Conservation of dry forest old growth in eastern Oregon (Johnston et al., 2021)

Full Citation: Johnston J, Greenler SM, Reilly MJ, Webb MR, Merschel AG, Johnson KN, Franklin JF. 2021. Conservation of dry forest old growth in eastern Oregon. Journal of Forestry. May.

Abstract: Conservation of old-growth forests has become an increasingly important objective of Forest Service managers over the last three decades. The US Forest Service recently made changes to policies that prohibit cutting of live trees >53 cm (the “21-inch rule”). We review the disturbance ecology of dry and mesic old-growth forests of Oregon and contrast conservation policies for these two forest types. We describe the development of age-based alternatives to the 21-inch rule on the Klamath Reservation and in the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. We conclude by outlining an adaptive management strategy to conserve dry forest old growth that seeks to restore the ecological processes that perpetuate old tree populations over time. We argue that what is good for dry forest ecosystems is good for dry forest old growth, especially in the face of changing climate and disturbance regimes.

Key Excerpts: A process-based approach that strives to recreate pattern-process feedbacks rests on the assumption that what is good for dry forest ecosystems is good for dry forest old-growth (sensu Henson et al. 2018). A process-based approach is also appropriate for achieving multiple management objectives, including adaption of forests to accelerating fire and insect activity associated with climate change as well as uncertainty associated with the interactive effects of rising temperatures, invasive species, novel disturbances, and social, economic, and political change (Littell et al. 2009, Millar and Stephenson 2015).