DRAFT Agenda
Trees on the Edge: Understanding & Managing Douglas-fir Decline & Mortality in Southwestern Oregon
May 4, 2023, OSU Extension auditorium, 569 Hanley, Central Point, OR
Workshop objectives:
• Provide an update on what we know about the causes, trends, and future projections of Douglas-fir decline and mortality in SW Oregon/N. CA.
• Give practitioners tools for assessing Douglas-fir mortality risk at the individual tree, stand and landscape scales
• Describe and discuss reasonable strategies practitioners, owners, and managers can use to manage Douglas-fir decline before, during, and after mortality.
Target audience:
• Foresters, silviculturists, planners, agency managers, other natural resource professionals in the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion; experienced forest and woodland owners
Format: This will be an in-person workshop at the OSU Extension Service auditorium in Central Point, but will also have a Zoom meeting link allowing for remote participation.
Bring your own sack lunch
Registration:
To register for the in-person format email sandy.oneill@oregonstate.edu
To register for the Zoom format
https://oregonstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvc–uqD8iEtxRl9mP1QzXf15Yx3Azhi6O
Draft Agenda
8:30 Douglas-fir decline and mortality in SW Oregon: status, trends, and impacts
Laura Lowrey, Forest Health Protection, US Forest Service
Review recent and historical DF mortality trends from the aerial detection survey and field monitoring. Overview of ecological, social, economic impacts.
9:00` Douglas-fir decline and mortality in SW Oregon: why here, why now?
Max Bennett, Forestry Agent, OSU Extension
Framework for understanding DF decline and mortality. Pre-disposing, inciting, and contributing factors. Spatial patterns of mortality.
9:15 The flatheaded fir borer: knowns & unknowns
Bill Schaupp, Forest Health Protection, US Forest Service (retired)
Review signs and symptoms of FB attack. Biology and management. What we know and questions that remain.
9:45 Other agents of Douglas-fir dieback & mortality
Don Goheen, Forest Health Protection, US Forest Service (retired)
It’s not just the flatheaded fir borer…Overview of biotic agents aside from the FFB that contribute to DF decline (e.g., engraver beetles, cankers, other wood borers, etc.). Where does DF beetle fit in?
10:15 Break
10:30 Drought ecophysiology and implications for Douglas-fir mortality
Matt Powers, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University
How do trees respond to drought stress? What is hotter drought? Carbon starvation and hydraulic failure (cavitation). Relationship with biotic agents. Variation within and among species in functional traits that influence response to drought stress. Influence of site differences and trees size. Effects of thinning on moisture availability and evaporative demand. Implications for silviculture. What do we know about DF compared to co-occurring local species?
11:15 Douglas-fir mortality: Fuels and fire issues
Jena Volpe, Fire Ecologist, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District
What are short and longer-term implications of large snag patches for fire response, suppression, fire severity? Mass fire. Options for fuels management. Costs and operational issues.
11:45 Lunch on your own
12:30 The future of DF in SW Oregon: genetic and climate change considerations
Glenn Howe, Associate Professor, Oregon State University
Species habitat models and future predicted habitat for DF in SW Oregon under climate scenarios. Limitations of species habitat models and uncertainty underlying downscaled climate models. Adapting to uncertainty. Regeneration of DF: zone matching and assisted migration.
13:15 Management issues and strategies – practitioner’s panel.
10-15 minute presentation for each panelist followed by 15-30 minutes Q&A and discussion for all panelists.
–Eric Siemers, Medford BLM. Operational considerations in managing DF mortality on BLM lands: markets, contractors, logging systems.
–Jena Volpe or other BLM representative. Recent efforts to incorporate DF mortality considerations into land use allocations, project planning, EAs, etc.
– Marty Main, Small Woodland Services Inc. Experiences and perspectives managing DF decline on City of Ashland forest and private forest lands.
–Danny Cluck, USFS Forest Health Protection, Region 5. Experiences and perspectives observing and managing DF decline in NE California.
14:45 Break
15:00 Recommendations from DF mortality working group – panel discussion
15 minutes presentation for each, followed by 15-30 minute panel discussion.
• Landscape considerations. Project planning and prioritization in the context of increasing DF mortality.
• Recommendations for managing sites and stands before, during, and after DF mortality episodes
• Tools for assessing DF mortality risk: individual trees, stands, and landscapes
• Synthesis and wrap-up
16:30 Adjourn
Questions? Contact Max Bennett, OSU Extension, 541-930-8404, maxbennett@oregonstate.edu
Oregon State University Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials. This publication will be made available in an accessible alternative format upon request.Please contact Sandy O’Neill 541-776-7371, sandy.oneill@oregonstate.edu
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