California's fire situation explained

Yosemite Valley in 1899 and 2011.

This is an excellent background piece from the NYT. It cuts through the fantasy spin of the timber industry and the extremist environmentalist wing, stating what the majority of loggers and environmentalists already agree on.

The piece cites the true leading experts in California fire history and forest ecology: Malcolm North, Stephen Pyne, Scott Stephens, Greg Asner, the Little Hoover Commission.

See also, this 2019 New Yorker article on the Sagehen Forest Project.

CLT Blast Testing

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a structural wood product that can be made from small diameter timber. This makes it a strong candidate for industrial use of some of the low-value wood product that needs to come off the Tahoe forests in order to restore ecological function and resilience to these damaged systems. As a bonus, CLT reduces the massive carbon footprint of concrete and steel in urban buildings.

Though very strong, fire- and seismic-resistant, CLT is not in the Universal Building Code...yet:

WoodWorks, in cooperation with the United States Forest Service and the Softwood Lumber Board, conducted a series of live blast tests on three cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures at Tyndall Air Force Base. All structures remained intact and matched modeling predications with acceptable levels of damage under significant explosive loading. WoodWorks will release a full analysis of testing results when available. The results will be used to further expand the use of wood solutions for Department of Defense applications and other blast-resistant construction.

 Check out that shockwave! Read more about these tests on the WoodWorks website.

STW updates

Saving The West (now Living Forests) continues to move forward with its goal of creating a small wood industry to restore ecological function to western forests. Some recent developments include:

• A new website is under construction.
• The Center for the Study of the Force Majeure was recruited this fall to submit a $100-million STW grant proposal to the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change program. The proposal passed administrative review, and the foundation will announce semi-finalists in mid-January. Newton Harrison is also in conversation with the Buckminster Fuller Institute about STW; in 2014, the organization awarded a Fuller Challenge honorable mention to the Harrison's art project at Sagehen.
• We are applying for grants to fund a LiDAR and Landsat analysis to determine the quantity and quality of woody material that would be removed should the STW demonstration area in central CA and western NV be treated to restore ecological function. This analysis applies the "8-Emphasis-Area" approach developed in the Sagehen Forest Project collaboration. Quantifying the available supply over the time spans required for investment capital repayment is traditionally the major stumbling block to moving forward with new markets. Due to the realities of implementation cost, the Forest Service currently designs projects around what they can sell on the current commodities market, which is not useful for making financial projections.
• The Sagehen Forest Project model is now being implemented in the Lake Tahoe West Shore collaborative project, a big scaling up of the concepts.
• We continue meeting with all kinds of people already working at the intersection of industry and forest management in CA and NV, creating synergies and opportunities. One interesting idea we are discussing with the Burning Man people is the use of Sagehen Project slash for the construction of structures like the Man or the Temple, as a way to spread these concepts to a global audience.

Harpold lab research

Adrian Harpold, Ph.D., Nevada Mountain Ecohydrology Group, University of Nevada, Reno prepared this one-sheet to explain his work at Sagehen, titled "More Water and Healthy Forests? Improved Forest Management By Integrating LiDAR Remote Sensing and Hyper-Resolution Models".

Associated science in the basin

As part of the Sagehen 50-year art project, we thought it would be a good idea to consolidate in one post a list of all the science projects relating to the Sagehen Forest Project.

In addition to science done to determine the best treatment options, there is a lot going on in the basin to assess pre- and post-treatment conditions going forward into the manipulation phase of the larger project.

The idea of these studies is to actually monitor and evaluate the effects of the forest restructuring on wildlife, water quality, vegetation and people. 

• VEGETATION AND FUELS: the SPLAT project and Vaillant thesis gathered a massive dataset, including fuels and vegetation surveys, LiDAR imaging of the basin with and without vegetation, fire model runs, fire history, etc.
• BIRDS: Researcher Marty Raphael is revisiting bird survey plots begun in the 1960's within the Donner Burn study transects. The Forest Service monitors bird presence in the basin. Goshawk and Spotted Owl surveys occur annually. The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) project runs annual banding stations at sites within the Sagehen basin. Vladimir Pravosudov's multi-decade chickadee memory research continues.
• SMALL MAMMALS: Calhoun line trapping transects begun in the 1950's are being revisited by PSW researcher Pat Manley.
• FISH SURVEYS: annual fish monitoring continues in various Sagehen Creek stretches.
• AMERICAN MARTEN: monitoring of this indicator species was recently revisited in anticipation of the treatments.
• HYDROLOGY: the USGS regularly samples Sagehen Creek stream water chemistry and remotely monitors flow through their Hydrologic Benchmark Network. Numerous modeling efforts continue. Terry Hogue is evaluating stream water yield. The Forest Service does annual stream condition surveys. Researcher Jim Kirchner is evaluating weather, groundwater and sap flow patterns.
• METEOROLOGY: National Atmospheric Deposition Program precipitation sampling is ongoing. Weather data is continuously collected at 12 towers within the basin.

Did I forget anything?

Truckee Talks segment

The Sagehen Forest Project from F. Felix on Vimeo.
Jeff Brown, Malcolm North & Scott Conway talk to Maia Schneider about the Sagehen Forest Project underway in the Sagehen Experimental Forest.

More information on the project blog at http://sagehenforest.blogspot.com/

Final report on SPLATs project.

Here are two reports to the Joint Fire Sciences Program on SPLATs research at Sagehen.

Final Report, Joint Fire Science Program: 04.2-1-84, Nov. 16, 2007 (PDF - 644K)

Reality Show: SPLATS Take a Trip from Theory to the Tahoe National Forest, Feb. 2009 (704K)

Sagehen American (pine) martens

August 23, 2007: For Sagehen Summer Speaker Series #18, Dr. Bill Zielinsky of the US Forest Service PSW discusses past & upcoming American marten research in Sagehen basin. He also discusses how forest management practice influences marten habitat.


Past & future pine marten research at Sagehen from F. Felix on Vimeo.

Katie Moriarty talks weasels.

August 7, 2008: For Sagehen Speaker Series #22, researcher Katie Moriarty discusses her work on American martens in the Sagehen basin. She also discusses other Sierran predators, including the big surprise that turned up on her camera trap on February 28, 2008.

Moriarty, K. M., American Marten Distributions over a 28 Year Period: Relationships with Landscape Change in Sagehen Creek Experimental Forest, California, USA. 2009, OSU. 108 pp. [PDF]

Moriarty, K.M., W. J. Zeilinski, A. G. Gonzales, T. E. Dawson, K. M. Boatner, C. A. Wilson, F. V. Schlexer, K. L. Pilgrim, J. P. Copeland, M. K. Schwartz, Wolverine Confirmation in California after Nearly a Century: Native or Long-Distance Immigrant?

More marten research at Sagehen.

Watch videos of Pine Martens.

American Martens in Sagehen Basin. from F. Felix on Vimeo.

Interview with Gary Roller & Jeff Brown about SPLATs research at Sagehen.

10-25-2006: Here's an old TTCTV broadcast of Maia Schneider interviewing Gary Roller & Jeff Brown about SPLATs research at Sagehen.

There's good background here about the unprecedented data set collected for the project: fuels & vegetation surveys, LiDAR imaging of the basin, fire model runs, etc.


Gary Roller & Jeff Brown discuss SPLATs research. from F. Felix on Vimeo.

Sagehen Forest Project Collaboration Exploration Meeting: 5-12-10

On Wednesday, May 12, 2010, a group of interested stakeholders met to talk about the possibility of collaborating on forest health treatments for the Sagehen basin.

Download the meeting notes, including a list of participants.

In this introductory meeting, the Tahoe National Forest, Pacific Southwest Research Station & UC Berkeley Sagehen Creek Field Station shared the work they've done to date to define the problem & the likely areas to be affected. Scott Conway, Scott Dailey & Kris Boatner presented for the Forest Service, Jeff Brown for Sagehen Creek Field Station. The panel discussion included Tom Quinn, Forest Supervisor; Joanne Roubique, District Ranger; Peter Stine, PSW; Bill Zielinsky, PSW; & others.

After the presentations at the Tahoe Forest office, the group visited Sagehen for a field trip to examine some of the issues, somewhat constrained by snowy roads.

Later meetings will focus discussion on what actual treatments [or not] will be best for each area. The next meeting date is currently being worked out on Doodle.

*****

The PowerPoint presentations from the meeting are available for download here [105 MB].

Or watch movies made from the PowerPoints here.

Jeff Brown's introduction to Sagehen slideshow:


50+ Years of Sagehen from F. Felix on Vimeo.
07:00

American (Pine) Marten research in Sagehen basin.

The Sagehen basin and adjacent areas have been the focus of pine marten research since the 1970's, making the marten an indicator for monitoring changes to the basin forest.

The following are some theses resulting from this long-term research:

1. Moriarty, K. M., American Marten Distributions over a 28 Year Period: Relationships with Landscape Change in Sagehen Creek Experimental Forest, California, USA. 2009, Master's thesis, OSU.
2. Martin, S.K., "The ecology of the Pine Marten (Martes americana) at Sagehen Creek, California." 1987, Ph.D. thesis, UCB.
3. Zielinski, W.J., "Food habits, activity patterns, and ectoparasites of the pine marten at Sagehen Creek, California." 1981, Masters thesis, UCB.
4. Spencer, W.D., "Pine marten habitat preference at Sagehen Creek, California." 1981, Master's thesis, UCB. 
5. Simon, "Ecology study of the marten in Tahoe National Forest." 1980, Master's thesis, Sacramento State University.

Selected additional journal publications related to Sagehen marten research:

• Resting Site Selection by Marten at Sagehen Creek, California. Sandra K. Martin, R. H. Barrett, 1991.
• Current Distribution of American martens in California. T. E. Kucera, W. E. Zielinski, R. H. Barrett, 1995
• Current Distribution of American Martens, Martes americana. T. E. Kucera, W. E. Zielinski, R. H. Barrett, 1995
• Relationship between Food Habits and Activity Patterns of Pine Martens. William J. Zielinski, W. D. Spencer, R. H. Barrett, 19

There are more publication references related to Sagehen marten research on our Publications pages.

Sagehen wolverine discovery.

The journal Northwest Science published a research paper by Katie Moriarty, et al about the Sagehen wolverine.

The article tells the story of the discovery of the wolverine during her American marten survey, as well as the fascinating methods used to confirm the animal's species, gender, population source, and personal range.

Here's another article about a sighting of the wolverine, and a video of the animal.

More recent information about the Sagehen wolverine.

Sustainable management of fire-dependent forests

8-13-09: For Sagehen Speaker Series no. 26, Dr. Malcolm North discusses a new, multi-discipline publication from the Forest Service PSW, "An Ecosystem Management Strategy for Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forests" (GTR-220). The report is also available here [PDF].

*Update: GTR-237 is out!

More info about forest fire research at Sagehen.

Sustainable management of fire-dependent forests. from F. Felix on Vimeo.

Forest resiliency & SPLATs research at Sagehen

7-24-08: For Sagehen Speaker Series no. 21, Professor John Battles discusses how we can convert our precious western national forests back into resilient, naturally-functioning ecosystems using Strategically Placed Area Treatments [SPLATs].


Forest Resiliency & SPLATs Research at Sagehen. from F. Felix on Vimeo.

SPLAT-related thesis completed

Nicole Vaillant completed her Ph.D. thesis at Sagehen in 2008: Sagehen Experimental Forest Past, Present, and Future: An Evaluation of the Fireshed Assessment Process.

The study evaluates the Sagehen basin fire history, uses high resolution aerial laser mapping & an extensive dataset of actual fuel & vegetation measurements at hundreds of sites in the basin to compare fire models, & evaluates different possible SPLAT treatments. Strategically Placed Land Area Treatments (SPLATs) are a way of restructuring the forest to interrupt fire behavior, restore resiliency & more closely approximate natural forest structure.

Here's an excerpt from the thesis introduction:

"The first chapter investigates the past through a fire history reconstruction of lower elevation Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) and Jeffrey pine – mixed conifer stands within Sagehen. Using fire perimeter maps and dendrochronology, the historic fire regime (frequency and seasonality) was determined. This chapter explores the influence of Native American land use practices, Comstock Era logging, fire suppression and climate indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Palmer Drought Severity Index) on the fire regime at Sagehen.

The second chapter focuses on the present comparing three geographic information system (GIS) data sets utilized in the fireshed assessment process available for Sagehen. Eight GIS data layers are required to model fire behavior in FlamMap (Finney 2006), a landscape-level fire behavior and propagation model. The eight layers required include: elevation, slope, aspect, canopy cover, canopy base height, canopy height, canopy bulk density and fuel model. The three GIS data sets being compared in this chapter included:
1) data created using LiDAR and plot information for Sagehen,
2) pre-existing Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project (Landfire) data (Ryan et al. 2006), and
3) pre-existing Tahoe National Forest Stewardship and Fireshed Assessment data (Bahro et al. 2007).

The three GIS data sets were evaluated against the extensive grid of fuel and vegetation plots to test the correlation of canopy cover, fuel model, canopy base height, canopy height and canopy bulk density to current conditions. Modeled fire behavior metrics (fire type, flame length and fireline intensity) were compared between the three GIS data sets to better understand the implications of different source data on management decisions made during the fireshed assessment process.

The third chapter will again concentrate on the present comparing six SPLAT treatment plans created for Sagehen. Four of the plans were created by the Tahoe National Forest in conjunction with University of California, Berkeley using the fireshed assessment process. These four plans take into account accessibility, cost, landownership and ecological objectives. The second two plans were theoretical. The first is based on the pattern outlined by the fundamental research on the SPLAT theory (Finney 2001). This plan does not consider any of the above limitations. The second was created using the treatment optimization model within FlamMap (Finney 2007). This SPLAT plan excludes areas not available for treatment including watercourse protection zones, archeological sites and locations protected for sensitive or endangered plant and animal species. Potential fire behavior metrics (fire type, flame length, fireline intensity and arrival time) were modeled in FlamMap to evaluate the effectiveness of the six SPLAT plans.

The fourth chapter assesses the longevity of treatment effectiveness to reduce potential fire behavior for one of the fireshed assessment SPLAT treatments into the future. A forest vegetation growth simulator was utilized to model natural regeneration and growth of trees in Sagehen from 2005 through 2055 for the untreated and treated landscapes. Modeled fire behavior (fire type, flame length and fireline intensity) was used to assess the effectiveness of the treated landscape compared to the untreated landscape from 2005 to 2055.

There is much to be gained by integrating the past, present and future of Sagehen Experimental Forest into a spatial and temporal evaluation of the fireshed assessment and SPLATs. To my knowledge, no other watershed has the amount of information available for such a detailed analysis. Nor has there been a detailed evaluation of proposed SPLAT treatments created through the fireshed process. This study would be a first for both SPLAT placement and fireshed analysis, and should be of great value to land managers."

Carolyn Crane interviews SPLAT researchers

August, 2005: Carolyn Crane interviews Sagehen researchers about "Strategically Placed Land Area Treatments (SPLATs)" being studied as a strategy to alter forest fire behavior.

10:30

Forest fire dynamics explored in SPLAT study

Sagehen Science & Education