38 Symposium Abstracts .2(pg5 WALLIN, D. O.,' E. K. HEYERDAHL, 2 and J. S. FOSTER.' 'Western Wash- ington University, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA; 2 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1 S6 Canada; 'Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA. Paleo-landscape ecology: Reconstructing the spatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific Northwest forests. Wildfire is the primary source of disturbance in forested landscapes through- out most of western North America. The structure and composition of these landscapes has fluctuated dramatically throughout the Holocene as a result of the episodic nature of wildfire and variation in the climatic conditions that influence the fire regime. The flora and fauna present in these forests have undergone natural selection for a suite of life history attributes that are viable within the spatial and temporal variability that is imposed by these distur- bance regimes. Anthropogenically induced changes to the disturbance regime may have a major impact on the viability of many species. Tree-ring data provides a rich source of information on historical fire regimes. This informa- tion can provide a unique frame of reference for evaluating forest manage- ment policies and alternative for the future. Tree-ring data have most fre- quently been used to provide information on temporal variability in these forests. Very few studies have fully exploited the potential for using these data to reconstruct the spatial variability of forested landscapes. We use tree- ring data from several locations in the Pacific Northwest to illustrate the po- tential for reconstructing both the spatial and temporal dynamics of these land- scapes. We also compare these historical dynamics to those generated by for- est management practices over the past few decades. r WHITLOCK, C., and S. L. SHAFER. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA. Past and projected changes in vegetation and climate in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for ecosystem management. Paleoecological records disclose the sensitivity of vegetation to climate change and the role of natural disturbance as a catalyst of ecosystem change. Pollen records from the Pacific Northwest (PNW) reveal changes in forest composi- tion and dynamics as species responded individualistically to climate varia- tions since the end of the last ice age. High-resolution charcoal records indi- cate that fire occurrence is also closely tied to millennial-scale climate varia- tions and the fire regime has changed continuously as a result. Because veg- etation and fire history considered together provide a picture of ecosystem change on multiple temporal and spatial scales, they can contribute directly to discussions of ecological management. For example, pollen data indicate that current "old-growth forests" in the PNW are relatively young. Fire frequency was greatest during times of summer drought and has decreased in the last millennia with cooler wetter conditions. Native American burning altered the landscape on a local scale, but not enough to explain the large-scale vegeta- tion patterns at the time of Euro-American settlement. Knowledge of the pa- leoecological record is also important for developing ecosystem management strategies to respond to future climate changes and their likely impacts on vegetation and fire regimes at the local-to-regional scale. The projected re- sponse of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine illustrate how prehistoric data can be combined with model simulations of vegetation change to better charac- terize the potential impacts of future climates on taxa. WICKLAND, D. E.,' J. L. PRIVETTE, 2 C. JUSTICE,' and K. J. RANSON.' 'NASA, Washington, D.C. 20546 USA; 'NASA, Goddard Space Flight Cen- ter, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA; 'University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 2290 USA. NASA's "long-term" data sets and use oflong-term ecological research sites. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) role in long- term ecological research is focused on providing a continuous remotely sensed record of global land cover and the dynamics of terrestrial and marine ecosys- tems. In 1999, NASA will launch Landsat 7 and the Earth Observing System (EOS) AM platform to continue the data records started in 1972 with Landsat- 1 and 1982 with the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on the NOAA polar orbiters. Although they span rather short time periods for many ecological phenomena, these can be viewed as truly long-term ecologi- cal data sets for synoptic, global coverage of Earth's ecosystems. NASA's plans to evaluate the performance of the advanced research sensors to fly on Landsat 7 and EOS AM (e.g., the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer [MODISJ) and to validate their data products involve a global network of - high-intensity field measurement sites, many of which are long-term ecologi- cal research sites. Although many approaches to data product validation will ultimately be used, validation by collection and comparison with field-mea- sured parameters is essential. The data from these field sites will provide the user community with the most comprehensive and timely ground, aircraft, and satellite data available under EOS. The methods developed to extend in situ point observations to satellite pixel scales may provide some valuable insights for ecological scaling. ZOBRIST, E. C. NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA. Coral reef restoration and protection from vessel groundings. Major vessel groundings in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, such as the MN Alec Owen Maitland (Carysfort Reef), the MN Elpis (The Elbow Reef) in 1989, and the R/V Iselin in 1994 (Looe Key), have demon- strated the need for quick response when restoring injured coral reef habi- tat. The Maitland and Elpis sites were not restored until 1995. During the intervening period, waves and currents enlarged the injury and required major physical reconstruction of the reefs. While under litigation with the Iselin Potential Responsible Party (PRP), NOAA directed an operation that removed several hundred tons of loose coral rubble that threatened adjacent undisturbed coral habitat within a year of the grounding. The 600-foot Contship Houston ran aground near Key West in February 1997. Coral heads were toppled and scattered on the sea floor, generating a large volume of loose rubble. NOAA and the State of Florida were able to work quickly with a cooperative PRP and complete an emergency restoration phase in the spring of 1997. Through NOAA's Damage Assessment and Res- toration Program, a solid scientific and strong legal case facilitate coopera- tive relationships between trustees and the PRP and/or encourage timely settlements. State and Federal trustees can restore coral reef habitat quickly, cost effectively, and in a technically sound manner, without prolonged legal proceedings.
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
38 Symposium Abstracts
.2(pg5WALLIN, D. O.,' E. K. HEYERDAHL, 2 and J. S. FOSTER.' 'Western Wash-ington University, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA; 2Simon Fraser University,Burnaby, BC V5A 1 S6 Canada; 'Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331USA. Paleo-landscape ecology: Reconstructing the spatial and temporaldynamics of Pacific Northwest forests.
Wildfire is the primary source of disturbance in forested landscapes through-out most of western North America. The structure and composition of theselandscapes has fluctuated dramatically throughout the Holocene as a result ofthe episodic nature of wildfire and variation in the climatic conditions thatinfluence the fire regime. The flora and fauna present in these forests haveundergone natural selection for a suite of life history attributes that are viablewithin the spatial and temporal variability that is imposed by these distur-bance regimes. Anthropogenically induced changes to the disturbance regimemay have a major impact on the viability of many species. Tree-ring dataprovides a rich source of information on historical fire regimes. This informa-tion can provide a unique frame of reference for evaluating forest manage-ment policies and alternative for the future. Tree-ring data have most fre-quently been used to provide information on temporal variability in theseforests. Very few studies have fully exploited the potential for using thesedata to reconstruct the spatial variability of forested landscapes. We use tree-ring data from several locations in the Pacific Northwest to illustrate the po-tential for reconstructing both the spatial and temporal dynamics of these land-scapes. We also compare these historical dynamics to those generated by for-est management practices over the past few decades.
r
WHITLOCK, C., and S. L. SHAFER. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR97403 USA. Past and projected changes in vegetation and climate in thePacific Northwest: Implications for ecosystem management.
Paleoecological records disclose the sensitivity of vegetation to climate changeand the role of natural disturbance as a catalyst of ecosystem change. Pollenrecords from the Pacific Northwest (PNW) reveal changes in forest composi-tion and dynamics as species responded individualistically to climate varia-tions since the end of the last ice age. High-resolution charcoal records indi-cate that fire occurrence is also closely tied to millennial-scale climate varia-tions and the fire regime has changed continuously as a result. Because veg-etation and fire history considered together provide a picture of ecosystemchange on multiple temporal and spatial scales, they can contribute directly todiscussions of ecological management. For example, pollen data indicate thatcurrent "old-growth forests" in the PNW are relatively young. Fire frequencywas greatest during times of summer drought and has decreased in the lastmillennia with cooler wetter conditions. Native American burning altered thelandscape on a local scale, but not enough to explain the large-scale vegeta-tion patterns at the time of Euro-American settlement. Knowledge of the pa-leoecological record is also important for developing ecosystem managementstrategies to respond to future climate changes and their likely impacts onvegetation and fire regimes at the local-to-regional scale. The projected re-sponse of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine illustrate how prehistoric data canbe combined with model simulations of vegetation change to better charac-terize the potential impacts of future climates on taxa.
WICKLAND, D. E.,' J. L. PRIVETTE, 2 C. JUSTICE,' and K. J. RANSON.''NASA, Washington, D.C. 20546 USA; 'NASA, Goddard Space Flight Cen-ter, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA; 'University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA2290 USA. NASA's "long-term" data sets and use oflong-term ecologicalresearch sites.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) role in long-term ecological research is focused on providing a continuous remotely sensedrecord of global land cover and the dynamics of terrestrial and marine ecosys-tems. In 1999, NASA will launch Landsat 7 and the Earth Observing System(EOS) AM platform to continue the data records started in 1972 with Landsat-1 and 1982 with the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)on the NOAA polar orbiters. Although they span rather short time periods formany ecological phenomena, these can be viewed as truly long-term ecologi-cal data sets for synoptic, global coverage of Earth's ecosystems. NASA'splans to evaluate the performance of the advanced research sensors to fly onLandsat 7 and EOS AM (e.g., the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer[MODISJ) and to validate their data products involve a global network of -high-intensity field measurement sites, many of which are long-term ecologi-cal research sites. Although many approaches to data product validation willultimately be used, validation by collection and comparison with field-mea-sured parameters is essential. The data from these field sites will provide theuser community with the most comprehensive and timely ground, aircraft,and satellite data available under EOS. The methods developed to extend insitu point observations to satellite pixel scales may provide some valuableinsights for ecological scaling.
ZOBRIST, E. C. NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910USA. Coral reef restoration and protection from vessel groundings.
Major vessel groundings in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,such as the MN Alec Owen Maitland (Carysfort Reef), the MN Elpis (TheElbow Reef) in 1989, and the R/V Iselin in 1994 (Looe Key), have demon-strated the need for quick response when restoring injured coral reef habi-tat. The Maitland and Elpis sites were not restored until 1995. During theintervening period, waves and currents enlarged the injury and requiredmajor physical reconstruction of the reefs. While under litigation with theIselin Potential Responsible Party (PRP), NOAA directed an operationthat removed several hundred tons of loose coral rubble that threatenedadjacent undisturbed coral habitat within a year of the grounding. The600-foot Contship Houston ran aground near Key West in February 1997.Coral heads were toppled and scattered on the sea floor, generating a largevolume of loose rubble. NOAA and the State of Florida were able to workquickly with a cooperative PRP and complete an emergency restorationphase in the spring of 1997. Through NOAA's Damage Assessment and Res-toration Program, a solid scientific and strong legal case facilitate coopera-tive relationships between trustees and the PRP and/or encourage timelysettlements. State and Federal trustees can restore coral reef habitat quickly,cost effectively, and in a technically sound manner, without prolonged legalproceedings.
spoka e.W
The Ecological Society of America84th Annual Meeting
Riverpark Convention CenterSpokane, Washington
August 8-12, 1999
Legacies, Landscapes and Limits: Bridging Borders
Related Documents
