Rapid Appraisal of User Stakeholders for Forest Recreation Area Planning: The Little Molas Case

Public forest recreation area planning is often confronted by conflicting stakeholder views of what actions are most appropriate for improving outdoor recreation areas. Contemporary users of an outdoor recreation area are often inadequately represented in these planning decisions, due to the high cost and time required for user surveys that have traditionally been used to represent these stakeholders. A case example of the application of an alternative research method termed rapid appraisal (RA) is described. Data collected using rapid appraisal was used to help resolve disagreements on future planning and development options for the Little Molas Recreation Area (LMRA). The entire RA process was completed in one month’s time, with results which provided a reliable stakeholder supplement to working group recommendations to the Forest Service for their proposed LMRA redevelopment plan.

Eight decades of compositional change in a managed northern hardwood landscape

We analyzed over 8 decades of change in forest composition(represented by species proportion of basal area)and size class from more than 400 permanent plots located on the Bartlett Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.These data represent one of the longest-term landscape-scale records of forest change based on permanent plots in North America.We analyzed the plots based on elevation class,land type indicating assumed successional direction(grouped into coniferous and deciduous),and inventory period within managed and unmanaged portions of the forest.An ongoing shift from small-to large-diameter stems is clear across all species,in response to the overall aging of the forest following exploitative harvesting in the 19th century.Major compositional changes include a continuing decline in shade-intolerant species(paper birch and aspen),along with the mid-tolerant yellow birch.An increase in red maple abundance through the early 1990s has leveled off or reversed.Among shade-tolerant species,increases in beech and red spruce were largely consistent with assumed land type on unmanaged plots,but heavy marking against diseased beech on managed plots restricted increase of that species.Sugar maple declined in abundance except where silvicultural intervention helped maintain it.By contrast,eastern hemlock showed a continuing expansion at all elevations below 600 m.The data continue to show little or no evidence of upward migration of species,despite evidence of recent regional change in climate.However,the BEF is poised for substantial changes when emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid,both of which are known to infest nearby areas,do arrive.

Science to support conservation action in a large river system:The Willamette River,Oregon,USA

Management and conservation efforts that support the recovery and protection of large rivers are daunting,reflecting the complexity of the challenge and extent of effort(in terms of policy,economic investment,and spatial extent)needed to afford measurable change.These large systems have generally experienced intensive development and regulation,compromising their capacity to respond to disturbances such as climate change orwildfire.Functionally,large river and basin management require insights gained from social,ecological,geophysical,and hydrological sciences.This multidisciplinary perspective can unveil the integrated relationship between a river network's biotic community and seasonally variableenvironmental conditions that are ofteninfluencedbyhumanactivities.Large rivers andtheir basins are constantly changing due to anthropogenic influences and as climate modifies patterns of temperature and precipitation.Because of these factors,the state of knowledge must advance to address changing conditions.The Willamette River,in western Oregon,USA,is a prime example of a basin that has experienced significant degradation and investment in rehabilitation in recent decades.Innovative science has facilitated development of fine-scale,spatially extensive datasets and models that can generate targeted conservation and rehabilitation actions that are prioritized across the entire river network.This prioritization allows investment decisions to be driven by site-specific conditions while simultaneously considering potentials for ecological improvement.Here,we review hydrologic,geomorphic,ecologic,and social conditions in the Willamette River basin through time—including pre-settlement,river development,andcontemporary periods—andoffer a futurevisionfor consideration.Currently,detailed informationaboutfish populations and habitat,hydrologic conditions,geomorphology,water quality,and land use can be leveraged to make informed decisions about protection,rehabilitation,and development.The time is ripe for strategic management and goal development for the entireWillamette River,and these efforts can be informed by comprehensive science realized through established institutions(e.g.,public agencies,non-profitwatershed groups,Tribes,and universities)focusedon conservation and management.The approaches to science and social-network creation that were pioneered in the Willamette River basin offer insights into thedevelopment of comprehensive conservation-based planning that could be implemented in other large river systems globally.