Factors Affecting the Ecological Legacy of Unsalvaged Post-mountain Pine Beetle Stands

Factors Affecting the Ecological Legacy of Unsalvaged Post-mountain Pine Beetle Stands
Author: Ann Chan-McLeod
Publisher:
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2008
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

"The overall objective of this research is to obtain information that will help managers determine what ecological legacies exist in post-beetle forests. The research is designed to 1) provide information about the ecological value of unsalvaged beetle-infested stands; 2) provide understanding of how ecological legacies may vary; and 3) generate information that would contribute to the development of decision support tools for improving ecological integrity in the post-beetle landscape."--Document.

Historic Influence of the Mountain Pine Beetle on Stand Dynamics in Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks

Historic Influence of the Mountain Pine Beetle on Stand Dynamics in Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks
Author: Pamela Dykstra
Publisher:
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2006
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

The Canadian government announced the Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative (MPBI) in 2002 to address the socio-economic and ecological consequences of an epidemic of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins). The objective of this study was to establish baseline information on the ecological characteristics that occur at different stages of succession, resulting from mountain pine beetle disturbance at different time intervals. Key issues addressed by this study were: the post-beetle ecological character of stands; the ecological legacies that should be sought post-beetle; maintenance of ecological integrity in beetle-damaged landscapes; and the impacts of beetles on regeneration. This paper presents a study of stand conditions following two historic mountain pine beetle outbreaks events in the 1940s and 1980s. The study quantified structural and species composition of stands at different stages of succession (25 years and 65 years), and quantified the differences that occur in forest development between stands with and without disturbance by the beetle. It concludes with several recommendations for management of post-disturbance landscapes.

Mountain Pine Beetle

Mountain Pine Beetle
Author: Fred L. Bunnell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2011
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

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; and the wildlife response to large-scale beetle outbreaks and management strategies. For each of these three topics, we provide a summary of: research to date; pertinent findings to date; and gaps in research.

Mountain Pine Beetle Attack in Ponderosa Pine: Comparing Methods for Rating Susceptibility

Mountain Pine Beetle Attack in Ponderosa Pine: Comparing Methods for Rating Susceptibility
Author: David C. Chojnacky
Publisher:
Total Pages: 16
Release: 2000
Genre: Mountain pine beetle
ISBN:

Two empirical methods for rating susceptibility of mountain pine beetle attack in ponderosa pine were evaluated. The methods were compared to stand data modeled to objectively rate each sampled stand for susceptibly to bark-beetle attack. Data on bark-beetle attacks, from a survey of 45 sites throughout the Colorado Plateau, were modeled using logistic regression to estimate the probability of attack on individual trees from tree and stand variables. The logistic model allowed flexibility to easily scale results up to a stand level for comparison to the empirical methods. The empirical method, developed by Munson and Anhold, most closely correlated to the logistic regression results. However, the Munson/Anhold method rated all 45 study sites as either moderately or highly susceptible to bark-beetle attack, which raises concern about its lack of sensitivity. Future work on evaluating risk of bark-beetle impact should consider more than stand characteristics.

Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative Interim Report 2005

Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative Interim Report 2005
Author: Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative (Canada)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2005
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

This report highlights past delivery of the land-based programs and progress of mountain pine beetle research during 2003 & 2004 by the Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative, a six-year program established to address the mountain pine beetle epidemic in western Canada and to reduce the risk of future such epidemics. After an introduction on the epidemic and the Initiative, the report summarizes the accomplishments of the Private Forestlands Rehabilitation Program, the Federal Forestlands Rehabilitation Program (First Nations, National Parks, and Other Federal Forestlands components), and the research & development program (including research on ecology, forest economics, socio-economic processes & risk reduction). Finally, the next steps in the land-based and research & development programs are discussed.

Mountain Pine Beetle-killed Trees as Snags in Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Stands

Mountain Pine Beetle-killed Trees as Snags in Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Stands
Author: J. M. Schmid
Publisher:
Total Pages: 8
Release: 2009
Genre: Black Hills National Forest (S.D. and Wyo.)
ISBN:

Mountain pine beetle-killed ponderosa pine trees in three stands of different stocking levels near Bear Mountain in the Black Hills National Forest were surveyed over a 5-year period to determine how long they persisted as unbroken snags. Rate of breakage varied during the first 5 years after MPB infestation: only one tree broke during the first 2 years in the three stands; breakage increased during the third year; the highest percentage of snags broke during the fourth year; and 10% to 14% broke in the fifth year. Cumulatively, snag breakage was 76%, 91%, and 95% in a GSL 80/90, GSL 100/110, and unmanaged stand, respectively. On average, 56% of the snags broke below 25 ft. The rate and height of breakage in mountain pine beetle-killed trees indicates that they are unlikely to persist as suitable snags for more than 5 to 10 years after infestation.