Forest health in the Blue Mountains: Science perspectives. A management strategy for fire-adapted ecosystems. Forest Service general technical report

Technical Report · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:5906528

Mutch, R W; Arno, S F; Brown, J K; Carlson, C E; Ottmar, R D

The fire-adapted forests of the Blue Mountains are suffering from a forest health problem of catastrophic proportions. The composition of the forest at lower elevations has shifted from historically open-growth stands of primarily ponderosa pine and western larch to stands with dense understories of Douglas-fir and grand fir. Epidemic levels of insect infestations and large wildfires adversely affect visual quality, wildlife habitat, stream sedimentation, and timber values. A management strategy to restore forest health at lower elevations will require that the seral ponderosa pine and western larch stands be managed for much lower tree densities and a more open coniferous understory. A combination of silvicultural partial cutting and prescribed fire on a large scale will be needed to produce the desired future condition of healthy, open, and park-like forests.

• Research Organization: Forest Service, Portland, OR (United States). Pacific Northwest Research Station
• OSTI ID: 5906528
• Report Number(s): PB-93-222487/XAB; FSGTR-PNW-310
• Resource Relation: Other Information: See also PB--92-198894, PB--92-218148 and PB--92-204981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
FORESTS
MANAGEMENT
CONIFERS
CUTTING
FIRE PREVENTION
FIRES
FIRS
HARVESTING
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
MOUNTAINS
OREGON
PEST CONTROL
PINES
PLANT GROWTH
SILVICULTURE
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
TREES
US FOREST SERVICE
WASHINGTON
WILD ANIMALS
AGRICULTURE
ANIMALS
CONTROL
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FORESTRY
GROWTH
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MACHINING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
PINOPHYTA
PLANTS
US DOA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
090700* - Biomass Fuels- Resources- (1990-)