... This work was conducted as a joint venture bc-tween the Centre forApplied Conservation Biol-o... more ... This work was conducted as a joint venture bc-tween the Centre forApplied Conservation Biol-ogy at the University ofBritish Columbia and the Hesquiaht First Nation's Management for a Liv ing Hesquiaht Harbour We thank Rufus Charleson, Kim Lisgo, Paul Lucas ... Breen. ...
In 1998, MacMillan Bloedel (now Weyerhaeuser) committed to a system of Stewardship Zones and to r... more In 1998, MacMillan Bloedel (now Weyerhaeuser) committed to a system of Stewardship Zones and to replacing clearcutting with variable retention over its 1.1 million ha coastal tenure. The decision began a grand experiment in forest planning and practice, which the company committed to monitor and refine through an adaptive management program. The program was most challenging to design and implement for biodiversity. Key elements of the program were: creating a criterion and associated indicators, developing a list of focused questions, and developing a cost-effective design for monitoring and learning. The final step in any adaptive management program is linking the monitoring back to specific management actions. We provide examples of successful linkages back for each of the three major indicators of biodiversity: ecosystem representation, habitat structure, and organisms. We discuss major difficulties that arise when developing management responses to the complex issue of sustainin...
Climate change has introduced major uncertainties into the planning and practice of forestry. We ... more Climate change has introduced major uncertainties into the planning and practice of forestry. We recommend seven broad actions that would help to make our forests more climate resilient: avoiding entrapment, emphasizing the future, adopting a policy of no re-grets, seeking the right species at the right place, encouraging connectivity, nurturing ac-ceptance and adaptation, and reducing carbon emissions. Some actions are specific to British Columbia; all actions attempt to address the major sources of uncertainty.
This document provides a synthesis of recently completed studies to assess the ecological consequ... more This document provides a synthesis of recently completed studies to assess the ecological consequences of forest management after attack by mountain pine beetle or other large-scale disturbances. Studies are assessed for their contributions to gaps in knowledge previously identified in the Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative Working Paper “Evaluating effects of large scale salvage logging for mountain pine beetle on terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates,” which was published in 2004. This report focuses on studies developed through the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative, the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program, and the complementary BC Forest Science Program. Relevant information from other jurisdictions is sometimes included to augment those studies. Topics examined are: the impacts of beetle kill and salvage operations on habitat attributes; the impacts of beetle kill and salvage operations on attendant processes, such as snag fall rates, light interception, and snow accumulation;...
\\e offer a perspective on how chronosequence research can contribute to the. changing nature of ... more \\e offer a perspective on how chronosequence research can contribute to the. changing nature of forest management. We first summarize past values associated with forests, and outline chronosequence research related to past forest management regimes. We then describe recent shifts in values that the public desires from forests, and illustrate how these goals and specific attributes of forests have contributed to new forest management directions. Finally, we consider how chronosequence research can further understanding of changing forest practices and how it can help reline forest management plans and guidelines.
... Toby Spribille,; Göran Thor,; Fred L. Bunnell,; Trevor Goward,; Curtis R. Björk. Article firs... more ... Toby Spribille,; Göran Thor,; Fred L. Bunnell,; Trevor Goward,; Curtis R. Björk. Article first published online: 12 NOV 2008. ... These studies have documented the richness of lichens on dead wood in forest environments (Forsslund and Koffman 1998, Kruys et al. ...
Sinking depths in snow of a captive black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) were reco... more Sinking depths in snow of a captive black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) were recorded in old-growth, second-growth, and recently clear-cut forests. Data were collected over a wide range of snow conditions. Snow hardness was extremely variable, even within 30 cm, and only weakly correlated with deer sinking depths (r = 0.52 for upper crust hardness). Snow density in the upper 48 cm of the snowpack was a better predictor of deer sinking depths (r2 = 0.65), but the best prediction was from density and hardness combined (r2 = 0.86). Snow depth alone was a poor predictor, because the deer rarely sank to the bottom of the snowpack (9 of 630 cases). Two indices of sinking depth were evaluated: human sinking depth and Hepburn's index. Human sinking depth was both a simpler and better predictor, especially when snow hardness values >256 g cm−2 (deer static foot loading) were eliminated (r2 = 0.65).
Maintaining representation of a full range of ecosystem types is a widely accepted strategy to co... more Maintaining representation of a full range of ecosystem types is a widely accepted strategy to conserve biodiversity in protected areas. We evaluated representation in the central coast region of British Columbia, a forested landbase containing a complex mix of management options, administrative and ownership types, and disparate ecological and economic objectives. We found that most ecosystem types were well represented outside areas subject to management activities, but a minority were poorly represented. When we examined areas under consideration for protection or special management, we found that they failed to represent many of the most poorly represented ecosystem types and incorporated limited amounts of the remainder. Because these poorly represented types were relatively limited in area, it should be possible to adjust proposed reserve areas to improve representation of these types with limited impact on other values. Failing to do so will result in increased opportunity co...
... This work was conducted as a joint venture bc-tween the Centre forApplied Conservation Biol-o... more ... This work was conducted as a joint venture bc-tween the Centre forApplied Conservation Biol-ogy at the University ofBritish Columbia and the Hesquiaht First Nation's Management for a Liv ing Hesquiaht Harbour We thank Rufus Charleson, Kim Lisgo, Paul Lucas ... Breen. ...
In 1998, MacMillan Bloedel (now Weyerhaeuser) committed to a system of Stewardship Zones and to r... more In 1998, MacMillan Bloedel (now Weyerhaeuser) committed to a system of Stewardship Zones and to replacing clearcutting with variable retention over its 1.1 million ha coastal tenure. The decision began a grand experiment in forest planning and practice, which the company committed to monitor and refine through an adaptive management program. The program was most challenging to design and implement for biodiversity. Key elements of the program were: creating a criterion and associated indicators, developing a list of focused questions, and developing a cost-effective design for monitoring and learning. The final step in any adaptive management program is linking the monitoring back to specific management actions. We provide examples of successful linkages back for each of the three major indicators of biodiversity: ecosystem representation, habitat structure, and organisms. We discuss major difficulties that arise when developing management responses to the complex issue of sustainin...
Climate change has introduced major uncertainties into the planning and practice of forestry. We ... more Climate change has introduced major uncertainties into the planning and practice of forestry. We recommend seven broad actions that would help to make our forests more climate resilient: avoiding entrapment, emphasizing the future, adopting a policy of no re-grets, seeking the right species at the right place, encouraging connectivity, nurturing ac-ceptance and adaptation, and reducing carbon emissions. Some actions are specific to British Columbia; all actions attempt to address the major sources of uncertainty.
This document provides a synthesis of recently completed studies to assess the ecological consequ... more This document provides a synthesis of recently completed studies to assess the ecological consequences of forest management after attack by mountain pine beetle or other large-scale disturbances. Studies are assessed for their contributions to gaps in knowledge previously identified in the Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative Working Paper “Evaluating effects of large scale salvage logging for mountain pine beetle on terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates,” which was published in 2004. This report focuses on studies developed through the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative, the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program, and the complementary BC Forest Science Program. Relevant information from other jurisdictions is sometimes included to augment those studies. Topics examined are: the impacts of beetle kill and salvage operations on habitat attributes; the impacts of beetle kill and salvage operations on attendant processes, such as snag fall rates, light interception, and snow accumulation;...
\\e offer a perspective on how chronosequence research can contribute to the. changing nature of ... more \\e offer a perspective on how chronosequence research can contribute to the. changing nature of forest management. We first summarize past values associated with forests, and outline chronosequence research related to past forest management regimes. We then describe recent shifts in values that the public desires from forests, and illustrate how these goals and specific attributes of forests have contributed to new forest management directions. Finally, we consider how chronosequence research can further understanding of changing forest practices and how it can help reline forest management plans and guidelines.
... Toby Spribille,; Göran Thor,; Fred L. Bunnell,; Trevor Goward,; Curtis R. Björk. Article firs... more ... Toby Spribille,; Göran Thor,; Fred L. Bunnell,; Trevor Goward,; Curtis R. Björk. Article first published online: 12 NOV 2008. ... These studies have documented the richness of lichens on dead wood in forest environments (Forsslund and Koffman 1998, Kruys et al. ...
Sinking depths in snow of a captive black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) were reco... more Sinking depths in snow of a captive black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) were recorded in old-growth, second-growth, and recently clear-cut forests. Data were collected over a wide range of snow conditions. Snow hardness was extremely variable, even within 30 cm, and only weakly correlated with deer sinking depths (r = 0.52 for upper crust hardness). Snow density in the upper 48 cm of the snowpack was a better predictor of deer sinking depths (r2 = 0.65), but the best prediction was from density and hardness combined (r2 = 0.86). Snow depth alone was a poor predictor, because the deer rarely sank to the bottom of the snowpack (9 of 630 cases). Two indices of sinking depth were evaluated: human sinking depth and Hepburn's index. Human sinking depth was both a simpler and better predictor, especially when snow hardness values >256 g cm−2 (deer static foot loading) were eliminated (r2 = 0.65).
Maintaining representation of a full range of ecosystem types is a widely accepted strategy to co... more Maintaining representation of a full range of ecosystem types is a widely accepted strategy to conserve biodiversity in protected areas. We evaluated representation in the central coast region of British Columbia, a forested landbase containing a complex mix of management options, administrative and ownership types, and disparate ecological and economic objectives. We found that most ecosystem types were well represented outside areas subject to management activities, but a minority were poorly represented. When we examined areas under consideration for protection or special management, we found that they failed to represent many of the most poorly represented ecosystem types and incorporated limited amounts of the remainder. Because these poorly represented types were relatively limited in area, it should be possible to adjust proposed reserve areas to improve representation of these types with limited impact on other values. Failing to do so will result in increased opportunity co...
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Papers by Fred Bunnell