Description of ecological subregions: sections of the conterminous United States

McNab, W. Henry; Cleland, David T.; Freeouf, Jerry A.; Keys, James E.; Nowacki, Gregory J.; Carpenter, C.A.

doi:10.2737/wo-gtr-76b

Cited by 164 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…1). Subsections are one of the ecological units within the U.S. Forest Service's hierarchical framework (Cleland et al, 1997;McNab et al, 2007). Similar patterns in climate, physiography, geologic substrate, and potential natural communities designate subsection boundaries (Cleland et al, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Knoot

Shea

Schulte

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

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In the midwestern and eastern U.S., oaks (Quercus spp.) have been a dominant component of forests for at least the last 10,000 years, providing vital habitat for numerous wildlife and plant species that have adapted to oak forest conditions. However, the current state of these oak systems, in which there has been a general lack of successful oak regeneration and recruitment and an increase in the relative dominance of mesophytic species, may be nearing critical thresholds. If reached, restoring oak systems through natural regeneration and other methods, such as prescribed fire, may become especially challenging if not impossible. An understanding of spatial variation in oak dominance over time can inform and potentially improve the efficacy of intervention strategies. Using Public Land Survey and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) inventories, we evaluated changes in the composition of timberland across ecoregional subsections in the Driftless Area of the Midwest at three time periods (pre-settlement 1800s, 1990s, and 2000s). We identified an overall decrease in oak dominance, and particularly dominance of the white oak (Quercus alba L., Q. macrocarpa Michx., and Q. bicolor Willd.) species group since the presettlement era, and an increase in other eastern soft hardwoods. Within the last 20 years, both the red oak (Q. rubra L., Q. ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill and Q. velutina Lam.) and white oak species groups decreased in dominance, with an increase in hard maple-basswood (A. saccharum Marsh., A. nigra L., and Tilia americana L.) species group dominance, indicating further mesophication of forests in the region. However, we found a notable decrease in hard maple-basswood relative dominance within the small diameter class across most of the regions within the last 10-20 years, with an increase in dominance of other, non-oak, species. Our findings complement qualitative evidence from interviews with natural resource professionals from the region and offer further information on the potential for forest conversion to ''undesirable'' forest conditions, as identified as a source of concern by some professionals. There was spatial variation in these trends, however, with some pronounced differences across adjacent state boundaries. The variation in forest change across state boundaries suggests the role of state-level socioeconomic and policy factors in affecting forest conditions, and thus the potential for a targeted and timely approach to promoting preferred pathways of change. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. a b s t r a c tIn the midwestern and eastern U.S., oaks (Quercus spp.) have been a dominant component of forests for at least the last 10,000 years, providing vital habitat for numerous wildlife and plant species that have adapted to oak forest conditions. However, the current state of these oak systems, in which there has been a general lack of successful oak reg...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Knoot

Shea

Schulte

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…This would include classification systems such as the MLRA (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 2006) and the Ecological Subregions: Section or Subsection (McNab et al 2007) of the National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (Cleland et al 1997).…”

Section: Hierarchical Classification Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mapping and classification criteria used for these broad ecological units include continental climatic regimes and physiography (Winthers et al 2005). Section and subsection are ecological units used in regional assessments and planning (Cleland et al 2007). Mapping and classification criteria used for these regional ecological units include regional climate, geomorphic processes, topography, and stratigraphy (Winthers et al 2005).…”

Section: Appendix a Relationship Of Ecological Classification And Mamentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Resilience and Resistance Concepts to Manage Persistent Threats to Sagebrush Ecosystems and Greater Sage-grouse

Chambers

Maestas

Pyke

et al. 2017

Rangeland Ecology & Management

102

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“…This study was carried out using inventory data from the FIA program, peer-reviewed literature and relevant allometric models for the major U.S. ecoregions (McNab et al 2005) (Fig. 1) where windbreak use was applicable.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating carbon storage in windbreak trees on U.S. agricultural lands

et al. 2016

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Assessing carbon (C) capture and storage potential by the agroforestry practice of windbreaks has been limited. This is due, in part, to a lack of suitable data and associated models for estimating tree biomass and C for species growing under more opengrown conditions such as windbreaks in the Central Plains region of the United States (U.S.). We evaluated 15 allometric models using destructively sampled Pinus ponderosa (Lawson & C. Lawson) data from field windbreaks in Nebraska and Montana. Several goodness-of-fit metrics were used to select the optimal model. The Jenkins' et al. model was then used to estimate biomass for 16 tree species in windbreaks projected over a 50 year time horizon in nine continental U.S. regions. Carbon storage potential in the windbreak scenarios ranged from 1.07 ± 0.21 to 3.84 ± 0.04 Mg C ha -1 year -1 for conifer species and from 0.99 ± 0.16 to 13.6 ± 7.72 Mg C ha -1 year -1 for broadleaved deciduous species during the 50 year period. Estimated mean C storage potentials across species and regions were 2.45 ± 0.42 and 4.39 ± 1.74 Mg C ha -1 year -1 for conifer and broadleaved deciduous species, respectively. Such information enhances our capacity to better predict the C sequestration potential of windbreaks associated with whole farm/ranch operations in the U.S.

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Description of ecological subregions: sections of the conterminous United States

Cited by 164 publications

References 8 publications

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Forest change in the Driftless Area of the Midwest: From a preferred to undesirable future

Using Resilience and Resistance Concepts to Manage Persistent Threats to Sagebrush Ecosystems and Greater Sage-grouse

Estimating carbon storage in windbreak trees on U.S. agricultural lands

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