Fire, other disturbances, physical setting, weather, and climate shape the structure and function of forests throughout the Western United States. More than 80 years of fire research have shown that physical setting, fuels, and weather combine to determine wildfire intensity (the rate at which it consumes fuel) and severity (the effect fire has on vegetation, soils, buildings, watersheds, and so forth). Millions of acres of forestlands (mainly in dry forests dominated by ponderosa pine and/or Douglas-fir) contain a high accumulation of flammable fuels compared to conditions prior to the 20 th century. Forests with high stem density and fuel loading combined with extreme fire weather conditions have led to severe and large wildfires (such as those seen in the summers of 2000, 2002, and 2003) that have put a number of important values at risk. Although homes in the path of a wildfire are perhaps the most immediately recognized value, these wildfires also put numerous other human and ecological values at risk, such as power grids, drinking water supplies, firefighter safety, critical habitat, soil productivity, and air quality.For a given set of weather conditions, fire behavior is strongly influenced by stand and fuel structure. Crown fires in the dry forest types represent an increasing challenge for fire management as well as a general threat to the ecology of these forests and the closely associated human values. Crown fires are dependent on the sequence of available fuels starting from the ground surface to the canopy. Limiting crown fire in these forests can be accomplished by actions that manage in concert the surface, ladder, and crown fuels. Reducing crown fire and wildland fire growth across landscapes decreases the chances of developing large wildfires that affect human values adjacent to forested areas. However, a narrow focus on minimizing crown fire potential will not necessarily reduce the damage to homes and ecosystems when fires do occur. Homes are often ignited by embers flying far from the fire front, and by surface fires. Fire effects on ecosystems can also occur during surface fires where surface and understory fuels and deep organic layers are sufficient to generate high temperatures for long periods.Fuel treatments can help produce forest structures and fuel characteristics that then reduce the likelihood that wildfires will cause large, rapid changes in biophysical conditions. Fuel treatments can also help modify fire behavior sufficiently so that some wildfires can be suppressed more easily. Subsequent, sustained fuel treatments can maintain these conditions. Different fuel reduction methods target different components of the fuel bed. Thinning mainly affects standing vegetation, and other types of fuel treatments such as prescribed fire and pile burning woody fuels are needed to modify the combustion environment of surface fuels. In forests that have not experienced fire for many decades, multiple fuel treatments-that is, thinning and surface fuel reduction-may be required to significantly...

This file was created by scanning the printed publication.Errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain.Reynolds, Richard T.; Graham, Russell T.; Reiser, M. Hildegard; and others. 1992. Management recommendations for the northern goshawk in the southwestern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-217, Ft. Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 90 p.Present forest conditions -loss of a herbaceous and shrubby understory, reductions in the amount of older forests, and increased areas of dense tree regeneration -reflect the extent of human influence on these forests. These changes may also be affecting goshawk populations. Information on goshawk nesting habitat and foraging behavior, and the food and habitats of selected goshawk prey, was therefore synthesized to develop a set of management objectives, desired forest conditions, and management recommendations. Key objectives of the guidelines are to provide (1) nesting, post-fledging, and foraging areas for goshawks, and (2) habitat to support abundant populations of 14 primary goshawk prey. Thinning trees in the understory, creating small openings in the forest, and prescribed fires should help produce and maintain the desired forest conditions. Other habitat elements critical for maintaining both goshawk and prey populations include abundant snags and large downed logs, woody debris, interspersion of different tree sizes across the landscape, and the majority of a goshawk's home range in older-aged forests. These guidelines should also benefit forest health, soil productivity, and the habitats of other old-growthdependent plants and animals. Management Recommendations for the Northern Goshawk in the Southwestern Executive SummaryThe northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus) (hereafter called the "goshawk") is the largest North American member of the genus Accipiter, which includes both the sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) and the Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii). It breeds in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests throughout much of North America.The goshawk is a: forest habitat generalist that uses a variety of forest types, forest ages, structural conditions, and successional stages. It preys on small-to medium-sized birds and mammals (robins and chipmunks to grouse and hares), which it captures on the ground, in trees, or in the air. A single goshawk rna y consume one-to-two prey per day.The principal forest types occupied by the goshawk in the Southwest are ponderosa pine, mixed-species, and spruce-fir. There is a concern that populations and reproduction of the goshawk are declining in these forests and elsewhere in the western United States. These declines may be associated with forest changes caused by timber harvesting. However, fire suppression, livestock grazing, drought, and toxic chemicals may be involved. Because of the concerns over the effects of timber harvesting, the goshawk was listed as a "sensitive species" by the ...

No abstract

No abstract

Burns, chartered this team to recommend an ecological basis for ecosystem management. This report is not intended to provide details on all aspects of ecosystem management; it simply provides information and makes recommendations for an ecological basis for ecosystem management. The report is not a decision document. It does not allocate resources on public lands nor does it make recommendations to that effect.The report of this Study Team may be relied upon as input in processes initiated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Forest Management Act (NFMA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Administrative Procedures Act (APA), and other applicable laws. The information contained in this report is general in nature, rather than site specific. Implementation of ecosystem management and allocation of resources on Forest Service administered lands is the responsibility of the National Forest System in partnership with Forest Service Research and State and Private Forestry. Implementation is done through Forest and project plans that are subject to the NEPA process of disclosing the effects of proposed actions and affording the opportunity for public comment. The Southwestern Region follows a planning process for projects called Integrated Resource Management (IRM).The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily represent the policy or position of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department.The Study Team acknowledges the valuable input of more than 50 individuals from various agencies, universities, professional organizations, and other groups who provided thoughtful comments of an earlier draft of this document. Some of their comments are included in Appendix 3. (Upper left) Road expansion to accommodate increased traffic in forested areas. Photo from Bev Driver. (Upper right) Cypripedium calceolus, a rare species found on the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico. Fine filter analyses help protect uncommon species. Photo by Reggie Fletcher. (Lower) Small openings in a ponderosa pine forest created by hotspots in a low-intensity fire. Photo by Ron Moody.