http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/gtrs.shtml Pacific Northwest Research Station - Invasive Plants and Animals Publications en-us http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rp589.pdf To increase timber production and manage other forest resource values, some land managers have undertaken logging debris and vegetation control treatments after forest harvest. We explored the roles of clearcutting on plant community composition and structure at three sites where logging debris was dispersed, piled, or removed and vegetation was annually treated or not treated with herbicides for 5 years. Without vegetation control, a competitive relation was identified between exotic and native ruderal (i.e., disturbance-associated) species. When exotic ruderal cover changed by 4 percent, native ruderal cover changed by 10 percent in the opposite direction. This relation was independent of site, but site was important in determining the overall dominance of ruderals. Five annual vegetation control treatments increased Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) growth, but decreased richness and cover of other species at the rate of one species per 10 percent reduction in cover. Debris treatment effects were small and found on only one site. Peter, David H.; Harrington, Timothy B. Thur, 20 Dec. 2012 11:34:00 PST Res. Pap. PNW-RP-589. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 37 p. Douglas Beebe http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr862.pdf Forest managers are seeking practical guidance on how to adapt their current practices and, if necessary, their management goals, in response to climate change. Science-management collaboration was initiated on national forests in eastern Washington where resource managers showed a keen interest in science-based options for adapting to climate change at a 2-day workshop. Scientists and managers reviewed current climate change science and identified resources vulnerable to expected climate change. Vulnerabilities related to vegetation and habitat management included potential reductions in forest biodiversity and low forest resilience to changing disturbance regimes. The vulnerabilities related to aquatic and infrastructure resources included changing water quality and quantity, the risk to roads and other facilities from changes to hydrologic regimes, and the potential loss of at-risk aquatic species and habitats. Managers then worked in facilitated groups to identify adaptations that could be implemented through management and planning to reduce the vulnerability of key resources to climate change. The identified adaptations were grouped under two major headings: Increasing Ecological Resiliency to Climate Change, and Increasing Social and Economic Resiliency to Climate Change. The information generated from the science-management collaborative represents an initial and important step in identifying and prioritizing tangible steps to address climate change in forest management. Next would be the development of detailed implementation strategies that address the identified management adaptations.. Gaines, William L.; Peterson, David W.; Thomas, Cameron A.; Harrod, Richy J. Mon., 15 Oct 2012 13:50:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-862. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 34 p. Douglas Beebe http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr848.pdf The primary objectives of the effectiveness monitoring plan for the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) include mapping baseline nesting habitat (at the start of the Northwest Forest Plan [the Plan]) and estimating changes in that habitat over time. Using vegetation data derived from satellite imagery, we modeled habitat suitability by using a maximum entropy model. We used Maxent software to compute habitat suitability scores from vegetation and physiographic attributes based on comparisons of conditions at 342 sites that were occupied by marbled murrelets (equal numbers of confirmed nest sites and likely nest sites) and average conditions over all forested lands in which the murrelets occurred. We estimated 3.8 million acres of higher suitability nesting habitat over all lands in the murrelet's range in Washington, Oregon, and California at the start of the Plan (1994/96). Most (89 percent) baseline habitat on federally administered lands occurred within reserved-land allocations. A substantial amount (36 percent) of baseline habitat occurred on nonfederal lands. Over all lands, we observed a net loss of about 7 percent of higher suitability potential nesting habitat from the baseline period to 2006/07. If we focus on losses and ignore gains, we estimate a loss of about 13 percent of the higher suitability habitat present at baseline, over this same period. Fire has been the major cause of loss of nesting habitat on federal lands since the Plan was implemented; timber harvest is the primary cause of loss on nonfederal lands. We also found that murrelet population size is strongly and positively correlated with amount of nesting habitat, suggesting that conservation of remaining nesting habitat and restoration of currently unsuitable habitat is key to murrelet recovery. Raphael, Martin G.; Falxa, Gary A.; Dugger, Katie M.; Galleher, Beth M.; Lynch, Deanna; Miller, Sherri L.; Nelson, S. Kim; Young, Richard D. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:39:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-848. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 52 p Douglas Beebe http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr846.pdf Transportation corridors (notably roads) affect wildlife habitat, populations, and entire ecosystems. Considerable effort has been expended to quantify direct effects of roads on wildlife populations and ecological communities and processes. Much less effort has been expended toward quantifying indirect effects. In this report, we provide a comprehensive review of road/transportation corridor ecology; in particular, how this new field of ecology has advanced worldwide. Further, we discuss how research thus far has shaped our understanding and views of the ecological implications of transportation infrastructures, and, in turn, how this has led to the current guidance, policies, and management options. We learned that the impacts of transportation infrastructures are a global issue, with the potential to affect a wide variety of taxonomically diverse species and ecosystems. Because the majority of research to date has focused on the direct and more aesthetic and anthropocentric implications of transportation corridors, mainly wildlife-vehicle collisions, it is a fairly standard practice to incorporate underpasses, green bridges (i.e., overpasses), fencing, and barriers into road corridors to alleviate such impacts. Few studies, however, have been able to demonstrate the efficiency of these structures. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly evident that the indirect implications of transportation infrastructures (i.e., behavioral responses of wildlife individuals to roads) may be more pervasive, at least from the standpoint of biological diversity. Understanding how road corridors influence the functional connectivity of landscapes is crucial if we are to effectively manage species of concern. With these issues in mind, we propose a program of study that addresses the indirect and cumulative implications of transportation infrastructure on species distributions, community structure and ecosystem function Bennett, Victoria J.; Smith, Winston P.; Betts, Matthew G. Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:25:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-846. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 40 p Douglas Beebe http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr817.pdf Nonnative plants affect the composition and function of natural and managed ecosystems and have large economic effects through lost or degraded land use and eradication costs. In spite of their importance, very little comprehensive information on the abundance, distribution, and impact of nonnative invasive plants is available. Gray, Andrew N.; Barndt, Katie; Reichard, Sarah H. Thu, 18 May 2011 10:38:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-817. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 91 p. Douglas Beebe http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr707.pdf Invasive nonnative plants may be responsible for serious, long-term ecological impacts, including altering fire behavior and fire regimes. Therefore, knowing how to successfully manage invasive plants and their impacts on natural resources is crucial. We present a summary of research on invasive plants and fire that has been generated through the Joint Fire Science Program—focusing specifically on ecology of species invasions, the interactions between fire and invasives, and the responses of invasives to different management practices. Selected findings include (1) prescribed fire may increase invasive species in some ecosystems; (2) fuel treatments that leave some overstory canopy, minimize exposure of bare ground, and target sites that already host species capable of resprouting may be less likely to promote invasives; and (3) postfire seeding should be approached with caution, as it can increase invasives. Erickson, Heather E.; White, R. Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:00:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-707. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 18 p. Tiffany Dong http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr694.pdf During September 19-20, 2006, a conference was held at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, Seattle, WA, with the title "Meeting the challenge: invasive plants in Pacific Northwest Ecosystems." The mission of the conference was to create strategies and partnerships to understand and manage invasions of non-native plants in the Pacific Northwest. The audience included over 180 professionals, students, and citizens from public and private organizations responsible for monitoring, studying, or managing non-native invasive plants. This proceedings includes twenty-seven papers based on oral presentations at the conference plus a synthesis paper that summarizes workshop themes, discussions, and related information. Topics include early detection and rapid response; control techniques, biology, and impacts; management approaches; distribution and mapping of invasive plants; and partnerships, education, and outreach. Harrington, Timothy B.; Reichard, Sarah H.; tech. eds. Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:00:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-694. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Tiffany Dong http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr697.pdf This report describes the evidence for invasion of Pacific Northwest streams by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that have escaped from marine salmon farms, and assesses the potential impact of farmed salmon invasion on native fishes inhabiting streams on National Forest System lands. The current risk to streams on National Forest lands in the Pacific Northwest from Atlantic salmon invasions appears to be low and is limited to a few areas in northwest Washington and southeast Alaska. However, long-term risks may be substantial if fish continue to escape from marine rearing pens or freshwater hatcheries. The two greatest threats appear to be that (1) Atlantic salmon could transmit a serious disease or parasite to native fishes, and (2) escaped salmon could eventually adapt to local conditions, leading to self-sustaining populations. If Atlantic salmon populations are eventually established, this species' preference for swiftly flowing stream habitats could facilitate competition with currently at-risk species such as steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). This could result in a pattern of expansion similar to that observed in other nonnative aquatic plants and animals, in which a prolonged early colonization period is followed by a rapid phase of exponential growth as breeding populations adapt to local conditions. Bisson, Peter A. Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:00:00 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-697. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 34 p. Tiffany Dong http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr664.pdf Six of nine nonnative boreal conifers in three genera (Abies, Larix, and Pinus) regenerated in 11 to 31 years after they were introduced to mainland Alaska. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engel.) and the Siberian larches (Larix sibirica Ledeb. and L. sukaczewii N. Dyl.) were the most widely introduced species and will likely be the first nonnative conifers to naturalize. Siberian larch grew up to six times more stem volume than white spruce in the first 40 years on upland sites, but was susceptible to the larch sawfly and a blue stain pathogen carried by bark beetles. On productive sites, lodgepole pine appeared to grow more stem wood than white spruce for about 35 years after planting. Snowshoe hares and moose were the most serious pests of the nonnative conifers. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) was the only species to regenerate in an established moss understory. Growth and age relationships were negative for all adequately sampled nonnative conifers and positive for native white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). Data were insufficient to assess niche availability for commercial-use of productive nonnative conifers in mixed stands in Alaska. Survey results indicate that introduction and naturalization of noninvasive tree species may improve the diversity, stability, and productivity of managed forest ecosystems. Alden, John Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:25:36 PST Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-664. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 74 p. Tiffany Dong