PARENT SESSION
Special Session - Applying landscape ecology in forests of the northern Great Lakes region Chair(s): Saunders, Sari¹, ¹ Michigan Technical University, Houghton, MI
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 1:00 PM - 5:20 PM Apollo Room 2

The Great Lakes Region has been a focal area for landscape ecological research during the past decade. Landscape ecologists have studied the patterns of ecological processes, such as carbon flux, decomposition, and natural disturbance regimes; and compositional or structural features, such as the diversity of fauna and flora. The interrelationships among these variables have been examined within focal ecosystems at the landscape level and over the mosaic of multiple ecosystems at a regional level. Both retrospective work and predictive modeling of management impacts have been undertaken on a variety of landscape ecosystems. In our symposium, we anticipate synthesizing the major discoveries of several active research groups to assess how this research (1) enhances understanding of the functioning of managed landscapes; and (2) guides management and policy actions that strive to meet multiple goals for restoration, conservation, recreation, and resource extraction. The symposium will highlight both the limitations and successes of this research to knowledge and management of these intensely modified landscapes. We hope that lessons learned from these groups will also be explored by the general landscape ecology community to promote the development of the science and its applications.

Applying landscape ecology to national forest management: landscape design on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. ^*PARKER, LINDA R. and ST. PIERRE, MATTHEW , ¹ Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Park Falls, WI, USA

ABSTRACT- Most often, landscape pattern is created unintentionally; the cumulative result of dozens of independent decisions made at smaller scales. National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans) provide an opportunity to re-design landscape pattern. The conservation approach used by the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (Wisconsin) in the development of a Draft Forest Plan will result in a landscape design that incorporates a number of principles of conservation biology and landscape ecology. The approach has three major components. First, a network of mid-scale ecological reference areas protects high-quality natural areas and includes the full-range of the Forest's terrestrial ecosystems. Second, Alternative Management Areas restore characteristic landscape pattern through silvicultural practices that are modeled after natural processes. Third, management of the matrix includes efforts that restore or maintain fine-scaled habitat features. The draft Forest Plan incorporates this strategy through land allocations and management standards and guidelines. The net result is multi-scale system of land protection and restoration that, in concert with traditional forest management, increases the sustainability of ecological systems across the Forest.

KEY WORDS: chequamegon-nicolet, landscape design, landscape pattern, ecological reference areas, alternative management areas