Abstract
ContextSeveral initiatives seek to increase the pace and scale of dry forest restoration and fuels reduction to enhance forest resilience to wildfire and other stressors while improving the quality and reliability of key ecosystem services. Ecological effects models are increasingly used to prioritize these efforts at the landscape-scale based on simulated treatment outcomes.ObjectivesTreatments are often simulated using uniform post-treatment target conditions or proportional changes to baseline forest structure variables, but do not account for the common objective of restoration to mimic the complex forest structure that was present historically which is thought to provide an example of structural conditions that contributed to ecosystem diversity and resilience.MethodsWe simulate spatially homogenous fire hazard reduction treatments along with heterogeneous restoration treatments in dry conifer forests to investigate how spatial complexity affects ecological indicators of (1) forest structural heterogeneity, (2) forest and watershed vulnerability to high-severity fire, and (3) feasibility of future prescribed fire use.ResultsOur results suggest that spatially explicit restoration treatments should produce similar wildfire and prescribed fire outcomes as homogeneous fuels reduction treatments, but with greater forest structural heterogeneity. The lack of strong tradeoffs between ecological objectives suggests the primary benefit of spatially complex treatments is to increase forest structural heterogeneity which may promote biodiversity.ConclusionsWe show that landscape-scale prioritization to maximize ecological benefits can change when spatially complex restoration treatments are modeled. Coupling landscape-scale management simulations and ecological effects models offers flexible decision support for conservation assessment, prioritization, and planning.
Highlights
Restoration is a top management priority for dry forests in the western U.S due to widespread threats from wildfire, insects, and drought that challenge forest resilience, and because of shifting social expectations that place higher value on the quantity, quality, and reliability of non-timber ecosystem services
Our results suggest that spatially explicit restoration treatments should produce similar wildfire and prescribed fire outcomes as homogeneous fuels reduction treatments, but with greater forest structural heterogeneity
We show that landscape-scale prioritization to maximize ecological benefits can change when spatially complex restoration treatments are modeled
Summary
Restoration is a top management priority for dry forests in the western U.S due to widespread threats from wildfire, insects, and drought that challenge forest resilience, and because of shifting social expectations that place higher value on the quantity, quality, and reliability of non-timber ecosystem services. Several federal initiatives support forest restoration on public and private lands through focused investments in at-risk landscapes such as the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP; Schultz et al 2012), Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP; Cyphers and Schultz 2019), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP; Villar and Seidl 2014) These programs all have a common goal to improve outcomes for ecological goals that transcend ownership boundaries, such as water and air quality, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem resilience to disturbance. They aim to Landscape Ecol (2020) 35:2301–2319 increase the pace and scale of forest restoration and fuels reduction to achieve meaningful outcomes at the landscape-scale. This raises the need for tools to evaluate and prioritize opportunities based on current conditions and to monitor and report on program accomplishments (Bestelmeyer et al 2010; Schultz et al 2012)
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