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Active restoration of threatened or endangered species habitat may seem in conflict with the provisions of the Endangered Species Act because of the prohibition of “take,” which can include habitat modification as well as death or harm to individuals. Risk-averse managers
may choose to forego active management in known or presumed endangered specie...
Citations
... Forest landscape models can assist with planning regional forest restoration efforts (Xi et al. 2008) by examining how alternative forest management scenarios affect the ability to reach desired restoration goals (Thomas-Van Gundy and Sturtevant 2014, Hurteau et al. 2016. Additionally, by manipulating future climate in models, restoration goals and processes can be adjusted in the context of climate change (Liang et al. 2018). ...
Many public land management programs in the southeastern United States have been restoring the longleaf pine forest for more than 20 years, which includes intensive treatment with fire, thinning, chemical control of competition, and tree planting. A shift to more passive management (prescribed burning alone) is anticipated once a critical level of longleaf pine has been established. It remains unclear whether this longleaf pine threshold has been reached and whether intensive management should continue at Fort Benning, Georgia. Using the Landis-II forest landscape model, changes in tree species and forest types were estimated from 2017 to 2117 under four forest management scenarios, ranging from passive (“burn only”) to intensive (“proactive”). The desired future condition includes 75% of upland forest dominated by longleaf pine (>49.5% composition). The proactive scenario resulted in the desired future forest condition, whereas reactive and passive scenarios did not. These results suggest a critical threshold of longleaf pine forest has not been reached at Fort Benning and therefore intensive management approaches are still required. This study shows that even well-established populations of longleaf pine on public lands require maintenance and continued intensive restoration to reach desired forest-wide conditions.
... Both research and management focus are needed to restore this species back to more than just a fraction of its original extent. In the central Appalachians, red spruce historically covered about 600,000 hectares [15,16]. The species current extent is limited to approximately 10,000 hectares [15,16]. ...
... In the central Appalachians, red spruce historically covered about 600,000 hectares [15,16]. The species current extent is limited to approximately 10,000 hectares [15,16]. The benefits associated with this tree species point to the importance of maintaining and encouraging the expansion of red spruce forest cover. ...
... Prior to the mid-1800s but diminishing up to the 1930s, the state of West Virginia, and particularly the area now designated as the Monongahela National Forest, was dominated by red spruce associated forest types [16]. This mountainous area is known for having steep terrain over a large portion of the region. ...
Red spruce (Picea rubens) was historically an important and dominant timber species in the central Appalachian mountain range. The tree species is now found in a small fraction of its original home range. Threatened and endangered organisms such as the Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon nettingi) rely on red spruce associated forests for survival. This review provides a background on the history of forest management of red spruce in the central Appalachian region. A meta-analysis was conducted on recent literature (published 2000 or later) of red spruce in the central Appalachian region to highlight key management and conservation concerns. In particular, forest health concerns related to air pollution and climatic stress also are addressed. Approaches to examine the impact of environmental factors on red spruce site productivity are covered. This review also provides sustainable management options for restoration of red spruce in the central Appalachian mountain range.
... Much of the forest land in the central Appalachians that was once dominated by red spruce is now dominated by associated hardwood species, such as red maple (Acer rubrum) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) [18][19][20]. There have been no studies published that predict the site index of red spruce using site index values of associated species. ...
Traditional site index curves are frequently produced for shade-intolerant species but are scarce for shade-tolerant species. Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) can be found in three distinct geographic regions (northern, central, and southern) within the Appalachian Mountains. The one commonly used set of red spruce site index curves is over ninety years old. A definite need exists for a modern, regionally applicable set of site index curves. This research sampled 83 plots randomly located in the central Appalachians of West Virginia. Three sets of anamorphic site index curves were created after careful examination of height models built using Chapman-Richards and Meyer functions. One set of curves was constructed with traditional age height pairs. The second utilized a suppression-corrected age and height pair. The third set examined diameter at breast height (DBH) and height pairs. Fit statistics indicated better performance for the suppression-corrected age–height pair site index and the DBH–height pair site index versus the traditional age–height pair models. Site index conversion equations were also investigated for the red spruce age-corrected site index. Linear regression was used to determine significant geographic and climate variables and the utility of including site index values for red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) in the model to predict red spruce site index. Significant models were found for varying combinations of species site index, climate, and geographic variables with R2adj in the range of 0.139–0.455. These new site index curves and conversion equations should provide utility for site productivity estimation and growth and yield modeling while aiding in restoration efforts for this important central Appalachian species.
Global climate change threatens many species across the planet. High‐elevation species, such as red spruce ( Picea rubens ), face significant and immediate threats from climate change. Red spruce has faced anthropogenic disturbances for over a century and is only recently beginning to recover across its range. Ecological niche modeling has become a common method of identifying the suitable habitat of a species, providing vital information to land managers carrying out restoration efforts. In this study, ecological niche models were used in a novel way, predicting distribution and habitat suitability separately and simultaneously to determine the spatial extent to which red spruce forests can be restored. In addition to models, surveys were conducted to elucidate the current regeneration trends of red spruce. Furthermore, climate projections were used to determine how restoration potential may change over the course of the twenty‐first century. Comparisons between distribution and habitat suitability models indicate that there is additional habitat available for red spruce expansion. Regeneration surveys show that there is positive regeneration both within and beyond red spruce canopies, validating model comparisons. Climate change projections indicate total elimination of suitable habitat in Virginia by 2100. However, these projections likely predict increased competition for red spruce from low elevation competitors as opposed to physiological limitations imposed by climate change. It is therefore prudent to protect established populations and encourage further regeneration within and beyond current red spruce stands in anticipation of future ecological shifts.
In the following pages, I describe 40 years of field observations on the Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon nettingi), a federally threatened species. This is not a research paper in that I do not attempt to analyze data, but rather it is a means to share information I have collected during my time in the field with this species. Cheat Mountain Salamanders are found in just five counties in the high elevations of the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia. I have searched over 1,300 sites in these five counties and determined that its range extends from Blackwater River Canyon (Tucker County) in the north to Thorny Flat (Pocahontas County) in the south, a linear distance of about 92 km. Within this range, I observed over 2,000 Cheat Mountain Salamanders in 81 populations. Data collected in these 81 populations include habitat characteristics, elevational ranges, mountain aspects, cover objects, food items, sympatric species, syntopic events, phenology, reproduction, conservation issues, and status of populations. It is my hope that information presented herein will be useful to biologists who will be studying this species in future years.
We conducted dendroclimatic analyses and constructed future growth projections for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) throughout the central Appalachians in the state of West Virginia. This study involved field sampling of 18 sites across red spruce’s range throughout Monongahela National Forest in 6 regions based on pairwise combinations of three latitudinal groups (north, central, and southern latitudes) with two aspects (north and south aspect). Each combination of latitudinal group and aspect was referred to as a landscape cluster. Growth was negatively impacted by high summer temperature stress, but responded favorably to high fall temperatures. The results also suggested that red spruce was likely impacted by the degree of winter harshness in all landscape clusters. In the northern latitudinal landscape clusters, red spruce responded favorably to warm spring temperatures by allowing an early start to the growing season. Growth projections under a future climate change scenario show that future expected increases in mean and maximum monthly temperatures will have negative effects on future spruce growth. The forecasting results suggested that red spruce in northern latitudes on south aspects or central latitudes on north aspects are the landscape clusters that will likely be the most resilient to future climate change. Dendroclimatic results and future growth projections can assist with identifying locations that are most suitable for future red spruce restoration activities.
Many studies now identify the impacts of global climate change as a conservation threat to terrestrial ecosystems. In West Virginia, red spruce (Picea rubens) forests are a rare forest community of great ecological value, occurring in 'island-like' distributions among higher elevations. In this study, 168 red spruce presence localities and 24 environmental and site-specific variables were used to model red spruce habitat using select climate change scenarios. Maximum entropy models were created for aggressive and conservative climate change scenarios, with each scenario model performed for three time periods (i.e., 2020, 2050, and 2080). Results for both model analyses identified three variables which contributed significantly to model performance: mean temperature of the coldest quarter of the year, elevation, and minimum temperature of the coldest month of the year. Changes in suitable habitat area were also assessed for both model scenarios at each time period examined. Approximately 6.2% of the land area in West Virginia was modeled under current habitat conditions as suitable red spruce habitat. However, by the time period 2020, a loss of 78% and 52% was identified for the aggressive and conservative climate change models, respectively. By the time period 2080, no suitable red spruce habitat was modeled using the aggressive climate change scenario with an 85% reduction in current modeled habitat identified using the conservative model. These findings indicate the potential impacts of climate change on red spruce forest habitat in West Virginia and provide valuable guidance for future restoration efforts by identifying areas most likely to succeed under altered climatic conditions. © 2015 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
