Identifying Mature and Old Forests in Western Washington - Book Review  
  

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TOPIC: BVP's Great Book
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/c9657775309f4d07?hl=en 
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Date: Sun, Nov 11 2007 10:39 pm
From: dbhguru


ENTS,

BVP has a new book out entitled "Identifying Mature and Old Forests in Western Washington". It is published by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Bob sent me a copy and I have yet to formally thank him - inexcusable on my part. Thank's ever so much, Bob.

To quote from a lead in to the book, "This guide was developed to support management of forested state trust lands." This lead in alone should cause some ears to perk up, but I can say right off that no Ent interested in old growth should be without this book. I have no idea what it's availability is, but I would encourage all interested in the identification of old growth forests and tree characteristics to secure a copy.

Bob's book is only 103 pages long, but every page is loaded with useful and interesting information. Over the next few weeks, I will address general topics and particular points that Bob makes in his book. I will search for points that strike me as especially useful for us here in the East.

I'll close this e-mail by saying that it is a great comfort to me to know that I can quote from Bob's book and rest assured beyond a shadow of a doubt that any number Bob gives us is as accurate as a human can make it. It's source is Bob, himself, instead of someone else's work of unknown accuracy.

Bob

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/ForestResearch/Pages/lm_oldgrowth_guides.aspx

Forested State Trust Lands

Identifying Old trees and Forests in Washington
Robert Van Pelt

In connection with the Definition and Inventory of Old Growth Forests on DNR-Managed State Lands project, we have produced two guides to identifying old trees and forests in Washington: Identifying Mature and Old Forests in Western Washington and Identifying Old Trees and Forests in Eastern Washington, both written by Robert Van Pelt. 

The purpose of these guides is to help readers interpret the ecology, disturbance history, and age of a given stand or tree using environmental features, including the physical characteristics of the trees themselves.

A working ecological understanding of the major tree species, the environments where they grow, and the dominant disturbance regimes at play in a given stand is required when reconstructing stand history and making determinations of tree and stand age. These guides are designed to provide the tools needed for such determinations.

Identifying Mature and Old Forests In Western Washington

 

Identifying Old Trees and Forests In Eastern Washington (NEW October 2008)

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Definition and Inventory of Old Growth Forests on DNR-Managed State Lands

 Definition and Inventory of Old Growth Forests on DNR-Managed State Lands  (2,790KB  PDF)  http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_ess_westside_oldgrowth_rpt.pdf

June 2005

In 2004, the Washington State Legislature directed DNR to inventory and map old growth forests on state-managed lands, as defined by a panel of scientists. The resulting report is found here in two sections: Section 1 is the report of the independent science panel (the Old Growth Definition Committee), and Section 2 is DNR’s report on the old growth inventory and mapping effort.

Definition and Inventory of Old Growth Forests on DNR-Managed State Lands  (2,790KB  PDF)  http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_ess_westside_oldgrowth_rpt.pdf

 Extent and Distribution of Old Forest Conditions on DNR-Managed State Trust Lands in Eastern Washington  (1,624KB  PDF)  http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_ess_eastside_oldgrowth_inventory.pdf

 The Case for Active Management of Dry Forest Types in Eastern Washington  (9,829KB  PDF)  http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_ess_eog_mgmt.pdf