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Long-term forest monitoring is vital to understand how Hawaiian forests change over time and to manage and conserve natural resources. Forest inventories are assessed about every 10 years in Hawai'i by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, in collaboration with state and federal partners. This report summarizes key findings from 246 forested plots in Hawai'i, inventoried from 2010 to 2015. Estimates were provided for forest area, tree species composition, size distribution, volume, biomass, carbon, understory vegetation, damage to trees, damaging agents, and invasive plant species across all management or owner groups (federal, state and county, and private). Forested FIA plots were located on five of the eight major Hawaiian Islands: Hawai'i, Maui, Lāna'i, O'ahu, and Kaua'i. An estimated 1.5 million ac of forested lands were present statewide, containing many high-value resources, such as clean water, wood products, and carbon sequestration, and delivering a range of cultural ecosystem services. Hawai'i's forest inventory consisted of an estimated 1.8 billion live trees and 112 distinct tree species, including species that were native (indigenous), introduced (either by early Polynesians or more recently via European and Asian contact with Hawai'i), and invasive (those that cause economic, environmental, or ecological harm). Montane rainforests were the most common forest community type, accounting for 30 percent of Hawai'i's forested lands. 'Ōhi'a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich.), an endemic, keystone tree species, was the most common and dominant tree species =5 inches diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) within Hawai'i's forests, followed by hāpu'u 'i'i (Cibotium menziesii Hook.), hāpu'u pulu (Cibotium glaucum (Sm.) Hook. & Arn.), and koa (Acacia koa A. Gray). Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) was the most abundant tree species =1 inch d.b.h., followed by 'ōhi'a lehua, invasive haole koa (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit), and Christmas berry (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi). Strawberry guava is invasive and degrades Hawai'i's native forests, adversely affecting ecosystem composition, structure, function, and ecosystem services. Hawai'i's live trees represented 51 million U.S. tons of dry mass (46.3 Tg) carbon. A total of 47 percent of Hawai'i's forests were located on reserved land, primarily ceded lands managed by Hawai'i's state and county governments. This report also serves as a baseline for assessing the extent and health of 'ōhi'a prior to the manifestation of rapid 'ōhi'a death, a disease that began causing widespread mortality of 'ōhi'a lehua trees in 2014. This is the first FIA report for Hawai'i using the nationally standardized plot design developed by FIA, and it provides the baseline for future forest assessments and estimates of change in forest composition, structure, and health. Detailed tables and graphical highlights are included to inform resource managers, policymakers, and the public about the status and trends of their local forest ecosystems and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the executive summary for the report Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in Southwest Oregon, by Halofsky et al. (2022, PNW-GTR-995). The vulnerability and adaptation assessment was conducted by the Southwest Oregon Adaptation Partnership, a science-management partnership. The partnership assessed the vulnerability of natural resources to climate change and developed adaptation options that minimize its negative impacts and facilitate ecosystem transition to a warmer climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A science-management adaptation partnership was developed among the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mount Hood National Forest, and Willamette National Forest, and other organizations (hereafter referred to as CMWAP) to identify climate change issues relevant for resource management in central Oregon and southern Washington). This partnership assessed the vulnerability of natural resources to climate change and developed adaptation options that minimize negative impacts of climate change and facilitate transition of ecosystems and organizations to a warmer climate. The vulnerability assessment focused on water resources and infrastructure, fisheries, vegetation, wildlife, recreation, and ecosystem services. The vulnerability assessment shows that the effects of climate change on hydrology in the CMWAP assessment area will be significant, primarily because decreased snowpack and earlier snowmelt will shift the timing and magnitude of streamflow; peak flows will be higher, and summer low flows will be lower. Projected changes in climate and hydrology will affect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, especially as frequency of extreme climate events (drought, low snowpack) and ecological disturbances (flooding, wildfire) increase. Distribution and abundance of coldwater fish species are expected to decrease in response to higher water temperature, although effects will vary as a function of local habitat and competition with nonnative fish. Higher air temperature, through its influence on soil moisture, is expected to cause gradual changes in the distribution and abundance of plant species, with drought-tolerant species becoming more dominant. Increased frequency and extent of wildfire (and in some cases insects) will facilitate vegetation change, in some cases leading to altered structure and function of ecosystems, although the frequency and extent of disturbances are uncertain. Vegetation change will alter wildlife habitat, with both positive and negative effects depending on animal species and ecosystem. Animal species with a narrow range of preferred habitats (e.g., riparian systems, old forest) will be the most vulnerable to more disturbance and large-scale shifts in flora. The effects of climate change on recreation activities are difficult to project, although higher temperatures are expected to create more opportunities for warm-weather activities (e.g., hiking, camping, water-based recreation) and fewer opportunities for snow-based activities (e.g., skiing, snowmobiling). Recreationists modify their activities according to current conditions, but recreation management by federal agencies has generally not been so flexible. Of the ecosystem services considered in the assessment, (1) timber supply and carbon sequestration may be affected by lower productivity and higher frequency and extent of disturbances, (2) native pollinators may be affected by altered vegetation distribution and phenological mismatches between insects and plants, and (3) decreased salmon populations will reduce the availability of an important first food for tribes in the assessment area. CMWAP resource managers developed adaptation options in response to the vulnerabilities of each resource, including high-level strategies and on-the-ground tactics. Many adaptation options are intended to increase the resilience of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, or to reduce the effects of existing stressors (e.g., removal of nonnative species). In aquatic systems, a dominant theme is to restore the structure and function of streams to retain cold water for fish and other aquatic organisms. In forest systems, dominant themes of adaptation are to decrease stand density and increase structural and genetic diversity to confer resilience to drought. Many adaptation options can accomplish multiple outcomes; for example, restoring the hydrologic function of streams and wetlands will benefit coldwater fish species and riparian wildlife species as well as reduce impacts on infrastructure. Many existing management practices are already "climate smart" or require minor adjustment to make them so. Long-term monitoring is needed to detect climate change effects on natural resources and evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southwest Oregon Adaptation Partnership (SWOAP) is a science-management partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (U.S. Forest Service)--Rogue River-Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forests, Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain Research Stations, and Pacific Northwest Region; U.S. Department of the Interior--Bureau of Land Management Medford and Roseburg Districts, and National Park Service Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve; and University of Washington. This science-management partnership assessed the vulnerability of natural resources to climate change and developed adaptation options that minimize negative impacts of climate change and facilitate transition of ecosystems to a warmer climate. The vulnerability assessment focused on water resources, fisheries, vegetation, wildlife, recreation, and ecosystem services. The vulnerability assessment shows that the effects of climate change on hydrology in southwest Oregon will be significant, although not as pronounced as in other areas of the Pacific Northwest where more of the land area is covered by high mountains. Decreased snowpack and earlier snowmelt will shift the timing and magnitude of streamflow; peak flows will be higher, and summer low flows will be lower. Projected changes in climate and hydrology will affect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, especially as frequency of extreme climate events (drought, low snowpack) and ecological disturbances (streamflow, wildfire, insect outbreaks) increase. Distribution and abundance of coldwater fish species are expected to decrease in response to higher water temperature, although effects will vary as a function of local habitat and competition with nonnative fish. Higher air temperature, through its influence on soil moisture, is expected to cause gradual changes in the distribution and abundance of plant species, with drought-tolerant species becoming more dominant. Increased frequency and extent of wildfire will be the primary facilitator of vegetation change, in some cases leading to altered structure and function of ecosystems, including more forest area in younger age classes and some low-elevation forests being displaced by other tree and shrub species. Vegetation change will alter wildlife habitat, with both positive and negative effects depending on animal species and ecosystem. Animal species with a narrow range of preferred habitats (e.g., riparian, old forest) will be the most vulnerable to more disturbance and large-scale shifts in flora. The effects of climate change on recreation activities are difficult to project, although higher temperatures are expected to create more opportunities for warmweather activities (e.g., hiking, camping) and fewer opportunities for snow-based activities (e.g., skiing, snowmobiling). Recreationists modify their activities according to current conditions, but recreation management by federal agencies has generally not been so flexible. Of the ecosystem services considered in the assessment, timber supply and carbon sequestration may be affected by increasing frequency and extent of disturbances, and native pollinators may be affected by altered vegetation distribution and phenological mismatches between insects and plants. SWOAP resource managers developed adaptation options in response to the vulnerabilities of each resource, including both high-level strategies and on-theground tactics. Many adaptation options are intended to increase the resilience of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems or to reduce the effects of existing stressors (e.g., removal of nonnative species). In terrestrial systems, a dominant theme of adaptation is to accelerate restoration and fuel treatments in dry forests to reduce the undesirable effects of extreme events and high-severity wildfire. In aquatic systems, a dominant theme is to restore the structure and function of streams to retain cold water for fish and other aquatic organisms. Many adaptation options can accomplish multiple outcomes; for example, fuel treatments in dry forests reduce fire intensity, which in turn reduces erosion that would degrade water quality and fish habitat. Many existing management practices are already "climate smart" or require minor adjustment to make them so. Long-term monitoring is needed to detect climate change effects on natural resources and evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes the Restoring Ecosystem Services Tool (REST) computer program, which was developed to assist users in selecting plant species for more effective landscape management. Many habitats have been altered to the extent that it is no longer possible to restore their plant communities to their preexisting conditions. In these cases, a functional trait-based restoration approach to restoring some degree of ecosystem services, functionality, and structure may be helpful. To conduct functional trait-based restoration, information about the functional characteristics of species is required, and decisions are made by choosing a combination of species that have trait profiles that meet desired restoration goals. However, the value and applicability of functional trait-based restoration has been limited in its accessibility to land managers and stakeholders. The REST program is specifically designed to help users select a suite of plant species whose life history traits relate to addressing a specific management objective. Trait data from global databases have been incorporated into the program, providing some data from many species. Users define management objectives from a menu of available restoration goals (drought tolerance, fire tolerance, successional facilitation, or carbon storage) to filter for connected functional traits. Once the user has chosen appropriate functional traits for analysis, a potential species pool, chosen by the user, is required for analysis. Alternatively, users may upload their own trait and species data as a .csv file. REST then applies the statistical technique of principal components analysis to visualize species position in "trait space." The program provides written and visual analysis that compares the influence of each of the functional traits. The user can run REST with various species combinations, then apply this information to decisions about which species will best meet restoration objectives. New data and program versions can be found at https://hilo.hawaii.edu/faculty/ostertag/. Please contact Dr. Rebecca Ostertag at ostertag@hawaii.edu for program questions or concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National forest planning and management traditionally have involved addressing a broad spectrum of natural resource issues and ecological conditions to comply with forest management regulations and policies. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service issued a new forest planning rule requiring that national forests and grasslands identify and evaluate information on the ecosystem services provided by plan areas from which people benefit as part of the plan assessment phase of plan revision. Specifically, planning teams are directed now to identify "key" ecosystem services that are both of importance outside the plan area and likely to be affected by plan alternatives. The agency's intent is to integrate ecosystem services into the planning and management process to help ensure forest plans produce more beneficial outcomes for the public while meeting the needs of present and future generations. In this report, we develop and demonstrate a conceptual framework and process that forest planning teams can use or draw upon to address ecosystem services during the assessment phase of planning. We provide several examples regarding how planning teams might identify key goods and services, as well as a worksheet teams might use in their analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of OECD Environment Working Papers is the property of Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of OECD Environment Working Papers is the property of Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article reports that the natural resource managers must make decisions that affect broad-scale ecosystem processes involving large spatial areas, complex biophysical interactions, numerous competing stakeholder interests and highly uncertain outcomes. Topics include examines natural and social science information and analyses are widely recognized as important for informing effective management.

Copyright of OECD Environment Working Papers is the property of Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of OECD Environment Working Papers is the property of Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the passage of the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960, the U.S. Forest Service has managed its 193 million acres of forest and grassland for multiple uses, including timber, watersheds, and wildlife. Using today's terminology, some of these purposes are considered ecosystem services, which encompass a breadth of benefits provided by forests, including their ability to absorb and store atmospheric carbon, a greenhouse gas linked to climate change. National forests are now working to mitigate climate change, but the tradeoffs involved in managing for multiple ecosystem services are not well understood. Using landscape-scale datasets of forest vegetation, carbon storage estimates, and wildlife habitat profiles, scientists with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station simulated the effects of various management plans on timber harvests, wildlife habitat, and carbon storage in forests of the western Cascade Range. They found that ecosystem services may be complementary, competitive, or neutral (e.g., a change in one service has little effect on other services). For example, carbon sequestration is potentially competitive with timber harvests and creating wildlife habitat for the western bluebird, but can be complementary to maintaining habitat for the northern spotted owl and the red tree vole. By using this tradeoff management framework, land managers will have a better understanding of the multiple ecosystem services a management plan may provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the association between nature and people, and mentions the ecosystem services. Topics include the link between the decline in species population and the state of habitats and ecosystems, the metrics that show the relationship among, ecosystem services, natural capital stock and human well-being, and the role played by soybean as part of the global food supply.