Determining the Disturbance Effect on Forest Development for Use in Park Management Plans

On San Juan Island, Washington, forests are an important component not only of the landscape of the island but also of San Juan Island National Historical Park. Although the forests of the island were manipulated during the historic military time period (1853 to 1871), significant and widespread alterations occurred during the post historic period of 1872 to 1966 (Agee 1984). During that time, patches of forest were cleared for agriculture in both the American and English Camps. Following the park’s establishment in 1966, many of these fields were abandoned and dense Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stands became established. In addition, the island has a history of fires and windstorms that impact the forest stand development

The North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership: A Science-Management Collaboration for Responding to Climate Change

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) have highlighted climate change as an agency priority and issued direction to administrative units for responding to climate change. In response, the USFS and NPS initiated the North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership (NCAP) in 2010. The goals of the NCAP were to build an inclusive partnership, increase climate change awareness, assess vulnerability, and develop science-based adaptation strategies to reduce these vulnerabilities. The NCAP expanded previous science-management partnerships on federal lands to a larger, more ecologically and geographically complex region and extended the approach to a broader range of stakeholders. The NCAP focused on two national forests and two national parks in the North Cascades Range, Washington (USA), a total land area of 2.4 million ha, making it the largest science-management partnership of its kind. The NCAP assessed climate change vulnerability for four resource sectors (hydrology and access; vegetation and ecological disturbance; wildlife; and fish) and developed adaptation options for each sector. The NCAP process has proven to be a successful approach for implementing climate change adaptation across a region and can be emulated by other land management agencies in North America and beyond

Whitebark Pine in the Northern Cascades: Tracking the Effects of Blister Rust on Population Health in North Cascades National Park Service Complex and Mount Rainier National Park

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) is a key component of subalpine and alpine ecosystems in the northern Cascades. The species’ survival is threatened by white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle, fire exclusion, and climate change. We monitored whitebark pine in permanent plots in two national parks three times between 2004 and 2016. The proportion of live trees showing evidence of blister rust infection increased in North Cascades National Park Service Complex from 32% in 2004 to 51% in 2016 and from 18% to 38% in Mount Rainier National Park. Mortality increased from 7% to 21% in North Cascades National Park Service Complex and 38% to 44% in Mount Rainier National Park. The percent of live infected and dead whitebark pine increased with south and east aspects and mortality decreased with elevation. Annualized mortality rates calculated for the entire study period were 1.5% in Mount Rainier National Park and 2.3% in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Although these rates decreased between the first time period (2004–2009) and the second time period (2009–2016), the prevalence of infected and dead whitebark pine increased across all park landscapes over time and increased in smaller diameter whitebark pine trees

Study of the genetic diversity of cocoa populations (Theobroma cacao L.) of Martinique (FWI) and potential for processing and the cocoa industry

The establishment of cocoa (Theobroma cacaoL.) in Martinique is an old story. Some authors believe that the first cocoa trees were planted there by the native Caribbean people, while others indicate that cocoa was introduced in the seventeenth century. Since then, the history of cocoa farming in Martinique has been punctuated by different waves of introduction from various countries and by cyclonic episodes that ravaged its cultivation. Today, there are many cocoa trees coming from this turbulent history and this current study has started to better understand the genetic diversity of the current orchards. Our interest in Martiniquan cocoa also comes from very encouraging results on aromatic properties of chocolates made with Martiniquan beans. A total of 161 cocoa trees located from the different regions of the island were genotyped, using a set of SNP markers. Sensory descriptive profiles of the chocolates comings from these trees were carried out by a provider laboratory, according to the sensory method described by AFNOR (French Agency for Standardization) NF ISO 11035 (July 1995). We observed a genetic diversity within the Martiniquan cocoa orchards with a genetic admixture consisting of ancestry of 6 out of the 10Theobroma cacaoancestral genetic groups which testifies to these numerous waves of introduction; the main representative ancestry group is Amelonado, then Criollo. The first tests of sensory analysis revealed a strong aromatic potential of Martiniquan cocoa, probably due to a favorable terroir effect

Monitoring for Ozone Injury in West Coast (Oregon, Washington, California) Forests in 1998

In 1998, forest vegetation was monitored for ozone injury on permanent plots in two Sierra Nevada national forests in California, at three locations in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, and at 68 forest health monitoring (FHM) locations throughout Washington, Oregon, and California. This was the first year that extensive monitoring of forest vegetation for ozone injury was carried out in Oregon, and Washington. Injury was detected on ponderosa and Jeffrey pine in the Sierra Nevada permanent plots and on red elderberry at one FHM location in southwest Washington. No injury was detected at the Mount Rainier sites. The authors also report on results of a trial where red alder, huckleberry, blue elderberry, and chokecherry were exposed to ozone under controlled conditions.Keywords: Ozone, plant injury, biomonitoring, forest health monitoring

Assessing trends and vulnerabilities in the mutualism between whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) in national parks of the Sierra-Cascade region.

Dispersal of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.), a keystone species of many high-elevation ecosystems in western North America, depends on Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana Wilson), a seed-caching bird with an affinity for whitebark seeds. To the extent that this dependence is mutual, declines in whitebark seed production could cause declines in nutcracker abundance. Whitebark pine is in decline across much of its range due to interacting stressors, including the non-native pathogen white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola J. C. Fisch.). We used avian point-count data and tree surveys from four national park units to investigate whether trends in whitebark pine can explain trends in Clark's nutcracker. Spatial trends were modeled using recent data from two parks, while temporal trends were modeled using longer time-series of nutcracker and whitebark data from two additional parks. To assess the potential dependence of nutcrackers on whitebark, we linked a model of nutcracker density (accounting for detection probability) with a model of whitebark trends, using a Bayesian framework to translate uncertainty in whitebark metrics to uncertainty in nutcracker density. In Mount Rainier National Park, temporal models showed dramatic declines in nutcracker density concurrent with significant increases in whitebark crown mortality and trees infected with white pine blister rust. However, nutcrackers did not trend with whitebark metrics in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. In spatial models of data from Yosemite National Park and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, nutcracker density varied not only with local cover of whitebark but also with elevation and, in Sequoia-Kings Canyon, with cover of another species of white pine. Our results add support for the hypothesis that the mutualism between whitebark pine and Clark's nutcracker is vulnerable to disruption by blister rust, and our approach integrates data across monitoring programs to explore trends in species interactions