Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences for this publication include policy makers, federal, state, and local agencies, non-government organizations dealing with forest policy, and scientists. We had originally planned to hold meetings with members of the target audiences following completion of the project, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that. Now that the scientific paper that resulted from this work has been published, Dr. Kane and the other authors are distributing the paper to members of the target audiences. Changes/Problems:The scope of the project was reduced in two respects as we found the core analyses were progressing more slowly than originally expected. These changes were: The geographic scope of the study was reduced from all of western Oregon to a ~1 million acre landscape in southwestern Oregon. The original proposal included an analysis of biomass patterns as they relate to ownership patterns and to use Landsat images as an additional source of data on forest conditions. These goals were dropped as they were secondary to the core goals of the proposal. However, the core goals of the project to demonstrate the use of airborne lidar data to relate forest structure to ownership patterns and analyze the results in terms of public policy goals were met. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the project period, this project employed one master's graduate student, who conducted data processing and data analysis portions of the project and led the writing of the published scientific paper. One of the primary accomplishments during this period was the development of a classification of forest structure in southwestern Oregon using airborne lidar. This classification serves as the foundation for the remainder of the project and is of particular interest to the forest ecology and forest management communities. The project allowed the student to: Develop and use the analytic skills necessary for a large geospatial analysis using multiple types of data. Learn how to apply the scientific method Learn how to assess results in terms of forest management policy goals Gain experience presenting her study at two scientific conferences Learn how to write a manuscript for submission for peer review and respond to reviewer comments. The student began a job as a research analyst for the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research station immediately following graduation. The hiring manager reports that the training and demonstrated results enabled by this grant were key to his decision to hire the (now-graduated) student. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We had originally planned to hold meetings with members of the target audiences following completion of the project, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that. Now that the scientific paper that resulted from this work has been published, Dr. Kane and the other authors are distributing the paper to members of the target audiences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This study addressed two critical management objectives for western Oregon: 1) quantification and mapping of the diversity and distribution of forest structure and carbon storage across a large (~1 million acre) landscape in southwestern Oregon, and 2) an understanding of how these patterns vary across the environmental gradient and range of ownerships so that specific forest structures can be evaluated within their context. The study compared actual forest conditions across multiple ownership types to determine how effective policies regulating forest structure have been. The final abstract from the scientific paper that resulted from this project describes the goals, methods, and key results: Research Highlights: We used airborne lidar to assess the multi-scalar patterns of forest structure across a large (471,000 hectare), multi-owner landscape of the Oregon Coast Range, USA. The results of this study can be used in the development and evaluation of conservation strategies focused on forest management. Background and Objectives: Human management practices reflect policy and economic decisions and shape forest structure through direct management and modification of disturbance regimes. Previous studies have found that land ownership affects forest cover, patch dynamics, structure, and ecosystem function and services. However, prior assessments of forest structure across landscapes and ownerships have been limited by a lack of high-fidelity forest structure measurements across a large spatial extent. We addressed three research questions: (1) What distinct classes of forest structure exist across our study area? (2) How does the distribution and pattern of forest structure vary among types of owners at scales of patches, ownership types, and subregion, and is this independent of property size? and (3) What implications do the fine and sub-regional scale patterns have for landscape configuration goals under recent updates to the Northwest Forest Plan? Materials and Methods: We examined forest structure patterns by identifying six statistically distinct classes of forest structure and then examining their distribution across and within ownership types. We used these structure classes to examine their area within each ownership class, mean patch size, and intermixing at multiple scales. Results and Conclusion: We found that the six different forest structure classes in the study area can be interpreted as two assemblages: production-style forests, principally on private lands, and structurally complex forests, principally on public lands. We found that land ownership objectives resulted in distinct landscape patterns of forest structure as measured by mean structure class patch size and intermixing of different structure class patches. Finally, we found that forest structure differed between public and private lands but differed comparatively little among ownership types within those two broad categories.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Griffey, V.S., Kellogg, B.S., Haugo, R.D., Kane, V.R. 2021. Ownership patterns drive multi-scale forest structure patterns across a forested region in southern coastal Oregon, USA. Forests. 12, 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12010047
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Griffey, V., Kane, V.R., Haugo, R.D., Harvey, B., Moskal, L.M. 2020. Investigating the relationship between forest structure and land ownership in southwestern Oregon using airborne lidar. Ecological Society of America 2020 Annual Conference.
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:International Association of Landscape Ecology- North America Annual Meeting April 2019 The Nature Conservancy of Oregon U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Oregon State University The University of Washington Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The graduate student completed an internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, improving her expertise in forest structure research using airborne lidar. Additionally, the graduate student attended and presented a poster at the International Association for Landscape Ecology-North America Chapter Annual Meeting. There, she networked with professionals in the field and expanded her knowledge of current landscape ecology research. The graduate student also made a trip to the study site to compare in-person observations to remotely sensed data. Throughout the year, the graduate received training in lidar processing and statistical analysis to answer research questions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All project collaborators-- including those from The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest Research Stations, and Oregon State University--met for an annual meeting to discuss research progress. Results from the project were also disseminated to the International Association of Landscape Ecology-North America Chapter Annual Meeting through a poster and networking session. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the following reporting period, we intend to finish statistical analyses, write, and submit one of two anticipated peer-reviewed publications. This manuscript will also be used as a thesis chapter for the graduate student. Finally, the graduate student will defend her thesis and earn her M.S. degree.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this reporting period, this project employed one graduate student, who conducted data processing and data analysis portions of the project. One of the primary accomplishments during this period was the development of a classification of forest structure in southwestern Oregon using airborne lidar. This classification serves as the foundation for the remainder of the project and is of particular interest to the forest ecology and forest management communities.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Griffey, V.S., Haugo, R., Harvey, B., Bell, D., Hudak, A., Moskal, L.M., and Kane, V. Improving Forest Management and Conservation with Airborne LiDAR Data Across Western Oregon. International Association of Landscape Ecology- North America Annual Meeting, Poster Presentation. April 2019.
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