new tools

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ature accomplishments new tools change goals feature accomplishment s key findings change g o a l s feature accomplishments new tools change featur

ccomplishments key findings k e y f i n d i n g s change g o a l s k e y f i n d i n g s new tools feature accomplishments new tools change goals feature acco mplishm ent

y findings change g o a l s feature accomplishments new tools change feature accomplishments key findings new tools change goals key findings feature accomplishmen

ew tools change key findings goals feature accomplishments new tools key findings DEPA RTMENTOFAGRICULT URE

2004 science accomplishments g o a l s k e 

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h a n g e f e a t u r e a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s c h a n g e g o a l s feature accomplishments g o a l s change key findings n e w t o o l s feature accomplishmen

oals key findings c h a n g e f e a t u r e a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s new tools change of the pacific northwest research station g o a l s featu

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vision and mission
We are highly sought for our scientific leadership and

impartial knowledge. Our mission is togenerate and communicate

scientific knowledge thathelpspeopleunderstandand make informed

choices about people, natural resources, and the environment.
a message from the pnw executive team

The best reward for research well done 

is not a scientific honor or award, but 

to see our findings making a difference on 

the ground. Perhaps the sincerest compliment 

is when agencies outside the 

Forest Service use our findings and management tools 

because they find our work 

valuable.

In our contacts with people 

this past year, we learned of 

many fine examples of how 

scientific research from the 

PNW Research Station is making a difference regionally, 

nationally, and internationally, in resource management.

• The FishXing software, used to design fishpassable culvert replacements, is used in 

thousands of counties across the United 

States, saving time and money.

• Active intentional management (AIM), 

an integrated system for managing a forest’s ecological processes, was adopted by 

the Washington Department of Natural 

Resources as the preferred alternative for 

managing 2 million acres of Washington 

state forests.

• The fall 2003 fires in southern California 

were disastrous for people and ecosystems. 

After the fires, one of our program managers headed a national team that tested a new 

way to rapidly deliver scientific and technical information to people greatly in need.

• Work is underway to adopt BlueSkyRAINS, 

the smoke management and information system, across the West and possibly 

nationally.

• The FIA BioSum software is a tool now used 

in several Western States to analyze the 

effectiveness of fire hazard reduction and 

the financial feasibility of fuel treatments, 

helping people find a balance between desired outcomes and acceptable costs.

• Hunting regulations have been changed 

in many Western States as a result of the 

Starkey Project research on elk, deer, and 

cattle ecology.

• An international workshop on “Balancing 

Ecosystem Values” was held in Portland, 

partly because of our scientists’ contributions to large-scale sustainable forestry 

experiments.

• Our research on how urbanization and other 

social changes affect forest management is 

used nationally by long-range planners and 

policymakers.

We are proud that our scientists and other employees are sought out for their knowledge, 

expertise, and insight. Our scientists are invited to present their findings to federal agency 

heads, state boards and commissions, Congressional groups, and many nongovernment organizations, and they are asked to fill posts 

at national and international levels in scientific societies. Our communications professionals 

are asked to take the lead on national publications.

Our accomplishments are possible only in concert with our partners, cooperators, and clients. 

We look forward to seeing our research results 

and products continue to benefit a changing 

society and continually changing ecosystems. 

PNW Executive Team

March 2005

PNW Executive Team (from left): Cynthia D. West, Deputy 

Station Director; Thomas M. Quigley, Station Director; 

Cynthia L. Miner, Director for Communications and 

Applications; Paul Dunn, Assistant Station Director; 

and Rolando Ortegon, Director for Operations.
4 PNW Research Station: The Setting

5 Goal Accomplishments

6 Goal 1: Develop a Fundamental Understanding of 

Ecological, Social, and Economic Systems and 

Their Interactions

20 Goal 2: Assess the Status and Trends of Ecosystems and 

Natural Resources and Their Uses

30 Goal 3: Develop Science-Based Options for 

Informed Management

54 Goal 4: Communicate Science Findings and 

Enhance Their Application

64 Publications

65 Symposia, Workshops, and Tours

68 Conservation Education

71 Honors and Awards

75 Research Context

76 Finances and Workforce

77 Cooperators Who Receive Funding

77 Clients Who Provide Funding

78 PNW Research Station Organization

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pnw research station: the setting

• 10 laboratories in Alaska, Oregon, and 

Washington

• 11 active experimental areas (watershed, 

range, and experimental forests)

• Research also conducted in more than 

20 research natural areas (RNAs)

• Headquarters in Portland, Oregon

• PNW is 1 of 6 research stations in the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service 

• 524 employees (306 permanent, 218 temporary)

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6 2004 science accomplishments

goal 1:

develop a fundamental understanding 

of ecological, social, and economic 

systems and their interactions

• Tree diameter correlates strongly with the occurrence 

of natural platforms in trees in Washington forests 

and may be a potential indicator of suitable marbled 

murrelet nesting habitat.

• Marbled murrelet group size at sea may be a gauge 

of productivity, giving managers a practical way 

to assess murrelet reproductive success.

• Station scientists discovered a previously unknown 

species, the Scott Bar salamander, and learned new 

information to help land managers protect rare 

woodland salamanders in northern California 

and southwestern Oregon.

• Detailed maps of coastal Oregon forests show 

relations among forest composition and structure, 

and climate, disturbance history, and land ownership, with implications for regional conservation 

planning.

• Pileated woodpeckers in the southern Oregon 

Cascade Range forage in small-diameter downed 

wood for beetle larvae, not only for carpenter ants in 

large-diameter wood; this finding can help refine 

existing habitat guidelines for this keystone species.

• Low-copy nuclear markers give more accurate 

genetic information for pine and mallow species 

than two more commonly used classes of genetic 

markers. Now that accuracy has been tested, the 

low-copy nuclear markers can be used to study 

genetic questions related to the more than 300 

sensitive plant species in the Pacific Northwest.

key findings
goal accomplishments & key findings 7

Data showing that Puget Sound marbled murrelet populations 

are relatively stable was critical to a recent U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service status review of the threatened species.

accomplishments

 tree diameters may help 

predict murrelet nest sites

Marbled murrelets are small seabirds that spend 

time in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems—–

they forage in coastal waters and nest inland 

on the branches of large coniferous trees in the 

Pacific Northwest. Federally listed as a threatened 

species, the marbled murrelet is a species whose 

conservation is an important part of the Northwest Forest Plan.

Platforms, defined as limbs greater than 4 

inches in diameter covered with moss or infected by mistletoe, or as larger bare limbs, are one 

factor critical to defining suitable nesting habitat. However, data on these nesting platforms are 

not typically gathered as part of ongoing forest 

inventories. Because of the lack of data on platforms, scientists used tree diameter and species 

to predict the abundance of platforms in forests 

in Washington. Scientists performed a statistical 

Marbled murrelet group size on the ocean may yield clues about 

nesting status of the adult birds.

used to define potential murrelet nesting habitat 

and have been critical in developing maps of potential habitat in support of the Northwest Forest 

Plan effectiveness monitoring program.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Region; Washington Department of Natural 

Resources; USDI Fish and Wildlife Service

 murrelet group size at sea 

may be a gauge of productivity

Marbled murrelets are fast-flying seabirds that 

divide their time between foraging in coastal 

marine waters and nesting inland in large coniferous trees. During the nesting period, both parents 

take turns incubating their single egg, switching duties every 24 hours. Thus on any given day 

during incubation, one member of a breeding pair 

is alone on the water while the other is sitting on 

the nest. Because of the birds’ unusual nesting behavior, scientists have not been able to estimate 

from marine surveys alone what proportion of 

the murrelet population is actually nesting inland in any given year, an important productivity 

measure for this threatened species.

Scientists tested a new 

technique for estimating murrelet nesting 

activity by using marine surveys. Based on 

studies with murrelets 

that were radio-tagged, 

scientists found that 

nesting birds were significantly more likely to be solitary while 

on the water than were 

nonnesting birds. By 

counting numbers of 

single birds versus 

paired birds, as determined by boat surveys, scientists created an index of productivity found to 

be successful in 4 out of 5 years tested (1997 to 

analysis that found a very strong correlation between tree diameter and the occurrence of platforms, a relationship that differed among tree 

species. Among all species surveyed in the Washington forests, trees with diameters greater than 

40 inches had a 50-percent or greater likelihood 

of having platforms. These findings suggest that 

commonly measured stand attributes—–in this 

case, tree diameter—–may be used to predict potential suitability of marbled murrelet nesting 

habitat.

Results of this work provide scientific support for 

defining a threshold of tree diameter that can be 

Marty Raphael

Marty Raphael
8 2004 science accomplishments

2001). This finding may lead to a tool that managers can use to assess murrelet reproductive status 

from data routinely collected during ocean surveys.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDI Fish and Wildlife Service; USDI Bureau of 

Land Management; Washington Department of Natural 

Resources; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; 

USDA Forest Service, National Forest System

surveys reveal relative stability of 

marbled murrelet populations

Scientists completed development of the first population survey protocol for the marbled murrelet 

in 2000. Since then scientists have been using the 

protocol to monitor murrelet populations in the 

Puget Sound region. Data indicate a relatively stable population of marbled murrelets, averaging 

about 8,000 birds, over the past 4 years. This finding was critical to a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service status review of the marbled murrelet, a 

species listed as federally “threatened.”

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDI Fish and Wildlife Service; USDI Bureau of 

Land Management; Washington Department of Natural 

Resources; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; 

USDA Forest Service, National Forest System

northern spotted owls prefer 

nocturnal arboreal rodents

Scientists summarized 30 years of northern spotted owl diet data based on a sample of 

24,497 prey items collected from 1,118 owl 

territories in Oregon—–the longest and largest data set ever collected on diets of spotted 

owls, which are listed as threatened under the 

Endangered Species Act. The vast majority of 

species preyed upon by spotted owls, which 

numbered at least 131, were mammals. On 

average, the majority of species taken were nocturnal arboreal mammals. Although northern 

spotted owl diets tended to differ among owl territories, geographic regions, and years, they generally were dominated by northern flying squirrels, 

woodrats, red tree voles, western red-backed voles, 

deer mice, and gophers. These findings suggest 

that management practices that promote healthy 

populations of these species should benefit northern spotted owls in Oregon and Washington. This 

study serves as a reference to management agencies for regional variation of diets of the northern 

spotted owl in Oregon.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDI Geological Survey, 

USDI Bureau of Land Management, 

Oregon State University

scientists clarify east-side ecological 

webs involving spotted owls and 

their prey

The northern flying squirrel, a nocturnal arboreal rodent, is part of a complex ecological web that 

includes the northern spotted owl. Owls prey upon 

flying squirrels, which, in turn, consume truffles, 

underground fungi that are symbiotic with trees 

and vital for high tree productivity. Although 

much is known about this ecological web in the 

moist Douglas-fir forests of western Oregon and 

Washington, data are few for low-elevation, dry 

forests of the eastern Washington Cascades. Scientists studied the demography of flying squirrels 

and how it relates to forest cover types variously 

used by spotted owls, woody debris, and truffle 

and lichen food abundance over 4 years in eastern 

Washington. Flying squirrels were abundant in 

mature mixed-conifer forest that is primary spotted owl habitat, but also were abundant in young 

mixed-conifer forests and pine forests less used 

by spotted owls; hence prey abundance may not 

be the prime driver of spotted owl habitat use.

The flying squirrel data generated by this 

study have been used for the 5-year status review 

of the spotted owl being conducted by the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service and the interpretation 

of the 10-year analysis of long-term demography 

studies of the northern spotted owl. The data also 

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 9

are being used for the wildlife viability analysis of the Northwest Forest Plan revision for the 

Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests.

Contact: John Lehmkuhl, jlehmkuhl@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Okanogan and 

Wenatchee National Forests; Central Washington 

University; Oregon State University

 station scientists discover a 

new species while helping 

land managers protect rare 

woodland salamanders

Station scientists are helping land managers protect the habitat needs of several rare salamander 

species endemic to northern California and southwestern Oregon, and in the process recently discovered a previously unknown salamander species. 

Station scientists used field surveys and innovative 

techniques to learn more about the distribution of 

these woodland salamanders, some of which were 

survey-and-manage species under the Northwest 

Forest Plan. Surveys revealed that Shasta salamanders are indeed rare and largely restricted 

to a small zone near Shasta Lake, California, 

These salamanders are part of the hidden biodiversity within our national forests, and the 

new information will help land managers 

better protect their habitat. For low-mobility, rare, 

endemic species such as these terrestrial salamanders, the isolated populations may need to be considered as separate species management units.

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: Oregon State University; University of 

California at Berkeley; USDA Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest Regions, 

Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Klamath National 

Forest; USDI Fish and Wildlife Service; USDI 

Bureau of Land Management, Medford District

 new maps lend insight into 

biodiversity patterns and causes

Conservation of biodiversity is an important forest 

policy issue and management objective for many 

individual forests across the region. The patterns 

and causes of biodiversity in any given forest differ depending on the individual landscape. Scientists used new, highly detailed maps of forest 

vegetation in coastal Oregon to examine biodiversity patterns and their causes. They found that 

gradients in tree species composition were strongly linked to environmental factors, especially climate, and were insensitive to disturbance, such as 

timber harvesting, fire, and disease. Forest structure, however, was found to be strongly linked 

with the history of disturbance and land ownership and only weakly linked with environment. 

The detailed tree-, stand-, and species-level data 

in the maps revealed regional trends that would 

be masked in a coarse-filter assessment.

Findings suggest that regional conservation planning include all ownerships and land allocations, 

as well as fine-scale elements of vegetation composition and structure. These detailed vegetation 

maps are used as input to models that simulate 

future landscape conditions to evaluate effects 

of silvicultural treatments and forest policies on 

vegetation, aquatic, wildlife, biodiversity, and 

commodity values.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partner: Oregon State University

but they are not solely associated with limestone 

rock outcrops, as once thought. Two new, isolated populations of Shasta salamanders were found 

distant from the main population center. Mitochondrial DNA analyses identified three discrete 

populations of Del Norte salamanders in northern California and southwestern Oregon. Genetic 

analysis of nuclear microsatellite markers identified two discrete populations of Siskiyou Mountain salamanders and revealed limited gene flow 

between them. By analyzing genetic and morphological traits, scientists were able to discover a 

new species, the Scott Bar salamander (Plethodon 

asupak).

Scientists identified a new species of woodland 

salamander, the Scott Bar salamander.

Steve Tilley

Tom Iraci
10 2004 science accomplishments

On Sun Pass State Forest south of Crater Lake, 

pileated woodpeckers open small down logs to 

capture wood-boring beetle larvae.

 small-diameter down wood is 

important foraging habitat for 

pileated woodpecker

The pileated woodpecker is a large, striking redcrested species that requires live and dead trees 

with heartwood decay for nesting and roosting, 

as well as standing dead and downed wood for 

foraging. The woodpecker’s foraging and cavity 

excavation provide many ecological benefits, including habitat for other cavity-using 

species. But the pileated woodpecker, 

a keystone species, is also a species of 

special concern because of its habitat 

requirements.

Work on the Sun Pass State Forest 

in southern Oregon has yielded new 

findings on the pileated woodpecker’s foraging ecology. Scientists found 

that during the snow-free months, 

pileated woodpeckers foraged in 

small-diameter down wood (9 inches 

at the large end), not only in largediameter wood. They also found that 

the prey species in this wood is more often large 

wood-boring beetle larvae, not carpenter ants as 

had been thought previously. These findings can 

help refine management guidelines for pileated 

woodpecker habitat on the Sun Pass State Forest, 

also benefitting the many other species that use 

woodpecker-created cavities.

Contacts: Catherine M. Raley, craley@fs.fed.us, 

Keith B. Aubry, kaubry@fs.fed.us, 

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partner: Oregon Department of Forestry

Nearly forty species of insects feed on nutrient-rich 

beargrass pollen; these same insects also pollinate 

other less common flowers.

Willamette National Forest managers are developing guidelines 

for sustainable harvest of beargrass by using a new finding 

that beargrass pollen helps wild pollinators to survive.

harvest that are sustainable and do not harm the 

viability of individual plants and communities. 

Earlier work showed that foliage quality, which is 

strongly influenced by overstory cover, is a major 

factor in the market value of plants, and therefore, 

to some extent, the harvest pressure.

New research characterizes the reproductive ecology and pollinators of beargrass. Scientists found 

that overstory strongly influences the growth 

and flowering of beargrass; almost no flowering occurs under dense canopies. In forests where 

canopy has been reduced by selective harvest, 

beargrass flowers are pollinated by nearly 40 

species of insects, including pollen-eating flies, 

beetles, and small bees. The nutrient-rich beargrass pollen helps these wild bees and other 

pollinators survive, and these insects pollinate 

John Laurence

Nan Vance

other flowers that are less 

common or whose pollen is 

less nutritious. Thus beargrass 

feeds many pollinating insects in cool, high-elevation 

forests, which generally are 

not rich in flower species, and so it aids the reproductive success of other plants, an important 

support for biodiversity.

Managers on the Willamette National Forest are 

using these findings as they develop guidelines 

for the sustainable harvest of beargrass. Their 

guidelines reduce or eliminate picking of the 

plant’s flowers, which typically bloom from May 

to June.

Contact: Nan Vance, nvance@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Willamette National 

Forest; St. Louis University

beargrass supports biodiversity by 

feeding nearly 40 species of insects

Beargrass is a native, perennial plant important 

internationally in the floral trade and important regionally as a traditional and commercial 

nontimber forest product. Scientists have been 

studying the ecology and reproductive biology of 

beargrass to determine methods and conditions of 

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 11

 more accurate approach should 

improve results in plant genetic 

studies

Molecular genetic information has dramatical-

ly affected the study of species relationships and 

evolutionary biology, and DNA sequences are now 

routinely used to identify and classify different 

species. New research on the genetics of pine and 

mallow species shows that two classes of genetic 

markers commonly used for plants are often in

-

accurate, and a different class of marker is much 

more accurate. Much genetic research has been 

done on pines and mallows (domestic and wild 

species of cotton), making them good groups for 

testing genetic analysis techniques.

The two commonly used markers, chloroplast 

DNA and nuclear ribosomal DNA, give mislead

-

ing results up to 30 percent of the time, too high 

a rate to accurately reveal genetic relationships. 

Scientists found that DNA sequences derived 

from multiple low-copy nuclear genes were more 

accurate. (These genes come from the cell nucleus; 

“low-copy” means that they have unique, unam

-

biguous identities.) The low-copy nuclear markers gave clearer, more certain information on the 

genetic relations and evolutionary biology of pine 

and mallow species. Now that accuracy has been 

tested, the same markers can be used to study ge

-

netic questions in any family of plant species. The 

low-copy nuclear markers should provide unam

-

biguous answers to questions about relations and 

evolutionary biology in plant families. Use of nu

-

clear markers can yield more accurate species definitions, clarify relations among the more than 

300 sensitive species in the Pacific Northwest, 

and yield information on interspecies hybridiza

-

tion, a suspected factor in the success of weeds 

such as cheatgrass.

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

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: Oregon State University, Iowa State University

sea-run coastal cutthroat trout have 

small, genetically distinct populations 

throughout their range

Sea-run coastal cutthroat trout are sensitive to 

the effects of land management on freshwater 

streams and are often used as an indicator species 

for stream condition. For the last few years, searun coastal cutthroat trout have been a species 

of concern. The National Marine Fisheries Service 

has reviewed the status of this fish in Washing

-

ton, Oregon, and California, and has designated 

six distinct genetic groups, or evolutionarily sig

-

nificant units (ESUs), for this species. The ESUs 

are based on scientific information, including the 

ecological, environmental, and genetic attributes 

of the coastal cutthroat.

Station scientists examined populations of sea-run 

coastal cutthroat trout across their range, which 

extends from northern California to Prince Wil

-

liam Sound in Alaska, to analyze how these pop

-

ulations interact and how distinct they are from 

each other. They found that compared to other 

species of anadromous salmon and trout, the indi

-

vidual populations of coastal cutthroat trout had 

large amounts of distinctive genetic information 

(genetic information unique to a particular pop

-

ulation). This finding suggests that the cutthroat 

trout populations are more independent and iso

-

lated than the populations of the other species. 

The cutthroat populations on the southern and 

northern edges of the range were the most dis

-

tinctive genetically, suggesting that these popula

-

tions may have the greatest potential for adapting 

to future changes in environmental conditions. If 

the same criteria of genetic similarity used to de

-

lineate ESUs for other salmon and trout were used 

for coastal cutthroat, the species would be classi

-

fied into more than the current six ESUs.

Tom Iraci Nan Vance
12 2004 science accomplishments

This finding can be used in designing conservation programs for sea-run coastal cutthroat 

trout and in minimizing potential impacts on local populations. It also provides a scientific basis 

for identifying population segments that could be 

considered as candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: USDC National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, 

Northwest Indian Fish Commission

fish recover faster than expected in 

food-rich streams and lakes around 

mount st. helens

The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, 

killed nearly all fish in rivers and streams around 

the volcano. But many fish protected under ice 

and snow cover in high mountain lakes survived 

with the notable exception of Spirit Lake, where 

an avalanche displaced the entire lake temporarily and water refilling the lake was depleted of 

oxygen for several years. The type and intensity 

of volcanic disturbance, determined by location of 

the water body relative to the eruption, strongly 

influenced ecological recovery; streams and lakes 

in the path of pyroclastic flows or inundated by 

mudflows were severely changed, whereas others 

were less affected.

Scientists have monitored fish recovery for two 

decades, and the rebound has been remarkable. 

For the first few years, as the organic forest debris 

thrown into waterways decayed, oxygen shortages limited fish recovery, especially in lakes. 

But nutrient-rich lakes and streams eventually 

created a food-rich environment for fish. Once 

streambeds stabilized, fish that survived under 

ice-covered lakes recolonized blast-zone streams. 

Although stream habitat was poor, with high temperatures, few pools, and little cover, the abundance of terrestrial and aquatic insects in the late 

1980s and 1990s led to rapid recovery of fish in 

streams, showing the importance of food resources for salmon and trout. Likewise, the proliferation of abundant, large trout in the blast zone’s 

nutrient-rich lakes provides further support for 

the importance of food resources. The first rainbow trout since the eruption was found in Spirit 

Lake in 1993, and more have been found since.

The 1980 eruption and subsequent recovery are 

an excellent case study on rates and patterns of 

fish and stream recovery after a large disturbance. The findings should be relevant for predicting fish response to other disturbances and to fish 

restoration.

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

Pete Bisson, pbisson@fs.fed.us, Aquatic and Land 

Interactions Program

Partners: Weyerhaeuser Company, Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife, Utah State University

At Mount St. Helens, new eruptions in fall 2004 were part of the continuing disturbances 

that scientists expect to see at the volcano for decades to come. Studies over the past 25 

years have yielded many new findings on disturbance ecology.

Tom Iraci

ecological recovery at mount 

st. helens: 25 years of learning

The year 2005 marks the 25th anniversary of 

the Mount St. Helens eruption on May 18, 1980. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station scientists and 

others have been on the ground since a few days 

after the eruption, and over the years they have 

been continually surprised by what they have 

learned about natural recovery from such a largescale disturbance. Springer-Verlag will publish 

a book in 2005 on these findings about the longterm biological and physical recovery around 

Mount St. Helens. The findings will give managers new insights on ecological recovery and restoration planning for severely disturbed areas. 

See the following two stories for information about some recent findings from Mount St. 

Helens research.
goal accomplishments & key findings 13

well established throughout all disturbance zones, 

and most elements were present for forest development to begin.

This work has illuminated some of the most fundamental and important relationships within terrestrial ecosystems. Insights about the role of 

mycorrhizae in ecological recovery can be applied 

in restoration after other disturbances, such as 

wildfires and mining.

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: University of California-Riverside, 

Utah State University

quantification of regional carbon 

budgets demonstrates the strong link 

between climate and the regional 

carbon balance

Carbon moves between solid and gaseous states, 

for example, between carbon in trees and other living things and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 

The balance between carbon storage and carbon 

release is a critical factor in climate change. Attempts to define U.S. carbon sinks at the regional 

level have been full of uncertainties and contradictions. Scientists simulated the variability in the 

carbon stored by natural ecosystems from 1895 

to the present in regions of the conterminous 

United States. The largest simulated variations 

in carbon fluxes occurred in the Midwest where 

large fires decreased vegetation biomass and soil 

carbon pools. The Southeast 

showed decadal-type trends 

in response to climate variations. The drought of the 

1930s was most obvious in 

the Midwest and the Great 

Plains where it depleted soil 

carbon reserves. The Northeast showed the smallest 

amplitudes in the variation 

of its carbon stocks. Western region carbon dynamics 

reflected the effects of prolonged drought periods as 

well as regional increases in 

rainfall from climate regime 

shifts.

feedback loop among mycorrhizal 

fungi, elk, rodents, and plants is vital 

for ecological development after 

catastrophic disturbance

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens killed most 

plants and fungi over a 230-square-mile area 

around the volcano. Scientists have found that the 

reestablishment of mycorrhizae, fungi that live in 

a tightly coupled relationship with plant roots, is 

an important part of plant recovery, because most 

plants depend on their fungal partner for a large 

part of their nutrients and water. At first, plants 

grew in small patches where gophers, other rodents, and erosion mixed volcanic deposits with 

soil. On the pumice plain, patches of lupines grew 

in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, increasing organic matter and nutrients for other 

plants.

Mycorrhizae concentrated in these first patches 

were dispersed most effectively by animals, particularly elk and rodents, that carried the fungal spores in their digestive tracts and deposited 

them in their feces. Although the mycorrhizae did 

not improve plant growth at first in the extremely nutrient-poor soil, the lupine patches provided 

carbon and nitrogen for establishing a mycelial 

matrix. That matrix encouraged the establishment of plants that depend on mycorrhizal fungi 

to supply nutrients, and a feedback loop was established. As green patches became more diverse, 

more animals were attracted to them, further increasing the diversity and dispersal of mycorrhizal fungi; thus more plant species took root, and 

so on, spreading plants, animals, and fungi across 

the landscape. The dynamic interactions between 

plants, fungi, and animals became driving factors 

for the spread of communities across the volcanic 

landscape. Within two decades, mycorrhizae were Tom Iraci

Forests store carbon in solid form, but fires release carbon 

into the air as a gas. Carbon dynamics and regional carbon budgets are part of the research being done on climate 

change.

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
14 2004 science accomplishments

Rather than predicting accurate levels of carbon 

sequestration or losses, this study highlighted areas that are most sensitive to small changes in 

predicted rainfall and temperature. As policymakers begin accounting for carbon sequestration, the distinction between human and natural 

causes of sequestration will become increasingly critical, and this work will assist in evaluating 

those issues.

Contacts: Lead scientist, Dominique Bachelet, 

bachelet@fsl.orst.edu; PNW contact, 

Ronald P. Neilson, rneilson@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partner: Oregon State University

models indicate potentially large 

impacts of climate change in california

California is an ideal venue for studying the potential effects of climate change on plant distribution, carbon storage, and fire. The state is 

arguably the most climatically and biologically 

diverse region in the country, and it is also home 

to over 30 million people. Global climate change 

will likely interact with and intensify the pressures of the state’s growing population on its natural ecosystems. 

To investigate the sensitivity of California’s ecosystems to climate change, scientists dynamically 

simulated the response of vegetation distribution, 

carbon, and fire in the state to contrasting scenarios of climate change. Using MC1, a state-ofthe-art dynamic vegetation mapping model that 

simulates fire over broad scales and changes plant 

distribution, growth, and nutrient cycling results in response to simulated climate 

changes, scientists projected reductions in the extent of alpine meadows 

and subalpine forests with increasing temperature. They also found that 

shrubland and woodland acres would 

be lost to forest under wetter scenarios, or lost to grassland under drier 

scenarios. All scenarios resulted in 3 

to 6 percent increased carbon storage. 

Wetter scenarios produced larger increases in carbon stored in vegetation, 

and drier scenarios produced more 

soil and litter carbon. Drier scenarios also produced more frequent fires 

and greater burned areas. Wetter scenarios produced less frequent, but larger, fire events owing 

to greater fuel production that burned during the 

occasional dry years.

These findings have implications for timber 

production, biodiversity, fire management, and 

carbon sequestration in California. The MC1 

ecosystem forecasting study was a key element of 

a larger project conducted by the Electric Power 

Research Institute for the California Energy Commission designed to help the state’s natural resource managers and other policymakers better 

understand the potential effects of climate change 

on the state and develop adaptive policies.

Contacts: James M. Lenihan, jlenihan@fs.fed.us, 

Ronald P. Neilson, rneilson@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: California Energy Commission, Electrical 

Power Institute, Yale University, Stratus Consulting 

gravity affects height growth rate of 

large trees

The height of trees in a stand is one factor used by 

silviculturists to determine the quality of a site, 

but very little is actually known about the underlying processes that influence height growth patterns. Research at the Wind River Canopy Crane 

Research Facility in Washington and other locations showed that gravity plays a major role in 

limiting the height of trees. Gravity’s force makes 

it difficult for taller trees to transport water to 

their uppermost leaves and branches and also reduces the turgidity, or internal pressure, of individual plant cells, which ultimately decreases leaf 

The Wind River canopy crane has given scientists access to oldgrowth tree canopies, leading to new findings on tree physiology 

and canopy ecology.

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 15

and stem expansion and the emergence of buds. 

Collectively, these effects translate into increasingly slower growth rates as trees grow taller.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: Oregon State University, 

University of Washington

scaling of water use with tree size is 

not universal

A recent hypothesis asserts that as trees undergo 

dramatic increases in size from seedlings to large 

trees, their use of water and other resources increases in a universal manner for all species. However, using research conducted at the Wind River 

Experimental Forest in southwest Washington 

and other sites, scientists found that the changes in water use in relation to tree size, or scaling, 

were universal only among 17 flowering tree species, but differed from that of five Pacific Northwest conifer species. Water use scaled consistently 

with tree size within certain groups of conifers, 

but not others. Moreover, the type of scaling 

model obtained for both conifers and flowering 

trees was fundamentally different from that proposed in the universal scaling hypothesis.

This information is important to forest ecologists, 

hydrologists, and those involved in the management of watersheds, where the effect of tree size 

and species composition on water yield are of concern.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: Oregon State University, 

University of Washington 

region’s conifers opportunistically 

acquire water in summer

Although the Pacific Northwest is well known for 

its generous rainfall, forests in the region experience severe droughts in summer. Research conducted at the Wind River Experimental Forest 

in southwest Washington has shown that conifers in the region’s forests are structurally adapted to maintain relatively stable water uptake rates 

throughout summer, despite the shortage of rainfall. Scientists found that the conifers have deep 

roots that allow the trees to access water stored in 

deeper soil layers as the upper portion of the soil 

dries during summer months. In an old-growth 

Douglas-fir stand, scientists found that, at the beginning of summer, more than 60 percent of the 

water taken up by trees comes from the upper 1.5 

feet of soil. But, by the end of summer, only about 

20 percent of the water acquired comes from this 

layer, yet the trees are still using considerable 

amounts of water.

Many current models of forest ecosystem behavior fail to acknowledge the role of deep 

roots in water acquisition; these findings will 

contribute to formulating new, more accurate models of forest behavior during droughts 

and have implications for hydrological models that predict the seasonal behavior of forested 

watersheds.

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

jeffwarren@fs.fed.us, Ecosystem Processes Program

Partner: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

University of Washington, Oregon State University

douglas-fir show more drought effects 

than previously thought

Conventional wisdom and limited scientific 

literature have suggested that Douglas-fir, the 

most common commercial timber species in the 

Pacific Northwest, is not very sensitive to variation in climate. Recent data from the Cascade and 

Olympic Mountains suggest that in fact Douglasfir is sensitive to the combined effects of dryness 

and temperature, with the potential for summer 

moisture stress. Growth in tree diameter was 

found to be less during years with low rainfall, 

especially at low elevations and dry sites, and was 

typically less during years with short growing 

seasons, especially at higher elevations. Douglas-fir growth is also sensitive to prolonged drier 

and wetter periods that are characteristic of the 

Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
16 2004 science accomplishments

The finding that Douglas-fir is sensitive to climatic variability has implications for managing 

this species for timber production and ecological 

values. Douglas-fir growth may be expected to be 

more sensitive than previously thought to anticipated climate variations.

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

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: USDI Geological Survey, USDI National 

Park Service, University of Washington

understory plant growth and abundance 

limited by belowground competition

A forest’s understory plants are affected not only 

by the amount of light or shade but also by conditions belowground, such as root competition. 

Scientists studied the effect of reduced root competition, achieved through root trenching—–

the mechanical separation of roots and creation 

of belowground gaps—–on vegetation in closedand open-canopy locations in mature western 

Cascade Douglas-fir forests in northern Oregon and southern Washington. They found that 

trenched study plots averaged 92 percent total 

understory cover, whereas untrenched plots averaged 47 percent cover. They also found, contrary to their expectations, both vegetation and 

soil moisture responses to trenching were greater 

in areas of high tree canopy cover than in gaps 

with more sunlight. Scientists hypothesized that 

forests with thick canopy cover may have denser systems of roots, making the effects of reducing root competition more apparent. The soil in 

trenched plots was much moister than soil in untrenched plots, regardless of the trenched plots’ 

canopy density.

Scientists concluded that understory plants at 

these sites were limited at least as much by belowground competition as by aboveground competition. These findings are contributing to the 

understanding of understory-overstory interactions and influences on understory growth, 

which is important browse and cover for wildlife 

species.

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

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Partners: Oregon State University; 

PNW Ecosystem Processes Program

hyporheic macroinvertebrate 

communities within different 

southeast alaskan stream types

The subsurface water under a stream channel 

or flood plain (hyporheic water) is not lifeless. 

Scientists are finding entire invertebrate communities living in hyporheic waters. In southeast 

Alaska, Station scientists found that hyporheic 

chemistry and invertebrate community structure 

differ among three stream types and within major habitats.

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 17

In the Tongass National Forest, three dominant 

stream types are glacial-meltwater streams, clearwater streams, and muskeg streams. Scientists 

measured dissolved oxygen, water temperature, 

specific electrical conductivity, and the dissolved 

nutrients carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen, during the summer of 2003. Significant differences in dissolved carbon were observed, with low 

levels in the glacial stream, intermediate levels 

in the clearwater stream, and high levels in the 

muskeg stream. Preliminary data indicated that 

hyporheic invertebrate diversity and abundance 

differed among streams and across sample sites 

within the same stream type. The dominant taxa 

included true flies, nonbiting midges, stoneflies, 

green stoneflies, and segmented worms.

Further research will build on these preliminary results, eventually furnishing the first data 

on biodiversity of hyporheic communities in 

southeast Alaska. Hyporheic communities may 

actually be more diverse than instream communities. Also, the hyporheic organisms cannot migrate as easily as instream organisms if 

water quality fluctuates, so their presence—–

or absence—–can reveal conditions not apparent 

when samples are taken, such as sediment flushes 

during storms.

Contact: Richard Edwards, rtedwards@fs.fed.us, 

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: Michigan State University

peak movement occurs in fall for 

small dolly varden and cutthroat trout 

in southeast alaska streams

Station scientists found that in southeast Alaska 

high-gradient streams, Dolly Varden, a char, and 

cutthroat trout move upstream and downstream 

during all seasons, but peak movement occurs 

during fall when high-flow events are common. 

Few fish move during winter, and most of those 

that do move downstream. The number of fish detected moving upstream decreased as the stream 

stage, or flow level, increased. Movement was detected by tiny, passive integrated transponder 

(PIT) tags implanted in fish from 3 to 6 inches 

long. Two stationary antenna-transceiver systems 

were installed in the study stream, the PIT tag 

numbers recorded each time a fish passed a transceiver, and the time recorded as well. Stream flow 

level was recorded separately.

Southeast Alaska streams are famous for their 

wild salmon. Research on fish migrations and also 

on biodiversity in subsurface waters contributes to 

conserving and managing the wild salmon.

The Tongass National Forest may have to replace some 2,000 

culverts; if so, findings on the movement of fish in Alaska 

streams will contribute to replacement and design criteria.

Bob Szaro

Federal law requires that normal migration and 

movement not be disrupted for aquatic organisms, and state of Alaska law requires no artificial blocks to fish passage in all streams except 

during peak streamflows that occur 1 to 2 percent 

of the time (at peak streamflows, the high-velocity flow through culverts may temporarily prevent Tom Iraci

Pete Bisson
18 2004 science accomplishments

fish from swimming upstream). To meet federal 

standards, the Tongass National Forest may have 

to replace more than 2,000 culverts, with a poten

-

tial cost of $20 million total. The findings on fish 

movement will contribute to criteria for culvert 

replacement and design.

Contacts: Mason D. Bryant, mdbryant@fs.fed.us; 

Mark L. Lukey, mlukey@fs.fed.us, Aquatic and 

Land Interactions Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service, Tongass National Forest

yellow-cedar decline is associated with 

factors influencing soil temperature

Yellow-cedar, a valuable tree species, is dying on 

nearly half a million acres across southeast Alas

-

ka. No scientific explanation has been found yet, 

although previous research has found associa

-

tions with soil temperature variations and possi

-

bly soil nutrient chemistry. A team of scientists 

from two research stations and two universities is 

investigating risk factors associated with the ce

-

dar decline, and they have found additional clues. 

The severity of yellow-cedar decline follows soil 

temperature isoclines on the landscape (contour 

lines that show temperature gradients rather than 

elevation gradients). The team has found evidence 

that factors influencing soil temperature, such as 

snowpack and exposure, combined with season

-

al cold tolerance, may be closely related to the 

mechanisms of decline.

These results have led to expanded cold-tolerance 

experiments in collaboration with the North

-

eastern Research Station and the University of 

Vermont. Although scientists do not yet have de

-

finitive evidence of a specific mechanism relat

-

ed to the tree death, the new work is a big step 

forward, focusing research on climate-related 

factors. The climate link has interested research

-

ers from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who 

are studying regional climate change, and spurred 

them to join the research team.

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

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research 

Station; University of Vermont; University of Alaska, 

Fairbanks

environmental risk factors associated 

with yellow-cedar decline have been 

identified and assessed

A risk-analysis approach has been used at two 

small watersheds to evaluate the most likely en

-

vironmental variables that could cause extensive 

yellow-cedar death in southeast Alaska. Hydrol

-

ogy and soil chemistry are associated factors, but 

the most promising potential causal factor appears 

to be related to exposure. Areas of dead trees have 

more extreme variation in air temperature dur

-

ing most seasons, and generally warmer soil tem

-

peratures, especially in early spring. Cover, in the 

form of live tree canopies or snow, significant

-

ly delays spring soil warming. It is hypothesized 

that this warming contributes to dehardening 

and other phenological processes, making yellowcedar more susceptible to springtime freezing. 

A companion study demonstrates that yellowcedar has a high degree of cold tolerance (that is, 

freezing resistance) in fall and winter, but dehard

-

ens in spring earlier than the associated western 

hemlock.

This new information brings scientists closer to 

understanding the cause of yellow-cedar decline 

and the contributing role of a warming climate. 

Monitoring of environmental variables, includ

-

ing snowpack, is being expanded to new sites 

and includes testing the soil warming-deharden

-

ing hypothesis with seedlings. These findings will 

be integrated with applied research on the value 

Bob Szaro

Bob Szaro
goal accomplishments & key findings 19

of wood from dead trees 

and methods of regeneration to help formulate 

an overall management 

strategy for this valuable 

tree species.

Contact: Paul Hennon, 

phennon@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance 

Regimes Program

Partners: PNW Resource 

Management and 

Productivity Program

southeast alaska 

wetlands export 

dissolved organic 

carbon to streams

Carbon cycles and budgets, always important 

ecologically, are now also a focus of climate 

change research, as carbon sources and sinks in 

nature play a key role in how much free carbon 

reaches the atmosphere. Wetlands are major 

sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and 

can provide a great deal of carbon to streams 

through the export of DOC.

Southeast Alaska has many wetlands, but little 

was known before about their soil carbon budgets. Station scientists and partners have found 

that peat in southeast Alaska wetlands sequesters, or stores, hydrocarbons and lead, but the lead 

is much more mobile than had been thought and 

could possibly influence fish-bearing streams. 

Another study showed that in watersheds dominated by wetlands, the carbon concentration in 

streams varied more by season than in watersheds 

with less wetland area. In some watersheds, DOC 

sources shift from soils, where waterflow moves 

the DOC from decomposing matter downslope, to 

the streams themselves, during salmon-spawning 

season.

These studies contribute basic knowledge about 

the carbon cycle, DOC movements between 

ground and streams, and in particular the role of 

wetlands, in watersheds with significant wetland 

new tool

southeast alaska 

wetlands guidebook

Description: Station scientists 

made major contributions to 

the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) 

approach, which is widely 

used to evaluate riparian wetlands in southeast Alaska. The 

HGM approach distinguishes 

wetland types by using soils 

and landforms as criteria, 

owing to their influence 

on hydrology. Researchers 

developed a rating system for 

wetland functions based on 

conditions measured in reference wetlands. 

Function: The rating system 

establishes objective criteria 

to evaluate wetlands with a 

rapid assessment method and 

to evaluate changes in wetland functions over time. 

Outcome: Managers are 

already using the guidebook, 

and the team is developing similar guides for other 

wetland types in southeast 

Alaska. The guidebook is being used to evaluate regional 

wetland mitigation banks 

proposed by private industry 

and federal, state, and local 

agencies. In particular, Sealaska Corporation, a Native 

Alaskan-owned corporation 

and the largest private landowner in southeast Alaska, 

is using the guidebook as it 

establishes a wetland mitigation bank.

Partners: Alaska Department 

of Environmental Conservation; University of Alaska, 

Southeast

How to get it: Contact David 

D’Amore, ddamore@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and 

Productivity Program

PNW Station research on southeast Alaska wetlands is being used by Native Alaska 

corporations, private industry, and federal, state, and local agencies.

Tom Iraci

acreage. The research has established basic values 

for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus that will be 

used to develop methods for evaluating watershed 

conditions. Also, the findings are useful in estimating the carbon content of southeast Alaskan 

soils, as part of global carbon budget research.

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

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: University of Alaska, Southeast; 

Alaska Department of Environmental ConservationBob Szaro
20 2004 science accomplishments

key findings 

• Data from 14 long-term northern spotted 

owl demography studies found that during 

the period 1985–2003, owl populations in 

8 areas declined, populations in 4 areas 

were stable, and the population in 1 area 

was probably declining. One area had 

insufficient data.

• Urbanization projections indicate a 79-

percent increase for U.S. developed land 

over the next 25 years, with implications 

for a wide array of forest-related goods 

and services.

• A new timber inventory for southeast 

Alaska found that about half of the region’s 

nearly 23 million acres is forested, with 

about 4.4 million acres of that reserved 

from harvest. Timber volume was estimated 

at 21 billion cubic feet, with most timberland on the Tongass National Forest.

• New fuel load inventories showed that 

on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central 

Alaska, fuel increased significantly since 

1987 in all forests. Salvage logging not 

planned specifically to reduce fuels resulted in higher amounts of small fuels, 

compared to beetle-killed stands with 

no salvage logging.

• A new inventory of chaparral in southern 

and central California found an estimated 

38 percent of the chaparral in high hazard 

status, based on shrub density and amount 

of dead material, with another 42 percent 

classified as moderate hazard or on the 

threshold of high hazard.

• Lichen abundance and diversity are proving 

to be useful indicators of air quality and 

pollution patterns in northern and central 

California forests. Several lichen-based 

models of climatic and pollution gradients 

are being developed.

• An effectiveness-monitoring framework 

was designed for the Northwest Forest Plan 

aquatic conservation strategy. The framework uses the ecosystem management decision-support (EMDS) model, which includes 

a process for revising the model as new 

science becomes available.

• New indexes can be used to predict where 

hyporheic zones are located and the patterns 

of hyporheic waterflow in mountain 

streams, based on easily mapped, aboveground characteristics of streams and 

watersheds.

• LIDAR remote sensing can provide accurate 

estimates of forest canopies. The technology 

may be useful for quickly and accurately 

measuring tree height, canopy depth, and 

crown biomass over large areas.

goal 2:

assess the status and trends of ecosystems and natural resources 

and their uses
goal accomplishments & key findings 21

 demographic studies indicate 

northern spotted owl declining 

in some areas

Scientists summarized data from 14 longterm northern spotted owl demography studies in 

Oregon, Washington, and California during the 

period 1985-2003 and found that populations in 

8 areas are declining, populations in 4 areas are 

stable, and the population in 1 area was probably declining. One area had insufficient data to 

estimate population growth rate. The estimated 

average rate of decline on eight federally managed areas was 2.5 percent per year, compared to 

6.6 percent a year on the other study areas. Population declines were greatest in Washington. 

Results from the studies indicate that population 

declines are likely the result of a number of factors including loss of habitat on nonfederal lands 

and habitat damage from fire, insects, and pathogens. Scientists believe the decline in spotted owl 

populations may also be due to competition with 

barred owls, a more aggressive species. As one 

test of this hypothesis, scientists completed genetic studies of hybridization between spotted and 

barred owls. 

These findings, which are the result of a 10-year 

review on the status and trends of the spotted owl, 

are used by federal agencies to determine the status of the northern spotted owl and to evaluate 

factors that influence the owl population. 

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDI Geological Survey, USDI National Park 

Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management, National 

Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Oregon State 

University, Colorado State University, Simon Frasier 

University, Hoopa Tribal Forestry, University 

of Minnesota 

 urbanization projections indicate 

increase in developed land

Forests and rural lands play a central role in 

the Nation’s production of land-based commodities and services. Perhaps not surprisingly, when 

these areas are converted for urban use, the mix 

of these commodities and services is affected. 

Between 1982 and 1997, scientists observed a 

34-percent increase in the amount of U.S. land 

devoted to urban and other developed uses, owing 

predominantly to the conversion of croplands and 

forest lands. A recent study suggests further substantial growth in developed area in the future. 

Scientists projected that U.S. developed areas will 

increase by 79 percent over the next quarter century, from 5.2 percent to 9.2 percent of the land base 

in the contiguous 48 states. Much of the growth 

is expected in areas already facing conflicts between population growth and environmental issues, such as some coastal counties. Direct effects 

of this growth include the conversion of forest 

land, which can increase the size of the wildlandurban interface—–where communities and forests 

meet—–resulting in more wildfire risk for people 

and homes, as well as the loss of wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation 

area. Indirect effects include 

forest fragmentation, which 

can also fragment wildlife 

habitat and green space. 

These findings have relevance for landscape and urban planning, including 

potential effects on sensitive 

watersheds, riparian areas, 

wildlife habitat, and water supplies. The projections support large-scale analyses by the USDA 

Forest Service of biodiversity changes and by the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of global 

climate change and forest carbon cycles. 

Contact: Ralph J. Alig, ralig@fs.fed.us, Human and 

Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Natural Resources Conservation 

Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

Oregon State University 

Over the next 25 years, the conversion of rural and 

forest lands to urban and developed uses is projected 

to increase total developed acreage from 5.2 to 9.2 

percent of the land base in the Lower 48 States.

Tom Iraci
22 2004 science accomplishments

area changes predicted for 

major forest types

Scientists developed projections of acreage changes in major U.S. forest types to the year 2050, in 

support of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable 

Resources Act of 1974, which mandates a periodic review of the Nation’s forest resources, trends, 

and prospective outcomes by the USDA Forest 

Service. 

The scientists considered reforestation, afforestation, timber harvest influences, and natural succession and disturbance processes. They projected 

a net increase of nearly 14 million acres in planted pine, the dominant commercial tree species in 

the South, over the next 50 years, with increasing 

amounts of timber harvests arising from plantations. Over the next 50 years, the proportion of 

softwoods will increase in Southern forests although hardwood types will still dominate. In the 

North, the proportion of hardwoods will increase. 

Forest type changes will be smaller in other regions. On national forest lands, the area of timberland with trees older than 150 years is expected 

to more than double by 2050. A large proportion 

of these older forests will be in the Pacific Northwest, and a notable increase in sequestered, or absorbed, forest carbon, could result. Scientists also 

found that socioeconomic variables, such as population density, were significant drivers of forest 

fragmentation. 

Projected trends in forest changes are used in policy 

analyses and strategic planning. Young forests shown 

here are on the Siuslaw National Forest.

Projected outcomes indicate forests may have expanded roles in supplying both commodities and 

environmental services. However, the exact roles 

of forests could rest largely on land management 

decisions of private owners and the productivity 

of intensively managed forests. 

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

Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research 

Station and Resources Planning Act staff; American 

Forest and Paper Association; State Foresters

More information: General Technical Report PNW-GTR613, 2004. Area Changes for Forest Cover Types in the 

United States, 1952 to 1997, With Projections to 2050.

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr613.pdf. 

 scientists measure timber 

resources of oregon and 

southeast alaska

Scientists from the Station’s Forest Inventory and 

Analysis Program conducted several inventories characterizing the timber resources of Oregon and southeast Alaska. They found that about 

half of southeast Alaska’s nearly 23 million acres 

is forested, with about 4.4 million acres of that 

reserved from harvest. Timber volume was estimated at 21 billion cubic feet, with the vast majority of timberland being found on the Tongass 

National Forest. Approximately three-quarters of 

the timberland acres are in sawtimber stands older than 150 years. 

In Oregon, scientists found that one-half of the 

state, or 30 million acres, is forested, about 7 million of which is reserved from harvest. Almost 60 

percent of the timberland is managed by federal 

agencies, and 38 percent is privately owned. Douglas-fir is the most common forest type in western Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 23

Oregon, whereas ponderosa pine is the most com-

mon eastern Oregon forest type. Scientists also 

found that younger stands, aged 0–60 years, pre

-

dominate in the western half of the state, whereas 

older stands, aged 80–199 years, predominate in 

the eastern half. The net volume of growing stock 

on all Oregon’s timberland is about 78 billion cu

-

bic feet. 

These findings are being used in policy analy

-

ses for the state of Oregon and in strategic plan

-

ning for the Forest Service. They also are key to 

environmental monitoring reported by the Heinz 

Foundation and by the Environmental Protection 

Agency. 

Contact: Sally Campbell, scampbell01@fs.fed.us, 

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region; Oregon 

Department of Forestry; Alaska Department of Forestry

More information: General Technical Report PNW-GTR609. Southeast Alaska Forests: Inventory Highlights. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr609.pdf. 

lumber price projections for 

2002 to 2050 developed

Grade-specific price projections for 2002–2050 

were developed for major species groups of west

-

ern softwood lumber. These grade-specific price 

projections can be used to demonstrate the re

-

turns to land management of practices that lead to 

high-quality logs that produce a larger proportion 

of high grades of lumber. The price ratios among 

low, medium, and high grade groupings have 

been consistent, and interest in these “high-qual

-

ity” forestry regimes has been persistent among 

landowners and land managers. 

Contacts: Richard Haynes, rhaynes@fs.fed.us, and 

Roger Fight, rfight@fs.fed.us, Human and Natural 

Resources Interactions Program 

nonmarket amenities influence 

population migration

A literature review demonstrated the influence 

of nonmarket amenity resources on population 

migration in the Pacific Northwest. Reviewed 

studies included migration and demographic 

studies, urban and regional economics, studies 

of amenities in labor markets, retirement migra

-

tion, business location decisions, studies of values 

people put on amenity resources, land use change 

studies, and studies of economic development in

-

fluence on forest lands. Synthesis of these studies 

shows that the influence of amenities is a con

-

sistent positive factor contributing to population 

growth in urban and rural areas characterized by 

proximity to public forest lands. 

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

Natural Resources Interactions Program 

 knowledge of fuel load 

changes helps managers 

prescribe treatments

The forests of the Kenai Peninsula in south-central 

Alaska have changed dramatically in the last 20 

years. A major outbreak of spruce beetles, which 

bore into trees to lay their eggs in the inner bark, 

have killed large numbers of trees throughout 

much of the peninsula’s spruce-dominated forests. 

The outbreak has left large 

numbers of standing and 

toppled dead trees, and land 

managers have become in

-

creasingly concerned about 

the risk of wildfire in the 

fuel-rich forests, especially 

in areas where communities 

are in or near the forests. 

Scientists inventoried fuel 

loads in the Kenai forests 

and compared results to a 

1987 inventory. Fuel loads 

are inventoried by fuel 

classes based on wood diameter, a characteris

-

tic related to how easily fuels ignite and other 

burning parameters. Small-diameter wood such 

as fallen branches dries more quickly and burns 

more readily and thus is a critical factor in the rate 

of fire spread. Larger diameter wood, like fallen 

Bob Szaro

Tom Iraci
24 2004 science accomplishments

tree trunks, is more difficult to ignite, but smolders longer than small pieces. The scientists found 

that in all forests, regardless of type, fuel loads 

increased significantly from the 1987 inventory, except in one of the smaller fuel classes. They 

Chaparral inventory in central and southern California helps 

state, county, and regional fire managers reduce fuels.

layer in forests, chaparral became the dominant 

layer across its range as the landscape evolved 

over time and became dryer with more frequent 

wildfires. Because chaparral generally grows in 

areas prone to wildfire and has been affected by 

human development, land managers are increasingly interested in its status as they aim to manage both it and fire risk. 

Scientists with the Station’s Forest Inventory and 

Analysis Program inventoried more than 500 

study plots in southern and central California, a 

region with more than half of the state’s chaparral, to produce estimates of distribution, ownership, condition, and dynamics of chaparral. The 

scientists found that chaparral covers 4.6 million 

acres, or 14 percent, of the study area. Land ownership is 45 percent private and 55 percent public 

in the study area. Between 1984 and 1994, nearly 180,000 acres of chaparral were converted to 

developed uses, primarily housing subdivisions. 

During the same years, 16 percent of chaparral 

acres outside national forests burned, and about 

27 percent of chaparral acres inside national forest boundaries burned. These burn rates translate 

to an average fire-return interval, which describes 

the expected number of years between fires, of 50 

years across all chaparral types and ownerships. 

An estimated 38 percent of the chaparral in the 

study area is in high hazard status, a risk-of-fire 

classification based on shrub density and amount 

of dead material, whereas another 42 percent can 

be classified as moderate hazard or on the threshold of high hazard. The remaining 20 percent is in 

low hazard status. 

These findings are critical to the California Department of Forestry, responsible for fire management on the nonfederal lands, and to county and 

regional planners as they work to reduce fuels in 

the wildland-urban interface. 

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

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Partners: C.L. Bolsinger, PNW scientist emeritus; 

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region

More information: Resource Bulletin RB-240, 2004. 

Chaparral in Southern and Central Coastal California 

in the Mid-1990s: Area, Ownership, Condition, and 

Change. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/rb240. 

also found that salvage logging not specifically 

planned for fuel reduction resulted in even larger 

increases in the amount of small fuels, compared 

to the fuel loads seen in beetle-killed stands with 

no salvage logging. 

On Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, salvage logging of 

beetle-killed trees reduced fuels and fire risk only 

when managers specifically planned fuel reduction 

as a goal of the activity.

Tom Iraci

Bob Szaro

Local land managers charged with reducing 

wildfire risk can use this information to design strategies that balance the removal of down 

wood—–thus reducing the fuel risk it poses—–

with leaving down wood, which has critical roles 

in forest ecosystems as a repository of nutrients, 

source of wildlife habitat, and site of forest regeneration. 

Contact: Beth Schulz, bschulz@fs.fed.us, 

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region 

 chaparral inventory provides 

area, ownership, condition, 

and change data

Chaparral is a broad term that refers to a diverse 

group of drought-resistant shrub species found 

in the Western United States, especially in central and southern California. Once the understory 
goal accomplishments & key findings 25

data-rich fuel maps that cover 

oregon coast range help managers

Accurate maps that represent the distribution of 

fuels—–like down wood and undergrowth—–and 

vegetation across large landscapes can help man

-

agers as they assess fire risk and plan fuel-reduc

-

tion projects. Traditionally, two methods have 

helped create such maps: remote sensing, which 

uses technologies like satellite imagery and aerial 

photography, and on-the-ground forest invento

-

ries. Remote sensing can help produce compre

-

hensive maps of large areas, and ground-based 

inventories can help produce maps rich in details. 

Scientists explored the feasibility of mapping for

-

est fuels in the Coast Range of western Oregon 

by using the gradient nearest neighbor (GNN) 

imputation approach, which would help produce 

fuel maps that both covered 

large areas and were rich in 

data. The approach uses sta

-

tistical techniques to link 

ground data, satellite imag

-

ery, and geographic infor

-

mation systems (GIS) maps 

of environmental variables 

and assigns a suite of finescale plot variables to each 

pixel on a digital landscape 

map. This allows simulta

-

neous and consistent pre

-

diction of a wide range of 

vegetation characteristics. 

Scientists used GNN to con

-

struct fuel maps and found 

that variables derived from 

remote imagery account

-

ed for most of the explained 

variation, predicting vari

-

ability in live tree size and 

density. Some characteristics, including can

-

opy depth, stand height, and large numbers of 

snags, showed coarse-scale patterns that reflected 

patterns in land ownership and past forest man

-

agement. In contrast, canopy bulk density and 

large down wood fuel loads exhibited finer grained 

patterns in which the land ownership mosaic was 

much less apparent. 

 lichens are useful in northern and 

central california biomonitoring

Lichens are the physical manifestation of a sym-

biotic relationship between a fungus and algae 

and are sensitive to air pollution, making them 

useful natural gauges of air quality. In northern 

and central California, lichen communities may 

serve as barometers of air pollution levels and 

patterns in forests. In California’s greater Central 

Valley region, scientists found the lichen popu

-

lations to be typically diverse and dominated by 

species that thrive on nitrogen. In the Northwest 

Coast region, scientists found the highest levels 

of species diversity and cyanolichen abundance. 

In the Sierra, Southern Cascades, and Modoc re

-

gions, they found the opposite—–the lowest levels 

of species diversity and total lichen abundance. In 

these low-scoring regions, most study plots with 

the worst air quality had unusually high levels 

of ammonia and were in Yosemite, Sequoia, and 

Lassen Volcanic National Parks or were near ur

-

ban areas in the San Joaquin Valley. The poor air 

quality in these areas is owing to vehicle, indus

-

try, and campfire emissions and the presence of 

farms and livestock. A similar ammonia gradient 

was found for the greater Central Valley region. 

As a result of these studies, several lichen-based 

models of climatic and pollution gradients are 

being developed, including the first types for 

indicating ammonia patterns in the United States. 

Findings will be helpful to state and federal agen

-

cies in air quality planning and regulation. 

Contact: Sally Campbell, scampbell01@fs.fed.us, 

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Partner: Oregon State University 

Bob Szaro

RMP, USDA Forest Service
26 2004 science accomplishments

Scientists are constructing maps of fuels and vegetation types from remotely sensed images and 

detailed on-the-ground plot data by using GNN 

techniques. The maps and models provide detailed 

information on forest characteristics of interest to 

managers. 

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

Ecosystem Processes Program 

Partners: PNW Forest Inventory and 

Analysis Program, University of Georgia 

 aquatic monitoring strategy 

builds in process for revision 

over time

Station scientists developed the key concepts and 

components of an effectiveness monitoring plan 

adopted by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land 

Management for evaluating the Northwest Forest 

Plan’s aquatic conservation strategy. The strategy 

meets short-term needs by protecting good habitat and healthy fish populations, with a long-term 

objective for restoration of degraded ecosystems. 

The effectiveness monitoring plan asks if the 

strategy is achieving its goals and measures success by the number of watersheds improving in 

ecological integrity across the planning area. 

The monitoring plan uses a 

knowledge-based decisionsupport model that combines expert knowledge as 

well as numerical data into a 

single, coherent framework. 

It shows exactly how the 

field indicators are evaluated and provides consistent 

data interpretation. Variants of the decision model 

are calibrated specifically 

to the ecological provinces 

in the planning area, with 

the model’s rule sets and 

reference values adjusted 

The EMDS model is increasingly being recognized by 

managers in the Pacific Northwest, northern California, and 

abroad as an effective tool for planning and monitoring.

by teams of local experts. For example, reference 

values for water yield and amphibian communities will be different in the Olympic Peninsula and 

Klamath-Siskiyou provinces. Across all provinces, 

the model output will be a composite probability 

for each watershed showing the extent to which 

this statement is true: “The watershed is ecologically intact.” 

Adaptive elements are built into the monitoring 

plan. In other words, the monitoring strategy includes a process for revision, made possible by the 

decision model. The types of field data collected 

will probably stay the same, but the model’s analysis procedures can be revised as new science becomes available. As more is learned, the model 

can be used to show relations between management practices and watershed trends. 

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest and 

Pacific Northwest Regions; USDI Bureau of Land 

Management, Oregon State Office; U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency; USDC National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration Fisheries

More information: General Technical Report PNW-GTR577, 2004. Effectiveness Monitoring for the Aquatic 

and Riparian Component of the Northwest Forest Plan: 

Conceptual Framework and Options. http://www.fs.fed.

us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr577.pdf. 

decision-support system is 

key analytical tool 

The ecosystem management decision support 

(EMDS) system integrates knowledge-based reasoning and decision modeling into a GIS environment to provide decision support for managers. 

Unlike simulation models, EMDS makes it easier 

to evaluate complex, abstract topics, like forest 

ecosystem sustainability, that depend on numerous conditions. The model can also explain its results in nontechnical, intuitive terms. 

The new aquatic monitoring strategy for the Northwest 

Forest Plan combines field data, expert knowledge, 

locally adjusted values, and computer analysis into a 

single, coherent framework. It will be used to measure 

ecological integrity in west-side watersheds.

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 27

The EMDS system is being increasingly recognized as an effective tool for addressing key 

business needs of land management agencies related to monitoring, evaluation, and planning. For 

several years it has been used as a key analytical 

tool, supporting the aquatic conservation strategy 

in the Northwest Forest Plan area and the North 

Coast Watershed Assessment in northern California. It also is being used by several national 

forests and is being considered for use by resource 

scientists and managers in Taiwan and China. 

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

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: Oregon State University; USDI Bureau of Land 

Management; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 

USDA Forest Service, Natural Resource Information 

System, Ecosystem Management Coordination staff, 

Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle National Forests; National 

Taiwan University; Chinese Academy of Forestry 

 new indexes make it easier 

for managers to predict 

hyporheic zones and flows

Forest managers increasingly recognize the 

importance of the exchange of water between surface streams and underlying groundwater, called “hyporheic flows.” These hyporheic 

flows may enter and leave a stream many times, 

influencing water quality, temperature, and nutrients, factors often critical for suitability of the 

stream as habitat for fish and other aquatic life. 

But managers had no tools for quick determination of where hyporheic zones are located and 

what relations they may 

have with other parts of the 

aquatic ecosystem such as 

riparian zones. 

Station scientists are creating indexes that predict the 

relative size of the hyporheic zone and the patterns 

of hyporheic exchange flow 

in mountain streams, based 

on easily mapped, aboveground characteristics of streams and watersheds. These indexes can be used along streams 

from high-gradient headwater through midorder mountain streams where step-pool and 

pool-riffle structures are present. The size and 

shape of stream features are important in determining upwelling and downwelling of water 

exchanges between the stream and its hyporheic zone. The amount of hyporheic exchange flow 

and its residence time in the subsurface differ 

with channel gradient and stream size, which are 

closely related to watershed area. One simple index, water surface concavity, can be used to measure patterns of upwelling and downwelling in 

step-pool and pool-riffle stream reaches. These 

indexes are the first links between basic research 

on hyporheic flows and tools to help managers 

protect and restore healthy streams. 

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: Oregon State University, Utah State University

More information: Science Findings 67, October 2004. 

Following a River Wherever It Goes: Beneath the Surface 

of Mountain Streams. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/

scifi67.pdf. 

science-based monitoring procedures 

developed for streams in tongass 

national forest

Over the last decade, Station scientists provided 

research support to the Tongass National Forest, 

as it developed a new management plan for over 

17 million acres of southeastern Alaska. Scientists are now contributing to the development of 

monitoring frameworks and methods for the new 

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
28 2004 science accomplishments

fusion/ldv

Description: New tools for visualizing and combining LIDAR data 

with remote sensing imagery, GIS 

data, and digital terrain models. 

New remote sensing technologies such as LIDAR can produce 

millions of data points per square 

mile. Two new visualization tools 

allow researchers to combine 

data from many different sensors 

and then filter, categorize, and 

display these large, complex data 

sets. The first tool is FUSION, 

used to display many different 

types of geo- and biospatial data 

(for example, orthophotographs, 

digital terrain models, GIS layers, 

LIDAR intensity images, IFSAR 

images) via a common, simple, 

graphical interface, and to select 

areas of interest. FUSION then 

allows the user to extract and 

display the LIDAR data points 

that were collected for the area 

of interest in a three-dimensional 

graphical environment by using 

the second tool, the LIDAR Data 

Viewer (LDV).

new tool

Function: LIDAR data can be 

combined with existing imagery 

and terrain data, thus making it 

possible to assess the accuracy of 

LIDAR data sets, and explore the 

detailed vegetation and terrain 

structure captured by LIDAR.

Partners: Joint Fire Science Program; University of Washington, 

Precision Forestry; USDA Forest 

Service, Forest Inventory and 

Analysis Program; USDC National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration Fisheries

How to get it: Distribution is currently limited to groups actively 

collaborating with PNW Station 

scientists on LIDAR research. 

Contact Bob McGaughey, 

bmcgaughey@fs.fed.us, Resource 

Management and Productivity 

Program.

plan. This past year, scientists established 

sound, rigorous procedures to measure 

change in flood-plain streams. With these 

methods, managers can determine the 

rate of change in stream conditions and 

the trends over time, taking into account 

the natural variability and dynamics of 

these streams. The trends can be correlated to land uses and thereby contribute to 

evaluation of management strategies. 

The procedures are designed for stream 

channels ranging from about 15 to 60 

feet wide, using the stream reach as a 

sampling unit. Indicators include stream 

channel morphology, measured by longitudinal and cross-section profiles; pool 

size and pool density (how many pools 

in a reach); and streambed pebble counts. Welltrained personnel using these science-based procedures will be able to (1) efficiently collect field 

data on the selected variables, (2) after a sufficient 

period of data collection, analyze change in channel condition, and (3) develop conclusions about 

the degree to which various land use practices affect stream channel condition. The information 

can also be used to evaluate restoration needs and 

the success of restoration work. Finally, the Tongass monitoring protocols are attracting interest 

from managers elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. 

Contact: Richard D. Woodsmith, rwoodsmith@fs.fed.us, 

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Alaska 

Region and Tongass National Forest 

 lidar remote sensing can provide 

accurate information on forest 

canopies

In many overcrowded forests, densely packed 

tree canopies contribute significantly to the fire 

hazard. Dependable field techniques have long 

existed for measuring ground fuels, but no quick, 

accurate methods exist for estimating canopy fuels, which play a big role in wildfire behavior and 

rate of spread. Airborne laser scanning systems 

(also known as LIDAR) are proving useful in 

quickly and accurately measuring tree height, 

canopy depth, and crown biomass over large areas, with a resolution of 1 to 2 feet. 

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 29 Tom Iraci

State-of-the-art LIDAR systems send 70,000 to 100,000 pulses of light per 

second to the ground from the airplane; time differences as the pulses bounce 

back to the aircraft yield direct, 3-D measurements of the ground surface and 

the forest vegetation.

Steve Reutebuch

The LIDAR data were collected over forest inventory plots in western Washington for which fieldmeasured canopy data were available. Scientists 

first began the study to test how well LIDAR could 

map the ground surface in dense, forested areas, 

compared to measuring the ground in an open 

clearcut. They found that the laser scanning could 

not only measure the ground accurately through 

canopies, but it also measured the canopies themselves with high accuracy. Field measurements 

for the Douglas-fir stands were highly correlated 

with the LIDAR measurements of canopies. Similar work is being done in eastern Washington 

pine/fir stands to see if correlations are found in 

other forest types. 

When further validated, the technology may be 

useful for quickly assessing fuel loading and fire 

risk over large areas. The data may also be helpful 

in predicting fire spread and intensity, especially 

for catastrophic crown fires. LIDAR flights are 

expensive, but when a large area is covered, the 

costs are often $1 to $4 per acre. The flights can 

be done day or night, but must be under clear 

weather conditions. 

Contact: Steve Reutebuch, sreutebuch@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: University of Washington, Precision Forestry 

Cooperative, Joint Fire Science Program 
30 2004 science accomplishments

key findings and tools 

• A new fuel characteristic classification 

system more accurately captures the 

structural complexity and geographical 

diversity of fuelbeds throughout the 

United States. The new system will 

improve fire hazard assessment and 

yield better input for modeling fire 

behavior and smoke dispersion.

• With recent modifications, the BlueSky 

smoke prediction system can now simulate cumulative smoke impacts from 

wildfires in all Western States at once. 

The inclusion of wildfires in the scope 

of the BlueSky system makes it immediately adaptable throughout the 

Nation, even in places that do not have 

a prescribed fire monitoring program.

• The Fire Emission Production Simulator 

is a user-friendly computer program 

that quantifies current and future pollutant and carbon emissions from prescribed burns and wildland fires. It is 

now being used to estimate the impacts 

of smoke from wildland fires on regional haze, dramatically improving 

the ability of regional air quality planning organizations to quantify smoke 

during the planning process.

• Seasonal fire risk forecasts from the 

MC1 model compared well again to 

observed fire area and decadal average 

annual fire area. The model also simulates fire suppression/exclusion, and 

this year’s work has produced the first 

simulated maps of likely excess fuel 

loading as a result of fire suppression.

• Economics and utilization information 

and tools were synthesized in My Fuel 

Treatment Planner, a spreadsheet-based 

software program that calculates the 

cost of fuel treatments based on users’ 

input. With this tool, even those without training in financial analysis or 

wood utilization can quickly compare 

the costs of different fire hazard reduction treatments.

(continued on next page)

goal 3:

develop science-based options for informed management
goal accomplishments & key findings 31

(from page 30)

• In the Blue Mountains of Oregon, pre-

scribed underburning in the fall signifi

-

cantly reduced live root biomass and 

species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, 

both of which are important for long-term 

productivity, compared to prescribed 

spring underburning.

• Seed mixes of annual and perennial plant 

species are an important component of 

plant community restoration after distur

-

bances. Seeding with native grasses can 

significantly change the plant community 

composition; plugs of long-lived native 

perennial forbs will survive in a plant 

community dominated by invasive plants, 

and the natives can flower and produce 

seed in 2 years.

• Computer modeling showed that by 

about 2050, climate change in northern 

California could result in an additional 

114 escaped fires per year, above the cur

-

rent average of 110 escaped fires per year. 

Annual burned area would likely increase 

to 4 percent of the region, up from the 

current 2 percent. State agencies in 

California are using the findings to 

plan long-term strategies.

• Active Intentional Management (AIM) for 

Multiple Values is an integrated system of 

techniques that manages a forest’s multi

-

ple ecological processes to provide diverse 

values simultaneously. It is the preferred 

alternative for managing 2 million acres 

of state of Washington forest lands.

• Genetic resources of eight conifer 

species are well protected in native 

stands throughout most of western 

Oregon and Washington. For some 

species such as Douglas-fir and western 

white pine, extensive genetic resources 

are conserved in breeding programs.

• A new round of Agenda 2020 studies 

funded for 2005–08 will increase global 

competitiveness of the forest products 

industry and continue progress toward 

sustainable forest management.

• The harvest cost revenue estimator is a 

new, Windows®-based, engineering soft

-

ware program in the public domain that 

evaluates stand-level economic thresholds 

for harvesting small-diameter ponderosa 

pine.

• CalPro is a new, Excel®-based program 

that can be used to simulate the growth 

and management of uneven-aged mixedconifer stands in California.

• Sitka spruce tends to form epicormic 

sprouts after pruning, producing large 

knots that lower lumber grade. Thus 

Sitka spruce may be a poor candidate 

for pruning.

• Sweetclover, an invasive flowering 

plant, is invading the flood plains of 

three Alaskan rivers, the Stikine in 

southeast Alaska, Matanuska in southcentral Alaska, and the Nenana River 

in interior Alaska. The sweetclover may 

affect willow, an important browse 

species for moose.

• Ecosystem-based management has signifi

-

cantly altered the decisionmaking envi

-

ronment in resource agencies. Other 

changes in institutional structures and 

processes may enable agencies to act more 

effectively in the new environment.

• Conflicts over management decisions 

can be moved closer to resolution by 

integrating stakeholders’ multiple 

conceptions of landscapes and temporal 

and spatial scales.

Tom Iraci
32 2004 science accomplishments

 new fuel classification system 

is more complex and detailed, 

and has better links to fire 

behavior models

Fuel characteristics are critical factors in fire behavior, fire severity, and fire hazard. A new fuel 

characteristic classification system (FCCS) has 

been developed to capture more accurately the 

structural complexity and geographical diversity 

of fuelbeds throughout the United States. The system has three components: a large data library of 

fuel information for 192 fuel characteristic classes, an expert system that allows users to select 

one of the 192 classes or to create a customized 

classification by adding site-specific information, 

and a calculator that assigns a fire potential index 

from 0 to 9. The index reflects capacity for surface fire, crown fire, and fuel consumption and 

simplifies communication among users. Prototype 

application of the system started in 2004 on two 

national forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Related work in 2004 included building a GIS 

layer of the fuel classifications across landscapes, 

by using ecosystem geography, vegetation cover, 

and environmental variables. Because this fuelbed 

classification is linked to a database via the FCCS, 

it can be rapidly rebuilt as fuel data change and 

better classifications are produced. Fire managers 

can use the detailed FCCS information to develop fuel treatment plans, model smoke dispersion, 

and as input to fire behavior models. Links to fire 

behavior models are much stronger than such 

links in earlier fuel type systems. The fuels layer also provides input for regional-scale modeling 

of carbon dynamics and validation of emissions 

estimates based on satellite imagery. A detailed 

diagram of FCCS is available at http://www.fs.fed.

us/pnw/fera/jfsp/fcc/graphics.html.

Contacts: Roger Ottmar, rottmar@fs.fed.us; 

Don McKenzie, donaldmckenzie@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: Joint Fire Science Program; National 

Fire Plan; USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Region; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 

University of Washington

 recent modifications of 

bluesky allow expanded 

evaluation of fire impacts

The BlueSky smoke prediction system links information on atmospheric processes with components of fuel structure, moisture dynamics, and 

fire characteristics to predict smoke impacts from 

wild and prescribed fires. It is the only tool of its 

kind available to land managers and has changed 

the way fire and smoke are managed in the Pacific 

Northwest. Recently, scientists modified the system to include information on planned prescribed 

burns from several additional state, private, and 

tribal agencies as well as federal lands. The system also was modified to automatically include 

wildfire information from the nationwide incident 

status summaries. BlueSky’s scientists migrated 

the tool to all of the agency’s other research stations and developed an extended version of the 

system that can simulate cumulative 

smoke impacts from wildfires in all 

Western States at once.

The inclusion of wildfires in the 

scope of the BlueSky system makes 

it immediately adaptable throughout the Nation, even in places that do 

not have a prescribed fire monitoring program. The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) is financing 

a west-side version of BlueSky’s Rapid 

Access Information System (RAINS) 

(http://www.blueskyrains.org) that 

combines the BlueSky system with 

the EPA’s RAINS technology to yield 

new tool

my fuel treatment 

guidebook

Description: Provides quantitative estimates of the effects 

of forest structure on fire hazard. Alternative silvicultural 

and surface fuel treatments 

are used to generate outcomes of forest structure, 

fuels, and fire potential.

Outcomes: This product is 

intended as a tool for National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) analysis for use by 

fire managers, fuel planners, 

and silviculturists on national 

forests and other forest lands.

How to get it: Contact 

David Peterson (peterson

@fs.fed.us) or Morris Johnson 

(mcjohnson@fs.fed.us)

Researchers set up fuel consumption plots in advance of the Porcupine Fire in Alaska and then measured 

forest floor consumption after the fire front passed.

Roger Ottmar

Roger Ottmar
goal accomplishments & key findings 33

an interactive Web-based regional prediction of 

smoke concentrations, as a precursor to a more 

detailed national product.

Contacts: Sue Ferguson, sferguson@fs.fed.us, 

Susan O’Neill, oneill@fs.fed.us, Managing 

Disturbances Regimes Program

Partners: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 

USDI Bureau of Land Management; USDC National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Nez Perce, 

Quinault, and Colville Tribes; Montana/Idaho Airshed 

Group; Oregon Department of Forestry; Washington 

Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources; 

University of Washington; Washington State University; 

Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium; Northwest 

Airquest Consortium; USDA Forest Service, Rocky 

Mountain, Southern, North Central, and Pacific 

Southwest Research Stations, and Pacific Northwest 

and Northern Regions

prescribed and wildfires. The simulator, which 

can be used for most forest, shrub, and grassland 

types in the United States and the world, produces total burn consumption values as well as average hourly emission and heat release information. 

The Fire Emission Production Simulator is used by state and 

regional air resource and fire managers to make decisions 

about prescribed fires.

With FEPS, users are able to produce reasonable 

results with very little information by using default values and calculations; advanced users can 

customize their data to generate refined results.

The FEPS is now being used to estimate the effects 

of wildland fire smoke on regional haze, dramatically improving the ability of regional air quality 

planning organizations to quantify smoke. State 

planners, fire managers, and smoke management coordinators use FEPS daily to make decisions about permitted prescribed fires, regulating 

burning to reduce human-caused contributions to 

regional haze and to comply with the Clean Air 

Act. State and regional air resource managers use 

FEPS to compile current and projected air pollutant emission information, and climate change analysts use FEPS to improve emissions estimates 

used in their work.

Contact: David V. Sandberg, dsandberg@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: Joint Fire Science Program; National Fire Plan; 

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region

new tool

fire emission production 

simulator (feps)

Description: The software 

manages data concerning 

consumption, emissions, and 

heat release characteristics of 

prescribed burns and wildland fires. Data managed 

include the amount and fuel 

moisture of various fuel strata, 

hourly weather, and other 

factors. FEPS can be used for 

most forest, shrub, and grassland types in North America 

and the world. The program 

allows users to produce reasonable results with very little 

information by providing default values and calculations; 

advanced users can customize the data to produce very 

refined results.

Outcomes: The contributions 

of wildland fires to local air 

pollution, regional haze, and 

global carbon balance can 

be estimated, dramatically 

improving the ability of land 

managers, regional air quality 

planning organizations, and 

policy analysts to quantify 

current and future pollutant 

and carbon emissions from 

human-caused and natural 

fires.

How to get it: http://www.

fs.fed.us/pnw/fera/feps/ or 

contact David Sandberg 

(dsandberg@fs.fed.us)

 program simulates emission from 

prescribed and wildland fires

Data on emissions, or the amount of smoke and 

particulates produced by a fire, are critical to fire 

management. In most states, for example, prescribed fires are permitted only when they can 

be shown to have an acceptable impact on air 

quality. Similarly, decisions on wildfire response 

are sometimes based partly on anticipated air 

quality impacts.

Scientists created the fire emission production 

simulator (FEPS) to provide emissions data. The 

simulator is a user-friendly computer program 

that manages data on fuel consumption, emissions, and heat release from prescribed burns and 

wildfires; FEPS also quantifies the current and 

future pollutant and carbon emissions from the 

Researchers collect smoke samples immediately after 

a crown fire on the Porcupine Fire in Alaska. Data 

contribute to a computer model that estimates smoke 

and carbon emissions from wildland fires.

Jim Cronan, Yale University

Tom Iraci
34 2004 science accomplishments

relations between forest structure 

and fire hazard aid in rating fire risk 

in dry western forest stands

Forest managers are treating fuels in forests 

across the Western United States. The Forest Vegetation Simulator Fire and Fuels Extension is 

a tool that can simulate various thinning and 

fuel-reduction treatments and their effects over 

time, in a range of western forest types. Simulated effects on forest structure, fuels, and 

visual appearance are presented in straightforward tables and visualizations that can be 

accessed by managers, scientists, and other users. 

The scientific principles of the relations between 

forest structure and fire hazard were documented in General Technical Report PNW-GTR-628. 

These principles and the simulation scenarios 

can be used throughout the West for National 

Environmental Policy Act analysis and planning 

and evaluating the effects of fuel treatments.

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

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain 

Research Station; University of Washington

More information: General Technical Report PNWGTR-628, 2005. Fuels Planning: Science Synthesis 

and Integration—Forest Structure and Fire Hazard.

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr628.pdf.

new tool

the natural fuels 

photo series

Description: A natural fuels 

photo series that provides a 

quick, easy means for quantifying and describing existing 

fuel properties for selected 

sites across a landscape.

Outcomes: Reduces average field fuel inventory time 

from 21 to 3 person-hours 

and saves $1,500 in inventory costs per unit sampled. 

In addition, the photos and 

data are being used with new 

fuel models for improved fire 

behavior prediction. Today, 

nearly all federal, state, and 

private fuel and fire managers use these photo series to 

quantify and assess fire severity and hazard, air pollutant 

emissions, and other effects 

of fire.

How to get it: http://www.

fs.fed.us/pnw/fera/photoseries.html for ordering 

information, or contact Roger 

Ottmar (rottmar@fs.fed.us)

new methods predict fire danger 

and lightning risk more precisely

Previously, the National Fire Danger Rating System could predict fire danger only for sites with 

fully equipped weather stations. The PNW Research Station has used the Mesoscale Meteorological Model version 5 (MM5) to derive fire 

danger ratings to every grid cell across a broad 

area. Because dry thunderstorms start many wildfires in the Western United States, scientists developed a lightning-risk algorithm that can be 

used with MM5, providing better lightning-risk 

forecasts than possible before. With these two 

tools, fire weather forecasters can give resource 

managers better forecasts of fire danger (http://

www.fs.fed.us/pnw/airfire/sf). Maps of fire danger are produced daily for a variety of weather 

conditions.

Contacts: Sue Ferguson, sfersguson@fs.fed.us, and 

Miriam Rorig, mrorig@fs.fed.us, Managing 

Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, 

and Rocky Mountain and Southern Research Stations; 

Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center; 

University of Washington

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 35

mc1 dynamic general 

vegetation model

Description: Forecasts impacts of climate 

change on vegetation and fire disturbance; 

forecasts seasonal fire risks.

Outcomes: The MC1 model has been used 

in national and individual state assessments 

of the impacts of global warming. MC1 is 

being used for seasonal fire risk forecasting. 

Clients are national, state, and local policymakers, forest planners, and fire managers.

How to get it: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/

corvallis/mdr/mapss/ or contact Ron 

Neilson (rneilson@fs.fed.us)

real-time national fire danger 

rating system (nfdrs) predictions

Description: Predictions of burning index, 

spread component, energy release component, and ignition component are used 

to plan for prescribed burns and assess the 

danger of wildfires. The 24-hour predictions of NFDRS indexes are available each 

morning on the Internet and are now more 

detailed for locations across the region.

Outcomes: Previously these indexes were 

computed from observational data at 

sparsely located point locations. Predicted 

indexes are now available to resource managers across the entire region. The code 

has been made available to other regional 

modeling centers, and land managers are 

starting to use the predictions to help manage prescribed fire and anticipate wildfire.

How to get it: http://www.fs.fed.us/

pnw/airfire/sf or contact Sue Ferguson 

(sferguson@fs.fed.us)

real-time predictions of 

dry lightning risk

Description: Spatial predictions of the 

potential for lightning to occur without 

significant precipitation to help anticipate 

the location and timing of potential wildfire 

ignition. Both 24- and 48-hour predictions 

are available each morning on the Internet.

new tools

Outcomes: Fire weather forecasters use it 

to anticipate where and when dry thunderstorms are likely to occur. This is the 

first tool that predicts specific risk of dry 

lightning, a critically important part of fire 

danger. The code has been made available 

to other regional modeling centers.

How to get it: http://www.fs.fed.us/

pnw/airfire/sf or contact Sue Ferguson 

(sferguson@fs.fed.us)

bluesky

Description: Predictions about movements 

of wildland fire smoke assist incident command teams, burn bosses, smoke managers, 

air regulators, and others in anticipating the 

effects of smoke and allocating resources 

or altering burn operations to avoid smoke 

problems.

Outcomes: Land managers, incident 

command teams, burn bosses, air quality 

regulators, and fire and smoke forecasters are using this tool to help anticipate 

smoke effects and change burning plans 

as needed. Federal, state, tribal, and local 

agencies have used it on dozens of wildfires and hundreds of prescribed fires.

How to get it: http://www.fs.fed.us/bluesky 

or contact Sue Ferguson (sferguson@fs.fed.

us)

With BlueSky 

and other smoke 

management tools, 

incident command 

teams can issue 

more accurate 

smoke advisories to 

communities near 

large wildfires.

ventilation climate information 

system (vcis)

Description: Detailed map databases 

of ventilation potential to assist smoke 

management planning and environmental impact assessments. It is a nationally 

consistent spatial database and acquisition 

system that contains 40 years of twice-daily 

information on surface wind, mixing height, 

and ventilation potential at 5-km (about 

3 miles) spatial resolution.

Outcomes: VCIS was used after extended 

wildfire seasons in 2004 to help anticipate 

smoke effects from lingering smoldering. 

It was used in revisions of at least two forest plans and several smoke management 

plans. Also, it was used to document environmental impacts on projects in various 

regions around the country. Improvements 

in 2004 include new statistics, an improved 

interface, and a new tutorial.

How to get it: http://www.fs.fed.us/

pnw/airfire/vcis or contact Sue Ferguson 

(sferguson@fs.fed.us)

Tom Iraci
36 2004 science accomplishments

 dynamic general vegetation 

model generates accurate 

forecasts of seasonal fire risk

Work continued in refining and validating the 

MC1 dynamic general vegetation model, devel

-

oped to forecast changing vegetation patterns 

and fire cycles caused by climate change. The 

MC1-simulated fire forecasts, based on informa

-

tion from global climate models and sea surface 

temperature, compare well to observed fire area 

for the past 40 years and decadal average annu

-

al fire area for the past 80 years. Critical to the 

forecast accuracy has been the development of 

a grid of monthly climate observed across the 

United States. The forecasts for each scenario and 

an aggregate risk map are updated monthly on 

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

corvallis/mdr/mapss/.

The model also simulates fire suppression/exclu

-

sion, and this year’s work produced the first simu

-

lated maps of likely excess fuel loading as a result 

of fire suppression. The analyses of recent large 

fire years and the seasonal fire forecasts have 

caught the attention of 

fire managers at national 

to local levels. The team 

has been invited to pres

-

ent the research to the 

USDA Undersecretary for 

Natural Resources, the 

USDA Forest Service 

Chief, the Brookings In

-

stitution’s Quadrennial 

Fire Review across all 

relevant agencies, the 

National Fire Directors, 

Regional Forest Leadership teams, and the annual 

meeting of the International Association of Fire 

Chiefs, among many others.

Contacts: James M. Lenihan, jlenihan@fs.fed.us, 

Ronald P. Neilson, rneilson@fs.fed.us, Managing 

Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: Oregon State University, International 

Research Institute for Climate Prediction

New analysis tools help managers choose the right 

technique to reduce fuel loadings. This small-scale 

operation is in Oregon’s Blue Mountains.

 economics and utilization 

information synthesized for 

fuel treatment planning

Scientists synthesized a wide range of econom-

ics and fuel treatment information to create a new 

tool, My Fuel Treatment Planner, a spreadsheetbased software program that calculates the cost 

of fuel treatments based on users’ input. Key fea

-

tures of the planner include treatment costs, vol

-

umes of wood that might be merchantable and 

thus could cover some treatment costs, economic 

effects, and evaluation of the potential for wood 

products. With this tool, people without train

-

ing in financial analysis or wood utilization can 

quickly compare the costs of different fire hazard 

reduction treatments, such as prescribed burn

-

ing, mastication (shredding of standing or down 

trees), and thinning. Users also can determine the 

potential impact of each of these activities on the 

surrounding community.

Results from early beta testing show that this tool 

is well-received, suggesting that it might be wide

-

ly adopted by federal agencies as they implement 

the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. Fuel special

-

ists from the agency’s Pacific Southwest Region 

are currently evaluating My Fuel Treatment Plan

-

ner for use in their broad-scale planning, and spe

-

cialists in several other regions of the country are 

interested in it.

Contact: Roger Fight, rfight@fs.fed.us, Human and 

Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Fire and Aviation 

Management, and Rocky Mountain, North Central, 

and Southern Research Stations, and PNW Focused 

Science Delivery Program; USDI Bureau of Land 

Management; Inventory and Monitoring Institute; 

University of California, Davis

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 37

 timing of prescribed burns 

makes a difference

Prescribed fire is a major tool used to reduce the 

risk of catastrophic wildfire in low- and midelevation ponderosa pine forests in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington. These 

prescribed burns have the potential to affect more 

than just the accumulation of understory growth 

they are aimed at eliminating, however. Belowground processes and microbial communities may 

also be affected. Ponderosa pine, the dominant 

tree species of the Blue Mountains region, relies 

on ectomycorrhizal, or root-dwelling, fungi for 

nutrient uptake and resistance to drought stress. 

Although the important obligate role of these 

ectomycorrhizal fungi is known, much remains 

unknown about fungal community structure and 

their response to fire.

Scientists studied the effect of underburning in 

fall, when fires historically occurred in the region, and in spring, when most prescribed burns 

currently occur, on belowground root biomass 

and ectomycorrhizal fungi. They found that fall 

underburning significantly reduced live root biomass and species richness of ectomycorrhizal 

fungi compared to spring underburning. The scientists also found that fall underburns killed live 

roots to a depth of 4 inches and significantly reduced species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi 

for at least 2 years. Forest managers can balance 

this information with other factors they consider 

when planning prescribed burns.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Malheur National 

Forest, Emigrant Creek Ranger District

More information: Science Findings 66, September 2004. 

Dead wood, living legacies: habitat for a host of fungi. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi66.pdf.

some exotic plant species thrive after 

prescribed burning in the fall

Scientists investigated understory plant community patterns in relation to season and severity of 

prescribed burn and other variables in six ponderosa pine stands located in Oregon’s southern Blue 

Mountains. Five growing seasons after prescribed 

Scientists are developinging low-cost techniques for 

quickly detecting infestations of invasive plants such 

as sulfur cinquefoil over large areas.

fires, units burned in fall have significantly more 

exotic (that is, nonnative) and native annual/biennial species, and a greater proportion of exotic plant cover than do spring burn and unburned 

control units. Variables important in explaining 

this difference were related to fire severity, location, stand structure, and substrate. Localized 

high-severity burn patches, frequently associated 

with fall burning, created resource gaps favorable 

for the spread of annual/biennial species. Exotic 

species may be more successful at capturing resources and exploiting these environments.

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

Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Malheur National Forest, 

Migrant Creek Ranger District

Some invasive plant species can take advantage of 

disturbances such as fuel treatments, but research 

is providing information on timing burns to reduce 

invasions.

Frank Vanni
38 2004 science accomplishments

 new techniques improve recovery 

of native plants in burned areas

Invasive plants may spread rapidly after wildfires, 

prescribed burning, or other disturbances, taking advantage of the initial loss of native plants. 

Through four studies at Fort Hoskins Historical 

Park in Benton County, scientists evaluated techniques for establishing native forbs and grasses 

after fire. The suite of studies tested protocols for 

seed collection and management and for the reintroduction of grass and forbs after tree removal 

and prescribed burning, in the Willamette Valley 

oak-prairie restoration project.

Two studies evaluate pre- and postdisturbance effects on the abundance and composition of native 

and exotic plants, including invasive species, and 

the effect of sowing native species. A prescribed 

fall burn was followed by sowing 10 native grass 

and 12 native forb species. Scientists evaluated 

seed viability and germination and the success 

of different sowing treatments, and they are currently evaluating competition and colonization. 

A Native American graduate student evaluated 

the cultural practice of digging bulbs or corms of 

camas, tiger lily, and crown brodiaea, three species traditionally used by indigenous peoples in 

the Pacific Northwest, to see if the technique will 

work as a way to sustainably collect propagules 

for planting.

Preliminary results show that seeding with native 

grasses can significantly change the plant community composition; plugs of long-lived native 

perennial forbs will survive in a plant community 

dominated by invasive plants, and the natives 

can flower and produce seed in 2 years. Benton 

County park managers are using these early findings to adapt the design and rate of grass seeding 

after prescribed burning and to use native forbs 

in restoration and natural landscaping. They are 

also educating the community through field trips 

to the research area and sharing the information 

with park managers in other counties. Some study 

Native tarweed, an important plant to indigenous 

people who ground the seeds into meal, is being 

reintroduced at Fort Hoskins Historical Park.

new tools

guide to common 

cinquefoil (potentilla) 

species of the blue 

mountains ecoregion

Description: An illustrated 

key to cinquefoil species 

found in the Blue Mountains.

Outcomes: Enables land managers and the public to better 

identify plant species within 

this important genus, including a number of regionally 

problematic weed species.

How to get it: PNW-GTR-603 

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

pubs/gtr603.pdf; for hardcopy 

phone 503-808-2138 (pnw_

pnwpubs@fs.fed.us). Contacts 

are Marti Aitken (maitken@fs.

fed.us) and Catherine Parks 

(cparks01@fs.fed.us).

multiscale detection 

techniques for sulfur 

cinquefoil by using natural 

color photography

Description: Enables natural 

color aerial photography to 

be used for detection, monitoring, and mapping sulfur 

cinquefoil in open forests 

and rangelands in the interior 

Northwest.

Outcomes: Will improve efficiency of assessing local to 

regional status and dynamics 

of a regionally problematic 

invasive plant species.

How to get it: Contact 

Bridgett Naylor (bnaylor

@fs.fed.us), Bryan Endress 

(bendress@fs.fed.us), or 

Catherine Parks (cparks01

@fs.fed.us).

New tools help managers detect and map sulfur 

cinquefoil invasions.

Clarkia, named after William Clark of Lewis and 

Clark, has been successfully reintroduced at Fort 

Hoskins Historical Park.

Nan Vance Nan Vance Frank Vanni
goal accomplishments & key findings 39

results may be included in the curriculum of the 

Corvallis Outdoor School.

Contact: Nan Vance, nvance@fs.fed.us, Resource 

Management and Productivity Program

Partners: Benton County, Oregon State University, Oregon 

Department of Forestry, Luckiamute Watershed Council, 

Confederated Tribes of the Siletz and Grand Ronde, 

Greenbelt Land Trust

may differ as to whether or not the treatments 

have positive or negative net revenues at the level 

of individual units.

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

and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain 

Research Station, Gifford Pinchot National Forest

in fire-killed lumber, no volume lost 

to wormhole defect, but lumber value 

decreases

Fire-killed trees are extremely susceptible to insect invasion and stain and decay fungi, which 

potentially decrease the value of products made 

from the wood. When beetle larvae invade the 

burned trees, they tunnel through the wood and 

their wormholes can be extensive. Scaling is 

a process that measures volume and grade of 

logs, deducting points for any defects found. The 

National Cubic Scaling Committee was considering a new scaling rule that would deduct points 

for massed wormholes. At the committee’s request, scientists conducted 

a study to test the effectiveness of the proposed 

rule. They used ponderosa 

pine logs salvaged 1 year 

after a fire and infested 

with wood-boring insects 

and associated stain fungi. Scientists found that although no volume was lost 

to the wormhole defect, the 

value of the lumber was decreased significantly. The National Cubic Scaling 

Committee decided not to adopt the new scaling 

rule and recommended the loss in value be dealt 

with through the timber appraisal process.

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

Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: Fremont Sawmill; USDA Forest Service, 

Fremont National Forest

Findings on the likely effects of climate change on wildfires 

in California were part of the basis for a new state law that 

imposes CO2 emissions requirements for sport utility vehicles 

sold in the state.

cost of silviculture for fire and 

habitat management

Under the Northwest Forest Plan, late-successional reserves are intended to provide habitat for 

species associated with old forests. In the eastern 

part of the plan area, some of the characteristics 

of late-successional forests, such as dense canopies and downed wood, also create conditions favorable for severe wildfires. Scientists simulated 

the effects of silvicultural treatments on two reserve objectives, late-successional forest development and fire threat reduction, over three decades 

in a 15,000-acre reserve in the Gifford Pinchot 

National Forest.

Study results indicate that imposing different financial requirements on the treatments would affect outcomes for the two reserve objectives. A 

requirement that treatments break even had similar silvicultural effects as treatments without 

this financial requirement, but the associated net 

revenues varied widely over the 30-year simulation. In contrast, a requirement for landscape treatments to earn money had negative effects on both 

fire threat reduction and late-successional forest 

objectives. Scientists found that the scale at which 

treatments were evaluated—–the size of the area 

considered and the number of decades simulated

—–affected these results. Their findings support a 

Northwest Forest Plan assumption that silvicultural treatments supporting reserve objectives Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
40 2004 science accomplishments

 climate change could hinder 

successful fire suppression

Scientists studied the likely effects of climate 

change on wildfire behavior in California, a state 

with a history of severe fires and where wildfire 

has critical ecological and economic roles. Their 

study applied a double-CO2 climate scenario—–

a doubling of the 1990s level of carbon dioxide in 

the atmosphere, expected to occur by about 2050

–—to three, multicounty study areas in northern 

California. The scientists interpolated the results 

to cover all of northern California’s state responsibility areas, where the California Department of 

Forestry and Fire Protection has statutory responsibility for providing wildland fire protection.

Board of Forestry and are being used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 

as it plans strategies for long-term changes in initial fire response.

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

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

 management system developed 

for creating multiple-value forests

Society increasingly demands diverse values 

from all forests of the region, including ecological services, economic products, and aesthetic forests and landscapes. But retaining old 

trees or conventional thinning alone fail to produce the biodiversity and complexity needed to 

supply all these values. Scientists developed 

Active Intentional Management (AIM) for Multiple Values, an integrated system of management 

techniques for producing forests that provide 

diverse values. The AIM system manages a forest’s 

multiple ecological processes, by using techniques 

such as retention of mature trees, management of 

multiple tree species and dead and dying trees, and 

variable-density thinning, which involves varying the intensity of thinning in patches within 

stands across the landscape. Data show that AIM 

has demonstrated potential for producing forests 

that provide diverse values simultaneously.

Recently the Washington State Department of 

Natural Resources chose AIM as the preferred alternative for management of 2 million acres of 

Washington state forest lands. The AIM system 

is also being used in a number of Forest Service 

timber sales and in management of a community 

forest on Vashon Island, Washington.

Contact: Andrew B. Carey, acarey@fs.fed.us, 

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: USDA National Research Initiative; 

U.S. Army, Fort Lewis; USDA Forest Service, 

Olympic National Forest; University of 

Washington; Oregon State University

The Washington Department of Natural Resources chose 

Active Intentional Management (AIM) for Multiple Values 

as the preferred alternative for management of 2 million 

acres of Washington state forest lands. The AIM system is 

also being used in some Forest Service timber sales.

The scientists found that under the double-CO2

climate scenario, an additional 114 escaped fires 

per year could be anticipated, in addition to the 

110 escaped fires under current climate. If the average escaped fire size remained the same, average annual burned area would increase to roughly 

4 percent of the region, up from 2 percent under 

the present climate. This increase is equivalent 

to halving the average fire-return interval, or 

expected number of years between fires, from 

50 to 25 years. This reduction in the fire-return 

interval could have serious landscape implications, including increased landslides, flooding, 

erosion, and water-quality impairment. In California, the majority of sediment entering streams 

does so after fires, meaning that shorter intervals 

between fires could affect the quality of stream 

habitats, degrade water quality, and increase dam 

siltation and potential flood severity.

Findings from this study were part of the basis for 

a new California law that imposes CO2 emissions 

requirements for sport utility vehicles sold in the 

state. Findings also were reported to the State of 

California Energy Commission and the California 

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 41

sustainable wood production 

initiative identifies sustainable 

forestry concerns of partners

The Sustainable Wood Production Initiative 

(SWPI) addresses concerns about sustainable forest management on state and private lands with 

wood production as an important objective. This 

3-year initiative offers an innovative approach 

to providing guidance to land managers. Questions addressed include whether wood production 

can be sustainable in the Pacific Northwest and 

whether various types of regulation actually help 

or if they create unintended consequences.

State agency representatives, forest industry representatives, small landowners, and others are 

helping to define sustainable forestry and forging a path to make it happen. In a series of client 

meetings, six key concerns were identified: identifying barriers to sustainable forestry and effects 

of market incentives and environmental regulations, understanding wood production in the context of sustainable forestry, effects of resource 

trends and markets on the economic viability of 

forestry, identifying niche market opportunities 

for owners of small woodlands, learning about 

emerging wood technology and products, and developing a communication strategy for reporting 

findings.

Experts from the region provided initial findings 

from ongoing research on the six topics during a 

workshop. Findings include:

• Private lands in the Pacific Northwest will 

likely sustain recent harvest levels for the 

next 50 years.

• The trend in forest products operations is toward fewer but larger operations, more use 

of out-of-state logs, and a decline in log exports.

• Above-average population growth in the region will intensify land use pressures leading 

to increased forest fragmentation.

• An approach to riparian forest management 

that integrates forest structure and economic 

criteria may protect riparian forests and improve the economics of forest management.

• Wood-plastic components offer opportunities 

to use small-diameter material that may result 

from fuel-reduction management.

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

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: Oregon State University, 

University of Washington, Washington 

State University, Oregon Department of 

Forestry, Weyerhaeuser Company, Ecotrust

sustainable forest management 

influenced by markets

In the United States, private landowners play a 

central role in sustainable forest management, as 

nearly three-quarters of the Nation’s timberland 

is privately owned. Historical evidence from the 

Douglas-fir region of the Pacific Northwest suggests that landowners and managers have relied 

on sustained upward changes in timber prices to 

serve as incentives to increase the intensity and 

extent of timber management practices on their 

land.

Recent projections, however, predict a future of 

relatively stable prices, raising concerns that if 

landowners expect lower returns, they may reduce 

their active management such as fertilization and 

thinning. In a recent study, scientists found these 

Tom Iraci

Bob Szaro
42 2004 science accomplishments

concerns to be valid. Landowners with strong 

propensities for intensive management may continue their practices even when they foresee stable timber prices, but landowners less inclined 

to manage actively may drop some management 

practices without rising timber prices. These findings mean that a majority of the Nation’s timberland may, ultimately, be lightly managed, with 

a small percentage of acres heavily, or actively, 

managed. Stable timber prices will likely not provide a strong incentive for private landowners to 

intensify timber management.

Contact: Richard Haynes, rhaynes@fs.fed.us, 

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Northeastern 

Research Station and Forest Products Laboratory; 

Oregon State University

Blister-rust-resistant white pines are thriving 

and producing cones on Wind River Experimental 

Forest, Washington, thanks to tree-breeding 

programs.

Tom Iraci

Oregon and Washington: noble fir, Sitka spruce, 

ponderosa pine, western white pine, sugar pine, 

western redcedar, western hemlock, and coastal 

Douglas-fir. Results showed that overall, genetic 

resources for the eight species are well protected in native stands in protected areas throughout 

most of the region.

Scientists also surveyed the genetic resources 

in seed stores and in regional tree breeding programs. In the surveys, scientists found that commercial species such as Douglas-fir and ponderosa 

pine have extensive genetic resources preserved 

in seed stores and breeding programs. The breeding programs to develop rust-resistance in western white pine and sugar pine are particularly 

valuable for maintaining genetic diversity and 

restoring these two species to Pacific Northwest 

forests; many trees of these species were killed 

by blister rust, accidentally introduced a century ago.

Study results show that much of the original genetic heritage is still present in native forests and 

for some species in regional breeding programs. 

No significant loss of genetic diversity was found. 

Genetic conservation in breeding programs and 

in protected areas each offer unique advantages. These results reinforced the value of breeding 

programs for genetic conservation.

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

Management and Productivity Program

Partners: Boise Cascade; Olympic Resource Management; 

Oregon Department of Forestry; Oregon State University; 

The Timber Company; USDA Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Region; USDI Bureau of Land Management; 

Washington Department of Natural Resources; 

Weyerhaeuser Company; Willamette Industries

 genetic diversity is well protected 

for major conifer species in 

western oregon and washington

Genetic diversity allows species to resist insects 

and diseases, survive environmental stresses, and 

adapt to changing environments. To continue improving trees, tree breeders also need genetic diversity in trees. Conservation of genetic diversity 

is thus vital for Pacific Northwest forests. Scientists evaluated how well genetic resources are protected for eight major conifer species of western 

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 43

 new round of agenda 2020 

projects increases collaboration 

across western region

The Agenda 2020 program, a research program 

supported by the timber industry, aims to ensure 

long-term supplies of forest resources and sustainable forest management. It is a joint venture with 

the American Forest and Paper Association and 

U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial 

Technology. The program has a strong portfolio 

of national projects (for example, the Fall River study in Washington) in biomass energy, new 

forest-based materials, and molecular biology. 

Additional collaboration among Western research 

stations—–led by PNW Research Station’s Resource 

Management and Productivity (RMP) Program—–

has resulted in four Agenda 2020 studies funded 

by PNW Research Station in 2002 and five new 

ones in 2005.

New studies will emphasize soil and climatic factors related to the growth and long-term productivity of Douglas-fir, management of organic matter 

and large woody debris, modeling of genetic gains 

in Douglas-fir plantations with linkages to growth 

and yield models, and links between environmental variables and genetic variation. Scientists from 

PNW Research Station are also involved in Agenda 2020 studies funded by Pacific Southwest and 

Rocky Mountain Research Stations. More information on Agenda 2020 is at http://www.fs.fed.

us/pnw/about/programs/rmp/index.shtml.

Contact: Charley Peterson, cepeterson@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: Weyerhaeuser Company, Boise Corporation, Port 

Blakely, American Forest and Paper Association, National 

Council on Air and Stream Improvement, University of 

Washington, Oregon State University, Green Diamond 

Resources Company, USDA Forest Service, Pacific 

Southwest and Rocky Mountain Research Stations

competing understory vegetation, 

not just overstory competition, affects 

growth of conifer seedlings

Many studies are testing how conifer seedlings 

grow under various densities of overstory canopies. But most of these studies do not test how 

various understory conditions, within the different overstory conditions, affect the growth of 

conifer seedlings. A study at Capitol State Forest is 

Findings on the effects of understory conditions on conifer 

seedling growth are helping managers develop techniques 

for vigorous conifer growth. 

At Capitol State Forest, Washington, studies are 

yielding findings on the ecology and physiology of 

managed forests.

Tom Iraci

conifer species to either retain or remove competing vegetation, and they are monitoring light and 

soil moisture to identify which factor most limits 

seedling growth.

exploring this question within the overstory density study, which includes treatments of thinned, 

widely spaced, or harvested stands of secondgrowth Douglas-fir. Scientists are manipulating the growing space around seedlings of three 

Second-year results show that both soil moisture and seedling growth increased after understory removal, but only when there were few or 

no overstory trees. The source of root competition 

(overstory vs. understory) and its intensity appear 

to vary in a compensatory fashion as the density of one stand component is reduced. Douglas-fir 

and western hemlock respond similarly and are 

affected more by overstory competition than by 

understory competition. Western redcedar shows 

little response so far to differing overstory treatments but responds to understory treatments. 

Results suggest that to get conifers growing vigorously below a Douglas-fir overstory, managers 

may need to plant seedlings both outside the zone 

of root competition from overstory trees, and in 

areas with little competing understory vegetation.

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

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partner: Washington Department of Natural Resources

Tom Iraci
44 2004 science accomplishments

each tree and tested for stiffness and strength. 

The impact of Swiss needle cast on wood quality 

was most evident in trees from the most severely 

diseased stands, which had higher proportions of 

latewood and stiffness.

Swiss needle cast has greatly reduced tree growth 

in some coastal stands. Managers may be able to 

partially offset losses from the disease by at least 

using wood from these stands for products that 

demand high levels of wood strength and stiffness, such as stress-graded lumber and veneer.

Contact: Randy Johnson, randyjohnson@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: Oregon State University

More information: Science Findings 58, November 2003. 

The Scourge of the Yellow Trees: Tackling Swiss Needle 

Cast in the Coast Range. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/

sciencef/scifi58.pdf.

in postfire logging, variations in tree 

harvest methods affect soil but not 

sediment transport

In an experiment begun 1 year after the 1996 

Summit Fire burned on the Malheur National 

Forest in eastern Oregon, scientists studied both 

the effects of logging activity and structure removal on plots in the forest. Soil disturbance and 

sediment transport were measured under three 

postfire harvest treatments, which ranged from no 

harvest to full harvest. They found that displacement, compaction, and soil erosion were the most 

commonly observed types of machine-caused soil 

disturbance. Unharvested control plots had less 

disturbed area than harvested units. Despite the 

significant soil disturbance in the harvest plots, 

little sediment moved out of the experimental units, owing largely to the practice of handfelling trees and logging over snow or on dry 

new tool

harvest cost 

revenue (hcr) estimator

Description: A Windows®-

based, public-domain 

engineering software program 

for evaluating stand-level 

economic thresholds for 

harvesting small-diameter 

ponderosa pine. The model 

(1) calculates log types 

and numbers as a function of cut trees and market 

specifications; (2) determines 

harvesting and transportation 

costs from production rate 

relationships, equipment and 

labor costs, trucking information, and cut tree and log 

data; and (3) estimates return 

based on the log calculator 

and user-input raw material market specifications for 

wood-plastic composites, 

heating and electricity, 

biochemicals, engineered 

lumber, and other value-added products.

Outcomes: The model allows 

forest planners to conduct 

project appraisal, set minimum contract bid rates, and 

assess the stumpage value 

of material removed. Contractors are able to use the 

model to estimate operation 

and maintenance costs 

of equipment and generate detailed cost estimates 

for project bidding. Other 

users are able to estimate 

project costs of assisting 

business expansion and development, and economic 

development.

How to get it: Contact 

Dennis R. Becker 

(drbecker@fs.fed.us)

trees diseased with swiss needle 

cast produce stronger, denser, 

stiffer wood than healthy trees

Scientists found that in the Swiss needle cast zone 

of coastal Oregon and Washington, trees with the 

most severe defoliation produced wood with increased density, strength, and stiffness, and lower 

moisture content than trees less affected by the 

fungal disease. Improvements in these wood quality traits, however, were accompanied by slower 

growth rates. Two studies led to this finding.

In one study, plots were sprayed with a fungicide to reduce defoliation caused by Swiss 

needle cast. The healthier, sprayed trees had better growth rates and higher moisture contents. In 

the diseased trees, Swiss needle cast reduced the 

growth of earlywood (wood produced early in the 

growing season) more so than the growth of latewood (harder, more dense wood formed later in 

the growing season). The two types of wood can 

be easily seen in tree rings; the earlywood is light 

colored and the latewood forms the dark rings 

used to count tree age. The diseased trees, with 

larger proportions of latewood, had greater wood 

density than healthy trees.

In the second study, trees were felled from 15 

stands with different levels of Swiss needle cast 

disease. The outer growth rings were examined 

for latewood proportion, wood density, and microfibral angle. Eight wood samples were cut from 

Free software can help people analyze the 

economics of harvesting small trees and 

selling small-diameter logs.

Tom Iraci

Trees severely defoliated by Swiss needle cast grew slower but 

produced wood with increased density, strength, and stiffness.

USDA Forest Service
goal accomplishments & key findings 45

new tool

calpro

Description: CalPro is an 

add-in program developed to 

work with Microsoft Excel®

to simulate the growth and 

management of unevenaged mixed-conifer stands 

in California. CalPro allows 

managers to predict stand 

development by year and for 

many decades from a specific 

initial state. Users specify 

the interval between harvests (cutting cycle), a target 

distribution of trees remaining after harvest, or diameter 

limits. Documentation offers 

a comprehensive tutorial in 

the form of two practical 

examples. 

Partner: University of 

Wisconsin, Madison

How to get it: http://www.sit.

wisc.edu/~jliang2/productsFR.html or contact Jingjing 

Liang (jliang2@wisc.edu)

confirmed that forested wetlands meet wood productivity standards for commercial forest, and the 

Tongass National Forest included these areas in 

timber land base. The findings also led to streamlined project planning where wet soils are a concern.

Third, managers questioned the performance of 

a regional stand-growth model (Forest Vegetation Simulator, or FVS, -SEAPROG) in predicting 

the growth of even-aged stands. Scientists confirmed that the model did have serious shortcomings, identified the problems more precisely, and 

are working to improve the model so that it better 

predicts growth of even-aged stands, and next, is 

further developed to model growth in two-aged 

or uneven-aged stands. Finally, scientists started studies on how silvicultural treatments affect wood quality in young stands. (These studies 

continue; see the related story on page 46 about 

pruning Sitka spruce.)

Scientists have shared the research findings with 

managers in many workshops and field tours, as 

well as in a portfolio of publications. Managers 

are using the findings as they balance tradeoffs 

among habitat concerns, wood production, woodproduct quality, and operability on the Tongass 

National Forest.

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

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Tongass National Forest, 

PNW Managing Disturbance Regimes Program, and 

Forest Products Laboratory

ground, low slopes, heavy soils, and to the 

absence of extreme weather events after logging. 

These findings may be used by managers to help 

design postfire management projects.

Contact: Jim McIver, jmciver@fs.fed.us, 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partner: USDA Forest Service, Malheur National Forest

variable-retention harvest can meet 

biological and timber goals in southeast 

alaska, if certain principles are followed

Silvicultural studies supported the revision of the 

Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan, 

answering managers’ key questions on four issues. On the first issue, variable-retention harvesting in old-growth stands, scientists found the 

method to be technically feasible, although costs 

are higher than harvest costs with traditional 

methods. In southeast Alaska, partial cutting in 

old-growth forests can produce wood and maintain complex spruce-hemlock stands similar to 

old growth, but only if close attention is paid to 

the preharvest stand conditions and the quality of 

trees left standing. These large, residual trees are 

critical in the structure of the future stand. As a 

result of this study, the use of variable-retention 

harvesting in old-growth stands has increased 

dramatically on the Tongass.

A second issue was the productivity of forested 

wetlands; the answer helped determine if these 

lands should be included in the land base tentatively suitable for timber production. Forested 

wetlands typically occur as small inclusions within highly productive forests, and avoiding them 

greatly complicates timber sale layout. Research 

The use of variable-retention harvesting in old-growth stands 

has increased dramatically on the Tongass National Forest as 

a result of a PNW Research Station study.

Silvicultural studies in southeast Alaska are 

beginning to answer questions about issues 

specific to these forests.

Tom Iraci

partnership with tongass establishes 

forest-wide experiments in younggrowth silviculture

Recent silvicultural research suggests that precommercial thinning, pruning, commercial thinning, and creating mixed alder-conifer stands 

can help create desirable understory conditions in 

young stands and increase their wildlife habitat 

value. Scientists and managers are joining in a 
46 2004 science accomplishments

thinning in older stands and one to test techniques for managing riparian forests. As results 

from TWYGS become available, they could be 

used to improve the management of over 600,000 

acres of young, even-aged stands in southeastern 

Alaska.

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

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Tongass National Forest, 

PNW Managing Disturbance Regimes and Ecosystem 

Processes Programs

 sitka spruce may be a poor 

candidate for pruning

In southeast Alaska, managers are deciding how 

to manage the young-growth forest resource. One 

objective is to provide enough timber for a small 

but sustainable forest products industry that will 

support jobs and other economic activity in a region that is becoming increasingly dependent on 

a single source of income: tourism. Another objective is to enhance other amenity values, such 

as fish and wildlife, which residents and tourists 

alike enjoy from the forest.

Recently, studies were completed on pruning of 

young spruce and hemlock trees to improve wood 

value and enhance forest structural diversity, 

thus contributing to both objectives. Pruning of 

conifers may open up stands and promote understory plant development, but wood quality effects 

are somewhat less promising. Spruce, in particular, tends to form epicormic sprouts (sprouts from 

dormant buds around the branch collar) after 

pruning. These sprouts often grow into full-size 

branches, which produce large knots that lower 

lumber grade, defeating the purpose of pruning. 

Thus, in spruce it seems this practice is not fruitful. Results are better for hemlock but questions 

remain about the possibility of discoloration of 

its wood as a result of staining after branch 

pruning.

Contacts: Robert Deal, rdeal@fs.fed.us and 

Jamie Barbour, jbarbour01@fs.fed.us, 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, PNW Resource 

Management and Productivity and Human and 

Natural Resource Interactions Programs, 

Alaska Region; UK Forestry Commission

major new partnership in southeast Alaska to further test and refine these findings. The Tongass 

National Forest is devoting its entire timber-stand 

improvement program for two years to an operational-scale study of silvicultural treatments for 

young-growth stands. With PNW Research Station as a full partner, all activities will be done 

in an experimental framework that includes welldefined treatments, stringent site-selection criteria, random assignment of treatments, appropriate 

controls, and wide replication.

These studies, collectively called the TongassWide Young-Growth Studies (TWYGS, pronounced 

“twigs”) are large-scale, forest-wide experiments 

in stands less than 35 years old. Establishment of 

the studies was completed in 2004. The TWYGS 

studies are using an adaptive management framework that will permit scientific assessment of the 

treatment effects and allow scientists and managers to draw credible conclusions about the value of these treatments. The adaptive management 

approach has garnered wide support from resource managers, scientists, and other agencies 

interested in management of the Tongass National Forest.

The success in starting these first three experiments has led to plans for two more TWYGS 

studies: one to test methods for precommercial 

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 47

wood utilization center’s work benefits 

alaska’s wood products industry

The Station’s Wood Utilization Research and Development Center in Sitka, Alaska, has been assisting Alaska’s wood products industry since 

1999. The wood utilization center helps the industry develop methods and products that take advantage of the state’s unique resources through 

research, technology transfer, and product development.

In late 2003, the center hosted a state-wide wood 

utilization conference in Anchorage. Titled “Linking Healthy Forests and Communities: Successful 

Strategies and Future Directions,” the conference 

examined how Alaska can develop and promote 

healthy, prosperous forests and how the communities dependent upon these forests can devise 

plans for economic success. A highlight of the 

conference, which drew some 80 attendees, was 

a session in which four Alaska wood products entrepreneurs shared elements of their success, including descriptions of the unique paths that each 

had taken to develop their businesses.

The wood utilization center continued to serve as 

a partner and financial supporter of the Ketchikan 

Wood Technology Center (KWTC), a wood testing 

and product development facility. Recently, as a 

result of the work of KWTC and its partners, two 

The control of competing vegetation improves growth 

rates of white spruce seedlings on Alaska’s Kenai 

Peninsula.

The Alaska Wood Utilization Research and 

Development Center helps find ways to create a 

durable wood products industry in Alaska.

Bob Szaro

white spruce seedling reestablishment 

severely impeded by competitors

In interior and south-central Alaska, coniferous 

forests dominated by white spruce have had the 

most extensive and severe tree mortality in recorded history owing to a massive outbreak of 

spruce bark beetles, which bore into the trees to 

lay their eggs. The fuel accumulations, poor regrowth of new trees, and other forest changes are 

likely to challenge forest managers and landowners well into the next decade. Scientists and land 

managers alike realize the critical need for sitespecific silvicultural prescriptions to restore these 

forests.

Research findings indicate that the most important 

deterrent to successful reforestation is competing 

vegetation. When prescriptions that controlled 

competing grasses and shrubs were used, the result was a significantly improved establishment 

and initial growth of juvenile white spruce. Scientists determined that if landowners are to plant 

white spruce seedlings, the best results will occur 

when planting occurs immediately after overstory 

trees are removed to minimize the development of 

competing cover. White spruce may grow much 

faster in their first 10 years if competition from 

grasses and shrubs is kept to a minimum.

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

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Partners: Alaska Native Corporations; Alaska Department 

of Natural Resources; U.S. Department of Defense, Fort 

Richardson Army Base; Alaska Science and Technology 

Foundation; USDA Forest Service, State and Private 

Forestry

More information: Science Findings 69, January 2005. 

Crafting a Competitive Edge: White Spruce Regeneration 

in Alaska. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi69.pdf.Tom Iraci

Bob Szaro
48 2004 science accomplishments

this population. However, in a survey of floodplain plant species composition, scientists found 

sweetclover, an invasive flowering plant belonging to the pea family, invading the flood plains of 

three Alaskan rivers, moving from south to north. 

Sweetclover has come to dominate the lower 

reaches of the Stikine River, in southeast Alaska; 

is a major component of portions of the Matanuska River flood plain, in south-central Alaska; and 

has been detected in small amounts on the flood 

plain of the Nenana River, in interior Alaska. Although sweetclover has not yet been found on 

the flood plains of the Tanana or Yukon Rivers, it 

is common along roadsides that cross or are 

adjacent to those habitats. As sweetclover invades 

and establishes itself on the flood plains of Alaska’s major river systems, significant changes in 

new designations for Alaska yellow-cedar and 

Alaska hemlock have been accepted. The new designations were created by the American Lumber 

Standard Committee and will provide Alaskaspecific grade stamps, leading to stronger market 

identity for softwood lumber manufacturers in 

Alaska. Two other species, Sitka spruce and white 

spruce, also are part of this testing program. Results for these two species will be submitted to the 

American Lumber Standard Committee in the future.

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

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: Ketchikan Wood Technology Center; 

University of Alaska, Southeast; University of 

Alaska, Fairbanks; Juneau Economic Development 

Council; University of Washington, Center for 

International Trade in Forest Products

 invasive species may affect 

flood-plain wildlife habitat

Alaska’s glacial rivers are dynamic, with frequent 

changes in water level and river course. Flood 

plains are constantly in flux, and recently deposited surfaces have been found to be susceptible to invasion by certain exotic plant species. 

These sites are often highly productive with lush 

plant growth, which makes them prime habitat for 

moose, an ecologically and economically important species in the state.

Such flood-plain surfaces are often dominated by 

willows, an important browse species for moose. 

In interior Alaska, for example, the Tanana Flats 

support more than 15,000 animals, or more than 

3 moose per square mile. The willow stands along 

the Tanana River provide critical winter forage for 

critical moose habitat may occur. Because of concerns that sweetclover may replace native floodplain species, research has begun to examine 

competitive interactions between sweetclover and 

willows to better understand potential effects on 

native plants, wildlife forage, and habitat quality.

Contact: Tricia Wurtz, twurtz@fs.fed.us, 

and Thomas Hanley, thanley@fs.fed.us, 

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: University of Alaska, Fairbanks; 

University of Alaska, Anchorage Bob Szaro

Tom Iraci

Bob Szaro
goal accomplishments & key findings 49

new volunteer network is part of study 

on best practices for establishing 

oregon white oak seedlings

Oregon white oak woodlands and savannas support unique groupings of plants, insects, and 

animals, and the acorns are a favorite food for 

wildlife. However, the area of Oregon white oak 

(also known as Garry oak) ecosystems has been 

reduced by up to 95 percent from the amount in 

the early 1800s, lost to development or replaced 

by conifer forests in the absence of fire. Sudden 

oak death may be a threat to the remaining trees.

Since 1999, a large network of volunteers has 

been helping researchers in understanding the 

factors influencing acorn production in Oregon, 

Washington, and British Columbia. Acorn production can only be coded during a fairly short period so the volunteer network allows many more 

trees to be sampled than could be done otherwise. 

Each year more volunteers have joined the project, and some volunteers have increased the number of trees they survey, raising the total number 

of oaks surveyed to over 1,400, with many surveyed four or five times. After analyzing the data, 

scientists are making preliminary recommendations to managers on possible ways to increase 

acorn production.

Building on the success of the acorn survey, scientists have started a new volunteer network as 

part of a study on the best practices for planting 

oak trees. Trials at Fort Lewis and elsewhere in 

western Washington are testing techniques such 

as fertilization, weed suppression, irrigation, and 

tree shelters, for success in establishing Oregon 

white oaks. People who are planting oak seedlings 

and want to join the network can visit the Web 

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

oak-studies/oak-planting.shtml. They can use the 

form available to record their seedling measurements and planting information, and add their 

data to the study. E-mail reminders will tell them 

when to remeasure the seedlings. Scientists will 

eventually summarize the results and share with 

everyone.

Contacts: David Peter, dpeter@fs.fed.us; 

Connie Harrington, charrington@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: U.S. Department of Defense, Fort Lewis, 

and many dedicated volunteers

As a result of research in Starkey Experimental 

Forest and Range, many Western States have changed 

their hunting regulations for bull elk.

Frank Vanni

new tools

elk bayesian belief 

network model

Description: Develops an 

innovative reasoning structure 

that incorporates the evaluation of expected habitat 

quality for elk and the potential for elk populations to 

influence sensitive vegetation 

communities (for example, 

riparian areas and meadows).

Outcomes: Potentially 

improved management of 

both an important native 

ungulate species (elk) and 

sensitive, ecologically important habitats (riparian zones 

and meadows).

How to get it: Contact 

John Lehmkuhl (jlehmkuhl

@fs.fed.us)

arc2hei

Description: This program 

converts ARC raster maps 

to the data format used by 

HEIALC and HEIWEST. The 

latter two programs are used 

to calculate the elk habitat 

effectiveness index. 

Outcomes: District wildlife 

biologists use it for project 

analyses on two regional 

national forests, and it has the 

potential for similar use elsewhere. Saves about 3 days 

of manual calculations for a 

GS-9 biologist per project.

How to get it: Contact 

Alan Ager (aager@fs.fed.us)

 ecosystem-based management 

requires new institutional 

structures and processes

Historically, agencies involved in natural resource 

management have relied on their institutional 

structures and quantitative, objective information to make sound, scientifically grounded decisions. With the recent move toward more complex 

ecosystem-based management, however, this traditional approach may no longer be as effective. 

Scientists found that the characteristics of ecosystem-based management, including its focus 

on multiple values and involvement of multiple 

stakeholders, have significantly altered the decisionmaking environment.

Their research also suggests possibilities for new 

institutional structures and processes that could 

enable agencies to act more effectively. Scientists 

believe these changes begin with improved approaches to problem definition, expanded efforts 

to solicit and use scientific and personal knowledge, skillful leadership, and a redefinition of the 

relationship between management professionals and citizens. Collaborative management and 

partnerships reflect work to make these changes. Scientists have found that changing agencies’ 

approaches to resource management is only one 

step, as systemic barriers grounded in organizational culture, legal and policy constraints, and 

value conflicts remain.

Contact: George H. Stankey, ghstankey@fs.fed.us, 

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partner: University of Montana
50 2004 science accomplishments

oregonians show preferences for 

different conservation policies

The public has a central role in natural resource 

management and conservation, as biodiversity 

protection often requires tradeoffs from the public. Oregonian households were surveyed on their 

preferences for alternative measures of conservation and their willingness to pay (WTP) for four 

biodiversity conservation programs affecting the 

state’s Coast Range—old-growth forest conservation, large-scale biodiversity reserves, salmon 

and aquatic habitat preservation, and endangered 

species habitat protection.

Scientists found that, on average, Oregonians 

show substantial support for the conservation of 

biodiversity, but significant differences in WTP 

across programs. Oregonians show the highest 

WTP for management to increase the acreage of 

forest with old-growth characteristics, averaging an annual household WTP of $380 to increase 

old-growth forests from 5 percent to 35 percent of 

the forests. Willingness-to-pay for conservation 

reserves peaks at $45 annually for doubling the 

current acreage in reserves to 20 percent of the 

landscape, and Oregonians were not willing to pay 

at all for any increase over 32 percent in reserve 

acreage. Findings also indicated resistance to any 

change in conservation policy, which substantially offsets WTP for increases in all four conservation programs. The results give some indication of 

how Oregonians feel about conservation measures 

and can be used in forest planning.

Contact: Brian Garber-Yonts, yonts@fs.fed.us, 

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: Oregon State University, PNW Ecosystem 

Processes Program

partnerships enhance delivery and 

effectiveness of solutions

Natural resource problems, like the natural processes they stem from, are typically complex. 

Consequently, partnerships among the different parties involved are a potential strategy for 

enhanced learning and delivery of effective solutions. Although many people acknowledge the 

effectiveness of partnerships, they still face many 

challenges in how to best structure partnerships 

and make decisions in partnership groups.

Scientists examined two partnerships in Oregon 

that focus on complex natural resource problems—

the West Eugene Wetlands and the Willamette 

Restoration Initiative. The West Eugene Wetlands 

is a partnership among citizens, property owners, 

and environmental and industrial groups aimed 

at developing strategies that mesh wetlands protection with economic growth in Eugene, Oregon. 

The Willamette Restoration Initiative is a partnership that aims to develop strategies for conservation and economic development in the Willamette 

Basin of Oregon. The analysis revealed three findings: (1) how the partnerships framed the problem influenced their level of learning, (2) learning 

was influenced by several organizational processes, and (3) decentralized and flexible organizational structures facilitated the learning process. 

These three factors influenced the ability of people in the partnerships to learn and to apply their 

knowledge to on-the-ground decisions.

Contact: George Stankey, ghstankey@fs.fed.us, 

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: Oregon State University
goal accomplishments & key findings 51

Willamette Falls and Oregon City are in the 

Willamette Valley, which is home to more than 

2 million people.

A book synthesizing knowledge on the influence of large 

wood on ecosystems has been used by biologists for wood 

restoration projects throughout the Pacific Northwest and 

in Alaska. 

Research on the ecological roles of wood in rivers 

has completely changed the management of wood 

in rivers.

Bob Szaro

 resolving resource management 

conflicts involves problem 

framing at appropriate scale

People form strong attachments to and opinions 

about places they care about, and they are also 

concerned about the appropriateness of resource 

management and use. The acceptability of resource management depends on the nature, extent, cause, and location of activities with respect 

to the values people attach to specific landscapes 

and places.

Conflicts over natural resource values involve 

three key elements: people (their values, distribution, organization, and behavior), places (both 

geographic and symbolic), and processes (ecological processes and human activities and institutions). Some conflicts arise because the right scale 

from a human perspective may not match with 

biophysical considerations. Appropriate scales 

may be defined by processes at work, interactions 

within and between components of biophysical 

and social systems, and policy or scientific needs.

Integrating the multiple conceptions of landscapes 

and temporal and spatial scales will help resolve 

conflicts over management decisions. Appropriate 

problem framing is a critical step and requires involvement of diverse scientific, management, and 

stakeholder perspectives in a setting where views 

can be debated. Inclusive problem framing will 

help resolve complex problems and avoid polarized positions.

Contact: Roger N. Clark, rnclark@fs.fed.us, 

Human and Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partner: University of Montana

synthesis of science on wood in streams 

used to improve stream restoration

Over the last three decades new findings on the 

role of wood in streams have completely changed 

the way this wood is managed. A new book, 

The Ecology and Management of Wood in World 

Rivers (published by the American Fisheries 

Society), pulls the available literature together into a single convenient reference. The book 

provides natural resource specialists with worldwide knowledge on the influence of large wood 

on aquatic ecosystems. Station scientists contributed four key chapters: landscape perspective on 

wood in rivers, dynamics of wood in the context 

of ecological disturbance, management trends in 

restoring wood to streams, and relations between 

large wood and aquatic biodiversity. 

Tom Iraci

Bob Szaro
52 2004 science accomplishments

HIP maps are being used by the state of Oregon in restoring 

coastal coho salmon, by forestry agencies in prioritizing 

culvert replacements, and by USDC National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration Fisheries to identify critical 

habitat for steelhead and coho salmon.

Although large wood is recognized as a critical 

part of healthy stream habitats, studies of wood 

and aquatic biodiversity have had conflicting 

results. Analysis of all the studies showed that 

a number of factors, not just the wood itself, determined patterns of aquatic biodiversity. Wood 

in streams is essential habitat for species such as 

cranefly larvae and some species of caddisflies, 

and frequently used by others such as the Van 

Dyke’s salamander. But wood is only one factor in 

salmon habitat; other factors such as water temperature, food abundance, and obstacles to access 

such as dams and impassable culverts, also affect salmon. The significance of wood for biodiversity, then, must be considered in context with 

other stream and watershed factors.

Information from the book has been used widely 

by biologists in North America, including the refinement of guidelines for wood restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest and in Alaska. The 

case studies of wood in Pacific Northwest streams 

and riparian areas have influenced stream habitat 

management in Europe and Asia as well as North 

America.

Contacts: Pete Bisson, pbisson@fs.fed.us; 

Steve Wondzell, swondzell@fs.fed.us; 

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

intrinsic potential model used to 

improve recovery program for coastal 

coho salmon and steelhead

The intrinsic potential model rapidly assesses 

which streams have high intrinsic potential (HIP) 

to provide high-quality habitat for specific fish 

species. It uses widely available digital topographic data along with existing data on other stream 

and landscape attributes; habitat criteria for fish 

species are taken from the scientific literature. 

Developed initially through the Coastal Landscape Analysis and Modeling Study (CLAMS), the 

model has been used to identify the Oregon Coast 

Range stream reaches with the greatest potential 

to provide habitat for steelhead and coho salmon, two species whose freshwater habitats generally do not overlap. The HIP stream reaches for 

steelhead generally occur in narrower valleys and 

steeper channels, typically on publicly owned 

forest lands, whereas the HIP reaches for coho 

intrinsic habitat 

potential for coho 

salmon and steelhead

Description: Identify streams and 

stream reaches with the greatest 

potential to provide habitat for coho 

salmon and steelhead.

Outcomes: This model allows 

managers and decisionmakers to 

assess conservation options and to 

prioritize streams for conservation, 

restoration, and management activities. Tailoring actions to intrinsic 

potential of an area should enhance 

the efficacy of broad-scale conservation efforts and at the same time 

allow for development of more 

effective site-scale actions and 

evaluations.

How to get it: Contact Kelly Burnett 

(kmburnett@fs.fed.us)

potential of landslides to 

reach fish-bearing streams

Description: Identify the potential of 

landslide-prone channels to deliver 

materials to fish-bearing streams.

new tools

Outcomes: This model will allow 

managers to identify and prioritize 

landslide sites with greatest likelihood of reaching fish-bearing 

streams. Appropriate management 

actions can be developed for these 

areas.

How to get it: Contact Kelly Burnett 

(kmburnett@fs.fed.us)

etac–the equivalent 

treatment calculator 

Description: A program used to 

examine the impact of proposed 

management activities on watershed 

hydrological processes. 

Outcomes: Is being regularly used 

by hydrologists on a northeastern 

Oregon national forest, as mandated 

by the National Marine Fisheries 

Service, and has potential for similar 

use elsewhere. Saves about 5 days 

of manual calculations for a GS-9 

hydrologist per project. 

How to get it: Contact Alan Ager 

(aager@fs.fed.us)

Aquatic and Land Interactions, USDA Forest Service
goal accomplishments & key findings 53

salmon are more likely to be on privately owned 

lands, including agriculture, rural residential, and 

urban lands.

The state of Oregon is using HIP maps to evaluate conservation actions for the threatened coastal coho salmon carried out under the Oregon Plan 

for Salmon and Watersheds. The state plans to 

consider HIP as a factor in funding future projects to protect and restore coho habitat. Also, 

the Oregon Department of Forestry and Siuslaw 

National Forest are using HIP maps to prioritize 

expensive culvert-replacement projects that restore steelhead and coho salmon access to streams. 

Finally, USDC National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration Fisheries is using the intrinsic potential model to help identify critical habitat for 

steelhead and coho salmon in California and Oregon streams, a step required under the Endangered Species Act.

Contact: Kelly Burnett, kmburnett@fs.fed.us, 

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: Oregon State University, Earth Systems Institute

new model for western oregon 

identifies the potential of landslides 

to reach fish-bearing streams

A new computer model for western Oregon identifies the likely initiation sites of landslides and 

then assesses the probability that landslides 

from those sites will actually reach fish-bearing 

streams. Previous models identified possible sites 

where landslides might begin but did not indicate 

how far the landslides might travel. In the new 

model, landslide susceptibility is based on surface 

gradient, contributing drainage areas, and local 

topographic convergence. Landslide run-out paths 

are based on surface gradient, debris volume, and 

tributary junction angle.

Managers can use this model to identify landslide sites with the greatest likelihood of reaching fish-bearing streams. The role of landslides 

in creating and maintaining fish habitat is much 

debated among scientists and managers; many 

site-specific factors affect the values of slides for 

streams, such as stream condition before the slide, 

the frequency of landslides, the proportion of fine 

sediment to “chunky” sediment—–rocks and boulders—–and whether or not large trees are carried 

in the slide. Information about landslide susceptibility and the probability of those slides reaching fish-bearing streams is one important piece 

for managers to consider in their plans to manage 

upland areas and restore stream habitats.

Contact: Kelly Burnett, kmburnett@fs.fed.us, 

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partner: Earth Systems Institute

Tom Iraci

RMP, USDA Forest Service
54 2004 science accomplishments

goal 4:

communicate science findings and enhance their application

key communications 

• A new series of workshops for land 

managers and scientists helps forest 

managers bring new science into decisionmaking and helps researchers recognize important issues for new 

research directions.

• A rapid science assessment team tested 

a new process for quickly moving scientific and technical information to 

communities recovering from the severe 2003 wildfires in southern 

California. The team established a protocol to quickly deliver scientific information to those involved in major fires 

or other natural disturbances.

• Station scientists show-cased their 

science-based innovations at the 

Station’s Innovation Fair, held at the 

World Forestry Center in Portland. The 

fair had two dozen booths that featured 

scientific work and products directly 

applicable to managing the forests and 

landscapes of the region.

• An electronic short course on “The 

Geomorphic Response of Rivers to 

Dams” enables managers to learn about 

the latest science on the topic, by using 

convenient multimedia technology. It 

adds to the Station’s portfolio of communication products designed for people’s differing information needs.

• A new book about the Deschutes River 

in central Oregon is a synthesis of 

scientific studies done as part of the 

process to relicense three large hydropower dams in the watershed. The book 

is a model for integrated watershed 

assessments.

• A series of 20 fact sheets summarize 

information on fire and fuels topics for 

managers, to be used in preparing 

National Environmental Policy Act 

documents.

• PNW Research Station expanded the 

tools and content available on its Web 

site, adding new “Fire Tools” pages and 

a new section on “Science Connection 

to Forest and Rangeland Planning.”

• The Station published Sources and 

Science: A Media Guide to the Pacific 

Northwest Research Station, a resource 

guide that helps media professionals 

connect to Station scientists as expert 

resources on forests and plants, fire 

and air, wildlife and aquatics, and 

forest economics and social research.

• A compact disc (CD-ROM) of databases 

from the the Starkey Experimental 

Forest and Range in northeastern 

Oregon is now available for use by 

other scientists and educators in a 

widely accessible format.

• A new approach to writing environmental analysis documents was used 

by the Siuslaw National Forest for an 

environmental assessment (EA) for the 

Yachats Aquatic Project.
goal accomplishments & key findings 55

 science-management interactions 

workshops deliver science results 

to managers

A new series of workshops is aimed specifically 

at getting scientific information into practical use 

faster and more efficiently than typically occurs. 

The science-management interactions (SMI) workshops bring together land managers and researchers. Not only do the innovative workshops make 

it easier for forest managers to use new science in 

decisionmaking, but researchers learn which issues matter to managers, information that guides 

future research.

A recent SMI workshop focused on natural springs 

in Oregon’s Cascade Range. Scientists have found 

that these springs are significant sources of water for rivers on both sides of the mountain range. 

Springs west of the crest contribute large amounts 

of water to the Willamette River and its main tributaries, and thus are important sources for the 

Willamette Valley summer water supply. Participants discussed how to adequately protect and 

manage these resources, and what land use allocations would be most appropriate for these springs 

and their source areas.

Another SMI workshop was held in central Oregon after the 92,000-acre B&B Fire of 2003; the 

topic was postfire restoration and the ecological tradeoffs of various strategies for managing 

dead wood—–that is, the ecological need for snags 

and down wood versus the economic opportunities from salvage logging. A third SMI workshop 

was held in Portland, Oregon, on wood quality research and technology.

Contacts: Gary Benson, gbenson@fs.fed.us; 

Jamie Barbour, jbarbour01@fs.fed.us; 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research 

Organisation, Australia; National Renewable Energy Lab; 

several international and U.S. forest products industry 

corporations; USDA Forest Service, Southern Research 

Station and Deschutes National Forest; Oregon State 

University, USDI Bureau of Land Management

 rapid science assessment team 

speeds information to affected 

communities

The 2003 wildfires in southern California

—–some of the largest and most severe fires in the 

region’s history—–provided an opportunity to test 

a new concept in science and technology delivery: during and shortly after major events people 

have a “teachable moment.” National leaders from 

the Forest Service’s Research and Development 

branch commissioned a Rapid Science Assessment 

Team (RSAT) to test this idea. A small national 

team headed by a PNW Station program manager, the RSAT created and evaluated a process for 

quickly moving mature scientific and technical 

information into the hands of practitioners who 

are helping communities recover from these fires. 

The RSAT held conversations with agency managers from the national to the district levels, state 

foresters, county commissioners, county emergency service personnel, fire departments, private 

industry representatives, Indian tribes, and scientists from nongovernmental organizations, universities, and consulting firms.

The team identified nine topics where synthesis 

or integration of existing information could help 

those affected by the fires. In addition, two client 

groups, the Pacific Southwest Regional Forester 

Managers, researchers, and others participate in a workshop on 

postfire restoration issues after the B&B Fire in central Oregon.

Seth White
56 2004 science accomplishments

and his staff, and the Western Forest Leadership 

Coalition, evaluated the relative importance of the 

nine topics. The RSAT then developed recommendations for further work on five topics:

• Building codes and regulations, and 

understanding fire-resistant landscaping

• Chaparral fire behavior and ecology

• Understanding conifer mortality

• Real-time projections of fire behavior

• Determining risk of action or inaction

A protocol now exists for quickly delivering 

science and technology information to those involved in future major fires or other large natural 

disturbances.

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

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, and 

Pacific Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and North Central 

Research Stations, Forest Products Laboratory; many 

governmental and nongovernmental organizations in 

southern California

station sponsors fuel and vegetation 

treatment workshop

The Station is working closely with federal agency land managers to provide new information and 

models for the planning and implementation of 

fuel treatments in the forests of the region in support of the National Fire Plan, an interagency effort emphasizing the reduction of fire risk. The 

Station sponsored a workshop that brought together 70 scientists, managers, and resource specialists to share applications and tools for fuel and 

vegetation treatments and to promote discussions 

among these stakeholders.

The workshop resulted in the identification of several joint action items between science and management, including the development of a draft 

“consumer’s guide” synthesis that evaluates existing tools and models from the workshop and 

People who attended the Station’s Innovation Fair 

picked up free software, publications, and new ideas.

Frank Vanni

recommends the best tools for a variety of scenarios. Also identified was the need to develop a 

regional framework for analyzing and prioritizing 

fuel treatments. 

Contacts: Becky Gravenmier, bgravenmier@fs.fed.us, 

Station Director’s Office, Dave Peterson, peterson

@fs.fed.us, Managing Disturbance Regimes Program

Bob Szaro

 innovation fair showcases science 

products and information for managers

In February, Station scientists had the opportunity to showcase some of their work at the Station’s Innovation Fair, held at the World Forestry 

Center in Portland. The fair highlighted sciencebased innovations generated by Station scientists 

and their collaborators that are directly applicable 

to managing the forests and landscapes of the region. The two dozen booths were on topics ranging from software that predicts smoke impacts 

from fires, to Web-based interactive mapping of 

forest carnivores. More than 100 people attended.

The fair, cosponsored by the Western Forestry and 

Conservation Association, was similar to a scientific poster session in layout and style. Attendees 

had the opportunity to talk with scientists and to 

try out the innovations and learn how they might 

be used. Streaming video footage of the event is 

posted on the Station’s Web site at http://www.

fs.fed.us/pnw.

Contact: Becky Bittner, bbittner@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Program

Partner: Western Forestry and Conservation Association

planning assistance provided to 

recreation managers

Recreation resource managers face the difficult 

task of balancing resource protection in forests 

with an increasingly diverse array of recreational 

uses. At times, these social demands conflict both 

Bob Szaro
goal accomplishments & key findings 57

with one another and with attempts at sustainable 

resource management and protection. 

Scientists sponsored workshops in Juneau and 

Anchorage that presented 40 attendees with concepts, principles, and tools to help them achieve 

these diverse outcomes in recreation settings. In 

particular, attendees learned the history and application considerations of recreation carrying 

capacity and alternative visitor management approaches. They also learned basic concepts of simulations and benefits of recreation simulators, like 

RBSim, for the planning and management of complex outdoor recreation settings.

Scientists also sponsored two workshops in Portland, Oregon. One workshop focused on placebased planning, which refers to planning efforts 

that integrate diverse values, uses, experiences, 

and activities for a particular location. At this 

workshop, attendees shared detailed examples of 

how they are implementing place-based planning. 

At the second workshop researchers studying 

place shared their research and current thinking 

on the role that place and place attachment play 

in recreation and tourism. Case studies and papers from these workshops are being summarized 

in publications.

Technology transfer activities like these workshops are helping state and federal managers protect resources and satisfy society’s demands. As a 

result of the Alaska workshops, federal managers 

on the Tongass and Chugach National Forests, National Park Service staff working in Glacier Bay 

National Park and Preserve, and Parks Canada 

staff in Banff National Park are exploring the use 

of RBSim and other visitor management tools.

Contact: Linda Kruger, lkruger@fs.fed.us, Human and 

Natural Resources Interactions Program

Partners: Colorado State University, University of 

Idaho, Utah State University, University of Montana, 

University of Arizona, GeoDimensions Pty., Ltd.

Managers on the Tongass and Chugach National Forests took away new ideas from recreation planning workshops 

held in Alaska.

Bob Szaro

Bruce Marcot
58 2004 science accomplishments

 new form of publishing provides a 

short course on the geomorphic 

response of rivers to dams

An electronic short course recently released by the 

Station demonstrates a new way of communicating scientific information. “The Geomorphic Response of Rivers to Dams,” a two-CD-ROM set, is 

an electronic general technical report that enables 

managers to learn about the latest science on the 

topic by using convenient multimedia technology. 

The short course, which is the first product of its 

kind by the Forest Service, adds to the Station’s 

portfolio of communication products designed for 

people’s differing information needs.

The CD-ROMs are a record of the 3-day course held 

at the University of Nevada, Reno, in March 2003. 

Viewers see leading scientists present the course’s 

lectures in streaming video and audio, and at 

the same time see the accompanying slideshows 

displayed. The CD-ROMs include the lecture 

transcripts and hyperlinks to Web resources. Linked tables of contents allow users to view 

the course from beginning to end or selectively 

choose topics, even instantly replaying sections. 

This new format makes professional training 

more interesting and accessible for media-savvy 

audiences.

The course was designed for national forest managers involved with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing. Over the next 

several decades, hundreds of private dams that 

are on or influence national forest lands will be 

relicensed by FERC. The new licenses are good for 

30 to 50 years, and the Forest Service can specify 

some of the conditions, making the FERC process 

a once-in-a-career chance to modify dam operations and thus their effects on rivers, water quality, fish, and recreation on national forests.

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain 

Research Station and Washington Office

More information: General Technical Report PNWGTR-601, 2004. Geomorphic Response of Rivers to 

Dams: An Electronic Short Course. http://www.fs.

fed.us/pnw/publications/pnw_gtr601.

The upgraded FishXing software is used throughout the 

United States for designing culvert replacements that fish 

can navigate.

new tool

fishxing 3.0

Description: FishXing (“fish 

crossing”) integrates elements of fisheries biology, 

hydrology, hydraulics, and 

engineering to support the 

assessment of road culverts 

for fish passage. This software 

assists in the evaluation and 

design of culverts for fish 

passage. 

Outcomes: The products of 

the FishXing/Aquatic Organism Passage project have 

become the standard tools 

for assessing culverts for their 

ability to pass aquatic organisms. They are in broad use 

throughout the West, and 

are now being used in the 

Eastern United States as well. 

The high cost of culvert replacement (est. $50,000 per 

culvert) makes this an invaluable planning and assessment 

tool.

How to get it: http://stream.

fs.fed.us/fishxing/ or contact Michael J. Furniss 

(mfurniss@fs.fed.us)

FishXing has become the standard tool used to determine if culverts are barriers to fish and other aquatic 

organisms.

Anabel L. Knoche

fishxing is standard tool for designing 

culvert replacements

An upgraded 3.0 version has been released for 

the software application FishXing (FX) (pronounced “fish crossing”), a tool for designing 

culvert replacements. The FX3 has a completely 

redesigned interface, new capabilities, and new 

features, including improved biological information for modeling fish movement through culverts 

and an extensive database on fish locomotion, 

with methods to easily bring this data into the 

model. The software can be downloaded for free 

from the Internet at http://stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/.

The new FX3 allows the comparison of multiple 

culvert designs, contains default swimming abilities for many North American fish species, and 

outputs tables and graphs summarizing the water velocities, water depths, outlet conditions, and 

limiting conditions for each culvert. It can now 

work in metric units. Besides the software, the 

Web site includes a multimedia help and tutorial 

system that equals a textbook for information on 

Bob Szaro
goal accomplishments & key findings 59

culvert hydraulics and fish locomotion. The Web 

site also has design guides, regulatory and management guidelines, case studies, videos, an annotated bibliography, and links to other resources.

Fish passage has become the top priority action 

for fisheries restoration and recovery in the Forest 

Service, and with the costs of culvert replacement 

running at about $50,000 per culvert, FishXing is a valuable tool for designing effective replacements. The software is used throughout the 

United States and in Canada, Taiwan, and many 

European countries.

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

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, San Dimas Technology and 

Development Center, Rocky Mountain Research Station; 

USDA Forest Service Tongass, Clearwater, Willamette, 

and Siuslaw National Forests, and Pacific Northwest 

Region; U.S. Department of Transportation

 book traces history and mystery 

of the deschutes river

Central Oregon’s Deschutes River is unusual as far 

as rivers normally go: its flow is very stable, it 

produces astonishingly low levels of sediment, and 

it is shaped by extremely large floods. In a book 

recently published by the American Geophysical 

Union, scientists synthesized a wide range of scientific studies conducted as part of the relicensing of three large hydropower dams on the river 

to provide an integrated view of how large river 

basins function and how human impacts, such as 

dams, are intimately tied to the intrinsic properties of the landscape.

With chapters focusing on aspects of the geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology of the 

river basin as well as the effects of dams, the book 

provides a model for integrated watershed assessments. Findings from the studies described in the 

book were used by the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission, along with power utility, tribal, and 

agency scientists and managers, in reaching a 

settlement agreement for the Pelton-Round Butte 

dams and were cited as key factors resulting in an 

unusually successful and historic multiparty relicensing agreement.

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

Processes Program (Citation: A Peculiar River: 

Geology, Geomorphology, and Hydrology of the 

Deschutes River, Oregon. Water Science and 

Application series, #7, American Geophysical 

Union, Washington, DC. 219 p.)

Partners: USDI Geological Survey, Portland 

General Electric, Oregon State University

new tool

climdb and hydrodb

Description: These data 

harvester systems continually 

capture and update climate 

and hydrology data from 

watershed studies across the 

Nation.

Outcomes: ClimDB and 

HydroDB improve access to 

the vast data gathered from 

the Nation’s experimental 

watersheds. For more than 

half a century, USDA Forest Service scientists have 

been generating climate 

and hydrology data from 

small watershed experiments taking place across the 

Nation’s experimental forest 

network. These data have 

been analyzed extensively 

by Forest Service scientists 

and cooperators, but are not 

easily accessible and remain 

untapped reservoirs of new 

information.

How to Get It: The systems 

are available online at http://

www.fsl.orst.edu/climhy.

Contacts: Don Henshaw, 

dhenshaw@fs.fed.us, Fred 

Swanson, fswanson@fs.fed.us, 

Ecosystem Processes Program

Partners: Oregon State University; USDA Forest Service, 

Forest Health Monitoring 

Program; National Fire Plan; 

National Science Foundation, Long-Term Ecological 

Research Program; Stream 

Systems Technology Center

More information: Science 

Findings 62, April 2004. 

Windows Into the Forest: 

Extending Long-Term 

Small-Watershed Research. 

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

sciencef/scifi62.pdf.

A new book pulls many scientific studies on central Oregon’s Deschutes River into one volume.

Gordon Grant
60 2004 science accomplishments

silvicultural options study is important 

educational site for national and 

international visitors

Silvicultural regimes promoted in the 1990s 

as more ecologically sensitive were untested. 

Station scientists and partners began a large, 

operational-scale study, the Silvicultural Options 

for Managing Young-Growth Production Forests 

(SOY) study, to critically evaluate the new forestry ideas. The SOY study compares silvicultural regimes for young-growth Douglas-fir stands 

in western Washington managed for multiple objectives. It is a joint undertaking by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 

and PNW Research Station. The DNR provides 

land and administers management activities, and 

PNW Station scientists provide research design, 

measurements, and analysis. The DNR managers 

wanted to maintain a high level of timber production, but with more recognition of other ecological 

values and with forests more visually acceptable 

to the public.

The main objectives are to compare long-term 

yields and costs for the different regimes and 

their effectiveness in reducing the visual impacts 

of timber harvest while maintaining a high level 

of yield. The initial cuts in all treatments were economically feasible, although costs went down as 

the removed timber volume increased.

Will Douglas-fir grow well in openings as small 

as 11⁄2 to 5 acres? Can Douglas-fir be maintained 

in group selection cuts, with openings less than 

11⁄2 acres? Or will this lead to gradual conversion 

to other species, such as western hemlock? What 

does the public think of the harvest treatments and 

how do their views change as the stands grow? 

How do birds and other wildlife use the different 

stands, and are there changes as the stands grow 

and change structurally? Definitive answers will 

take years, but in 2004 the early results from the 

Blue Ridge replicate were published (see below).

The questions are discussed by the many visitors 

to Blue Ridge, which has become a valuable demonstration and educational site. In over 20 tours, 

a total of several hundred people have visited the 

study, including people from state, federal, and 

international forestry agencies and organizations, 

and private companies. The British Columbia 

Ministry of Forest Science Program also believes 

these questions are important and used the study 

design, with the only change being an additional group-retention treatment, to establish several 

replicates in their Silviculture Treatments for Ecosystem Management in the Sayward (STEMS) on 

Vancouver Island.

Contact: David Marshall, dmarshall@fs.fed.us, 

Resource Management and Productivity Program

Partners: PNW Ecosystem Processes Program, Washington 

Department of Natural Resources, University of 

Washington, University of Idaho, Oregon State 

University, British Columbia Ministry of Forests

More information: General Technical Report PNW-GTR598, 2004. Silvicultural Options for Young-Growth 

Douglas-Fir Forests: The Capitol Forest Study—

Establishment and First Results. http://www.fs.fed.

us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr598.pdf.

 fire and fuels synthesis fact sheets 

illuminate fuel treatment options

A series of fact sheets summarize related information about the effects and consequences of fuel 

treatments for forest-level fuel managers. Fact 

sheet topics include the economics, fire hazards, 

social implications, and environmental consequences of fuel treatments. Reviews of fact sheets 

by managers reported that this type of information would be useful for interdisciplinary teams 

The Blue Ridge study site, on Capitol State Forest, Washington, has when preparing National Environmental Policy 

become a valuable educational site for learning about silvicultural options.

Tom Iraci

Bob Szaro
goal accomplishments & key findings 61

Act documents. The Fire and Fuels Synthesis project will publish this series of approximately 20 

fact sheets through the Rocky Mountain Research 

Station.

Contact: Seth White, smwhite@fs.fed.us, 

Focused Science Delivery Program

Partners: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain, North 

Central, and Pacific Southwest Research Stations

management tools and databases, and fuel treatment planning tools. The new “Science Connection to Forest and Rangeland Planning” part of 

the Web site is providing scientific support for 

both Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management planning. Science information used in management planning, computer models for planning 

fuel treatments, and other tools and databases are 

being added. These resources may be useful in 

meeting National Fire Plan goals and forest planning goals.

Contact: Tiffany Dong, tdong@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Program

media covers science stories 

from station

The Station’s research on climate change received 

substantial media coverage in 2004. Ron Neilson was interviewed by reporters about his team’s 

Mapped-Atmosphere-Plant-Soil System (MAPPS) 

computer model, which tracks the ebb and flow of 

forests and rangelands with changes in climate, 

and research on climate change in the Western 

United States. Stories appeared in many Western 

and national newspapers, including Arizona Republic, The New York Times, The Oregonian, and 

USA Today, and were broadcast by Spokane Public Radio. Jeremy Fried was interviewed about his 

findings on the impact of climate change on wildfires in northern California for a story in National 

Wildlife Magazine. Following the publication of a 

report in Conservation Biology, Don McKenzie was 

new tool

 resource guide 

 for news media

Description: Sources and Science: A Media Guide to the 

Pacific Northwest Research 

Station is a resource guide 

for media professionals. It 

lists more than 30 scientists 

and their areas of expertise, 

offering a convenient way for 

journalists to locate an expert 

source.

How to get it: An electronic 

version of the guide is available on the Station’s Web site 

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

Contact: Sherri Richardson 

Dodge, srichardsondodge

@fs.fed.us, Communications 

and Applications Program station web site adds search 

capabilities, fire tools, and 

resource planning support

Clients from research scientists to high school 

students are visiting the Station’s Web site, with 

use going up steadily. Pacific Northwest Research 

Station expanded the tools and content available 

on its Web site, to meet people’s rising expectations of finding expert information and the latest 

science electronically. The PNW Research Station 

Web site is located at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw.

Expanded search capabilities in TreeSearch allow 

people to check all Forest Service research publications in one spot. The PNW Research Station 

alone has over 700 publications in TreeSearch. 

Journal articles and pre-1998 publications are being scanned and added to the electronic publication resources.

The “Fire Tools” part of the Web site includes 

models and tools for managers, including the new 

fuel characteristics classification system, smoke Bob Szaro

Tom Iraci
62 2004 science accomplishments

starkey project data 

 on cd-rom

Description: A compact disc (CDROM) of habitat conditions and 

locations of elk, mule deer, and 

cattle at the Starkey Experimental 

Forest and Range in northeastern 

Oregon is now available for use by 

other scientists and educators in the 

widely accessible ASCII format. The 

data, collected from 1992 through 

1996, include habitat data for more 

than 25 environmental variables and 

over 500,000 radio-telemetry locations of ungulates. 

Function: Habitat data are in spatially explicit formats that can be 

used in many types of geographic 

analyses. The CD-ROM includes 

all supporting metadata and background information and guidelines 

for appropriate use of habitat and 

radio-telemetry data. 

Outcomes: The Effects of Ungulates 

on Ecosystems team and its partners 

have produced over 50 publications 

with the use of data now available 

on the CD-ROM, but the depth and 

breadth of the database lends itself 

to many additional scientific studies and educational uses. Complete 

citations for the Starkey publications that have been produced from 

these data (and downloadable pdf 

versions of many) can be found at 

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

publications/index.shtml. These 

references are essential in understanding past uses of these data, 

limitations of use, and their utility 

for additional research.

Partners: Oregon Department of 

Fish and Wildlife and over 40 other 

partners that include state, federal, 

tribal, and private entities across 

western North America

How to get it: Contact John Kie, 

jkie@fs.fed.us, or Norm Cimon, 

ncimon@fs.fed.us, Managing 

Disturbance Regimes Program

new tool

The Starkey Project data, the largest 

collection of data on ungulate (elk, 

deer, and cattle) movements and environmental variables, are available 

on CD-ROM.

Frank Vanni

interviewed about his work on climate change’s 

impact on wildfire risk by The Missoulian (Missoula, MT).

The Station’s fire research also received considerable media attention. BlueSky and BlueSkyRAINS, 

innovative frameworks that predict smoke impacts 

from wild and prescribed fires and that were developed by Sue Ferguson and colleagues, received 

coverage by the Associated Press, The Oregonian

and KRLC-AM (Lewiston, ID). 

Stories about the northern spotted owl appeared 

in The Columbia Basin Bulletin, The Oregonian,

The Seattle Times, and Seattle Weekly. National Public Radio’s Morning Edition broadcast a 

special two-part series titled “Saving the Spotted Owl” that included an interview with Eric 

Forsman about his recent research on the species. National Geographic’s online magazine ran a 

similar story.

Contact: Sherri Richardson Dodge, srichardsondodge

@fs.fed.us, Communications and Applications Program

station contributes products, tools, and 

syntheses to management planning

Station scientists are working closely with the regional and forest planning teams on the development of science products, tools, and syntheses to 

address regional- and forest-level planning questions. One of the first products, a science consistency review process for the Pacific Northwest 

Region, was designed to ensure efficient scientific 

review of key planning components and to ensure 

that plan revisions are consistent with the best 

available science. The science consistency review 

process was issued as guidance to Pacific Northwest Region national forests and was shared nationally within the Forest Service.

Contact: Becky Gravenmier, bgravenmier@fs.fed.us, 

Station Director’s Office

inner city youth institute reaches 

200 students in 2004

Employees at PNW Research Station are involved 

with conservation education in Alaska, Oregon, 

and Washington. Their contributions include 

workshops for teachers, assistance with watershed 

Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.

Frank Vanni
goal accomplishments & key findings 63

stewardship education, and a variety of mentoring, teaching, and support roles in ecology programs, science expos, and schools.

One program, in particular, in which Station employees are involved is the Inner City Youth Institute (ICYI). Inner City Youth Institute is a 

collaborative effort among the Forest Service, 

Oregon State University, the Audubon Society of 

Portland, and the Bureau of Land Management. 

It encourages underrepresented youths to learn 

about natural resources and the environment and 

related careers by involving them in a variety of 

programs, including natural resource clubs and 

summer camps. Clubs are located at three participating middle schools and one high school and 

serve as an opportunity for students to engage in 

science, through in-school activities, field trips, 

and service projects. Each year, ICYI also offers a 

special summer camp, an intensive week-long session held at Oregon State University that focuses 

on a specific scientific area of study, such as local 

watershed and habitat assessments. The summer 

camp is also an opportunity to immerse middle 

and high school students in college life. In addition to working with students through the 2004 

summer camp, Station employees also sponsored 

a summer program called Alberta Nature Teams, 

geared for elementary school children from inner-city communities. In all, 200 students participated in the ICYI programs.

Contact: Becky Bittner, bbittner@fs.fed.us, 

Communications and Applications Program

 streamlined approach improves 

quality and reduces analysis time 

for environmental planning

A Station science editor and scientist helped the 

Siuslaw National Forest develop a new approach 

to writing environmental analysis documents for 

the Five Rivers landscape management project, 

the largest replicated management experiment in 

the Pacific Northwest, to meet the requirements of 

the National Environmental Policy Act. 

The new approach includes:

• Adding learning as a primary objective of 

proposed management actions.

• Informing the public through clear, concise, 

and honest presentation of the expected benefits, costs, and risks of both proposed actions 

and of doing nothing.

The approach was adopted by the Siuslaw National Forest and was successfully used again in the 

environmental assessment (EA) for the Yachats 

Aquatic Restoration Project. The project’s decision 

was subsequently appealed, and the Appeal Review Team commented that the EA—written using 

the streamlined approach—–“reads like a novel” 

and “was refreshing.” The team recommended 

that the decision be affirmed on all points.

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

Ecosystem Processes Program 

Partners: Martha Brookes, PNW science editor 

emeritus; USDA Forest Service, Siuslaw 

National Forest, South Zone

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
64 2004 science accomplishments

publications

• 537 total publications. (Includes 

Station series publications, journal 

articles, proceedings, books or book 

chapters, theses and dissertations, 

and other publications.) 

• 160,000 hardcopies of Station series 

publications distributed. More and 

more people are using the Internet to 

access Station publications. In fiscal 

year 2004, there were 347,530 publication downloads from the Station’s 

Web site. 

• 9,000–13,000 journal article reprints 

distributed by scientists in response 

to requests. 

• 873 PNW Research Station publications available online. The Station is 

having 1,422 pre-1996 Station publications and 442 journal articles 

scanned. These publications, which 

were not published electronically as 

well as in print form, as our publications now are done, are being posted 

on the Station’s Web site. 

• 10 issues of PNW Science Findings

published; approximately 9,000 copies distributed each issue.

• 3 issues of PNW Science Update published; approximately 9,000 copies 

distributed each issue.

• 5 CD-ROMs published. 

• Sources and Science: A Media Guide 

to the Pacific Northwest Research 

Station published. 

fiscal year

publications

600

500

400

300

200

100

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• 3,324 people participated in symposia and 

workshops.

• 1,732 people went on field tours.

• 5,256 people participated in conservation education activities.

The following are just some of the technical and 

scientific events sponsored by the PNW Research 

Station with the help of partners—–including universities, state and federal agencies, and others—–

during fiscal year 2004. 

A changing Alaskan forest ecosystem. About 

120 people gathered in Homer, Alaska, to discuss 

effects of spruce beetle outbreaks and associated management practices on forest ecosystems in 

south-central Alaska. A synthesis of science and 

management information on the impacts of the 

spruce beetle epizootic was presented. 

Balancing ecosystem values: innovative experiments for sustainable forestry. The Resource 

Management and Productivity Program took the 

lead in organizing and cosponsoring the international symposium, “Balancing Ecosystem Values: 

Large-Scale Experiments for Sustainable Forestry” held in Portland, Oregon, in August. About 300 

people attended this International Union of Forest 

Research Organizations (IUFRO)-sponsored conference in Portland, Oregon, which showcased largescale forestry experiments. There continues to be 

strong international interest in the long-term operational experiments, primarily in the United States 

and Canada, that link wood production with one 

or more ecological objectives as joint outcomes in 

managing forests for sustainability. 

The August 2004 workshop, Balancing Ecosystem Values, held in Portland, 

Oregon, had international attendance.

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
66 2004 science accomplishments

CLAMS research workshop: behind the green 

curtain. This workshop, held at the Station’s Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory, highlighted CLAMS geographic information systems (GIS) 

work. The workshop was designed to explore 

how people perceive and use GIS maps. About 25 

stakeholders from various public and private institutions participated in focus groups to discuss 

benefits and limitations of GIS. 

Density Management Study workshop and field 

tour. Research updates were provided for about 

200 resource specialists and managers by science 

collaborators in the USDI Bureau of Land Management Density Management Studies at a June 

workshop in Corvallis, Oregon. Station scientists 

presented invited papers and helped lead field 

tours.

Deschutes B&B Fire Dead Wood workshop.

About 60 managers, researchers, and others participated in this workshop designed to conceptualize important questions for postfire restoration 

from the 2003 B&B fires in central Oregon. The 

main emphasis concerned the ecological tradeoffs 

of various strategies for managing dead wood

—–that is, the ecological need for snags and down 

wood versus the economic opportunities from 

salvage logging. Managers arrived at a set of 

six key questions; in response, scientists compiled relevant literature to address these information needs and distributed it to managers. This 

workshop was also the beginning of a pilot project by the Station and Oregon State University to 

test new ways to help managers gain access to 

the most recent scientific information without 

materially increasing the burden on scientists 

or managers. Partners include the USDA Forest 

Service, Deschutes National Forest and Oregon 

State University’s College of Forestry.

Fall River Long-Term Site Productivity tours. 

Five 1-day tours of the Fall River Long-Term Site 

Productivity site near Chehalis, Washington, 

highlighted research on the effects of residual 

woody material, soil disturbance, and competing vegetation. The cooperative study (Weyerhaeuser Company; USDA Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Research Station; University of Washington) is supported in part by funds from Agenda 2020. Tours included 250 participants. 

Fire and Forest Meteorology symposium. About 

700 people attended the Symposium on Fire and 

Forest Meteorology in Orlando, Florida, co-sponsored by USDA Forest Service, PNW Research 

Station. This is the fifth in a series of symposia 

designed to share experiences and new or changing techniques and technologies in weather and 

climate affecting fire, fuels, and smoke. The meeting was held in conjunction with the 2nd International Fire Ecology and Management Congress.

Forest Inventory and Analysis client meetings.

Two meetings provided opportunities to share information with and receive feedback from clients 

in a broad range of organizations and agencies. In 

Sacramento, California, staff, external partners, 

and clients of the FIA Program made presentations sharing information with 57 participants. A 

similar gathering in Anchorage, Alaska, attracted 

29 participants.

Mark Reid

Tom Iraci
goal accomplishments & key findings 67

Human Dimensions of Family and Farm Forestry symposium. The PNW Research Station served 

as cosponsors with Washington State University 

of this 3-day international symposium in Pullman, Washington, which drew about 180 people.

Linking Healthy Forests and Communities 

conference. In October 2003, the Station hosted a 

3-day conference titled Linking Healthy Forests 

and Communities: Successful Strategies and Future Directions in Anchorage. The conference was 

attended by 100 people. 

Place-based planning workshop. This November workshop in Portland drew 22 Forest Service 

planners and managers from a number of regions, 

forests, and districts. Place-based planning refers 

to forest planning efforts that integrate diverse 

values, uses, experiences, and activities for a particular location. Participants shared detailed examples of how they are implementing place-based 

planning in innovative approaches that engage 

the public in mapping where and how they use the 

national forest. The case studies are being summarized in a publication.

Sense of place and place attachment in recreation and tourism. Researchers studying place 

attachment and sense of place gathered to discuss 

theory and applications related to recreation and 

tourism. Ten participants clarified and differentiated various concepts relating to sense of place in 

recreation and tourism research. They discussed 

how understanding the meanings that places have 

for people and factors that influence those meanings could help managers. An edited collection of 

papers will result from the workshop. 

Silvicultural Options study, Blue Ridge research 

installation tours. Three tours hosted a total of 

250 students, managers, and visiting scientists 

(IUFRO conference) at the Blue Ridge site near 

Olympia, Washington. Participants had opportunity to view and discuss silvicultural options for 

managing young-growth Douglas-fir production 

forests. 

Starkey Experimental Forest and 

Range tours. Eight 1-day tours of the 

Starkey Experimental Forest and Range 

were convened for public, policymaker, partner, and agency audiences that 

included 202 participants. Topics addressed were the importance of the 

facility, research focus, results and application of past research, and direction 

of new research.

Starkey symposium. The PNW Research Station cosponsored “Policy 

Implications From Long-Term Studies 

Northern spotted owl field tours. Eight tours to 

various locations hosted about 40 people to acquaint them with northern spotted owl biology 

and ecology. 

Old-growth forest ecology and policy. This field 

trip at the Wind River Experimental Forest, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, was designed to 

present the latest information about the ecology 

of old-growth forests, including structure, dynamics, canopy ecology, and recent policies designed to sustain old-growth forests. Twenty-five 

people attended.

Oregon Oak Communities Working Group, 

Puget Sound oak and prairie tour. Members of 

the Olympia Silviculture and Forest Models Team 

made presentations on oak ecology and succession, effect of fire, regeneration, and release of 

oak from overtopping conifers to 45 participants 

from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. 

Frank Vanni

Tom Iraci

Scientists use radio collars to track elk at the 

Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.

Jamie Barbour
68 2004 science accomplishments

of Mule Deer and Elk: A Synthesis of the Starkey Project,” at the 69th annual North American 

Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in 

Spokane, Washington. Topics addressed were (1) 

effects of breeding bull age on elk herd productivity; (2) effects of roads and traffic on elk and mule 

deer distribution; (3) effects of intensive timber 

management on mule deer, elk, and cattle; and (4) 

tools for allocating forage among mule deer, elk, 

and cattle. Projects that were developed to complement the initial four studies were also reported. About 100 people attended. 

Systems Analysis in Forest Resources 2003 

symposium. About 130 researchers and practitioners from Sweden, Germany, Finland, Chile, 

Austria, Portugal, Brazil, Australia, Malaysia, 

Greece, Denmark, Canada, and the United States 

attended this symposium—–which was sponsored in part by the USDA Forest Service, PNW 

Research Station—–in Stevenson, Washington, in 

October 2003. The symposium focused on the use 

of operations research, management science, and 

systems analysis applied to forestry problems. 

Areas of application included spatial planning, 

fire and fuels management, economics, harvesting, and inventory assessment. Proceedings from 

the conference will be published. 

Wind River Canopy Crane 10th annual 

science conference. This conference near Stevenson, Washington, offered oral presentations and 

posters summarizing the most notable findings 

of the first 10 years of canopy crane operation to 

about 70 attendees. A field trip took scientists and 

forest managers to forest stands that had a history 

of different management regimes. Yasmeen Sands

Bob Szaro

conservation education 

Conservation education introduces children to 

the possibilities of science and resource management careers. Through these programs kids begin to learn how complex ecosystems are—–and 

how much fun learning can be. During fiscal year 

2004, more than 13,000 people participated in 

conservation education projects that the Station 

helped support. The highlights of these projects 

are described below. 

2003 GIS Day. Station scientists took part in “GIS 

Day,” part of an international event where realworld GIS applications are demonstrated to students and the general public. Highlights of the 

event included hands-on demonstrations; a poster session; a global positioning system tour of the 

campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, 

Oregon, where the event took place; and a featured speaker. The goal of “GIS Day” was to make 

GIS applications come alive and showcase projects within the forestry community that use the 

technology. Some 130 students in grades kindergarten through 12 and more than 50 members of 

the interested public, Oregon State University, and 

the USDA Forest Service took part in the day’s activities. 

“Expanding Your Horizons.” The AirFIRE Team 

participated in “Expanding Your Horizons,” at Seattle Community College in Seattle, Washington. 

Some of the team’s women scientists set up several 

booths and demonstration projects to encourage 

teenage girls to investigate careers in science. The 
goal accomplishments & key findings 69

event is designed to give girls in grades 9 through 

12 a chance to meet adults with careers in mathematics, science, and technology; get hands-on experiences in these fields; and learn about careers 

in these areas. About 360 people were in attendance.

Forest camp. Station employees presented a “Web 

of Life” segment, with a forest fungi component, 

for 300 sixth-grade students from more than 

six school districts at “Forest Camp” in Lebanon, 

Oregon. The event was hosted by the USDA Forest 

Service, Siuslaw National Forest. 

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities intern. One of the Station’s research teams 

hosted an intern in collaboration with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program in summer 2004. The 

internship allowed the student to gain experience 

in environmental sciences and resource management and fulfill the final academic requirements 

of a bachelor’s degree in environmental science 

from the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

mentored a student from Cashmere High School in 

Washington who was accepted into the program. 

Northwest Science Expo. The Station awarded 

“Outstanding Forest Science” plaques to a high 

school and middle school student at the Northwest Science Expo, which is a science fair for 

young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, 

at Portland State University in April. The Station 

also provided mentors and judges. 

Old-growth posters. The Station distributed about 

500 “Pacific Northwest Old Growth Forest” posters and student activity guides for teachers to 

schools, organizations, and interested publics in 

the region. The posters feature a painting of an 

old-growth forest along with a variety of associated plant and wildlife species. 

Salmon Watch. Station scientists led field sessions on streams with spawning salmon for about 

200 grade and middle school students in 

Corvallis, Oregon. Scientists gave presentations 

on stream and fish ecology. 

“The Terrific Trees.” A student volunteer working for the Station’s Silviculture and Forest Models team developed a Web site to provide basic 

information to teachers and children about trees 

and how they grow. The site has received 5,500 

visitors and is accessible at http://www.fs.fed.us/

pnw/olympia/kids/terrific_trees.htm. 

Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program. The 

Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is a mentoring program for high school students designed 

to stimulate interest in careers in fisheries science 

among groups underrepresented in the fisheries 

professions, including minorities and women. Although the program focuses on minorities, nonminority students also may participate. Students 

selected for the program receive a scholarship and 

are matched with a professional mentor in their 

area for a summer-long, hands-on experience in 

a marine or freshwater setting. A Station scientist 

Tom Iraci

Karl Polivka
70 2004 science accomplishments

Think Link Children’s Discovery Museum. Station scientists are involved in a variety of educational programs at the Think Link Children’s 

Discovery museum in La Grande, Oregon. They 

have taught children about insects in stream and 

agricultural ecosystems, bats, and owls. Thirtytwo students took part. One scientist also provided botanical consultations and designed and 

implemented planting for a parking strip featuring native species.

WeatherFest. The Station’s AirFIRE Team exhibited at the American Meteorological Society’s 

WeatherFest in Seattle, Washington, in January. 

The annual event, which precedes a week of meetings and is open to the public, includes a number 

of booths about a variety of weather topics. It is 

hosted by local television and radio personalities 

and is visited by children, teachers, school groups, 

and members of the general public. About 2,000 

participants passed by the team’s booth, and several dozen stopped to participate in demonstrations and ask questions.

“Web of Life.” Team members designed and conducted “Web of Life” exercises at the Project 

Learning Tree-sponsored Alsea Forest Camp. This 

project reaches 120 fifth- and sixth-grade students each year.

Whole Ecosystems in Balance Program (WEB).

Station scientists are involved with the WEB program, which is designed to introduce elementary 

students to ecological concepts and to introduce 

high school students to the responsibility of teaching content to younger children. Scientists worked 

both with the older students, by instructing them 

how to teach lessons to higher level elementary school children, and with younger students, 

teaching them about insects, spiders, plants, and 

sampling and identification. More than 30 students participated.

Wolftree. Station employees served as mentors in 

ecology programs for Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, area middle and high school 

students. Over 3,000 students participate in 

Wolftree activities annually, nearly half of whom 

are from primarily low-income, inner-city, and 

rural areas that have little or no access to highquality science or outdoor programs. 

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
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72 2004 science accomplishments

honors and awards

phelps award 

Mason D. Bryant, a research fishery biologist 

with the Aquatic and Land Interactions Program, 

and several colleagues received this award for a 

scientific paper they wrote titled Conservation of 

Population Diversity of Pacific Salmon in Southeast Alaska. The award is given by the Genetics 

Section of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) 

for the best genetics paper published in an AFS 

journal the preceding year.

new century of service chief’s award

Robert Buckman, a volunteer at the Station’s 

Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory, was 

named the recipient of the 2004 New Century 

of Service Chief’s award. Buckman was recognized for his 38 years of contributions to the 

Forest Service and the fields of natural resources and forestry. Although a retiree of the agency, 

Buckman, who served in a variety of research and 

administrative positions including Deputy Chief 

for Research and Director of the PNW Research 

Station in his career, continues to mentor colleagues and students and lecture on a variety of 

topics, including Forest Service history. 

certificate of merit

Sam Chan, formerly a plant physiologist with the 

Resource Management and Productivity Program, 

received this award from the Station Director for 

his work in conservation education. 

director’s award for fia excellence

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) 

Program’s Pacific Island Inventory Group—–

Joe Donnegan, ecologist; Sarah Butler, Pacific 

Islands coordinator; Brent Stroud, forestry technician; Walter Grabowiecki, forester; Dale Baer, 

volunteer; Chuck Veneklase, computer specialist; Lisa Fischer, remote sensing specialist; 

David Limtiaco, State Forester, Guam; Sherri 

Mann, forestry specialist, American Samoa; 

Marcello Brel, State Forester, Palau—–received 

this award. The national award is given annually 

for work relating to improving the development, 

use, or application of the FIA Program. The group 

was honored for excellence in providing leadership and technical expertise for the FIA inventories in the Pacific Islands, including fostering 

partnerships between island agencies and FIA.

gold medal innovation award

Sue Ferguson, research atmospheric scientist; 

Susan O’Neill, air quality meteorologist; and 

Trent Piepho, information technology scientist, 

with the Managing Disturbance Regimes Program, received this award for outstanding development of the BlueSky-Rapid Access Information 

System. The award was given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. Nearly 

100 projects competed for the award.

lifetime achievement award

Eric Forsman, a research wildlife biologist with 

the Ecosystem Processes Program, received this 

award from the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife 

Society for his northern spotted owl research. 

Forsman studied the spotted owl for both his 

master’s degree and doctorate and has been conducting spotted owl demographic studies since 

1987. According to The Wildlife Society, its 

awards honor those wildlife professionals who 

have made notable contributions to the field of 

wildlife research. 

Tom Iraci

Tom Iraci
honors and awards 73

certificates of merit

Morris Johnson, an ecologist with the Managing 

Disturbance Regimes Program, received this 

award for exceptional work on the National Fuels 

Synthesis Project. Johnson also received a certificate of merit for his contributions to the Forest 

Structure and Fire Hazard Team of the national 

Fuels Planning Project.

arthur s. einarsen 

professional of the year 

John G. Kie, a wildlife biologist with the Managing 

Disturbance Regimes Program, received this 

award. It is given by the Northwest Section of The 

Wildlife Society for outstanding service to the 

wildlife profession and dedication to wildlife resources. 

u.s. environmental protection 

agency bronze medal for 

commendable service

Frank H. McCormick, fish biologist with the 

Aquatic and Land Interactions Program and 

leader of the Boundary Spanning Team, received 

this honor. McCormick was commended for his exemplary professionalism and team commitment in 

issuing, despite intense media attention and complex issues, a final National Pollutant Discharge 

Elimination System permit for the Washington 

Aqueduct, in the Potomac River, that was workable, cost-effective, and protective of the shortnose sturgeon, an endangered species. McCormick 

received this award while he was an employee 

for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a 

position he held before assuming duties with the 

USDA Forest Service. 

certificate of merit

David L. Peterson, a research biologist with the 

Managing Disturbance Regimes Program, received this award for his contributions to the 

Forest Structure and Fire Hazard team of the 

National Fuels Planning Project.

mellon scholar

Karl Polivka, a research fishery biologist with 

the Aquatic and Land Interactions Program, received this honor. The Mellon Scholars Program 

is designed to provide graduate and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to engage one another 

about research and communicating science. The 

program’s goals include building a community of 

scientists that is skilled at communicating science 

to citizens, managers, policymakers, students in 

various classrooms, the media, and the private 

sector.

toward a multicultural 

organization award

Karl Polivka also is the recipient of this Station 

award for his work with student and minority 

groups. The award is given annually to Station 

employees whose work embodies the spirit of 

multiculturalism. 

oregon book award

Valerie Rapp, a science writer with the 

Communications and Applications Program, was 

a finalist for an Oregon Book Award. She was 

nominated for the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award 

for Children’s Literature for her book, “Life in a 

River.” The book explores the complex river ecosystem using the Columbia River as an example.

best presentation, 2004 joint 

fire science program principal 

investigators workshop

Steve Reutebuch and Bob McGaughey, research 

foresters, and Ward Carson, research engineer, 

with the Resource Management and Productivity 

Program, and their colleagues received this award 

for their work, Canopy Fuels Measurement with 

LIDAR and IFSAR. 

Tom Iraci

Mark Reid
74 2004 science accomplishments

director’s award for fia excellence

Bethany K. Schulz, a research ecologist with the 

FIA Program, received this award. The national 

award is given annually for work relating to improving the development, use, or application of 

the FIA Program. Schulz was honored for her accomplishments as National Vegetation Indicator 

Advisor. 

distinguished service award

Marty Vavra, a research range scientist and 

leader of the Effects of Ungulates on Ecosystems 

Team, received this award, which is given by 

the Western Section of the American Society of 

Animal Science to members who have exhibited 

long and dedicated service to animal agriculture 

in the western region. 

joint fire science program 

2004 best web site for fire 

and fire surrogate

Dan White, formerly an audio-visual specialist, Mark Lewis, database manager, and Jim 

McIver, ecologist, with the Managing Disturbance 

Regimes Program, received this award, for the fire 

and fire surrogate Web site. 

Tom Iraci
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76 2004 science accomplishments

finances and workforce

Two sources of funding support the work of the 

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. 

2004: pnw research station 

finances and workforce, by 

the numbers

Fiscal year 2004: 

October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004

incoming funding

Base research appropriations: $42.2 million

Direct client support: $14.2 million*

Total funding: $56.4 million

* Includes national fire research funds 

($3,804,000), National Forest System 

monitoring funds ($805,000), state and 

private forestry funds ($1,429,000), and 

nonfederal sources ($8,145,197).

workforce statistics

Permanent workforce: 306 employees

Of the permanent workforce, 30 percent or 

92 employees are scientists

Temporary workforce: 218 employees

Total Station workforce: 524 employees

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distribution of funds

Employee costs: ($30,430,308) —– 54%

Support and operations: ($16,087,733) —– 29%

Distributed to cooperators: ($9,865,156) —– 17%

Of $9.9 million to cooperators, 89 percent 

went to educational institutions. 
research context 77

cooperators who receive funding

In 2004, the PNW Research Station distributed about $9.9 million 

to its cooperators. Below are the cooperators who currently have 

agreements and partnerships with the Station. 

educational institutions

Colorado State University

Mississippi State University

Northern Arizona University

Ohio State University

Oregon State University

Pennsylvania State University

Saint Louis University

Southern Oregon University

University of Alaska (Anchorage and Fairbanks)

University of California, Berkeley

University of Idaho

University of Montana

University of New Mexico

University of Washington

University of Wyoming

Utah State University

Washington State University

other federal agencies

U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

state agencies

Oregon Department of Forestry

private industry and 

nongovernmental organizations 

Earth Systems Institute

Farm Foundation

Institute for Applied Ecology

Institute for Culture and Ecology

Juneau Economic Development Council

Wildlife Conservation Society

Western Forestry and Conservation Association

foreign institutes

Fundcao Para O Desenvolvimento Clientifico e Technologico 

University of Guam

clients who provide funding

In 2004, the PNW Research Station received about $5.7 million in 

support from clients other than the USDA Forest Service, National 

Forest System; USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry; 

and other research stations. Below are the clients who currently 

have agreements and partnerships with the Station. 

educational institutions

Oregon State University

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

University of Maryland, Baltimore 

Washington State University

other federal agencies

Bonneville Power Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, 

Education, and Extension Service

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

state agencies

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Department of Forestry

Oregon Department of Transportation

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

State of California, California Resources Agency

State of Montana, Department of Environmental Quality

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington Department of Natural Resources

private industry and nongovernmental organizations

Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Eugene Water and Electric Board

National Council for Science and the Environment

Northwest Power Planning Council

Portland General Electric

Prince William Sound Science Center

Weyerhaeuser Company

foreign institutes

British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection 
78 2004 science accomplishments

pnw research station organization 

station director

Thomas M. Quigley

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2100

E-mail: tmquigley@fs.fed.us

deputy station director

Cynthia D. West

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2104

E-mail: cdwest@fs.fed.us 

assistant station director

Paul Dunn

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2115

E-mail: pdunn@fs.fed.us 

director for operations

Rolando Ortegon

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2102

E-mail: rortegon@fs.fed.us 

communications and 

applications director

Cynthia L. Miner

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2135

E-mail: clminer@fs.fed.us

program managers

Aquatic and Land Interactions

Douglas Ryan

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3625 93rd Avenue SW

Olympia, WA 98512

Phone: 360-753-7652

E-mail: dryan01@fs.fed.us 

Ecosystem Processes

John Laurence

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3200 SW Jefferson Way

Corvallis, OR 97331

Phone: 541-750-7357

E-mail: jalaurence@fs.fed.us

Focused Science Delivery

Jamie Barbour

Pacific Northwest Research Station

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2542

E-mail: jbarbour01@fs.fed.us

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Sue Willits

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2066

E-mail: swillits@fs.fed.us

Human and Natural Resources Interactions

Richard Haynes

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2002

E-mail: rhaynes@fs.fed.us

Managing Disturbance Regimes

Ed DePuit

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

1133 N Western Avenue

Wenatchee, WA 98801

Phone: 509-664-1715

E-mail: ejdepuit@fs.fed.us

Resource Management and Productivity

Charley Peterson

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2026

E-mail: cepeterson@fs.fed.us

Publications mentioned in this report can be requested by calling (503) 808-2138 or 

e-mailing pnw_pnwpubs@fs.fed.us. Many publications can be downloaded from the 

PNW Research Station Web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw.

credits

Communications and Applications Director — Cynthia L. Miner

Managing editor — Valerie Rapp

Writers — Valerie Rapp, Yasmeen Sands, Lynn Starr

Art direction and production management — Frank Vanni

Graphic design — Pilar Reichlein

Page layout, image editing, and map design — Keith Routman

Photographers — see credits with photos

All uncredited photos — USDA Forest Service staff
United States

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest

Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station

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

activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political 

beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program 

information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 

720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, 

Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 

(202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

USDA is committed to making its information materials accessible to all USDA customers and 

employees.
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p.o. box 3890

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

pacific northwest research station

portland, or 97208-3890

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