F. Fleischman, Cory L. Struthers, Gwen Arnold, M. Dockry, Tyler A. Scott
{"title":"The National Environmental Policy Act and the USDA Forest Service: Where We Agree, Where We Disagree, and Why","authors":"F. Fleischman, Cory L. Struthers, Gwen Arnold, M. Dockry, Tyler A. Scott","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab076","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this article, we respond to a critique of our earlier work examining the USDA Forest Service’s (USFS’s) planning processes. We appreciate that our critics introduce new data to the discussion of USFS planning. Further data integration is a promising path to developing a deeper understanding of agency activities. Our critics’ analysis largely supports our original claims. Our most important difference is in our conceptualization of the planning process’s relationship to agency goals. Although our critics conceive of the USFS’s legally prescribed planning processes as a barrier to land management activities, we believe that public comment periods, scientific analysis, and land management activities are tools the agency uses to achieve its goals of managing land in the public interest.\u0000 Study Implications: The USDA Forest Service’s current planning process has been critiqued as a barrier to accomplishing land management activities, but it is also an important tool for insuring science-based management and understanding public values and interests that the agency is legally bound to uphold.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"15 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72619223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cultivating Collaborative Resilience to Social and Ecological Change: An Assessment of Adaptive Capacity, Actions, and Barriers Among Collaborative Forest Restoration Groups in the United States","authors":"Tyler A Beeton, A. Cheng, Melanie M. Colavito","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab064","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Collaboration is increasingly emphasized as a tool to realize national-level policy goals in public lands management. Yet, collaborative governance regimes (CGRs) are nested within traditional bureaucracies and are affected by internal and external disruptions. The extent to which CGRs adapt and remain resilient to these disruptions remains under-explored. Here, we distill insights from an assessment of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) projects and other CGRs. We asked (1) how do CGRs adapt to disruptions? and (2) what barriers constrained CGR resilience? Our analysis is informed by a synthesis of the literature, case examples and exemplars from focus groups, and a national CFLRP survey. CGRs demonstrated the ability to mobilize social capital, learning, resources, and flexibility to respond to disruptions. Yet authority, accountability, and capacity complicated collaborative resilience. We conclude with policy and practice recommendations to cultivate collaborative resilience moving forward.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Collaborative approaches between public lands management agencies and nongovernment organizations have become common in forest restoration. Yet collaborative progress may be affected by turnover, wildfire disturbances, or legal or policy changes. We assessed how forest collaboratives in the United States adapted to changes that affected their performance and documented the factors that constrained response. We found that forest collaboratives developed myriad strategies to adapt to these changes, although limited authority, capacity, and accountability constrain adaptation options. We offer policy and practice recommendations to overcome these constraints, increase adaptation options, and enhance the sustainability of forest collaboratives.\u0000","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"145 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75953159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Planning and Professional Assistance as Factors Influencing Private Forest Landowner Best Management Practice Implementation","authors":"David C. Wilson, M. Kilgore, S. Snyder","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab073","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Virtually all states have developed best management practices (BMPs) to mitigate potential adverse effects associated with timber harvesting. This study examined how BMP implementation on Minnesota’s family forest lands varied according to whether the land had a forest management plan, the timber sale was administered by a forester, or a written timber harvesting contract was used. Analysis of field monitoring data from 174 commercial timber harvesting sites on family forest lands found that BMP implementation is only modestly influenced by a forest management plan, supervising forester, or timber harvesting contract. Supervision of a forester had the greatest influence, with six guidelines implemented differently. In contrast, differences were found for just two BMPs with a forest management plan and only one with a written timber harvesting contract. When timber sales were administered by a forester, forest management guidelines generally related to management of the land-water interface were implemented to a higher standard, with significant increases observed for avoidance of infrastructure in filter strips, use of water diversion and erosion control structures, avoiding unnecessary wetland and waterbody crossings, and slash management. Higher timber utilization efficiency (within leave tree guidelines) was also found when a professional forester supervised the timber sale.\u0000 Study Implications: We examine how BMP implementation on family forest lands varies with three types of supervisory and planning assistance: a forest management plan for the property, sale administration by a professional forester, and a written timber harvesting contract. Field monitoring data from 174 commercial timber harvests on family forest lands indicate that BMP implementation is only modestly influenced by any single form of assistance. Supervision by a forester had the greatest influence, increasing use of four guidelines related to management of the land-water interface. Results may help to inform best practices for landowner assistance and planning.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86614393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Relationship Between Riparian Buffers and Terrestrial Wildlife in the Eastern United States","authors":"A. Larsen-Gray, C. Loehle","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab067","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 When working forest stands are harvested, vegetated strips along streams are often retained as part of forestry best management practices (BMPs) to protect water quality. These riparian buffers, known as streamside management zones, when following forestry BMP recommendations, also likely provide benefits to various terrestrial wildlife species. To better understand the role of riparian buffers in contributing to biological diversity in working forest landscapes, we reviewed literature (n = 30) that reported on herpetofauna, bird, and mammal responses to riparian buffers in the eastern United States. Although few results were consistent among taxa, community composition commonly varied among riparian buffer widths. Narrower riparian buffers more commonly supported edge and disturbance-associated species whereas wider riparian buffers tended to support interior-associated species. We did not find a consistent width that supported all terrestrial wildlife species studied.\u0000 Study Implications: Based on our findings, it may be most efficacious to use varying riparian buffer widths across a landscape to provide structural conditions for a diversity of wildlife species. Some interior species may be best conserved on older managed stands or other retained areas in the landscape rather than riparian buffers. Landscape context and functionality of riparian buffers as movement corridors need to be further investigated, as this is an assumed but not quantified indirect benefit for various terrestrial wildlife species and perhaps especially important for species with low vagility or low dispersal ability that require older forest or riparian areas.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84349997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robert Lane Moser, E. Sagor, M. Russell, M. Windmuller-Campione
{"title":"The Great Lakes Silviculture Library: Insights into a Case Study Platform","authors":"Robert Lane Moser, E. Sagor, M. Russell, M. Windmuller-Campione","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab062","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Innovation and knowledge exchange are critical to foster adaptive management and continual learning. Across the spectrum of knowledge exchange, ranging from peer-reviewed research to anecdotes, there is a largely untapped middle ground: real-world silvicultural case studies implemented and documented by foresters. The University of Minnesota Great Lakes Silviculture Library is a novel, freely available platform designed to enable foresters to exchange these case studies. Five years after its launch, we conducted focus groups with foresters from Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA, and Ontario, Canada, to explore the platform’s usage and value. Participants valued having access to examples of silvicultural treatments and their outcomes that they could easily digest, apply, and share. They gained new knowledge from management across administrative boundaries. They also appreciated the consistent, relatable case study format. However, participants noted that limited time was the primary barrier to wider authorship and readership. The Library enables information exchange across agencies and disciplines within natural resources, giving greater voice to practicing foresters and supplementing other sources of forestry knowledge.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 In our experience, foresters have always valued opportunities to exchange ideas and anecdotes about silvicultural treatments. Case studies represent one way for foresters to communicate with each other and continue to learn by seeing a variety of silvicultural prescriptions implemented on the landscape. Documenting treatments and the supporting reasoning allows foresters to share lessons learned over the course of their career with others across administrative boundaries. Normalizing this documentation can create a positive feedback loop for a case study platform in which further case study submissions lead to increased visibility, use, and perceived value of the platform. As the case study platform becomes more relevant to foresters, the forestry profession as a whole benefits from the long-term documentation of an increasingly diverse array of treatments.\u0000","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73171254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Tappeiner, D. Adams, Claire A. Montgomery, D. Maguire
{"title":"Growth of Managed Older Douglas-fir Stands: Implications of the Black Rock Thinning Trial in the Coast Range of Western Oregon","authors":"J. Tappeiner, D. Adams, Claire A. Montgomery, D. Maguire","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab063","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The most recent remeasurement of growth (at approximate total stand age 100 years) from the Black Rock Thinning Trial in western Oregon provides useful information for forest owners interested in accelerating restoration of older forest characteristics in Douglas-fir stands of the Pacific Northwest. Thinnings at several intensities at total stand age of roughly 50 years effectively reset stand growth patterns. With quadratic mean diameters in thinned plots up to 40% higher than those of unthinned controls, thinned plot mean annual increments (MAIs) and periodic annual increments continue to rise 55 years after thinning, with the peak in board foot and cubic foot MAI apparently still decades in the future. Assuming repeatable future thinning responses similar to the Black Rock Trial, financial analysis of the opportunity costs of extending rotations to 100 years indicates that some thinning treatments can reduce opportunity costs by up to half at a 6% discount rate.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Active management through thinning may be a useful tool for public and private landowners interested in rapid development of stands with older forest characteristics to enhance output of some ecosystem services. Heavy thinning regimes, of the type described here, are compatible with growing trees with large diameter stems, large branches, and large crowns. They also reduce fuel accumulation by lowering mortality rates of stems less than 60 years old and slowing the rate of crown recession, branch mortality, and branch litterfall. Midrotation thinning revenues reduce opportunity costs of holding more rapidly growing stems to older ages, which may be a consideration for some owners.\u0000","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75941102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Soucy, Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, S. De Urioste-Stone, A. Weiskittel, M. Duveneck, B. McGreavy
{"title":"A Comprehensive and Spatially Explicit Regional Vulnerability Assessment of the Forest Industry to Climate Change","authors":"A. Soucy, Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, S. De Urioste-Stone, A. Weiskittel, M. Duveneck, B. McGreavy","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab057","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 We conducted a spatially explicit vulnerability assessment of the forest industry in Maine, USA, to climate change in an effort to (1) advance a spatial framework for assessing forest industry vulnerability and (2) increase our understanding of Maine’s specific vulnerabilities to climate change in order to guide decision-making. We applied a bottom-up indicator approach to evaluate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to climate change using both biophysical and social indicators, largely driven by participatory processes. Our approach enabled us to synthesize and aggregate indicators of regional importance to evaluate vulnerability, allowing us to simultaneously examine combinations of potential changes. We found that each Maine county had its own unique combination of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indicators, with overall vulnerability highest in the rural northern and western parts of the state, where forest industry activities are most prevalent. However, results also indicate that although increased stress from climate-related changes can negatively affect Maine’s forest via high exposure, reduced sensitivities and increased adaptive capacity have the potential to largely decrease overall vulnerability in many parts of the state.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90651269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forest Contracting Businesses in the US Southwest: Current Profile and Workforce Training Needs","authors":"D. Vaughan, Catrin M. Edgeley, Han-Sup Han","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab060","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 We surveyed forestry contractors in three sectors (logging, mastication, and trucking) across the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Our survey sought to gather current demographic and background information on contractors as well as establish how a forest operations training center might address their employee training needs. Most of the businesses surveyed were small, with owner ages tending to be high (over 50) but employee ages much lower (under 40). Finding skilled workers was identified as the greatest barrier to success by the respondents, underscoring the need for more training opportunities. The majority of respondents (86%) did not have access to any external training programs. Survey results indicated a high demand for training programs for forestry contractors in the Southwest, which could play a vital role for the region to achieve landscape-scale forest restoration goals.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85849374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emery R Cowan, Kerry E. Grimm, E. J. Davis, E. Nielsen, Amy E. M. Waltz
{"title":"New Hands in US Public Lands Management: The Role and Influence of Nonagency Partners in Forest Service Stewardship Agreements","authors":"Emery R Cowan, Kerry E. Grimm, E. J. Davis, E. Nielsen, Amy E. M. Waltz","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab058","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The USDA Forest Service (USFS) is increasingly turning to partnership tools such as stewardship agreements (SAs) to accomplish land management objectives. In these arrangements, nonagency partners (partners) often bring resources, capabilities, and preferences that can influence management processes and activities. We explored the nature of partner influence in SAs through interviews with USFS and partner staff in four SA case studies in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. Interviewees perceived that partners influenced project prioritization; implementation pace, scope, and approach; and SA participants’ ways of working. Influence was linked to partners’ involvement in SA project selection; contribution of resources, expertise, and capabilities; and assumption of some project implementation responsibilities. USFS-partner relationships also appeared to encourage partnership-oriented approaches beyond the original project. Our research suggests SA partners are uniquely influential in the implementation of USFS management activities and recommends additional exploration of SAs in the context of collaborative implementation.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73990425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Bengston, Lynne M. Westphal, M. Dockry, J. Crabtree
{"title":"A “Serious Game” to Explore Alternative Forestry Futures","authors":"D. Bengston, Lynne M. Westphal, M. Dockry, J. Crabtree","doi":"10.1093/jofore/fvab059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab059","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Serious games are designed to achieve specific educational or other practical purposes beyond pure entertainment. These games take many different forms—from card decks to massive multiplayer online games—and have proliferated across diverse fields. This note introduces IMPACT: Forestry Edition, a serious board game designed to help forestry professionals and stakeholders think more broadly, critically, and creatively about the future of forestry. We describe the game and feedback from beta testing and discuss the advantages and potential drawbacks of gaming methods. A “print and play” version of the game is included as supplemental material. Serious games can make an important contribution to forestry by engaging and informing diverse stakeholders and generating insight that other methods cannot.","PeriodicalId":23386,"journal":{"name":"Turkish Journal of Forestry","volume":"117 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81106753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}