Professor

How can we design silvicultural practices that accommodate the complexity of ecosystem conditions and management objectives? Do we need to understand spatial relations and within-stand variation of ecosystem structures processes to manage forests? What are the tradeoffs when management shifts from a focus on timber production to structural diversity? How do these tradeoffs vary with stand age? What flies are they biting on?

These are questions that intrigue me. I have initiated a research program that investigates these questions at various stages, from stand establishment to mature forests.

Together with Paul Anderson (PNW Research Station) and the Bureau of Land Management I am investigating how different reforestation techniques in burned-over plantations (Timbered Rock Fire) effect microsite conditions, vegetation composition, establishment of natural regeneration, seedling growth, and fuel loads (Lori Kayes).

During the first decades stands are very dynamic. I am interested whether gaps in plantations can provide for structural diversity and what the tradeoffs are in terms of timber production. The Young Plantation Study investigates these questions and monitors development of vegetation (Carrie Berger) and wildlife use (John Hayes) in 5 to 20 year old Douglas-fir stands on Oregon Department of Forestry land.

The Young Stand Thinning and Diversity Study (initiated by the Willamette National Forest) and the Density Management Study (initiated by the Bureau of Land Management) investigates impacts of various thinning regimes in 30 to 70-year old Douglas-fir stands. Aspects that I deal with directly include over-and understory vegetation (Liane Beggs, Shanti Berryman) and tree and crown architecture (John Punches). I am especially interested in stand structural development and plant diversity and composition. Specific interests include the spatial scale of interactions (Tony D'Amato) and gap influences (Robert Fahey). I am cooperating with other scientists to determine how changes in stand structure influence ecosystem function and processes, including microclimate (Paul Anderson, Sam Chan), amphibian (Matt Kluber, Dede Olson) and songbird habitat (Joan Hagar), and other resources.

To quantify ecosystem responses to silvicultural manipulations requires a sophisticated modeling system. I see great potential in the opportunity to synthesize and integrate information from the various studies. Ongoing work includes modeling how site conditions, spatial variability, and diversity of stand structures influence development of tree and stand growth, tree regeneration, plant diversity, and wildlife habitat and populations (Duncan Wilson, Lisa Ganio). Using a Bayesian Belief Network allows us to acknowledge and incorporate the variability, stochasticity, and dynamic complexity of forest ecosystems.

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