Introduction to Forest Ecology, FOR 341

Introduction to Forest Ecology, FOR 341.

JRB notes for Week #1 in 2003.

This course is about

LAND

* LAND *

* What does "land" mean to you?

? . . . ? ? "real estate" to buy and sell; to "develop".

"Homeland"

The promised land ...

The land of the free and the home of the brave ...

. . .

This land is your land

This land is my land

From California to the New York Island

From the redwood forests

To the Gulf Stream waters

This Land belongs to you and me!

. . .

Land - Resources, People, Culture

To be a professional forester or otherwise involved in natural resources management you must have a passion for land!

- holistic sense

What does "land" have to do with forest ecology?

Ecology, forest ecology, is all about understanding LAND in the most

holistic sense.

This set of courses, ecology, silviculture, multiple resource values, wildlife ecology ...

- People using land -

is the most important set of courses you'll take as foresters (in my view!!).

Others - techniques for using land. In these "junior block" courses you'll learn about LAND.

Key Ideas for this forest ecology.

During and at the conclusion of this course each student should:

1. Understand and be able to discuss the significance of

. Structure (arrangement, architecture . . .)

. Components - plants, soils, animals . . .

. Processes

of forest ecosystems

and

interactions within, and with adjacent ecosystems

* especially streams, rivers.

2. Appreciate and be able to discuss the complexity and dynamic natures of forests.

3. Understand interactions of forests (biosphere) with other "spheres,"

especially

"atmosphere"

" hydrosphere" - including oceans (especially estuaries)

4. Understand importance of landscape settings and scales of consideration for forests and forestry.

5. Appreciate the importance of an understanding of forest ecology for

influencing and making decisions regarding:

A sustainable cultural carrying capacity for forested landscapes.

Knowledge of forest ecology helps us work for sustainable cultural carrying capacity.

________________________________________________________________________________

FOREST ECOLOGY AND THE "LAND"

Aldo Leopold on The Land Ethic (ref: Aldo Leopold's essay "The Land Ethic".)

(Land as an energy circuit)

Leopold: thinking and writing about appropriate stewardship of the land:

- Land is not merely soil

- Native plants and animals (and processes)

(have) kept the energy circuit open;

others may or may not

Human-made changes are of a different order than evolutionary changes,

and have effects more comprehensive than intended or foreseen.

Soils are non-renewable resources

- on socially meaningful timescales.

____________________________________________________________________

Forests - renewable resources

What is 'ecology'?

The study of the interactions of organisms

with their physical environments and other organisms.

Plant ecology

Animal ecology

Human ecology

'Soil Ecology'

Forest Ecology

Ecology - relation to silviculture

Definition of Silviculture . . . ??

Manage/manipulate forest vegetation to achieve goals of management

...for - scenic values/aesthetics

- wood fiber

- wildlife habitat

- recreation

- watershed values

- . . . other values . . .

We need basic understandings of ecosystem

characteristics, processes, dynamics

in order to understand and 'predict' (?!)

likely consequences of actions - or 'inactions' - silvicultural decisions -

... What will this stand/forest be in 1, 5, 10, 50 years ...?

How can one know this without basic understand of ecology??

- Experience . . . ?! (? limits ?)

(any substitute . . . ?)

What are some of the specifics we should know?? ? ?

- Silvics/Autecology of individual species (ref: "Tree of the Week" assignments.

trees, shrubs, herbs

- Interactions of trees with animals - wildlife, insects . . .

- Interactions of trees with hydrologic processes

ppt (rain, snow, fog); runoff, streamflow . . .

Why Forest Ecology

- for foresters

- for others?

Discuss:

A. Definitions:

1. Forestry

2. Ecology

3. Forest Ecology

B. Critical social issues related to forestry

? include "Land Ethic" - Read!

C. Relationships among social issues and forest ecology

Humans as members of ecosystems

(Leopold ++)

Study Kimmins's Chapters 1 & 2 !!!

Why ecology 'for foresters' (#2)

- To be competent foresters

forests-environment-humans

- As educated citizens of the world

'important' to understand interactions of

humans, life-sustaining lands & waters

and environments . . .

- Take part in decisions . . .

Especially as university-educated people

and as foresters

knowledgeable ecologists

. schools

. communities

. laws . . .

(Challenge: Develop attitude of education as a lifetime process)

. . . Participate in Defining, Managing, Creating

"Cultural Carrying Capacity" of landscapes for humans: (a la Hardin)-

Human communities integrated with the land.

Issues - populations

- human alterations

- life-sustaining conditions/processes

"Nitty-Gritty" Basics of Forest Ecology for Foresters

Why do foresters need to understand interactions of forest organisms,

(trees, shrubs, animals, insects) with their environments??

To: understand/evaluate impacts of manipulating 'forests' . . . trees,

shrubs, animals, insects, streams, lakes . . .

on the forest environment and on 'other' components of ecosystems

- streams, elk, songbirds ...

Examples:

. Harvest effects: on... microclimate

seedlings

shrubs, et al. ... elk and deer

Recreation use effects on ... soil animals

animal habitat

water 'yield'

. Site preparation

thinning

species selection

stock type selection

herbicide spraying

use of fire

other . . .

Global Perspectives and Citizens

- sources of wood for our cultures

- CO2

- Global Warming

_____________________________________________________________

Ecosystems:

Various views:

Lists - "linear Views"

"easiest and most familiar for most of us.

Better: Alternative

Non-linear

Holistic

"cyclic" view

? A metaphor? : Consider American boxing vs tai chi ?

Let's look at some lists (see also Kimmins's textbook).

The Environmental (Billings, p. 40 ñ)

Energy

Radiation

visible

infrared (thermal) >760 mæ (abs by atm)

+ _____ ...

Light 400-760 mæ millimicron

violet red - PS

Temperature

Heat Flow

Water

Precipitation

Form, timing, amount, quality

Fog, dew (_____ ...)

Atmosphere

& Wind

Fire

Gravity

Topography

Geological Substrate (bedrock): type, age

Soils

Biology

- Green plants

- Non-green plants

- Animals macro

meso micro

Microbes

____________________________

Forest Ecology - a practical means of dealing with complexity (K' Ch. 2)

* Discuss:

What controls growth and development of

- a tree

- a forest (stand of trees)

- a forest ecosystem

"Multiple/Statistical Determinationism"

(Kimmins...)

Forest - Total assemblage of:

1. Trees

2. Substrate (soil/peat) support, Nut, H20

3. Other plants that interact

mutual shelter benefit

Competition antagonism

macro/meso/micro

4. Animals - feed on, shelter in, benefit plants

5. Microorganisms that exert direct/indirect beneficial/antagonistic

effects on trees and/or other organisms

6. Climate of soil and atmosphere include fire and water that influence

distribution and abundance of al organisms

K' : /Major:

Veg = fn (soil, climate, parent material, topography, biota, time)

Soil = fn (pm, climate, topography, biota/veg. time)

Foresters: manage biological capabilities and tolerances of ecological systems

- select ecologically and economically rational objectives

Ecosystems & the "ecosystem" concept: K' Ch. 3

Attributes

1. Structure: biotic and abiotic,

e.g., atm/plant/soil

2. Function(s) (processes)

elements, om . . .

þ matter, energy

3. Complexity

multiple determinants of event or process

4. Interactions & interdependency

{superorganism/gaia hypothesis}

5. No definite boundaries. (K: 'biogeocoenose' =~~ "space")

I'll use 'ecosystem' to mean 'biogeocoenose'

No inherent definition of spatial dimensions

(JB: - we must define system boundaries to be conceptually useful

otherwise ?? fate of ? CO2/NO3??)

6. Temporal change - Dynamic

Matter

Structure - plants grow & die.

_________________________________

Hierarchy of Factors Influencing Ecosystems (K. Ch. 3)

1. Climate - overall framework for biological potential

e.g., Consider: Oregon Coast, Olympic Peninsula, California coast to Sierra crest.

- Top of Marys Peak

- Willamette Valley

- Cascades Macro

- Bend vicinity Meso

- Arizona desert Micro

- Arctic tundra

2. Landform topography - e.g. ridgetop/valley bottom / riparian area

3. *Geology-bedrock/till/loess Weathering

*Mineralogy-elements

4. Soils - available H2O & nutrients, organisms

rooting, decomposition, symbioses

5. Organisms: 'propagules' available

genetics

populations

interactions - plants - animals

6. Time:

- Since major disturbance

- Stage of ecosystem - 'degree' of 'development'

e.g., Mt. St. Helens

Yellowstone -Post 1988 burn -

Biscuit complex in SW Oregon

- Silver Fire

- Tillamook Burn

Occurrences . Climate

Distribution of any one . Geomorph interacting over time

Abundance organism or =fn of: . Mineral'

Productivity species . Edaphic

. Biota

_______________________

Ecosystem Process

Dynamics of Matter and Energy

H20 & nutrients & organic matter with "captured" energy.

- Photosynthesis

- Respiration

- Water uptake by plants

- Transpiration

- Nutrient uptake/ and other dynamics/cycling

- Growth - "tops" & roots

. . . Repro . . .

- Decomposition

- "Grazing"/feeding

- "Infection"/Pathogen"icity"

- Symbioses

- Soil formation/dynamics

- Element leaching

- Erosion

- Animal dynamics . . .

Outputs

Transfers to:

Other spheres

Adjacent, incl stream, ecosystems

Processes: Dynamics, changes, flows of: E

- H20

- Nutrients

'Processes

* PS / E flow

Growth: Tops & Roots *

Harvest

Consumers: Trophic levels *

Decomposers - macro, meso, micro: residues, ...C02

* Decomposition

- C & energy - soil meso/micro communities

- Nutrient elements

- Soil structure - soil meso/micro communities

- CO2

* Competition

- Resource access/'allocation'

- Niches

* Stability/Resilience

- Relation to complexity/diversity

* Succession

- Plants, animals

- Complexity

* Disturbances

- Fire

- Wind *Mass Movement*

- Insect/Disease

* Biogeochemistry of Nutrient Elements

Ecosystem - "systems" view

Environment

Boundaries/adjacent systems

Structure

Components

Inputs

Processes/interactions

Outputs

Complexity/interactions

Dynamics/Changes over time

Forest "stands" as ecosystems

"Stand" - a useful, defined/limited ecosystem

- a unit of management consideration

When taken with systems view and on a landscape context, provides

excellent basis for management

A Land Ethic

Read: Leopold

- A love of the earth

- Respect for . . . all living things and earth

- A concept of landscapes ??

- An understanding of 'carrying capacity'

Repeat: Key Ideas for FOR 341, Forest Ecology

1. Understand significance of

. Structure (arrangement, architecture . . .)

. Components - plants, soils, animals . . .

. Processes

of forest ecosystems

and

interactions within and with adjacent ecosystems

* especially streams, rivers. . .

2. Appreciate the complexity and dynamic natures of forests

3. Understand interactions of forests (biosphere) with other "spheres,"

especially

"atmosphere"

" hydrosphere" - including oceans (especially estuaries)

4. Understand importance of landscape setting/scale

5. Appreciate the importance of an understanding of forest ecology for

influencing and making decisions regarding: A sustainable cultural

carrying capacity for forested landscapes.

Understanding forest ecology helps us work toward sustainable cultural carrying capacity.