Multiple stressors produce a vulnerable landscape

Climate change

Atmospheric pollution/acid deposition

Altered natural disturbance regimes, spread of exotic organisms

Human modified biophysical environment, ex-urban sprawl and development

Vulnerable landscapes and ecosystems

From: Keeton (2007). George Wright Forum.

IUCN Cat. 2:

National Park

IUCN Cat. I:

Nature preserve

IUCN Cat. 3:

Natural Monument

IUCN Cat. 4:

Habitat/ Species Mgt. Area

IUCN Cat. 5:

Protected Landscape

IUCN Cat. 6:

Managed Resource Area

Low Vegetation Management Intensity

Protected Areas Unprotected Areas

Matrix Management

Intermediate Vegetation Management Intensity

High Vegetation Management Intensity

Certified Non-Industrial Private Forests

Certified Industrial Forests

Uncertified Non-Industrial Private Forests

Uncertified Industrial Forests

The Forest Management Spectrum

Late-Successional Reserves Established by the Northwest Forest Plan

From: Vogt, K.A…W.S. Keeton et al. 1997. Ecosystems: Balancing Science with Management. Springer-Verlag, New York, N.Y. 4

Matrix Mgt. on Private Lands

• Achieved indirectly (not explicitly) through aggregate of efforts across individuals ownerships and parcels – Bottom up

• Promoted (Top down) through:– Tax-incentive programs– Market based mechanisms– Community-based forestry– Limited acquisition of HCVs

Former Champion International Lands

132,000 acres total:

26,000 to West Mountain Wildlife Management Area

22,000 to Nulhegen National Wildlife Refuge

84,000 to Essex Timber Co.

Former International Paper Lands: 172,000 acres

0

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1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700

Year

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HRV

Historical Range of Variability:Pre-settlement late-successional forest in the northern hardwood region

Modified from Aplet and Keeton (1999) using data from Lorimer and White (2003); Time scale and disturbances (peaks) are hypothetical

Disturbance based forestry: emulating natural disturbance scales, frequencies, and biological legacies

Principles of Disturbance- Based Forest Management at the Stand Scale

From Franklin, Mitchell, and Palik (2007):

• “Incorporating biological legacies into harvest prescriptions

• Incorporating natural stand development processes, including small-scale disturbance, into intermediate treatments

• Allowing for appropriate recovery periods between regeneration harvests”

Fig. from Franklin et al. (2007).

“Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options”

“Weyerhaeuser Co., British Columbia

Adapted from: Seymour et al. (2002). Forest Ecology and Management

Mimicking scale and frequency of disturbances

1 10 100 1,000 10,0002 3 4 5 67 2 3 4 5 67 2 3 4 5 67 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5

Frequency (years)

0

0

0

0

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

Are

a (h

a)

Natural canopy gaps

Severe fire and windClearcutting

Group Selection

Adapted from: Seymour et al. (2002). Forest Ecology and Management

Modified in: North and Keeton (2008). IUFRO

Supported by old-growth research in:

• Upper Midwest U.S. (Woods 2004, Hanson and Lorimer 2007)

• Northeast U.S. (Ziegler 2002, Curzon and Keeton, in review)

• Slovenia (Nagel et al. 2006)

Comparing Natural Disturbances to Forest Management

1 10 100 1,000 10,0002 3 4 5 67 2 3 4 5 67 2 3 4 5 67 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5

Frequency (years)

0

0

0

0

1

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1,000

10,000

Are

a (h

a)

Natural canopy gaps

Severe fire and windClearcutting

Group Selection

Multi-Cohort Mgt.

Ice Storms and Microburst Wind Events

“Expanding Gap” Study. Univ. of Maine.

• Expanding group selection with retention

•Entry cycle and area in openings mimic disturbance frequency and intensity

(Seymour 2005, Saunders and Wagner 2005)

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0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

Ab

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Bio

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(M

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a)

Normal Rotation

75 Mg/Ha

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Stand Age (Years)

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(M

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Extended Rotation

75 Mg/Ha

90 Mg/Ha

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0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

Ab

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(M

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a) Normal Rotation

Extended Rotation

Normal with Retention

20 Mg/ha

0

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0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

Ab

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Bio

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(M

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a)

Normal Rotation

Extended Rotation

Normal with Retention

Extended with Retention

20 Mg/ha

Lessons for Ecosystem Management

EM models must be adaptive to global change.

Key: Manage for ecosystem resilience

• Managed landscape will play critical role in ecosystem sustainability

• Learn from historical variability and processes• Emulate natural disturbance patterns and

processes• Manage for ecological complexity at stand and

landscape scales