio and 

the Wenatchee World, Yakima Herald-Republic, and 

Methow Valley News, about this wolverine research.

Contact: Keith Aubry, kaubry@fs.fed.us, 

Ecological Process and Function Program 

Partners: University of Washington Climate 

Impacts Group, USDA Forest Service Rocky 

Mountain Research Station 

About 37 percent of current wolverine habitat is projected to persist through 2099.

John Rohrer

Use: 

U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service 

uses findings in 

decision to list 

wolverine as a 

candidate species 

under the ESA.
75 2011 Science Accomplishments

WILDLIFE

Population demography of 

northern spotted owls analyzes 

best available science 

The northern spotted owl, a threatened 

species under the Endangered Species Act, has 

become a well-known environmental symbol, and 

managing for the owl has been a complex issue for 

land managers. Station scientists collaborated with 

27 owl researches associated with 12 institutions or 

agencies to produce a monograph that provides the 

most complete picture of the spotted owl’s population status to date. It assesses relationships between 

reproductive and recruitment rates and covariates 

such as habitat, weather, and the invasive barred 

owl. Population Demography of Northern Spotted 

Owls demonstrates how collaboration among scientists can provide an analysis template for species 

assessments and conservation. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used results 

from a draft version of this analysis when developing its Spotted Owl Recovery plan. With general 

release of the book, conservation biologists, federal 

and state land managers, and the public will have 

a clear picture of the current population status of 

northern spotted owls. 

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: Colorado State University, Green Diamond 

Resource Company, Hoopa Tribal Forestry, Olympic 

National Park, Oregon State University, Raedeke 

Associates, Inc., Simon Fraser University, USDA\APHIS 

National Wildlife Research Center, USDI Bureau of Land 

Management, Mount Rainier National Park, USGS 

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

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

Dugger, K.M. [et al.]. 2011. Population demography of 

northern spotted owls. Studies in Avian Biology No. 40. 

Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 103 p.

Understanding barred owls habitat 

preferences may help northern 

spotted owl recovery 

Interactions with barred owls are a leading cause of the northern spotted owls’ continuing decline in the Pacific Northwest. Substantial 

information on forest structure characteristics used 

by spotted owls has been collected over the past two 

decades, but little is known about forest structure 

characteristics used by barred owls. Understanding 

barred owls’ habitat preferences will help managers evaluate how forest restoration treatments in 

fire-prone forests may affect interactions between 

spotted owls and barred owls. 

Station scientists used radiotelemetry to conduct 

the first extensive study of habitat use by barred 

owls. They learned barred owls use structurally 

diverse mixed grand fir forest more intensively than 

open ponderosa pine or even-aged Douglas-fir forest types within their home ranges in central Washington. The scientists shared their findings with the 

Barred Owl and Modeling Working Groups of the 

Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Team convened by 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This information has contributed to recovery planning for the 

northern spotted owl.

Contact: Peter Singleton, psingleton@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service Okanogan-Wenatchee 

National Forest, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Northern spotted owl.

Joe Lint

Barred owl.

Wendy VanDyk Evans, Bugwood. org
76 Pacific Northwest Research Station

WILDLIFE

Study identifies causes for demise 

of sage grouse populations 

Greater sage grouse populations in North 

America have declined for decades as their habitat 

has decreased. Station scientists examined how 

changes in land use could be contributing to these 

declines. They found that areas 

where local sage grouse populations had been eradicated had less 

sagebrush, were at lower elevations, were farther from power 

lines and communication towers, 

and were privately owned. Areas 

of extirpation were more often found along the 

periphery of the sage grouse range. Rates of habitat 

decline are increasing across large areas of western 

sage grouse range from continued and pervasive 

expansion of invasive plants and associated changes 

in wildfire regimes. Oil and gas development is also 

leading to habitat decline. 

The scientists also measured the threshold values 

of sagebrush cover and elevation needed by sage 

grouse. These thresholds values are easily and accurately measured with existing spatial data across the 

range of the sage grouse. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used these 

findings when deciding if listing under the Endangered Species Act was warranted. The agency 

decided not to list the sage grouse and continues to 

negotiate changes in landscape management with 

other federal agencies to prevent future listings. 

This research provides the scientific foundation for 

these negotiations. These findings also are being 

used by private landowners and many different 

administrative entities that include county, state, 

and federal planning activities across western 

North America. 

Contact: Michael 

Wisdom, mwisdom@

fs.fed.us, Ecological 

Process and Function 

Program

Partners: U.S. 

Geological Survey, 

Washington 

Department of 

Fish and Wildlife

Hope remains for polar bears’ sea 

ice habitat if greenhouse gases are 

reduced 

No “tipping point” has been reached or is foreseeable for polar bear sea ice habitat over the next 

century, researchers determined. And, if global 

greenhouse gas levels are reduced, polar bear 

populations could be conserved or recovered. This 

work continues the research that led the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the polar 

bear as a threatened species in 2008. It provided 

new analyses on how several future greenhouse gas 

scenarios will likely affect polar bear sea ice habitat 

and populations. The analysis indicates that only 

major mitigation of greenhouse gasses will avoid 

sea ice loss and reduce the probability of polar bear 

populations becoming more vulnerable. It indicates 

that current sea ice loss resulting from climate 

change may still be reversible, providing new hope 

for conserving polar bears. This information can 

be used by the USFWS to help develop recovery 

actions for polar bears.

The research appeared as the December 2010 

cover story in Nature.

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partners: National Center for Atmospheric Research, 

U.S. Geological Survey, University of Washington

Use: 

Public and private 

land managers 

are using results to 

design and implement sage grouse 

recovery strategies.

Sage grouse.

G. Kramer

A polar bear near the Beaufort Sea off Alaska’s Arctic coast.

Bruce Marcot
77 2011 Science Accomplishments

WILDLIFE

Pacific walrus is vulnerable to 

continued loss of Arctic sea ice 

The Pacific walrus was recommended 

as a candidate for federal protection under 

the Endangered Species Act. Before 

making a final decision, however, the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) needed more 

information on the potential viability of Pacific 

walrus populations, 

particularly under climate 

change and associated 

human impacts. To help inform that decision, a station scientist projected potential 

effects of climate change and other stressors on populations of Pacific walrus in the 

foreseeable future.

The findings were presented to the 

USFWS, which, as a result, reversed its 

previous draft finding not to list the Pacific 

walrus, and instead, listed the species as potentially threatened. This work also provides information on key stressors that could inform the 

USFWS recovery plan.

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

Ecological Process and Function Program

Partner: U.S. Geological Survey

Assessing habitat connectivity, land 

use, and climate gradients facilitates 

regional wildlife planning

Many wildlife species need to be able 

to move across the landscape in search of 

food throughout the year. As human populations 

increase and more land is developed for human 

use, links between wildlife habitats are 

being lost. To address this, the Western 

Governors Association Wildlife Corridors Initiative and state wildlife action 

plans call for incorporating wildlife 

corridors into regional-scale, long-range 

landscape management planning. 

To help with this process, station scientists 

worked as part of the Washington Wildlife Habitat 

Connectivity Working Group to assess regional 

habitat connectivity patterns for 16 focal species, 

natural landscape integrity connectivity patterns, 

and climate gradient patterns. The group completed 

a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of 

habitat conditions in the state, which can be incorporated into climate change adaptation connectivity planning. Station scientists provided technical 

guidance on model development and interpretation 

and facilitated technical peer review of modeling 

procedures and reports.

The Washington Department of Transportation 

is using the information and GIS data produced by 

the group in statewide transportation planning. The 

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also 

is using the information in planning efforts, and 

it is being used to develop decision-support tools 

under the Western Governors Association Wildlife 

Corridors Initiative. 

Contact: Peter Singleton, psingleton@fs.fed.us, 

Threat Characterization and Management Program

Partners: Conservation Northwest; The Nature 

Conservancy; USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Region; USDI Bureau of Land Management; University 

of Washington; Washington Departments of Fish 

and Wildlife, Natural Resources, and Transportation; 

Western Transportation Institute

For more information: http://www.waconnected.org/

Ice floes in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska. Global warming is causing 

ice floes to melt sooner in the summer, forcing walrus to haul out on land 

where they are more vulnerable to predation and have less access to food. 

Use: 

U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service 

uses study as basis 

for listing walrus 

as potentially 

threatened.

Bruce Marcot

Use: 

Washington 

Department of 

Transportation 

uses findings 

in statewide 

planning.
Symposia, Workshops, and Tours

Pacific Northwest Research Station 78

Learning Events

Forestry professionals learn about recent research on the genetics of host-parasite interactions in forests of western Oregon. 

Photo by Richard Sniezko.

The Pacific Northwest 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.

2011 National FIA User Group Meeting: Twentysix clients attended this workshop in Sacramento, 

California. They learned how field measurements 

are made and used to produce the Forest Inventory 

and Analysis data used throughout the Nation.

Amphibian Disease Workshop: About 60 people 

attended this workshop in Gig Harbor, Washington, as part of the annual meeting of the northern 

regional working group of partners in amphibian 

and reptile conservation.

American Fisheries Society Symposia: A station 

scientist played a key role organizing this 4-day 

annual meeting for more than 5,000 participants. It 

was held in Seattle, Washington.

BlueSky Training: Station scientists led four training sessions and a webinar for National Forest System staff on using the BlueSky framework to model 

fire information, fuel loading, smoke dispersal, and 

more. About 190 people attended the sessions held 

at different locations throughout the country.

Classrooms for Climate: This symposium, jointly 

held by the Forest Service and University of Alaska, 

highlighted research associated with climate 

change. About 200 people attended the event 

held at the University of Alaska Anchorage. 
79 2011 Science Accomplishments

Ecological Effects of Invasive Plants: This 1-day 

meeting of the Western Society of Weed Science 

included presentations on impacts of invasive, nonnative plants on forest, range, grassland, and estuary 

ecosystems of the western United States, as well 

as recent advances in research to restore invaded 

ecosystems. There were 93 attendees.

Elk Habitat Selection in Western Oregon and

Washington—Final Models and Management

Applications: About 120 people attended this 

workshop in Portland, Oregon, featuring innovative models of elk nutrition and habitat selection in 

western Oregon and Washington. The models will 

benefit current land management plan revisions and 

habitat management and restoration for elk. 

Experimental Forest and Range Network (EFRN)

Science Delivery Webinar: The station and the 

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, 

Inc., organized this webinar to learn what would 

make the nationwide EFRN long-term databases 

more useful to state and federal water quality regulatory agencies. There were 24 participants. 

First International Ranavirus Symposium:

Twenty-three scientists from nine countries gave 

presentations that synthesized world knowledge of 

the pathology, immunology, genetics, and ecology 

of Ranavirus, a virus that is killing amphibians 

around the world. About 100 participants attended 

the event held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Client Meetings and Data Workshops: FIA held a symposium 

in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss current research 

activities in the Pacific Northwest. The following 

day FIA hosted a data workshop where clients were 

guided through methods for analyzing FIA data 

and using them to answer challenging questions 

about natural resources. About 40 people attended 

the event. A similar event was held at Magness Tree 

Farm, Oregon, for 15 members of the Society of 

American Foresters. A third meeting and workshop 

was held at Portland State University, Oregon, for 

about 10 faculty and staff.

Green Peak Study Site Tour: Eight journalism 

students from the University of Oregon toured the 

study site as part of a science media project funded 

by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Scientists examine maps of study plots on Oregon’s 

Deschutes National Forest.

Bruce Marcot

79 2011 Science Accomplishments

Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions in Forestry:

At this 4th international workshop, held in Eugene, 

Oregon, 87 participants provided overviews of the 

most current scientific information available on 

forest insect and disease resistance for a range of 

forests pests.

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest: This research 

site near Blue River, Oregon, hosts many events 

throughout the year. The annual HJA Day attracted 

more than 140 visitors. The scientists, students, 

federal and state land managers, utility managers, 

and interested public who attended learned about 

ongoing research in the forest. The Oregon Board 

of Forestry tour brought together state and federal 

foresters, private timber managers, and the public 

to discuss forestry practices. As part of its humanities program, the site hosted seven writers, the Blue 

River Writers Gathering, and a 2-day long-term 

ecological research humanities workshop. In total, 

more than 1,500 people attended events at H.J. 

Andrews.

Human Influence on Connectivity and Population

Structure for River Fishes: A station scientist was 

the co-coordinator and sponsor for this session of 

the annual meeting of the 2011 American Fisheries 

Society. About 50 people attended. 

International Association for Landscape Ecology

Annual Symposium: The station cosponsored this 

event with the U.S. chapter of the association, and 

a station scientist was the program chair. Held in 

Portland, Oregon, the meeting brought together 

more than 500 landscape ecologists from the 

United States and abroad. 
Pacific Northwest Research Station

LEARNING EVENTS

80

Introduction to Wildland Fire Decision Support

System—Air Quality Tools: A station scientist 

introduced these tools to about 20 attendees of the 

Southwest Interagency Fuels Workshop held in 

Flagstaff, Arizona.

Juneau Icefield Research Program Briefing:

Twenty students and faculty from the Juneau 

Icefield Research Program learned about rain 

forest ecology, the impact of global warming on 

glaciers, and the hydrology of glacial streams in 

southeast Alaska. 

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Artist

and Science Field Trip: Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest, LTER site near Fairbanks, Alaska, collaborated with 16 local artists to describe the effects 

of a changing climate on Alaskan boreal forests. 

Model Uncertainty: Two half-day workshops 

engaged extension specialists in discussion of ways 

to frame the inherent uncertainty and assumptions 

in the output of most models, and how to discuss 

that uncertainty in the context of global climate 

models. Fourteen people attended the workshop in 

Wenatchee, Washington; 25 attended the workshop 

in Corvallis, Oregon. 

Carlos Ramirez

Molalla Forest Productivity Study Field Visits:

Six district silviculturists with USDI Bureau of 

Land Management toured the study site in Molalla, 

Oregon, to learn about effects of forest harvesting, 

logging debris manipulation, and vegetation control 

on Douglas-fir productivity. 

North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership Climate

Change Fish Workshop: This partnership, organized by station scientists and the University of 

Washington’s Climate Impacts Group, hosted four 

resource-specific workshops on climate change 

vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning 

for the North Cascadia region. About 45 participants from national parks and forests in the region 

attended.

North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership Project:

The station facilitated four climate change education workshops where scientists and resource 

management representatives presented the basics 

of climate change science and expected effects on 

natural resources in the Pacific Northwest. About 

340 staff from national parks and forests in the 

region attended. 

Clients learn about the application of Forest Inventory and Analysis data at a meeting in California. 
81 2011 Science Accomplishments

LEARNING EVENTS

Smoke and Air Quality Management

Tools Training: Station scientists 

provided training for about 30 attendees at the third Fire Behavior and 

Fuels Conference of the International 

Association of Wildland Fire held in 

Spokane, Washington.

Starkey Experimental Forest and

Range Tour: Several tours were held 

at the experimental forest and range 

throughout the year highlighting the 

relevance of past and ongoing research 

to forest management. About 70 

visitors from the Wallowa-Whitman, 

Umatilla, and Malheur National 

Forests; Eastern Oregon University; 

World Forestry Center International 

Students; and University of Wyoming 

Cooperating Faculty participated.

Conservation Education

Pacific Northwest Research Station scientists make 

time to share their expert knowledge with children, 

teenagers, and their teachers in a variety of programs ranging from hands-on classroom activities 

to summer camps.

2011—Year of the Turtle: Station researchers 

helped organize this worldwide event to raise 

awareness for turtle conservation, research, and 

education. For example, activities by fifth graders 

at Copper Mill Elementary School in Zachary, 

Louisiana, and by eighth graders at Jane Goodall 

Environmental Middle School in Salem, Oregon, 

were featured in a monthly newsletter.

Asa Mercer Middle School Afterschool Program:

The station statistician led an afterschool workshop 

teaching 10 students about scientific inquiry and 

how to present their project at the Washington state 

science fair. 

BioBlitz: About 30 students from Jane Goodall 

Elementary and Middle School in Salem, Oregon, 

learned from station researchers how to conduct 

a fauna census in and around ponds at the Luckiamute State Natural Area. 

Bruce Marcot

Douglas Indian Association Elders and Students

Summer Program: Nine participants toured the 

Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Juneau, Alaska, 

and learned about job opportunities and research 

programs. Participants also went on a field trip 

to the Héen Latinee Experimental Forest, where 

they learned about natural resource management, 

hydrology, and the role of the experimental forest 

in regional studies. They discussed opportunities 

for Native American students in natural resource 

management and education.

Ferry Interpreter Training Workshop: Station 

researchers taught 12 summer interns about rain 

forest ecology and geology and the natural history 

of southeast Alaska to prepare them as interpreters. 

Forest Camp 2011: Station staff taught 200 sixthgraders about the Web of Life and the importance 

of fungi in the forest ecosystem. The camp, hosted 

by the Siuslaw National Forest, was held at Camp 

Tadmor in Lebanon, Oregon. 

Forestry Days: About 300 sixth graders from the 

Clatsop County school district learned about forest 

ecology from station staff. The event was done in 

collaboration with Oregon Department of Forestry. 

Scientists discuss an ongoing study on the Wenatchee National Forest in 

Washington.
Pacific Northwest Research Station

LEARNING EVENTS

82

Inner City Youth Institute: The 

station supported the Inner City 

Youth Institute (ICYI), which 

encourages underprivileged youth 

to pursue higher education and 

careers in natural resource and 

environmental fields. The ICYI 

sponsored forest ecology programs 

in Portland inner city middle and 

high schools and a summer camp 

program for high school students 

from Portland and southwest 

Washington. This summer’s 

camp was based at Oregon State 

University, but students explored 

nearby forests and rivers and visited 

the Hatfield Marine Science Center 

on the Oregon coast. The ICYI is 

a partnership between the USDA Forest Service, 

Oregon State University’s 4-H program, and the 

USDI Bureau of Land Management. About 200 

students participated in ICYI programs. 

It All Starts With Plankton: the Marine Food

Chain: A station scientist led Earth Day activities 

for 10 kindergarteners at the Corvallis Montessori 

School. 

Kids in the Creek: This 1-day event provided 

200 high school students from Wenatchee School 

District in Chelan County, Washington, a handson opportunity to learn about basic aquatic ecology 

and conservation. 

Knotweed Management Efficacy: Twenty elementary and middle school students in Aberdeen, 

Washington, learned from a station scientist 

about controlling an invasive weed during a 

trip organized by the Chehalis Basin Education 

Consortium. 

Northwest Science Expo: The station sponsored 

“Outstanding Forest Science” awards to a high 

school and middle school student at the Northwest 

Science Expo—a science fair for young scientists, 

engineers, and mathematicians—at Portland State 

University. 

Oregon Science Teachers’ Association: A station 

scientist gave two lectures on climate change 

and water to 15 teachers responsible for about 

800 students.

Through the Forest Inside Out! program, 400 children from the Portland 

metropolitan area learned about nature. 

Becky Bittner

Forests Inside Out! Through American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act funding, the station partnered with the nonprofit World Forestry Center 

in Portland, Oregon, to support a series of 2-day 

indoor and outdoor experiences for 400 children 

ages 6 to 10 and family members from diverse and 

underserved communities in the greater Portland 

metropolitan area. Eight high school students from 

the Portland area were hired to act as mentors for 

the program. 

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest: This research 

site near Blue Lake, Oregon, hosted field trips and 

tours for 228 students from elementary, middle, and 

high schools in the mid-Willamette Valley. The 

students and their teachers learned about environmental processes and how to conduct research.

I’m Going to College, 2011: A station scientist 

talked with 60 fifth-grade students about research 

and opportunities working with the Forest Service. 

The event was held at the University of Alaska 

Southeast in Juneau. 

Importance of Yellow-Cedar and Its Regeneration

to Native People in Alaska: Seven students and 

elders of the Douglas Indian Association visited the 

yellow-cedar planting area on Goldbelt Corporation land in Echo Cove, Alaska, to discuss use of 

yellow-cedar by Native people and learn about forest management efforts to ensure the sustainability 

of this tree into the future. 
83 2011 Science Accomplishments

LEARNING EVENTS

Children with the Inner City Youth Institute kayak on the Willamette River near Corvallis, Oregon.

Becky Bittner

Science Workshop for Teachers: The station 

statistician co-taught a 3-day workshop for the 

Renton School District through a grant from the 

Howard Hughes Foundation to the Center for 

Inquiry Science, Biological Systems Institute. The 

workshop focused on the process of conducting 

scientific research and guided teachers through a 

mini-data collection project. 

Terrestrial Amphibians and Road Effects: Station 

researchers taught 30 students in an eighth grade 

conservation biology class at Jane Goodall Elementary and Middle School in Salem, Oregon, about 

this management challenge. 

The Investi-gator: Station scientists and their 

research were highlighted in the climate change 

edition of this Forest Service publication that is 

distributed to elementary school children nationally.

Washington State Science and Engineering Fair: 

The station sponsored an “Outstanding Forest 

Science Project Award” at the Washington State 

Science and Engineering Fair at Olympic College 

in Bremerton, Washington.
2010 Regional Forester’s Partnership Award

John Lundquist, a forest entomologist in the 

Threat Characterization and Management 

Program, was honored for his outstanding 

contributions in engaging youth, families, and 

communities in outdoor experiences and natural resource stewardship through the Youth 

Employment in Parks Program.

2011 Environmental Excellence Award

Peter Singleton, an ecologist with the Threat 

Characterization and Management Program, 

received this award from the Federal Highway 

Administration for his exemplary achievement in 

Ecosystems, Habitat, and Wildlife for the Washington Connected Landscapes Project: Statewide 

Analysis. The assessment will influence many 

aspects of construction and maintenance of 

Washington’s highway system. 

2011 National Wilderness Award

Don McKenzie, a research ecologist with the 

Threat Characterization and Management 

Program, received this award for his research 

exploring the challenges of adapting to changing disturbance regimes while maintaining the 

integrity of wilderness areas in a warming world. 

David F. Thomas Award

Paul Hennon, a research plant pathologist with 

the Threat Characterization and Management 

Program, received this national award from 

the Forest Service for his outstanding customer 

service as a forest health expert.

Excellence in Science 

Dede Olson, a research ecologist with the Land 

and Watershed Management Program, was honored by the Society for Northwestern Vertebrate 

Biology for her service to the society as both its 

president and vice-president.

Photo by Pete Bisson.

84 Pacific Northwest Research Station

Honors and Awards Honors and Awards
Excellence in Science and Technology

Michael Furniss, a hydrologist with the Communications and Applications Group, was honored 

by the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service for his 

efforts to communicate science and build tools 

that enable the application of science to pressing 

land management problems.

Exemplary Case Study

The Integrated Landscape Assessment Project, 

led by Miles Hemstrom with the Focused Science Delivery Program, won recognition as one 

of eight “exemplary case studies” by the Farm 

Foundation, and was selected for presentation at 

the Agriculture, Food, Nutrition, and Natural 

Resources Research and Development roundtable 

in Washington, DC.

Fulbright Scholarship

Michael Wisdom, a research wildlife biologist 

with the Ecological Process and Function Program, taught and conducted ungulate research 

at the Aridlands Research Institute in Mendoza, 

Argentina. Recipients of Fulbright grants are 

selected on the basis of academic or professional 

achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership 

potential in their fields. 

Highly Cited Authors

Marty Vavra, Catherine Parks, and Michael

Wisdom, with the Ecological Process and Function Program, received the Highly Cited Author 

Award 2007–2010 from the journal Forest Ecology 

and Management. Their paper, “Biodiversity, 

Exotic Plants, and Herbivory: the Good, the 

Bad, and the Ungulate” (2007), was one of the 

journal’s top 50 cited papers.

Olaus J. Murie Award

Michael Wisdom, a research wildlife biologist with the Ecological Process and Function 

Program, was honored by the Rocky Mountain 

Elk Foundation for his work on the science of 

wildlife management. The award is based on five 

criteria: (1) relevance of work to the conservation 

of wild, free-ranging elk; (2) application of work 

“on the ground” to benefit wild, free-ranging elk; 

(3) dedication to his profession; (4) commitment 

to the conservation of wild, free-ranging elk; and 

(5) credibility and respect among peers.

Outstanding Achievement Award 

Paul Hennon, a research plant pathologist with 

the Threat Characterization and Management 

Program, was recognized by the 2010 Western 

International Forest Disease Work Conference 

as the individual who has contributed the most 

to the field of forest pathology in western North 

America.

Research Spotlight

Steve Wondzell, a research ecologist with the 

Land and Watershed Management Program, was 

a contributing author of the article “Zooming in 

on aquatic denitrification hot spots,” which was 

featured as a Research Spotlight in EOS, the 

American Geophysical Union’s weekly publication of transactions. 

USDA Honor Award

Charlie Crisafulli, an ecologist with Land and 

Watershed Management Program, was honored 

for his personal and professional excellence in 

communicating the significance of long-term 

research at the Mount St. Helens National 

Volcanic Monument to the scientific community, 

policymakers, and the public.

USDA Secretary’s Award

Brad St. Clair and Randy Johnson, research 

geneticists with the Land and Watershed 

Management Program, were recognized for 

their work with the Conifer Translational 

Genomics Network Coordinated Agricultural 

Project. 

85 2011 Science Accomplishments
86

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

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 

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

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

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

Gretchen Nicholas (Acting)

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2034

E-mail: gnicholas@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
 Lynn Canal, Southeast Alaska. 

 Photo by Jon Williams.

Online Supplements

The 2011 Science Accomplishments of the Pacific 

Northwest Research Station is available online, 

along with PNW research program reports and 

all 2011 publications by PNW scientists, at 

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sa/2011/.

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—Wenatchee National Forest, 

 Washington, by Jon Williams

Back cover photo—Queen’s Cup (Clintonia uniflora),

 by Walter Siegmund

All uncredited photos—U.S. Forest Service staff

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.

Pesticide Precautionary Statement

This publication reports research involving pesticides. 

It does not contain recommendations for their use, nor 

does it imply that the uses discussed here have been 

registered. All uses of pesticides must be registered by 

appropriate state or federal agencies, or both, before 

they can be recommended. 

CAUTION: Pesticides can be injurious to humans, domestic animals, 

desirable plants, and fish or other wildlife if they are not handled or 

applied properly. Use all pesticides selectively and carefully. Follow 

recommended practices for the disposal of surplus pesticides and 

pesticide containers.

United States 

Department 

of Agriculture

Forest 

Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station
January 2012

Pacific Northwest Research Station

333 SW First Avenue

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

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