USDA
FOREST
SERVICE
RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
Priest River Experimental
PriestForest,
River Experimental
Idaho
Forest, Idaho
In This Issue
Forests and Ranges
A Strategic Vision for the
Future of Experimental
Forests ....................................... 1
Priest River Experimental
Forest Centennial .................. 3
Research on Climate
Impacts to Forests Began
Early at Fort Valley
Experimental Forest .............. 4
Olympic Experimental State
Forest: A New Network
Member Offers Many
Research Opportunities ...... 5
Rick Fletcher
Kawishiwi Field Lab
Designated a National
Historic District ..................... 6
Forest Service Research and
Development Deputy Chief
Jim Reaves while attending
the Priest River Experimental
Forest centennial celebration.
Volume 2, Issue 1
O
Quarterly Newsletter of the EFR Network
A Strategic Vision for the Future of Experimental Forests
ver the last year, an extensive
effort has been made to build a
strategic vision for the future of our
experimental forests and ranges
(EFRs). We are close to completing
this thorough examination, which
considers the following questions:
• Why are EFRs important?
• What are our EFR assets?
• What sort of investment will be
required to pursue alternative
options; what are our choices?
• What scientific goals can be
realized using individual sites or
a network of sites?
• What are the options for the future
and what does each offer?
The report that will emerge from
this long-range evaluation of opportunities and challenges for our EFR
network is long overdue. It will be
presented in a format aimed at providing Forest Service decisionmakers with
the background information needed
We live in an ever changing
world with new natural
resource problems arising
that have unprecedented
geographic scope.
to support upcoming decisions. This
information leads to provision of an
array of paths or options that could be
chosen for the future of the EFR network. Each path carries with it different
opportunities and associated required
investments; the six options presented
offer a full spectrum of choices.
Our portfolio of 80 EFRs has produced a remarkable collection of
Winter 2012
by Peter Stine
research findings over the last 100
years. However, we live in an ever
changing world with new natural
resource problems arising that have
unprecedented geographic scope and
potential environmental consequences.
Society needs the information that can
be derived from a well-coordinated
and distributed network of field experimentation sites, represented by our
EFR network. This exceptional array
of research facilities offers virtually
unmatched opportunities that would
require an impossibly large investment
to create from scratch today. In collaboration with science and management
partners, Forest Service Research and
Development is in position to place a
measure of emphasis on this asset and
(continued on next page)
project it toward significant achievements in coming years and decades.
The scientific community is now
recognizing the importance of the
kinds of benefits that the EFR network potentially provides. There was
a recent call for establishing a platform for research on sustainability of
agricultural systems, using a network
of 23 experimental watersheds and
ranges that collect long-term data on
agricultural sustainability and other
contemporary resource management
issues. The Organization of Biological
Field Stations, with over 300 members, recently held a workshop on
the value of and opportunity for
networking this ecologically diverse
array of facilities. The Long-Term
Ecological Research sites have
attempted to organize as a network,
and, most recently, the National
Ecological Observatory Network was
established, creating a network of 20
intensive field data collection sites.
All these initiatives are attempting to
This map, which shows the distribution of the 80 experimental forests and ranges (EFRs) within the Bailey Ecoregion
couple the emerging information
Divisions found in the United States, illustrates the fairly robust representation of EFRs throughout the forested and
needs that expand upon traditional
rangeland ecological domains across the country.
spatial and temporal scales. We
The pending report contains an executive
already have such a resource, and there is a
pages of background information are included
summary with recommendations to the Forest
niche for the EFR network among these other
in an appendix that will be published in the
Service Research Executive Team. More than 100
emerging initiatives.
near future as a general technical report. 3
Winter 2012
Quarterly Newsletter of the EFR Network
Robert Bailey, Rocky Mountain Research Station
(from page 1)
Page 2
F eatured E x perimental A rea
Rick Fletcher
Priest River Experimental
Forest Centennial
by Todd Mowrer
T
he Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Priest
River Experimental Forest (PREF) held its
100 th anniversary celebration on October 6–8,
2011. Located on the Idaho Panhandle National
Forest, 13 miles northeast of Priest River, Idaho,
the 6,368-acre site was designated in 1911
because it contained the major forest types in
the Northern Rocky Mountains, including an
abundance of western white pine. About twothirds of the experimental forest is currently
covered by forests that are more than 120 years
old. The forest boasts unbroken strings of daily
weather records dating from 1911 and snow surveys and streamflow records since 1937. Records
and studies on growth of forest stands go back
to 1912. In 1922, the Forest Service moved the
Northern Rocky Mountain Forest Experiment
Station headquarters to Missoula; since then
Priest River has served as an experimental forest.
Also in 1922, Harry Gisborne began his long and
distinguished career in fire research. Gisborne
initiated studies of fire weather and its variability
over aspect, slope, and elevation. He developed
the fire danger rating system in use today, created shirt-pocket calculators to determine the
level of fire danger, and helped develop the recommendations for effective fire control organization and development of fire equipment.
Activities for the centennial celebration began
Winter 2012
Pete Robichaud (right) gives an overview of Priest River EF’s 100-year collection of weather records.
Thursday morning with bus tours of experimental
sites on the forest. In the afternoon, there was
an opening ceremony and welcome by invited
speakers including Research and Development
Deputy Chief Jim Reaves; Idaho Panhandle
National Forest Acting Forest Supervisor Maggie
Pittman; Idaho State Senator Shawn Keough;
and Kurt Pregitzer, Dean of the University of
Idaho College of Natural Resources. Throughout
Friday and on Saturday morning, the centennial
presented a living history of research conducted
at PREF in three chronological segments: 1911
to 1944, 1945 to 1975, and 1976 to 2011. Each
morning or afternoon session began with an
introduction reviewing the chronological period,
followed by a series of demonstrations illustrating
the research and subsequent impact on science
and management. Four research focus areas were
covered in each chronological segment including
Quarterly Newsletter of the EFR Network
fire; forest genetics and disease; vegetation
management, growth, and development
(including soil processes); and forest watersheds.
Information and demonstrations were
presented on each of these themes, and were
supplemented by available walking tours of
relevant sites within the headquarters area
and driving tours of the forest. At the end of
the day on Thursday and Friday there was a
no-host social hour, followed by dinner and
entertainment by local musicians. On Saturday
afternoon, a public open house encouraged
local residents to tour buildings and features
of the headquarters site, and a portion of the
research focus-area demonstrations were also
repeated.
Visit the PREF Web site for further information
at http://forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu/ef/pref/
index.php. 3
Page 3
F E AT U R E D R E S E A R C H
Research on Climate Impacts
to Forests Began Early at
Fort Valley Experimental Forest
by Brian W. Geils and Susan D. Olberding
E
ven before Arizona was a state, government scientists walked and rode across
its broad, open landscapes from nearly sea
level to over 12,000 feet of elevation, observing its diverse vegetation and climate. In 1889,
biologist C. Hart Merriam traversed northern
Arizona and found six of the seven world life
zones he would later describe by latitude and
elevation. The existence of such varied life
zones across such a short distance and a few
hundred feet of elevation change fascinated
scientists. One particular life zone interested
foresters and loggers. Extensive stands of
western yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) grew
at montane elevations from west of Flagstaff,
Arizona, eastward into New Mexico. One of the
foresters to visit the region in the 1890s was
Gifford Pinchot who would later become the
first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service.
By turn of the century, a thriving timber
industry was rapidly harvesting the large oldgrowth yellow pine, but few second-growth
trees were establishing to replace the original
veteran ponderosa pine. In 1903, Flagstaff
lumberman T.A. Riordan asked Pinchot to
investigate the conditions necessary for pine
Winter 2012
to regenerate and thereby sustain a commercial timber supply. Pinchot sent Raphael
Zon, his Chief of Silvics, to the Flagstaff area to
locate a site for the agency’s first experimental station. The chosen site was Fort Valley, at
the base of the San Francisco Peaks and near
Merriam’s former camp. Research began in
August 1908 with a single scientist, Gustaf A.
Pearson, a new graduate in plant physiology
from Nebraska with a growing passion for
ponderosa pine.
From the previous work by Merriam and
others, Zon and Pearson knew that climate
moderated by temperature and moisture
changes with elevation determined where
different kinds of trees could reproduce and
survive. Pearson immediately began studies on
the regeneration requirements of ponderosa
The Engelmann spruce station included a shelter
cabin. Also shown is a fenced plot to evaluate the
performance of forest tree species planted at each
of the elevational stations.
Quarterly Newsletter of the EFR Network
pine and correlation of forest type with
climate. He set up weather stations in open
parks and under forest canopies in montane,
mixed-conifer, and subalpine zones. He
established tree nurseries and plantations to
observe the germination, sprouting, growth,
and survival or loss of ponderosa pine from
local and distant seed sources. He used the
available climatic gradient of the San Francisco
Peaks to conduct some of the first reciprocal
transplant experiments (“common garden
studies”) to investigate the interactions of
environment and genetics in forest trees.
After a decade of study, Pearson and the
other scientists at Fort Valley Experimental
Forest came to understand the episodic
nature of ponderosa pine regeneration and
the effects of climate and weather (along with
various biotic factors) on pine establishment,
early survival, and growth. Today we have 100
years of meteorological observations and even
some survivors of the early genetic transplant
studies. Although modern molecular techniques provide more information on a tree’s
genetic potential (genotype), field trials
that are just more sophisticated versions of
what Pearson installed are still necessary
to determine how climate change affects
ponderosa pine fitness at a given site.
For more information, visit http://www.
rmrs.nau.edu/fortvalley/. 3
Page 4
Olympic Experimental State Forest:
A New Network Member Offers
Many Research Opportunities
by Teodora Minkova,
Washington Department of Natural Resources
I
Robert Van Pelt
n 2009, Olympic Experimental State Forest
(OESF) joined the experimental forest and
range network as a “Cooperating Experimental
Forest.” It encompasses 270,000 acres (110 000
hectares) of state trust lands on the Olympic
Peninsula of Washington State that are commercially managed for both timber production and conservation. Its large size, active
management mandate, ecological conditions,
and mission for experimentation and adaptive
management make this new member of the
EFR network a forest that offers many opportunities for research and monitoring.
Old-growth stand in the Olympic Experimental
State Forest.
Winter 2012
State trust lands in the OESF are managed
by the Washington Department of Natural
Resources (Washington DNR) to achieve a
sustainable timber harvest level that earns
revenue for designated state and county
institutions. Guided by the 1997 Habitat Conservation Plan, conservation strategies for the
forest focus on restoration and maintenance
of habitats that support salmonids, the northern spotted owl, and marbled murrelets. The
habitat conservation strategies for the OESF
are based on an experimental concept of an
“unzoned forest”—that is, a landscape without
specific areas deferred from timber management. The OESF was designated to test innovative approaches to integrate conservation
and commodity production at the stand level
by exploring innovative silvicultural techniques and at the landscape level by exploring various spatial configurations of upland
habitat and riparian buffers.
The OESF is located in the Coast Range
Ecoregion, which is characterized by a
maritime climate. The abundant precipitation
averages 140 inches per year. Strong winds
from the Pacific Ocean are the major natural
disturbance force. Steep erodible terrain and
heavy annual precipitation promote high
stream densities. Most streams have the
potential for unstable channel banks and
upslope slides. The area is characterized by
a very high rate of tree growth. Old-growth
forests that once dominated the landscape
still grow on some state trust lands in the
OESF, as well as in the adjacent Olympic
National Park and Olympic National Forest.
Riparian areas and streams in the OESF provide
habitat for a variety of species, including nine
resident or anadromous salmonid species.
Silviculture and fish research has been
conducted in the OESF since the 1970s. Since
1990, research has expanded to include forest
and wildlife ecology, geology, and riparian
management.
(continued on page 6)
Quarterly Newsletter of the EFR Network
Page 5
Frank Vanni
PA R T N E R H I G H L I G H T S
PA R T N E R H I G H L I G H T S
Olympic Experimental State Forest (from page 4)
More recently, emerging topics
of interest include biomass utilization, carbon sequestration, and forest adaptation to climate change.
Long-term climate and hydrological data and metadata from OESF
are being used in nationwide-scale
EFRN syntheses and are publicly
available on the ClimDB/HydroDB
Web harvester (http://www.fsl.orst.
edu/climhy/hydrodb/).
Washington DNR currently is
developing a long-term landscape
management plan for the OESF.
The plan identifies specific manExperimental installation to test long-term ecosystem productivity.
agement issues arising from the
integration of conservation and commodity production, and prioriThe U.S. Department of Agriculture
tizes key uncertainties. This approach creates focus and context for
(USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its
programs and activities on the basis of
research and monitoring that respond to specific pressing managerace, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital
ment needs. Washington DNR seeks research partners who address
status, familial status, parental status,
religion, sexual orientation, genetic
these needs, and also is willing to accommodate research on other
information, political beliefs, reprisal,
topics if they are compatible with forest operations. In addition to
or because all or part of an individual’s
income is derived from any public asthe potential for experimentation at multiple spatial scales, the OESF
sistance program. (Not all prohibited
bases apply to all programs.) Persons
also offers extensive, regularly updated, and nonproprietary data
with disabilities who require alternative
means for communication of program
sets, a well maintained road system, professional staff experienced
information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s
in various aspects of natural resource management, and proximity
TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice
to federal lands currently not actively managed to serve as reference
and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Ofsites or experimental controls.
fice of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250For more information, contact Teodora Minkova (teodora.
9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or
(202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal
minkova@dnr.wa.gov) or visit http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Researchopportunity provider and employer.
Science/Topics/TrustLandsHCP/Pages/lm_hcp_oesf_main.aspx. 3
Winter 2012
Quarterly Newsletter of the EFR Network
NEWs
Kawishiwi Field Lab Designated
a National Historic District
T
by Jane Hodgins
he National Register of Historic Places has
designated the Northern Research Station’s Kawishiwi Field Laboratory as a historic
district. Located within the Superior National
Forest near Ely, Minnesota, the facility’s rustic
architecture and association with the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) were cited by the
National Register in making the designation.
Several of the site’s 12 buildings were built by
the CCC in the 1930s. Nominating the site for
historic designation was part of the Northern
Research Station’s ongoing effort to find a
new career for the Kawishiwi Lab, which has
not been used for Forest Service research
since 1987 but has been a base for wildlife
research by other agencies. Designation as a
historic district may make the Kawishiwi Lab
eligible for grants that will assist the station’s
primary partner, the Duluth, Minnesota–based
Northern Bedrock Conservation Corps, with
re-use and restoration of the site. 3
United States
Department of Agriculture
Forest
Service
Experimental Forests and Ranges is published quarterly
by USDA Forest Service Research and Development
Peter A. Stine, managing editor, 530-752-9991
pstine@fs.fed.us
Keith D. Routman, editing and design, 503-808-2129
kroutman@fs.fed.us
Page 6