Advanced Search Results Detail

Project ID: 01-3-1-05

Year: 2001

Date Started: 09/19/2001

Date Completed: 11/19/2004

Title: Demonstrating the Ecological Effects of Mechanical Thinning and Prescribed Fire on Mixed-Conifer Forests

Project Proposal Abstract: A critical question in western forests is how to effectively use disturbance to restore forest ecosystems after nearly a century of fire suppression. With increases in stem densities and ladder fuels many forests require a combination of thinning and prescribed fire to produce a stand structure tha.t mimics conditions under histonc fire regimes. In spite of their widespread use, research contrasting the effects of fire and thinning on forests has only recently been initiated with the fire sulTogate study. The Teakettle Experiment is designed to compliment the fire surrogate study focusing on how finer- scale fundamental ecological processes are impacted by fire and thinning, and the cascading effects these changes have on forest health and ecosystem integrity; The Teakettle Experiment uses small plots (4 ha) and coordinated, intensive sampling in a replicated, full-factorial design (including controls) to intensively analyze how core ecological pi.ocesses (i.e. microclimate, nutrent cycling, regeneration, decomposition etc.) respond to two levels of thinning crossed with prescribed fire. Access, site integrity, and on-site interpretation are insured because the experiment has been established in a USFS gated Experimental Forest in collaboration with the Sierra National Forest and their public relations personnel. As a demonstration site (RFP 200 1-3, Task 1), Teakettle's robust design and coordinated research can provide an in-depth, interdisciplinary understanding of the fundamental ecological processes altered by contrasting fflel reduction treatments and their cascading effects on forest ecosystems.

Principal Investigator: Malcolm P. North

Agency/Organization: Forest Service

Branch or Dept: PSW-Sierra Nevada Research Center

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	Nathan M. Williamson	NPS-National Park Service	Rocky Mountain National Park
Federal Cooperator	Malcolm P. North	Forest Service	PSW-Sierra Nevada Research Center

Project Locations

Consortium

California

There are no project locations identified for this project.

Project Deliverables

Final Report ("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

There are no deliverables available for this project.

Supporting Documents

The following supporting documents are available for this project.

Brief

Convert PDF documents to an html document using Adobe's online conversion tool.