Home > Publications > Western Journal of Applied Forestry
Western Journal of Applied Forestry

Aims and Scope
Editorial Board
Audience
Abstracting/Indexing
Special Issues

Guide for Authors
Online Submission

Subscription Info
Combined Subscriptions

Impact Factor
Most Downloaded Articles

Advertising Info
Reprints and Permissions
ISSN: 0885-6095

Editor:
Keith A. Blatner

 

 

Special Issues

Forest Biomass Utilization: The Impact on Forest Resources
D.S. Page-Dumroese, editor
Vol. 25, No. 1 (January 2010)
View Online

The "Forest Biomass Utilization: The Impact on Forest Resources" conference was held May 13-14, 2008, in Spokane, WA. Over 100 forest managers from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana participated in the conference. Pacific northwest forest managers are now harvesting biomass to generate income as well as for ecological restoration, fire-risk reduction, forest-stand improvement, and habitat improvement. Existing state forest practice guidelines did not anticipate the removal of woody biomass and offer these managers little specific guidance on the amount of removal that is safe.

The conference agenda covered the impact of biomass removal on selected resources from the perspective of maintaining soil productivity, protecting hydrologic resources, effect on invasive species, and effect on stand-level fire characteristics, and concluded by determining how much biomass to leave during utilization. Biomass removal guidelines are in development across all US forested regions, and this conference covered the inland northwest region of eastern Washington State, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Specific guidelines were not recommended during the conference, and the emphasis was placed on the forest managers using their professional judgment to evaluate harvest units for biomass removal.

The following articles are presented in this issue:
  • Maintaining Soil Productivity During Forest or Biomass-to-Energy Thinning Harvests in the Western USA, by D.S. Page-Dumroese, M.F. Jurgensen, and T.A. Terry, which discusses how to balance resource extraction with site protection and productivity.
  • Effects of Biomass Utilization on the Watershed Processes in the Western United States, by W. Elliot, which discusses the impact of biomass removal on infiltration, surface runoff, erosion, sediment delivery, and water yield.
  • Fuel Supply Planning for Small-Scale Biomass Heating Systems, by A. Farr, D. Atkins, and R. Ethridge, which discusses the situation of securing fuel supply for small-scale operations.
  • A Case for Increasing Forest Biomass Utilization Research in Colorado, by M. Eckhoff, which discusses potential forest biomass uses, including electricity generation, thermal applications, and the production of second-generation liquid biofuels.
  • Nonnative Plant Response to Silvicultural Treatments: A Model Based on Disturbance, Propagule Pressure, and Competitive Abilities, by S. Sutherland, which discusses the predictions of a conceptual model of potential responses of nonnative plants to silvicultural treatments, then compares those predictions against observed responses published in the scientific literature.
  • Effects of Biomass Removal Treatments on Stand-Level Fire Characteristics in Major Forest Types of the Northern Rocky Mountains, by E. Reinhart and R. Keane, which discusses the use of a forest growth model linked with fire behavior models to simulate silvicultural treatments, fuel treatment, and harvest methods.




Sustainable Wood Production for the Pacific Northwest
Robert L. Deal, editor
Vol. 22, No. 1 (January 2007)
View Online

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) is one of the major timber-producing regions in the United States, and the regional capacity to produce wood on a sustained yield basis is widely recognized. However, several key economic, social, and ecological issues relating to sustainable forestry will play an important role in future wood production of the region. To identify and understand important issues for sustainable wood production in the region, input was provided from a series of meetings with a wide array of forest landowners and managers representing forest industry, small private forest landowners, state forestry and others interested in growing and producing wood. These focus groups identified several key issues for sustainable wood production, and then researchers involved with this effort outlined some of the critical research questions relating to barriers and opportunities for wood production in the region.

The following articles in this special issue of the Western Journal of Applied Forestry focus on several important topics for sustaining wood production in the region. The articles in this issue are divided into three broad sections including sustainable timber supply and markets, sustainable land use, and sustainable forestry options. The sustainable timber supply and markets section addresses questions relating to future timber resources and harvest potential, the role of markets, an assessment of the lumber manufacturing sector, and some of the silvicultural research needs related to plantation forestry. The sustainable land-use section addresses questions relating to land use change, forest fragmentation, and riparian zone management. The sustainable forestry options section discusses a variety of forestry-related activities important for sustainable wood production including public perceptions of different forest practices, forestry incentives and regulations including forest certification, emerging wood technologies, and alternative species such as red alder. A synthesis of some of the major findings of the following articles is included.

Online Content
Your online subscription to this journal entitles you access to the current issue and full online archive.

Current Issue and Online Archive

First time users? Sign up here

If you do not have a subscription, you may purchase pay-per-view access with your credit card.

Free Journal Content
Tables of Contents and Abstracts
Sample Issue