Effects of forest policy on landscape pattern of late-seral forest of the Western Olympic Peninsula,Washington |
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| Institution: | 1. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501, USA;2. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA;1. Department of Ecology & Evolution, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;2. Bristol Zoological Society, Conservation Science, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA, UK;3. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China;1. Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, North 12 West 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan;2. School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, Minami 1, Nishi 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan;3. Institute of Environmental Ecology, IDEA Consultants, Inc., 1334-5 Riemon, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan;1. Environmental Carcinogenesis Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale Ricerca sul Cancro, L.go Rosanna Benzi 10, Genoa, Italy;2. School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA;1. Department of Immunology, Shahrekord University of Medical Science, Shahrekord, Iran;2. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj 6618634683, Iran;3. Molecular Biology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;1. Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China;2. School of Human and Social Sciences, University of West London, London, UK |
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| Abstract: | Forest harvest policies and regulations in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States have changed considerably across all land ownerships over the last 25 years, primarily in response to concerns over threatened and endangered species. For example, in July 2001, Washington State adopted new forest practice rules for private ownerships, which were aimed primarily at improving habitat for aquatic and riparian species. Before adopting the new rules, an environmental impact assessment was conducted in which three alternatives were considered in detail for their contributions to riparian habitat. Implications for upland species were not considered, although riparian protection has the potential to make contributions to habitat for obligate late-seral species.Effects of the three management alternatives were projected on private lands 200 years into the future, holding constant current practices on other lands managed for timber (federal, tribal, and state). The resulting distribution of late-seral forest across the Western Olympic Peninsula was compared. Simulations predicted that late-seral forest would cover between 39 and 48% of the landscape, well above the 8% that it currently occupies. Five to 21% of this late-seral forest would be on private lands (compared to <1% currently), and 71–85% on public lands (compared to 91% currently). Landscape pattern analysis indicated that the total amount of late-seral forest was significantly different among the three scenarios. However, there was no discernible difference in interior forest area, edge density, and mean distance between patches between a “no-action” alternative and the alternative that was ultimately adopted into rule. The most protective alternative had significantly more interior forest area and greater mean distance between patches, but it also had significantly higher edge density as a result of the linear nature of the riparian reserves and small patches of steep, unstable slopes. Our analysis framework will be useful for evaluating the effects of alternative management scenarios on landscape pattern across broad geographic areas with complex ownership. |
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