Natural Variability as a Management Paradigm Paleo-Landscape Ecology: Reconstructing the Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Pacific Northwest Forests

Natural Resources Management Paradigms Commodity Production Species Preservation Natural Variability

Commodity Production Maximize the production of one or more commodities Minimize impacts on other resources

Species Preservation “…maintain viable populations of all native and desirable non-native species well distributed throughout their range.” (NFMA) Economic and social consequences are secondary Essentially, this represents reversal of priorities of Commodity Production Paradigm

Natural Variability: The Precautionary Principle of Ecosystem Management Describe the range of stand and landscape-level conditions that existed in these forests prior to Euro-American settlement Design management plans that maintain the system somewhere within this range

Natural Resources Management Paradigms Commodity Production 1950’s 1980’s 1990’s Species Preservation Natural Variability

“New” Forestry: circa mid 1990’s “Old” Forestry: circa 1950’s – 1980’s

Return Interval Swanson et al. 1993

Implementing the Natural Variability Concept How do you quantify “The Range of Natural Variability”

Reconstructing Fire History

Number of fires

Fire Frequency and Size

Fire vs. Timber Harvest: Impact on disturbance rate

100 yr disp rotation 50 yr agg rotation 100 yr disp rotation 50 yr agg rotation

50 and 100 yr rotations 50 and 100 yr rotations