Evaluating Approaches to “Ecosystem Management” Using FVS

1. Evaluating Approaches to “Ecosystem Management” Using FVS Steve McConnell NWIFC August 29, 2002

2. Ecosystem Management Principles Multiple scales Ecosystem processes Humans Sustainability Biodiversity Boundaries Adaptive

3. Challenges Facing EM Tradeoffs remain unknown

4. Tradeoffs? Timber Removed • volume • species • piece size • variability • predictability

5. Tradeoffs? Residual Landscape • snags • old-growth • relative density • species composition

6. Tradeoffs? Ecological Changes • bird habitat • insects • pathogens • crown fire risk

7. Demonstration Project Citizen partners Landscape planning Long history of management 10 years ago 60 years ago

9. Landscape Planning for Ecosystem Sustainability • Develop a landscape planning method that: • 1) incorporates social, economic and ecological considerations, and • 2) integrates between stands and landscape

10. Landscape Planning for Ecosystem Sustainability • Identify landscape management zones • Develop silvicultural Rx’s • Quantify outcomes using the Forest Vegetation Simulation (FVS) model

11. Site Characteristics Warm moist forest at low elevation Very productive Diverse

12. Previous Management

13. Previous Management

14. Change in Species Composition by Shade Tolerance Grouping

15. Diverse Social Values • Recreation • Roads and fire risk • Visuals • Old-growth • Increase early seral • Biological diversity • Water quality • Change (economic, population, social)

16. Plan • With Citizen Partners, develop an EM approach • Compare against a commodity and custodial approach

17. What Really Happened • FACA • All approaches can be part of an EM approach, scale-dependent • Our EM ~ active approach to maintaining ecological integrity • Conservative cutting approaches

18. Contrasting Management Scenarios Custodial: reserve Commodity: timber production Active: ecological integrity

19. Custodial Scenario • Objective: Reserve area • Method: Monitor • Practices: hazard tree removal along highway - cut 5% of trees 37m+ tall from stands adjacent to the highway

21. Commodity Scenario • Objectives: Timber production / Area-regulated forest • Method: Even-aged intensive management • Practices: clearcut, overstory removal, commercial thinning, pre-commercial thinning, prescribed burning, planting

22. Commodity Scenario:Stand Priority for Clearcuts • Relative density • Basal area • Merchantable bdft volume • Species composition - % of basal area in shade-tolerant species • Mortality/accretion ratio

23. Commodity Scenario:Stand Priority for Commercial Thinning • Mortality/accretion ratio • Relative density • Species composition: % of basal area in shade-intolerant species • Age (after year 20) - younger stands with higher priority • Minimum 3000 bdft/acre

25. Active Scenario • Objective: Ecological integrity • Method: Intensive partial cutting to direct structure and species composition • Practices: partial cuts (35% maxim), conversion cuts (70-75%), composition control cuts, prescribed burning, planting

26. Management Zones for Active Scenario 6 zones Current forest condition Biophysical site Connectivity Disturbance regimes Social values

27. Active Scenario LMZ Goals • Dry-Ridge: Open stands with WL, PP • Multi-Resource: Structurally diverse, older, mesic site tree species, reestablish western white pine • Ridge: Brushfields, scattered dry-site trees

28. Active Scenario LMZ Goals • Old-growth: Connected zone of old-growth conditions - structurally diverse, large trees • Riparian: Functional, shade-intolerant trees • Scenic Corridor: Protect visuals, avoid hazards, shade-intolerant trees

30. Active ScenarioPrescription Generalizations • Target shade-tolerant trees for cut • Retain western larch • Retain relict overstory trees • Decrease relative density • Plant shade-intolerant species • Avoid windthrow • Remove 20, 35, or 70% of basal area

31. LMZ Prescription Matrix