beetles, fire and logging

Figure 1. Beetle-affected stand of lodgepole pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as photographed in 2007.

Bark beetles, fire and salvage logging in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Contacts

Monica Turner, Martin Simard, and Jake Griffin

Keywords

disturbance interactions, Yellowstone National Park, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), insect outbreaks, fire ecology, fuel management, fire risk, disturbance interactions, subalpine
forests, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, soil nitrogen

Research Overview

Our current research involves two complementary studies, the first focused on understanding the interactions between fire and bark beetle infestation, and the second examining the effects of post-beetle salvage logging on stand structure and function.

Reciprocal interactions of bark beetles and fire

Previous studies have characterized the independent effects of wildfire and bark beetle epidemics, both of which are ecologically important natural disturbances in the Intermountain West, but very little is known about how these two phenomena interact. For example, it is widely believed that tree mortality resulting from beetle outbreaks increases the likelihood of severe fires, yet few studies have rigorously tested this hypothesis. Similarly, trees weakened, but not killed by fire are thought to be more susceptible to beetle invasion but empirical evidence for this is rare. With funding from the Joint Fire Sciences Program (click here for our proposal), our current research contributes to understanding the reciprocal effects of wildfire and beetle outbreaks on forest ecosystem structure, and how these interactions affect subsequent fires and spread of insects. Collaborators on this research include Drs. Bill Romme (Colorado State University), Dan Tinker (University of Wyoming), and Phil Townsend and Ken Raffa (both University of Wisconsin). This research is underway in Yellowstone National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, and Shoshone National Forest. Doctoral students Martin Simard and Jake Griffin in our lab, along with Erinn Powell (working with Ken Raffa in the department of Entomology), are leading key aspects of the field research, and Suming Jin, a postdoctoral associate in the Townsend lab, is focusing on the remote sensing. The June 2008 issue of BioScience features an editorial that highlights this work and the linkage between global climate change and mountain pine beetle infestations (view pdf).

As part of this project, PhD student Martin Simard is studying the broad-scale infestation patterns of three bark beetle species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and determining how fuels vary with time-since-beetle attack in lodgepole pine. Martin is also collaborating on the salvage harvest study (below).

Read more on Martin Simard’s studies...

Effects of post-beetle salvage logging

The current outbreak of native bark beetles in the northern Rocky Mountains is affecting millions of hectares of forest in which up to 90% of the large trees may be killed. Following a bark beetle outbreak, forest managers may conduct a salvage harvest to extract economically valuable timber and/or to reduce perceived risk of subsequent disturbance. However, the ecological consequences of post-beetle salvage harvest are largely unknown, and empirical studies are relatively scarce. In a Joint Venture Agreement with the USFS Western Wildlands Environmental Threats Assessment Center, we initiated a study on the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) in 2007 to determine how nutrient cycling, fuels and forest regeneration in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) are affected by bark beetles and post-beetle salvage harvest.

As part of both bark-beetle projects, PhD student Jake Griffin is focusing on the effect of bark beetle outbreaks on nutrient cycling in lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir, with a major focus on nitrogen. In addition, Jake Griffin is studying the effects of salvage logging following beetle infestation in lodgepole pine on fuels, regeneration, productivity and nutrient cycling.

Read more on Jake Griffin’s studies....

Selected publications

Bockino, N. K. 2008. Interactions of white pine blister rust, host species, and mountain pine beetle in whitebark pine ecosystems in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. MS thesis, Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

Raffa, K. F., B. H. Aukema, B. J. Bentz, A. L. Carroll, J. A. Hicke, M. G. Turner and W. H. Romme. 2008. Cross-scale drivers of natural disturbances prone to anthropogenic amplification: dynamics of biome-wide bark beetle eruptions. BioScience 58:501-517.

Simard, M., E. N. Powell, J. M. Griffin, K. F. Raffa and M. G. Turner. 2008. Annotated Bibliography for Forest Managers on Fire-Bark Beetle Interactions. Prepared for USFS Western Wildlands Environmental Threats Assessment Center and available online (View this article on-line).

Dr. Monica G.Turner Department of Zoology University of Wisconsin 430 Lincoln Dr. Madison, WI 53706 Ecosystem and Landscape Ecology Lab
Home People Research Publications Recent Abstracts Data Opportunities Teaching Links Photo Album Visitor Information		Figure 1. Beetle-affected stand of lodgepole pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as photographed in 2007. Bark beetles, fire and salvage logging in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Contacts Monica Turner, Martin Simard, and Jake Griffin Keywords disturbance interactions, Yellowstone National Park, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), insect outbreaks, fire ecology, fuel management, fire risk, disturbance interactions, subalpine forests, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, soil nitrogen Research Overview Our current research involves two complementary studies, the first focused on understanding the interactions between fire and bark beetle infestation, and the second examining the effects of post-beetle salvage logging on stand structure and function. Reciprocal interactions of bark beetles and fire Previous studies have characterized the independent effects of wildfire and bark beetle epidemics, both of which are ecologically important natural disturbances in the Intermountain West, but very little is known about how these two phenomena interact. For example, it is widely believed that tree mortality resulting from beetle outbreaks increases the likelihood of severe fires, yet few studies have rigorously tested this hypothesis. Similarly, trees weakened, but not killed by fire are thought to be more susceptible to beetle invasion but empirical evidence for this is rare. With funding from the Joint Fire Sciences Program (click here for our proposal), our current research contributes to understanding the reciprocal effects of wildfire and beetle outbreaks on forest ecosystem structure, and how these interactions affect subsequent fires and spread of insects. Collaborators on this research include Drs. Bill Romme (Colorado State University), Dan Tinker (University of Wyoming), and Phil Townsend and Ken Raffa (both University of Wisconsin). This research is underway in Yellowstone National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, and Shoshone National Forest. Doctoral students Martin Simard and Jake Griffin in our lab, along with Erinn Powell (working with Ken Raffa in the department of Entomology), are leading key aspects of the field research, and Suming Jin, a postdoctoral associate in the Townsend lab, is focusing on the remote sensing. The June 2008 issue of BioScience features an editorial that highlights this work and the linkage between global climate change and mountain pine beetle infestations (view pdf). As part of this project, PhD student Martin Simard is studying the broad-scale infestation patterns of three bark beetle species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and determining how fuels vary with time-since-beetle attack in lodgepole pine. Martin is also collaborating on the salvage harvest study (below). Read more on Martin Simard’s studies... Effects of post-beetle salvage logging The current outbreak of native bark beetles in the northern Rocky Mountains is affecting millions of hectares of forest in which up to 90% of the large trees may be killed. Following a bark beetle outbreak, forest managers may conduct a salvage harvest to extract economically valuable timber and/or to reduce perceived risk of subsequent disturbance. However, the ecological consequences of post-beetle salvage harvest are largely unknown, and empirical studies are relatively scarce. In a Joint Venture Agreement with the USFS Western Wildlands Environmental Threats Assessment Center, we initiated a study on the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) in 2007 to determine how nutrient cycling, fuels and forest regeneration in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) are affected by bark beetles and post-beetle salvage harvest. As part of both bark-beetle projects, PhD student Jake Griffin is focusing on the effect of bark beetle outbreaks on nutrient cycling in lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir, with a major focus on nitrogen. In addition, Jake Griffin is studying the effects of salvage logging following beetle infestation in lodgepole pine on fuels, regeneration, productivity and nutrient cycling. Read more on Jake Griffin’s studies.... Selected publications Bockino, N. K. 2008. Interactions of white pine blister rust, host species, and mountain pine beetle in whitebark pine ecosystems in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. MS thesis, Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming. Raffa, K. F., B. H. Aukema, B. J. Bentz, A. L. Carroll, J. A. Hicke, M. G. Turner and W. H. Romme. 2008. Cross-scale drivers of natural disturbances prone to anthropogenic amplification: dynamics of biome-wide bark beetle eruptions. BioScience 58:501-517. Simard, M., E. N. Powell, J. M. Griffin, K. F. Raffa and M. G. Turner. 2008. Annotated Bibliography for Forest Managers on Fire-Bark Beetle Interactions. Prepared for USFS Western Wildlands Environmental Threats Assessment Center and available online (View this article on-line).
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