PA C I F I C
Quarterly
N O R T H W E S T
Forest Inventory
& Analysis
Issue 10 / Summer 2007
Inside:
A Message From
the Program Manager................ 1
Wood Resources Are
Important—Dead or Alive!......2
Employee Profiles.......................5
Recent PNW-FIA
Publications..................................6
Forest Inventory and Analysis
Pacific Northwest Research Station
P.O. Box 3890
Portland, OR 97208-3890
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fia/
A Message From the Program Manager
This year’s field season is well underway with crews in the field from California
to Alaska. In addition to preparing for the field season over the past month or
so, we have also held a successful client meeting in Olympia, Washington (special thanks to Karen Ripley and Walt Obermeyer with Washington Department
of Natural Resources for hosting the meeting). During the meeting, we learned
more about assessment work that the University of Washington is doing and
successfully kicked off the start of the 5-year report process for Washington.
Our analysts and information management folks have been extremely busy
working on a trifecta this year—5-year reports for Oregon and California,
National RPA (Resource Planning Act) reports, and processing the 2006 data
for delivery to the national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) database. The
5-year reports are in the revision stage (thanks to all the great help we received
from our reviewers). Several analysts have been asked to contribute to various
sections of the national RPA report for 2007 on such topics as interior Alaska
forests, forest productivity and health, and Pacific Island forests. Finally, we are
going through the annual compilation and Quality Assurance (QA) process for
our most recent panel of inventory data.
We recently participated in a day-long light-detection and ranging (LIDAR)
seminar sponsored by the Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory featuring Johannes Briedenbach from the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Wuerttemberg
in Germany and our own Demetrios Gatziolis. For those of you who may not
be aware of it, we have two researchers actively working on LIDAR projects in
Oregon and Alaska. Look for more information and results on our LIDAR work
in a coming issue.
Safety continues to be a high priority for us. We just completed a Guide to
Field Work for Office Personnel to help our non-field-going staff be prepared
for and more aware of the safety issues that they will face when in the field. We
also are continuing to look for ways to keep poison oak allergic reactions to a
minimum and, at our request, the Missoula Technology Development Center
recently released a new Tech Tip on Poison Oak—”Outsmarting Poison Ivy
and Its Relatives.” http://fsweb.mtdc.wo.fs.fed.us/php/library_card.php?p_
num=0767%202313.
— Sue Willits, PNW-FIA Program Manager
P A C I F I C
N O R T H W E S T
Forest Inventory & Analysis Quarterly
Wood Resources Are Important—
Dead or Alive!
The Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis
(PNW-FIA) Program collects data on live trees, standing
dead trees, and down woody material from which we
can make estimates of timber volume, biomass, carbon
storage, fuel accumulation, and wildlife habitat. The
recently completed first drafts of the FIA California and
Oregon 5-year reports summarize such data collected by
PNW-FIA between 2001 and 2005 (representing 50 percent of the total 10-year inventory rotation) and provide
a picture of Oregon and California’s wood resources and
associated functions and features.
Timber Volume
Estimations of the land’s capacity to produce wood
products can be made using live tree data. These data
can also be an indicator of forest health characteristics
like productivity, structure, and vigor. The FIA data on timber volume show that in California there are
96 billion net cubic feet of wood volume, with a mean
volume of 2,875 cubic feet per acre. In Oregon, there are
100 billion net cubic feet of wood volume, with a mean
volume of 3,322 cubic feet per acre.
Nearly all timber volume in California is found in the northern two-thirds of the state. In Oregon, most
timber volume is found in the western half of the state.
This distribution is likely due to more favorable climatic
conditions for tree growth that exist in these locations.
Most of the timber volume and most of the large-
diameter trees in both California and Oregon are found
on federal land. Breakdown of landowner and tree-
diameter information is similar between the two states:
California
• 55 percent of land with live tree volume is owned by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
• 18 percent is owned by private nonindustrial landowners.
• 14 percent is owned by private industrial landholders.
• 43 percent of timber volume falls into the 5- to 20.9inches diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) range, with
23 percent in the 37 inches or greater d.b.h. range. Issue 10 / Summer 2007
Oregon
• 56 percent of land with live tree volume is owned by the USFS.
• 31 percent is owned by other federal landowners.
• 15 percent is owned by private industrial landholders.
• 51 percent of timber volume falls into the 5- to 20.9inches d.b.h. range, with 15 percent in the 37 inches or
greater d.b.h range.
The majority (57 percent) of timber volume in California
is composed of softwood species such as Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii), true firs (Abies spp.), ponderosa
pine (Pinus ponderosa), and Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi).
The largest hardwood species group in California is oak
(Quercus spp.), which makes up 11 percent of live timber
volume. In Oregon, the softwood species also make up
the majority of timber volume at 80 percent. The Oregon
softwoods are composed primarily of Douglas-fir, true
fir, ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, and western hemlock
(Tsuga heterophylla). The largest hardwood species group
in Oregon is red alder (Alnus rubra), which represents 3
percent of timber volume state-wide.
Biomass and Carbon
Biomass is calculated as the dry weight of live trees,
snags, and down woody material. Carbon storage is calculated as a percentage of biomass. Biomass builds up
over time as a forest stand moves through the process of
succession. During this process, atmospheric gases and
soil nutrients are incorporated into and stored in woody
tree material.
Using inventory data, we can estimate the amount
and distribution of biomass and thus carbon storage.
These data may also be used to estimate forest productivity and the amount of biomass available for utilization as a sustainable fuel source.
What do the inventory data show us about biomass
and carbon accumulation in California and Oregon?
California
• > 2 billion tons of live tree biomass.
• > 1 billion tons of carbon accumulation.
• Biomass and carbon accumulation found primarily on
USFS land with 24 percent growing in reserved areas.
P A C I F I C
N O R T H W E S T
Forest Inventory & Analysis Quarterly
Standing dead (snag). Photo by Tom Iraci.
Stand of live trees with down wood on forest floor. Photos by Don Gedney.
Issue 10 / Summer 2007
Down dead (log). Photo by Glenn Christensen.
P A C I F I C
N O R T H W E S T
Forest Inventory & Analysis Quarterly
• The largest species group in the hardwood forest
types was the western oaks with most hardwood trees
falling into the smaller than 21-inches d.b.h. diameter
class.
• 82 percent of softwood carbon storage is found in live
trees with 10 percent found in down woody material
and 8 percent in snags.
• Total biomass estimated at 79 tons per acre. Carbon
mass estimated at 40 tons per acre.
• Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest type came in
first for carbon storage with an average of 150 tons
per acre.
Oregon
• > 2 billion tons of live tree biomass.
• > 1 billion tons of carbon accumulation.
• Biomass and carbon accumulation found primarily on
USFS land with 80 percent growing on unreserved productive timber land and 11 percent in reserved areas.
• 10 times more biomass and carbon storage are found
in softwood forest types than in hardwood forest
types. Most of this is composed of Douglas-fir larger
than 21-inches d.b.h.
• Biomass and carbon storage in hardwood forest types
is found mostly in red alder and maple (Acer spp.) in
the 7- to 13-inches diameter class.
• 78 percent of softwood carbon storage is found in live
trees with 15 percent found in down woody material
and 7 percent in snags.
• Total biomass estimated at 86 tons per acre. Carbon
mass estimated at 45 tons per acre.
• Western hemlock/Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) forest
type had more than two times the state average of
biomass at > 177 tons per acre.
The ability to make these types of estimations helps
to fulfill Criterion 5, which, as defined in the Montreal
Process (U.S. Forest Service 1997), “calls for biomass and
carbon estimates to be used as indicators to assess the
role of forests in global carbon cycles.” With the development of global carbon credit markets, the presence of
actively growing forests can be utilized as an offset to
carbon production in urban and industrial areas.
Dead Wood
Dead wood, composed of standing snags and down
wood, plays an important role in our forest ecosystems.
Issue 10 / Summer 2007
Some of the aspects of this role include (1) improving
wildlife habitat, (2) enhancing soil fertility through
moisture retention and nutrient cycling, (3) adding to
fuel loading, (4) providing a substrate for fungi and
invertebrates, and (5) providing a defining element for
old-growth forest types. The role must be a balanced
one—too much dead wood can create a fire hazard,
while too little will impair habitat quality.
There are several factors that affect the amount of
dead wood occurring in a forest system. These include
environmental gradients, successional stage and species composition of the stand, management activities,
and geographic location.
The FIA data on down wood in California were collected from 3,500 field plots located across the state. In
Oregon, 2,600 field plots were sampled across the state.
From these data, the following estimates were made.
California
• There are 543 million tons of dead wood, two-thirds
of which is down wood.
• There are an estimated 5 billion down logs and 430
million snags.
• 97 million tons of carbon are stored in snags and 182
million tons are stored in down wood.
• Large-diameter logs (defined as > 20 inches) contributed most to mean volume and biomass with a mean
density of six logs per acre.
• Snags occurred at a mean density of 13 trees per acre.
Eighty-eight percent of the snag density was in trees
< 20 inches in diameter.
Oregon
• There are 709 million tons of dead wood with 74
percent composed of down wood.
• There are an estimated 7 billion down logs and 500
million snags.
• 95 million tons of carbon are stored in snags, and 272
million tons are stored in down wood.
• Large-diameter logs contributed most to mean volume and biomass with a mean density of 11 logs per
acre.
• Snags occurred at a mean density of 19 trees per acre.
Ninety percent of the snag density was in trees < 20
inches in diameter.
P A C I F I C
N O R T H W E S T
Forest Inventory & Analysis Quarterly
The presence and distribution of large-diameter logs
and snags are important factors in evaluating ecological
forest characteristics. Wildlife species that use dead wood
for vital nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat generally
prefer large-diameter logs and snags. The amount of dead
wood and mean density of large-diameter logs and snags
increases with stand age. Although the amount of large-
diameter logs across both states looks favorable, the presence of large-diameter snags is small. Wildlife biologists
may want to monitor species that depend on these large-
diameter snags and logs, working with land managers to
plan for adequate forest habitat.
For more information see:
Christensen, G.A.; Campbell, S.; Fried, J., tech. cords.
[N.d.]. California’s forest resources: Forest Inventory and
Analysis, 2001-2005. Manuscript in preparation. On file
with: Glenn Christensen, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 620
SW Main St., Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205.
Donnegan, J.A.; Campbell, S.; Azuma, D., tech. cords.
[N.d.]. Oregon’s forest resources: Forest Inventory and
Analysis, 2001-2005. Manuscript in preparation. On file
with: Joe Donnegan, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 620
SW Main St., Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1997.
USDA Forest Service First Approximation Report for Sustainable Forest Management: Report of the United
States on the Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable
Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests, June 1994.
Washington, DC.
Issue 10 / Summer 2007
Employee Profiles
In each issue of our newsletter we profile some of our employees and their roles and responsibilities in the PNW-FIA
Program. In this issue we profile Glenn Christensen who
authored the “Volume” chapters of the 5-year reports and
Karen Waddell, the author of the “Biomass and Carbon” and
“Dead Wood” chapters.
Meet Glenn Christensen
After receiving his M.S. in forest resources from Oregon State University, Glenn
joined the PNW Research Station as a research forester in 1997. He worked with
the Social and Economic Values Program
on silvicultural modeling and wood quality issues for 5 years before joining the FIA Program, working first with the Environmental Analysis and Research team
(2002), then the Inventory Reporting and Mapping (IRAM)
team in 2003 as an inventory analyst. His current areas of
focus for the IRAM team involve performing QA checks on
collected and compiled data for uploading to the national FIA
online databases, and working as a co-analyst on data collected for California. He is a contributing author on the 5-year
reports for California and Oregon. Glenn is also working on
developing QA software tools for the national FIA Program.
In his free time, he enjoys golfing, cooking, and spending time
with his two daughters. He is also an avid Beavers fan.
Meet Karen Waddell
Karen is an analyst for the PNW-FIA
IRAM team in Portland. She received a
B.S. in forest science and B.A. in biology
from Humboldt State University in Arcata,
California, and an M.S. in Forest Science
from Oregon State University (OSU). Before joining the FIA Program in 1985, Karen worked at OSU
and at the research division of Crown Zellerbach, where she
refined her database skills. She was hired by FIA to develop
and manage the first national forest inventory database for
the 1987 RPA assessment. After that, she moved into a research forester position for many years and now is an analyst and technology transfer specialist for the program. Karen
has a special interest in dead wood, and has analyzed and
published information on snags and down wood in western
forests. She served as the national Forest Health Indicator
Advisor for down woody materials, and helped revise and
implement sampling protocols on FIA plots nationwide. In
her free time, Karen enjoys woodworking, hiking, backpacking, birdwatching, insect collecting, playing with her Siberian
huskies, and building things on her 2-acre property.
Gray, A.N.; Fried, J.S.; Christensen, G.; Potts, L. 2006. Timber resource statistics for forest land in eastern Washington,
January 2002. Resour. Bull. PNW-RB-251. Portland, OR: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
Research Station. 46 p.
Rudis, V.A.; Gray A.; McWilliams, W.; O’Brien, R.; Olson, C.;
Oswalt, S.; Schulz, B. 2005. Regional monitoring of non-
native plant invasions with the Forest Inventory and Analysis
Program. In: McRoberts, R.E.; Reams, G.A.; Van Duesen, P.C.
[and others], eds. Proceedings of the 6th annual Forest Inventory and Analysis symposium. Tech. Rep. WO-70. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 126 p.
News for Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis
Clients, Employees, and Retirees
Please visit our Web page at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fia/
Published by the
Pacific Northwest Research Station
P.O. Box 3890
Portland, OR 97208-3890
Sally Campbell, Managing Editor
scampbell01@fs.fed.us
(503) 808-2034
Adrianna Sutton, Writer, Layout
asutton@fs.fed.us
(503) 808-2106
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PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Donnegan, J.A. 2007. Detection monitoring—analysis and
interpretation of forest health data in the U.S. In: Proceedings
of the international symposium on forest health monitoring.
Seoul, Korea: Korea Forest Conservation Movement: 117–152.
Forest
Service
Quarterly
Donnegan, J.A.; Rengalbci, K. 2005. Global Forest Resources
Assessment 2005; Palau Country Report 046. Rome, Italy:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 24 p.
United States
Department
of Agriculture
Forest Inventory
& Analysis
Andersen, H.-E.; McGaughey, R. J.; Reutebuch, S.E. 2006. A rigorous assessment of tree height measurements obtained
using airborne lidar and conventional field methods. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 32(5): 355–366.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Pacific Northwest Research Station
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
620 SW Main, Suite 400
P.O. Box 3890
Portland, OR 97208-3890
Recent PNW-FIA Publications