PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #67: Conservation Ecology.
Friday, August 9. Presentation from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Thinning to induce spatial heterogeneity: One step towards providing multiple values in managed stands.

Aukema, Juliann^*,1,2, Carey, Andrew¹, Wilson, Todd¹, ¹ Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Olympia, WA² jaukema@fs.fed.us

ABSTRACT- Ancient forests have become prominent in conservation issues in North America, in part because of their value as habitat for threatened species and reservoirs of biodiversity. In the Pacific Northwest, the northern spotted owl has become a symbol of the conflict between conservation values and economic values associated with old-growth Douglas fir forests. Today, early successional forests make up nearly half of Federal forested lands in Washington State. The Forest Ecosystem Study was designed to test the feasibility of accelerating forest processes in second-growth Douglas fir forests to mimic the structure, biological diversity, and ecological function of old-growth forests while continuing to provide wood and other forest products. Using a complete randomized block design, variable density thinning (VDT) treatments were applied to two second-growth Douglas fir forests with different management histories, in Washington. Abundance and diversity of arboreal and forest-floor small mammals, fungi, understory vegetation, arthropods, and resident birds were assessed. Both VDT and management history were important factors in abundance, diversity and community structure of these organisms. Variable density thinning in conjunction with other conservation measures may accelerate biocomplexity in second-growth forests and holds promise for providing a full range of ecological services and economic goods.

KEY WORDS: biodiversity, variable density thinning, forest management, douglas fir