Decaying wood in Pacific Northwest forests: concepts and tools for habitat management (original) (raw)

2001, … -habitat Relationships in …

CHAPTER 24: WOOD LEGACIES 581 as bark piles at the base of snags, hollow living trees, and broomed trees. Simplified classification schemes and inventory procedures have been developed for decaying wood, particularly wood habitat structures relevant to wildlife. Wildlife species associated with wood decay, and their ecosystems are affected by management activities. Intensively managed forest plantations have replaced oldgrowth throughout most of the commercial forest land base in Oregon and Washington. 41, 42 Intensive forest management regimes have substantially altered the abundance and composition (species, size, decay class) of decaying wood in forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Managed forests, on average, have lower amounts of large down wood and snags than do natural forests. 114, 344, Furthermore, in forests east of the Cascade crest, fire suppression has altered stand dynamics and produced accumulations of fine fuels conducive to stand-replacement fires. 5, 211, 302 Forest health problems and declining populations of some vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife species have coincided with changes in forest structure. These changes have raised concerns about the future biodiversity, productivity, and sustainability of the region's forests, particularly in coastal and eastside forests.