New Topics or Questions from Readers

The purpose of comments on this page is to raise new topics that don’t fit existing posts.

109 thoughts on “New Topics or Questions from Readers”

  1. New PNAS study on area burned and climate change: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2213815120

    From the abstract: Our results indicate that nearly all the observed increase in BA is due to anthropogenic climate change as historical model simulations accounting for anthropogenic forcing yield 172% (range 84 to 310%) more area burned than simulations with natural forcing only. We detect the signal of combined historical forcing on the observed BA emerging in 2001 with no detectable influence of the natural forcing alone. In addition, even when considering fuel limitations from fire-fuel feedbacks, a 3 to 52% increase in BA relative to the last decades is expected in the next decades (2031 to 2050), highlighting the need for proactive adaptations.

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      • Thanks John and Sharon: Osbornes have always been one of my favorite research tools when researching past forest conditions. Most of the work I have done with them has been in western Oregon. Ridgelines were mostly open then, along the routes of ancient Indian Trails, and formed a significant portion of the “natural firebreaks” others have referenced. Other such breaks followed rivers and creeks and lake shorelines and were largely absent of trees and firewood used by fishermen, campers, and nearby residents. You may want to include this link in your post of this article for those interested in more examples: http://www.orww.org/Osbornes_Project/index.html

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        • This article was about using the photos to “illustrate the consequences of relentless fire suppression” – not from restrictions on logging adopted to protect old growth habitat (as some seem to think). It also seems focused on “high elevation forests” where logging (or not) is less of a factor.

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  2. From the Seattle Times……..shooting of 500,000 barred owls to save spotted owls.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/feds-propose-shooting-one-owl-to-save-another-in-pacific-northwest/

    The wildlife biologist on the Colville National Forest insisted on using the Barred Owl as a indicator species, and we actually set up a very large management area east of the Kettle Crest to protect Barred Owl habitat. The Colville did NOT have spotted owls.

    I did have a long discussion with the wildlife biologist for the Colville and he was fine with the barred owl moving west. I told him I considered it an invasive species. He said it was fine, because the Barred Owl moved into the forest “naturally”.

    Well, somewhat naturally. His take it was the barns and other structures on the plains that allowed the Barred Owl to hopscotch across the Dakota’s and Montana’s to the Colville National Forest.

    Vladimir

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