Thomas Spies PNW Research Station

1. Conserving Old Forest Biodiversity in Fire-prone Landscapes: Implications for the Northwest Forest Plan Thomas Spies PNW Research Station

2. Plan Emphasized • Threats to old growth from timber production • Protection of existing older forests • Increasing area of dense, structurally complex forests • Increasing landscape connectivity of older forest

3. Less Recognition of: • Processes that create and maintain old growth • Landscape patterns and strategies that reduce risk to loss of old-growth types

4. Objectives • Review older forest goals of Northwest Forest Plan • Review key findings from status and trends report • Characterize challenges in meeting goals in fire-prone forests • Discuss alternatives

5. A Variety of Land Allocations With Several Kinds of Reserves

6. Thin Plantations Older Forest Timber Production Plantation Fire Prone Provinces Fuel Reduction Current Late Successional Reserve-Matrix Concept Activities Allowed: All Provinces Younger Natural Forest Matrix Reserve

7. FEMATPanel Assessment of Likelihood of Achieving Old Growth Outcomes • Outcomes: Within historical range • Fire-infrequent provinces—77 % • Fire-frequent provinces—63 %

8. Concerns • Risk of loss of older forest and owl habitat to high severity fire in fire-prone provinces • Not clear how to reconcile potentially contradictory ecological goals in dry provinces • Climate change effects--probably most significant in dry provinces

9. How Have Old Forests Fared Under the Plan? • So far, so good: • Losses from logging are less than expected • Losses from wildfire less than expected • Net increase in older forest greater than what was expected

10. 0 % 0 % 0 % 3.6 % 0 % 14 % (incl B & B) 1.4 % 9.5 % 3 % 2.3 % 0.4 % Fire Regimes Differ by Province Percent Loss of Older Forest on a Decadal Basis By Province

11. Fuel Reduction in Fire-prone Vegetation Types • 131,000 acres treated with mechanical or prescribed fire 2003—data is incomplete • Landscape distribution and effectiveness? • Pre Euro-American settlement • Mean fire return intervals 3 ~ 50 years for low to moderate severity fire • Minority of landscape probably in dense old-growth forest types

12. Mature and Old Growth in High Severity Regimes in Wetter Provinces

13. Landscape Patterns in High Severity Regimes

14. Major Types of Old Growth in Fire-Frequent Provinces Pine with shade tolerant understory--Fire Exclusion Open Ponderosa Pine--frequent low-severity fire Courtesy of Norm Johnson

15. With Fire Exclusion Patchy Douglas-fir/Mixed Conifer/Hardwood-- Mixed severity fire

16. Heterogeneity in a mixed-conifer forest under a low to moderate severity fire regime Franklin et al. 1996

17. With Fire Suppression Fire Severity Distribution Shift with Fire Exclusion Low Severity Regime High Severity Regime Percentage of Area Low Moderate High Fire Severity

18. Historical Fire Severity Differed by Topography And Aspect Distribution (%) of fire severity 1850-1950 in relation to slope position and aspect Klamath Mountains California Upper Slopes % Area Lower Slopes % Area Taylor and Skinner 1998 Aspect

19. N Biscuit Fire 2002

20. High Severity Fire High Severity Fire High Severity Fire f f f f Fire Suppression Structural Dynamics Owl Habitat Structural Complexity Time

21. Increasing Proportion of Owl habitat/dense older forest Hypothesized Risks of High Severity Fire and Risks to Population Viability of in Relation to Area of Dense Older Forest High High Risk to loss of Owl Populations Risk of Loss to High Severity Fire Low Low Increasing Proportion of open old growth

22. Alternatives on Federal Lands to Current Reserve Strategy • Implement fuel reduction at landscape levels as allowed in standards and guides • Make adjustments to land allocations to produce a lower risk pattern of reserves and matrix • Eliminate allocation boundaries. Use entire landscape to achieve ecological goals. Commodities a by-product of fuel reductions

23. Alternative Landscape Designs for MaintainingOwl Habitat and Old-growth Diversity in Fire Prone Forests Matrix = Owl habitat/Dense OG Matrix = Treated forest/Open OG Fuel Treatment Open Old Growth Limited or no fuel Treatment Dense Old Growth

24. Summary • So far so good, but short and long-term risks to habitat remain and may be increasing • Landscape-level strategies and implementation are needed • Alternatives to allocations exist and may be more effective at achieving ecological goals

28. Mixed Severity Fire Regimes

29. Fire-frequent ForestsIntegrated Landscape-level strategies • Consider landscape as a whole • Desired seral stage distribution and pattern of owl habitat and open older forest • Advantages • Reduce risk of habitat loss to high severity fire • Provides for open old growth types • May be more cost effective • Disadvantages ?

30. Keith Pohs