OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

New and Notable

Congratulations Dr. Graham Frank on your PhD defense -- Biodiversity responses in early seral forests of the Klamath-Siskiyou. So well done!!

The title of Graham's PhD dissertation is "Biodiversity responses in early seral forests of the Klamath-Siskiyou: Comparisons with birds, bees, and ground beetles among post-fire, salvage logging, and intensive forest management environments." Keep your eyes out of journal papers and outreach/extension coming soon.

Terrific work Graham!

Check out our Fire Refugia Manager's Synthesis and Toolbox! We worked with folks on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to socialize the fire refugia data products for management action.

The fire refugia manager's brief

In a nutshell: The manager's brief provides a short summary of the holistic fire refugia and topo-climatic fire refugia products and concepts, and links to all data products and resources for the region. The manager's brief includes an FAQ for ideas relating to management and project planning.

See the https://firerefugia.forestry.oregonstate.edu/outreach

Congratulations on your MS defense, Jessie Thoreson! Jessie completed her MS program focused on "Karuk Stewardship of Xanthiip (black oak, Quercus kelloggii)" in collaboration with Karuk community members and the Karuk DNR. Such amazing work.

Abstract from Jessie Thoreson's MS thesis, full text available here: Karuk Stewardship of Xánthiip (black oak, Quercus kelloggii) in the Western Klamath Mountains: Development of an Ecocultural Monitoring Protocol

My thesis is an exploration of xánthiip (Karuk for black oak, Quercus kelloggii) restoration within the Karuk Tribe’s Ancestral Territory in present-day northwestern California. Black oak is a cultural keystone species for the Karuk and has been chosen as one of the species to guide Tribally led forest restoration work in the Western Klamath Mountains. The fundamental intention of these restoration efforts is to revitalize Karuk stewardship practices including gathering, burning, and ceremonial practices on the landscape. Because of settler colonial actions over the past 100 years, including fire suppression and criminalization of Indigenous land stewardship practices, these black oak groves are highly departed from their historical stand structure and composition. The Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is interested in understanding the current state of black of groves of interest from a cultural and ecological perspective in order to make informed decisions about restoration treatments and future adaptive management. Through this thesis, I developed and implemented a culturally responsive monitoring protocol for assessing current black oak tree condition. This research represents a partnership between the Karuk Tribe DNR and myself, an Oregon State University (OSU) master’s student. Research questions and methodology were co-developed based on existing Karuk DNR research priorities. Every step of the research process, from research proposal development, to fieldwork, to writing, to publication, was vetted by a Karuk Tribal Review Committee to ensure that this research was Indigenous-Directed, culturally appropriate, maintained Tribal knowledge sovereignty, and followed appropriate data storage protocols.

Chapter 2 addresses Karuk cultural values and priorities for black oak grove restoration. Our co-developed research question was “What are the values and priorities of Karuk cultural practitioners for revitalizing black oak grove stewardship?” I conducted semi-structured interviews with five Karuk cultural practitioners about their experience with, and knowledge about, black oak grove stewardship. My analysis and interpretation of these interview results highlighted a constellation of attributes that make up a robust system of ecocultural black oak grove stewardship. This system requires an intact cultural value system, intact stewardship practice regimes, and a robust cultural landscape and fire regime. Understanding these cultural values and priorities informed development of a monitoring protocol (Chapter 3) as well as provided cultural and historical context for a qualitative depiction of Karuk black oak stewardship more broadly.

Chapter 3 addresses the process of black oak protocol development, implementation, and plot data analysis. I developed a black oak field monitoring protocol informed by interviews described in Chapter 2 as well as input from Karuk DNR employees and other research partners. We implemented the black oak protocol by collecting field data for 30 focal oak that were historically stewarded by the Karuk. With the field data I asked: 1) What is the relationship between various black oak tree traits? 2) How are those traits related to cultural value according to Karuk cultural practitioners? 3) How are oak trees clustered in trait space based on their trait similarities? Analysis of field data indicated black oak trees are not currently expressing high cultural value in their traits as described by Karuk cultural practitioners. This makes sense in the context of fire suppression and denied Indigenous stewardship. I found tree traits were often closely associated with each other and used trait groupings to identify seven typologies of legacy black oaks. Describing black oak trees based on their traits allows for further research to be more targeted at specific tree typologies of interest and provide a baseline understanding of black oak tree condition to inform the implementation of restoration treatments. Continued monitoring by the Karuk DNR and partners will illuminate how tree traits change in the context of restoration, informing future adaptive management.

This thesis contributes to a body of literature on the cultural and ecological importance of black oak while grounding in a particular place (Western Klamath Mountains), with a particular community (Karuk people). The research of this thesis provides the scientific justification for – and institutionalization of – a culturally informed long-term black oak monitoring by and for the Karuk DNR. Through descriptions of our research partnership development, this thesis also provides one example of Indigenous-Directed Research in practice that may help to inform future partnerships.

Meg as a policy entrepreneur? See the Wildland Fire Recommendations developed for the federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission from Meg Krawchuk and colleagues

Fire is a natural and normal ecological process, but today’s fires have grown in intensity and cost, causing more destruction to people and property. A changing climate and our outdated policy responses are amplifying these negative effects.

The federal government has many responsibilities for wildland fire management in the United States. Federal entities manage public lands where prescribed burns and wildfires occur, support wildfire response, and conduct research into fire’s impacts. Recognizing that this work will only grow, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission to develop and deliver a comprehensive set of new policy recommendations to Congress focused on how to “better prevent, manage, suppress, and recover from wildfires.”

About the Wildland Fire Policy Accelerator

In response to the Commission’s call for input, the Federation of American Scientists launched a Wildland Fire Policy Accelerator to source and develop actionable policy ideas aimed at improving how we live with fire. This effort is in partnership with COMPASS, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), and Conservation X Labs, who bring deep expertise in the accelerator topics and connections to interested communities.

Participants come from academia, the private sector, nonprofits, and national labs, and bring expertise across fire ecology, forestry, modeling, climate change, fire intelligence, cultural burning, and more. The Accelerator followed the approach of the FAS Day One Project to provide structured training, support, and policy expert feedback over several months to help participants refine their policy ideas. In the Accelertor’s second phase, a subset of these contributors will publish full memos on FAS’s website with more information about their policy recommendations.

https://fas.org/wildland-fire-recommendations/

Here's Meg Krawchuk's contributed policy pitch:

Expand capacity for effective collaboration between scientists and resource managers to inform forest management

For years, the federal government has recognized the importance of scientists and decision-makers working together to solve complex wildland fire management problems. While many successful federal programs support such collaborations, institutional barriers still stand in the way of many fruitful science coproduction and communication efforts in wildland fire management.  

The federal government should expand financial and institutional support for co-production of wildland fire science and science communication to help natural resource managers make evidence-based decisions in the context of the wildfire crisis.

DETAILS

According to USGS, coproduction of science projects “focus on scientists and resource managers working closely together to produce actionable products that are used to inform natural resource management decisions.” More broadly, science communication work at the project and program level can enhance the reach and relevance of coproduced science and distill literature for decision-making applications. These approaches have been championed in the field of wildland fire science and land management for years by land management agencies (including the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers and US Forest Service) and funding agencies (including the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) and National Science Foundation). 

However, both researchers and natural resource managers report that funding, capacity, and institutional barriers inhibit coproduced science efforts in wildland fire. For example, financial support and incentive structures (e.g., performance evaluation criteria, awards, and professional recognition) are often insufficient to support scientists in conducting longer-term collaborative, relationship-building work that can extend the reach and impact of co-produced science. Furthermore, program staff in agencies (where they exist) may lack bandwidth necessary to effectively distill large quantities of journal articles into the core “so what” conclusions needed by land management practitioners to integrate the most recent science with existing management strategies. 

Addressing these gaps in coproduction and broader science communication support is crucial to maximizing the potential of scientific research to inform pressing forest management problems and capitalizing on successful investments in coproduction projects. More robust support for coproduction and communication in the wildland fire space will equip agencies to ensure that decision-makers have access to the “best available science” and can fulfill goals outlined in federal initiatives including the USFS 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Administration’s “Year of Evidence for Action,” and the “Year of Open Science.”  

Specifically, Congress should: 

  • Request information about existing natural resource manager efforts in federal fire agencies to engage with agency and external scientists in decision-making. If appropriate, it should then direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to identify critical gaps and capacity needs at these agencies to best utilize evidence-based policymaking in wildland fire management. Their findings should be reported to Congress within the next two years.
  • Allocate dedicated and designated funding to the DOI and USDA for new investment in science integration, including project-specific funding for scientists (delivered through USGS and USFS) and program-wide support for federal USFS managers, the USFS Ecology Program, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), investment landscapes, and forest collaboratives.

Specifically, the Department of Interior US Geological Survey (USGS) and US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS) should:

  • Expand Support for Project-Specific Coproduction Work: 
    • Initiate focus panels to work with USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) to develop a program that provides funding support to researchers and practitioners in conducting longer-term science integration work on a project-by-project basis. 
    • Initiate a focus panel to work with USDA USFS Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and Wildfire Crisis investment landscapes to develop an ongoing funding call to support scientists and practitioners in longer-term integration of fire and climate science into project-by-project and program-wide collaborative activities. 
  • Expand Program Support for Science Translation: 
    • Expand the JFSP multi-agency funding initiative to support a broader reach of coproduced wildland fire research, including support for science translation capacity.
    • Expand the successful USFS Ecology Program from Regions 5 and 6 to all Forest Service regions in the United States and add program staff to existing programs. 
    • Support USGS CASCs to expand programs to assist practitioners in applying wildland fire and climate adaptation science to management tasks. 

These investments would total less than the current price tag of existing coproduction work but extend the reach and impact of initial investments.

Meg Krawchuk, Associate Professor, Oregon State University

 

Getting to the root of it! Published in Ecology's 'The Scientific Naturalist'. Terrific work from undergrad student Elle Luedloff working with PhD student Claire Tortorelli on Ventenata dubia

New work on root symbionts in Ventenata dubia, led by undergrad student Elle Luedloff working with PhD student (now completed) Claire Tortorelli.

Luedloff, E., et al. (2022) Getting to the root of it: Root colonization by fungal symbionts in the invasive grass Ventenata dubia. Ecology (The Scientific Naturalist) Online First. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3895

Thanks to Dan Luoma for his expertise and support with this terrific project!

 

Let's think more about wildland fire, smoke, human health, and justice. See our D'Evelyn et al 2022 piece bringing ideas together.

Wildland fire, smoke exposure, human health, and environmental justice need to be integrated into forest restoration and management. Current Environmental Health Reports, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-022-00355-7

Claire's VEDU work is amazing: see her new Ecology and Biological Invasions papers

Tortorelli, C., Kerns, B.K., Krawchuk, M.A. 2022. The invasive annual grass, Ventenata dubia, is insensitive to experimental removal of above-ground resident biomass across a productivity gradient. Biological Invasions (Early View) 10.1007/s10530-022-02823-5

 

Tortorelli, C., Kerns, B.K., Krawchuk, M.A. 2022. Community invasion resistance is influenced by interactions between plant traits and site productivity. Ecology (Early View)  https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3697

 

 

 

Fire refugia in mature and old forests of the Pacific Northwest. Eco-vis webtool and project findings! Come check it out.

Fire Refugia in Mature and Old Forests of the Pacific Northwest

Recent stand-replacing wildfires in late-successional and old-growth (LSOG) forests have increased land manager interest in fire refugia, which could provide vital habitat for threatened and endangered species during a time of rapid change. The overall goal of this USGS NW CASC-funded project was to model, map, and share information essential for the conservation of LSOG forest ecosystems in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, within a diverse co-production team of state and federal land managers. We developed statistical models of contemporary (2002-2017) fire refugia, non-stand-replacing fire (NSR), and high-severity fire based on topography, fuels, fire weather, fire behavior and climate. Independent models were built for two ecoregions, one encompassing the Douglas-fir/western hemlock forests of the northwestern portion of our study area and the other encompassing dry-mixed conifer forests of the eastern Cascades and Klamath-Siskiyou region. We used these models to produce probability surface maps for fire refugia, NSR, and high-severity fire under low, moderate, and extreme fire weather and fire growth scenarios. These maps and associated products provide timely information about the likely persistence, change, and loss of LSOG forests under current and future climate conditions.

Check out more on our findings from the Fire Refugia in Mature and Old Forests project at https://firerefugia.forestry.oregonstate.edu/home

The website includes an overview of results, link to our comprehensive final report, a portal to the Eco-vis web viewer that allows you to explore maps and models as well as download datasets, and provides and overview of our fire refugia science.

We'll be rolling out outreach and collaboration materials soon. Please feel free to contact us if you'd like to learn more: Meg Krawchuk, meg.krawchuk [at] oregonstate.edu


Adaptive management with fire needed for forests of the PNW: check out our trio of articles in Ecol Apps "Climate change and western wildfires"

Oregon State University scientists and collaborators from throughout the West say that thinning and prescribed burning are crucial parts of adaptive management for seasonally dry, fire-dependent forests such as those east of the Cascade crest.

In a paper published this week in Ecological Applications, Andrew Merschel, James Johnston and Meg Krawchuk of the OSU College of Forestry also join other researchers in acknowledging the role of Indigenous fire stewardship in past and present landscapes and the value of restoring that stewardship – intentional low-severity burning that reduces fuels and is important culturally.

Check out: https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2431 

https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2433

https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2432

Pages