Multiresource Management Of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests

Abstract: Potential production of ponderosa pine in the Southwest is simulated for various combinations of stand density, site index, age, and thinningschedule. Such estimates are needed to project future development of stands managed in different ways.

Ecological Restoration of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests brings together practitioners and thinkers from a variety of fields—including forestry, biology, philosophy, ecology, political science, archaeology, botany, and geography—to synthesize what is known about ecological restoration in ponderosa pine forests and to consider the factors involved in developing and implementing a successful restoration effort. The book examines: • the overall context for restoration—ecological, social, economic, political, and philosophical • how ecosystem processes such as fire, hydrology, and nutrient cycling are affected by restoration activities • treatment effects on specific ecosystem components such as trees, understory plants, animals, and rare or invasive species • the details of implementing restoration projects, including smoke management, the protection of cultural resources, and monitoring Each section is introduced with a case study that demonstrates some of the promise and pitfalls of restoration projects. Ecological Restoration of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests is the second book in the series The Science and Practice of Ecological Restoration from the Society for Ecological Restoration International and Island Press.

Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) is a key deciduous species in southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests and is important for wildlife habitat, soil processes, and human values. This report (1) summarizes Gambel oak's biological characteristics and importance in ponderosa pine forests, (2) synthesizes literature on changes in tree densities and fire frequencies since Euro-American settlement in pine-oak forests, (3) suggests management prescriptions for accomplishing various oak management objectives (for example, increasing diameter growth or acorn production), and (4) provides an appendix containing 203 Gambel oak literature citations organized by subject. Nine studies that reconstructed Gambel oak density changes since settlement in the late 1800s reported that densities of small oaks have escalated, with increases ranging from 4- to more than 63-fold. A possible argument for passive oak management, that overall oak abundance has decreased, is not supported by published research. Manipulating oak growth forms is one of the main means for managing oak and ecosystem components affected by oak. Published research has classified variants of three basic oak growth forms: shrubby thickets of small stems, pole-sized clumps, and large trees. Burning and cutting constitute major prescriptions for manipulating these growth forms, whereas pine thinning has most consistently increased oak diameter growth for promoting large oaks. Because of their high ecological value, large, old oaks should be retained in any management prescription. Sufficient research has been published on which to base some oak management prescriptions, but additional research on poorly understood aspects of oak's ecology is needed to refine and improve oak management.

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is the most widely distributed conifer in North America, and one of the most valuable. Commercial stands of the species are found in all of the 15 States which lie wholly or in part west of the 102d merinian, and in all but one it rank among the most important lumber producers. In the Southwest, ponderosa pine is of particular importance since this one species makes up 88 percent of the standing saw-timber volume in the two States of Arizona and New Mexico.