An Ecologist’s Perspective on Valuing Nature

1. An Ecologist’s Perspective on Valuing Nature Thomas A. Spies PNW Research Station

2. Ecosystem Services • Supporting services, e.g. primary and secondary production, and biodiversity. • Provisioning services, e.g. products: food, water, fiber etc. • Regulating services, e.g. carbon sequestration, climate and water regulation, natural hazard protection • Cultural services, satisfy human spiritual and aesthetic appreciation of nature.

3. Instrumental vs intrinsic values • Means to an end • Previous list of services • End in itself • Worth in itself, not in service to anything

4. Some valued ecological characteristics • Rarity/Scarcity vs Common • Diversity vs simple/homogeneous • Native vs non-native • Historical (pre-euroamerican) vs post-euroamerican • Dynamic vs stable

5. Different Ecological Perspectives • Process vs state • Multi scale vs single scale • Ecosystem vs single species/service • High vs low dimensionality • Referent points based on range of variation vs single point/stage • Ecological engineering vs nature reserves

6. Metrics and Ways of Characterizing Ecosystems • Rates of change (e.g. production, population) • States (e.g. biomass, habitat area, population) • Heterogeneity (spatial and temporal) • Relationships and interactions (drivers and responders) • Scale effects (ecological and spatio-temporal) • Disturbances as drivers

7. A Few ExamplesRarity, Ecosystem Perspective, History, Diversity, Dynamics,dimensionality

8. Rarity, Ecosystem, History, Diversity, Dynamics Vegetation Change in Natural and Managed Forests

9. Carbon Storage in Douglas-fir forests varies with succession

10. Late Summer Water Yield from Forested Basin Vary with Disturbance and Forest Succession In Western Cascades High Water Yield Dense canopy with hardwoods Old-growth with canopy gaps Fire/Clear Cut Low 0 10 20 30 40 50 100 200 300 400 Time since stand replacement disturbance (yrs) Based on Jones, Unpublished

11. Salmonid Habitat Quality Varies with Time Since Previous Debris Flow 0 to 30 yrs 30 to 60 yrs > 90 yrs 60 to 90 yrs High Habitat Quality: Low G. Reeves

12. Stand Age < 10 11 - 40 41 - 80 81 - 200 > 200 Three Centuries Of Simulated Pre-Columbian Fire History in Oregon Coast Range By Nonaka Wimberly and Spies

13. Province Scale • (2,250,000 ha) b) National Forest Scale (302,500 ha) % Old Growth c) Reserve Scale (40,000 ha) Years Before Present Scale effects

14. Management and Ownership Effects

15. Distribution of Ecological Conditions in the Oregon Coast Range

16. Vegetation Conditions Oregon Coast Range 1996 Not Simulated Open Forest Broadleaf Mixed Small Mixed Medium Mixed Large Mixed Very Large Conifer Small Conifer Medium Conifer Large Conifer Very Large Mixed Very Small Conifer Very Small Remnants

17. Projected 2046 Not Simulated Open Forest Broadleaf Mixed Small Mixed Medium Mixed Large Mixed Very Large Conifer Small Conifer Medium Conifer Large Conifer Very Large Mixed Very Small Conifer Very Small Remnants

18. 2096 Not Simulated Open Forest Broadleaf Mixed Small Mixed Medium Mixed Large Mixed Very Large Conifer Small Conifer Medium Conifer Large Conifer Very Large Mixed Very Small Conifer Very Small Remnants

19. Ecosystem Services Under Different Scenarios

20. Tradeoffs Among Ecosystem Values Water Yield Spotted Owl Populations Carbon Sequestration Fire Resilient Vegetation

21. Conclusions • Ecologist implicitly value certain ecosystem characteristics • Both instrumental and intrinsic values • Difficult to reduce the diversity and high dimensionality of ecosystems into a few components • Tradeoffs among services are common • Spatial and temporal variability is key to maintaining ecosystem functions and services