Restoration for the Future: Targets and Endpoints Dan Dey George Catlin 1832

Restore Bottomland Forests

Catlin 1832 Bodmer 1843 Lower Missouri River Fractured Systems

White oak forest Pine woodland Oak savanna Oak woodland Grazing history Black & Scarlet oak

SubsectionNatural Community Types Savanna Open woodland Closed woodland Upland forest Current River Hills 0 to 16 to 79 to 100 to 4 Meramec River Hills 0 to 13 to 45 to 60 to 2 Black River Ozark Border 1 to 1813 to 2610 to 200 to 3 Central Plateau 1 to 83 to 414 to 190 to 6 White River Hills 415 to 1711 to 120 to 6 St. Francis Knobs & Basins 0 to 213 to 1715 to 200 to 16 Gasconade River Hills 3 to 59 to 174 to 80 to 1 Claypan Till Plains 0 to 1 7 to 250 to 30 Desired percentage of National Forest System lands to restore to natural communities on Management Prescription Area 1.1

Setting Landscape-scale Targets Composition Percent forest, grassland, etc Fragmentation Aggregation index Edge density Structure Age, size Spatial arrangement Connectivity of habitat Juxtaposition of habitats Patch size distribution Canopy gap to watershed Disturbance regime Severity, freq, season, extent Range of variability

Natural community types Canopy (%) Basal area (ft 2 /ac) Canopy gap size (acs) UnderstoryShrub layer Structural age/ growth stages per decade Ground organic layer ground cover (%) Patch Size (acs) Savanna10 – 30< per 100 acs Scattered oaks & shrubs Dense mostly scattered oaks & shrubs Shrub oak/pine cover 10-25% of area Grassland, sedge & forb cover 90 to 100 grasses dominant 50 to > 1000 Open woodland per 100 acs Mixed shrubs early-mid seral Dense mostly scattered oaks & shrubs Shrub oak/pine cover 10-25% of area even-aged stands Grass, sedge & forb cover little accumulated leaf litter 60 to 80 grasses dominant 10 to 100 Closed woodland 50 – per 100 acs Early-mid seral trees Sparse mostly scattered oak & shrubs Shrub oak/pine cover 5-10% of area even-aged stands Shallow leaf litter mixed grasses, sedges & herbs 80 to to >1000 Upland forest 80 – % per year Shade tolerant shrubs & small trees Sparse scattered shrubs vines present Oak/mixed species variable aged small isolated gaps 1-5 acres Moderately deep leaf litter50 to 7010 to 100 Bottomland forest % per year Shade tolerant shrubs & small trees Sparse vines present Multi-layered uneven-aged few gaps Deep leaf litter ephemeral herbs 50 to 7010 to 500 Range of Ecological Parameters for Natural Communities MTNF

Setting Stand-scale Targets Stand Composition Species Stand type Old growth Early seral Forest, woodland, savanna, prairie Stand Stocking Stand Density Trees per acre Basal area Canopy closure Stand Structure Vertical – height, canopy layers Age – even, uneven, irregular Stand productivity Soil quality Site index Volume production class

Setting Stand-scale Targets Ground cover Litter, rock, vegetation Ground flora Floristic Quality Index Specie richness Percent cover Coefficient of conservatism Native index Grass, forb, shrub, legume, invasive species Fuel conditions Loading by size class Structure, arrangement Fuel model class FRCC class Coarse woody debris Snags Down wood Disturbance regime Intensity, severity, season, extent, freq Range of variability

Setting targets for Bottomland forests Northern J. Appl. For.

Setting Population Targets Occurrence Density Breeding success Survival Sex ratio Age structure Genetic diversity T&E species

Soil Resource Lower Gasconade or Eminence pH Bulk density Organic matter Stone content CEC Base Saturation Soil microbial activity Soil nutrients & carbon Soil quality Soil enzyme activity Soil degradation & loss Erosion, deposition, compaction Soil hydrology Available water content Infiltration, percolation

Water Resource pH Turbidity Organic matter Instream large wood debris Dissolved oxygen content Temperature Structure Riffles Pools Flow, yield, velocity Bed type Rock structure Seasonal hydrology

Economic and Social Sustained Yield Quality Value Contribution to the economy Job growth Primary and secondary mfg New markets & products Recreation Day use Hunting, fishing, hiking, camping Quality of experience Environmental quality Water, air Contribution to energy production

Dealing with the Unknown What it was, What it is, What it will be? Monitoring to support adaptive management Monitoring & Research on Reference Sites Systems modeling and forecasting Landscape Conservation Cooperatives Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Programs US Forest Service Experimental Forests Habitat Joint Ventures

Planning for Future Uncertainty Invasive Species What next? Climate Change What if? Who wins and who losses? Energy Issues Biomass/biofuels production Natural gas development Wind energy Catastrophic outbreaks of native pests Oak decline Western bark beetles

It takes a hierarchy of integrated plans to define the desired future condition, target, endpoints Targets & endpoints are as quantitative as can be and defined for key stages in ecosystem processes or resulting states