Applications of Ecological Information to Consider

Ecosystem Services in Land Management

People and Ecosystems of the Rogue BasinWorkshop

July 30, 2014

Nikola Smith

Ecologist & Ecosystem Services Specialist

U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest RegionNational Forest System (NR) / State and Private Forestry / PNW Research Station

• Definition of ecosystem services

• Ecosystem services and the U.S. Forest Service

• Project-level applications on the Deschutes and

Willamette National Forests

• Watershed investment partnerships on public and

private lands

• Using ecological information to understand a

landscape’s capacity to provide ecosystem services

Outline

“60% of the world’s environmental services are being degraded faster than they can recover”

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Ecosystem Services Approach

Clean air and waterMitigation of fire and floods

Climate regulationFish and wildlife habitat

Recreation opportunitiesEconomic benefits

The benefits that people receive from nature

are often undervalued or unrecognized.

Ecosystem Services

The benefits people obtain from ecosystems

Water (quantity)

Fuelwood

Energy and Minerals

Food and Medicines

Fiber

Forage

Timber

Range

Fish and Wildlife

PROVISIONING

Soil formation

Seed dispersal

Pollination

Nutrient cycling

SUPPORTING

CULTURAL

Aesthetic values

Educational values

Spiritual values

Cultural heritage

Recreation

Carbon sequestration

Climate regulation

Soil stabilization

Watershed services

REGULATING

(water quality and flood control)

Going beyond multiple use to tell a more complete story

• Healthy, diverse systems are more resilient

and provide a broader range of services

• Biodiversity influences processes including

plant productivity, soil fertility, water filtration,

nutrient cycling, pollution and waste

reduction, biomass accumulation and

resistance to disease and disturbance

• Holistic approach, including intrinsic value

Biodiversity

sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests

and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Caring for the land and serving people.

Ecosystem Services and U.S. Forest Service Mission

Ecosystem Services in the USFS Planning Rule

“…..to guide the development, amendment,

and revision of land management plans to

maintain and restore National Forest

System land and water ecosystems while

providing for ecosystem services and

multiple uses….”

Federal Register - April 9, 2012

USDA “All Lands” Approach

"The Forest Service must not be viewed as an agency concerned only with the fate of our National Forests, but must instead be acknowledged for its work in protecting and maintaining all American forests, including state and private lands.”

- U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

“Integrated Resource Restoration”- Resiliency of ecosystems

- Engagement of diverse groups and individuals

- Utilizing traditional and emerging markets to improve

ecosystem functions

Ecosystem Services as a

Framework for Forest

Stewardship

A collaboration between the Deschutes National

Forest, the Region 6 Regional Office, and the

Pacific Northwest Research Station

How can we bring a new language to

management that reflects the importance of

sustaining resilient forests?

Can this language support more collaborative

decision-making and strengthen our

partnerships?

How can we encourage a more integrated

approach to forest management?

Articulating the Value of Forests

and Forest Management:

Language Matters

Resonance and Relevance

The way we think changes our

behavior

Using ecosystem services to frame forest management is like going from

black and white to color

~ John Allen, Forest Supervisor, Deschutes National Forest

Describing Outcomes

in addition to reporting Outputs

• Acres treated

• Miles restored

• Number of visits

• Board feet sold

• Healthy watersheds

• Resilient, functioning

ecosystems

• Benefits for communities

Sustaining a Value or Set of Ecosystem Services can be Achieved by Management Actions Across Disciplines

Fuel treatment or silviculture prescription

Riparian restoration

Soil Porosity

Roads

Fresh Water

Drinking, aquatic habitat,

recreation

Regulation of erosion and

water flow

Wildlife Habitat

Forest Products

Erosion Regulation /

Water Quality

Cultural Values /

Recreation Opportunities

Fuel Treatment

Increase resilience to

disturbance, sustain

vegetation cover

Avoided Costs for Utilities

Support for the Forest Products Industry

Recreation Economy

A Single Management Action Can

Affect Several Ecosystem Services

The Nature of These Effects Depends on Context

and Landscape Conditions

Whyis our forest important for

human well-being?

Whatstructures, processes and

functions sustain the benefits that people value?

Howdoes our management affect

structures, processes, functions and benefits?

A New Approach Results In:

•new drivers for decision-making

•integration of efforts across disciplines

•local community support

Participatory Process

“We feel the role of forest

management can only be successful

through active participation by all

those with a vested interest in

protecting the ecological resilience and

sustainability of our

forested lands.”

- Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell

From Theory to Practice:The Marsh Project

Crescent Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest

Fire Regime Condition Class 3

• Dense lodgepole pine stands

• Mixed conifer has contiguous ladder fuels

• Reminiscent of conditions pre-Davis Fire (2003)

State’s largest Oregon Spotted Frog habitat

Habitat for rare graminoids

Matsutake mushroom, big game and fish habitat

Great grey and northern spotted owl

Two Late Successional Reserves

Oregon Cascades Recreation Area

Important for late season water storage and flows to Little Deschutes River

Limited motorized access, valued for dispersed recreation

Identify Values & Benefits

Describe Attributes & Components

Define Current

Condition

Potential Management

Actions

Pos/Neg Effects and Trade-offs

Internal and External Workshops:

Collaborative Identification of Priority Ecosystem Services

• Cultural Resources

• Dispersed Camping

• Educational Opportunities

• Existence Value of Botanical

Resources and Wildlife Species

• Firewood

• Fishing and Hunting

• Recreation: Hiking, X-Country Skiing,

Snowshoeing, Biking, Kayaking,

Canoeing

• Low Use and Development

• Matsutake Mushrooms

• OHV use

• Post and Poles

• Scenery, Pristine Viewshed

• Solitude, Wildness

• Timber Volume

• Water Quality, Quantity and

Storage

• Wildlife Viewing

integrated systems approach

↑

↗

→

↘

↓

Strongly

PositiveSlightly

Positive

Neutral

Slightly

NegativeStrongly

Negative

Solitude,

Spiritual,

Self-

Discovery

AccessMatsutake

Harvest

Clean, Cold

Water

Flora &

fauna

biodiversity

Soil Health

Water

Storage &

Filtration

Natural

disturbance

processes

(fire &

floods)

Road

maintenance ↘ ↗ → ↗ ↘ → ↗ →

Lodgepole

encroachment

thinning↗ ↗ ↘ ↗ ↑ ↗ ↗ ↑

Removal of

Reed Canary

Grass↗ → → ↗ ↑ ↗ ↑ ↗

Hardwood

Restoration ↗ → ↘ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑

Ecosystem Services

Management Effects

Matrix

Ecosystem ServicesCultural Supporting RegulatingProvisioning

Ma

na

ge

me

nt

Act

ion

Developed in collaboration with Pete Caligiuri, The Nature Conservancy

Management Activities That

Provide Multiple Benefits

(preliminary list)

• Addressing lodgepole pine encroachment

• Ditch closure

• Maintaining and improving dispersed recreation

• Reducing the risk of wildfire and insect impacts

• Reed canary grass removal

Participatory Planning Approach

• Collaboratively evaluate the inherent capacity of the landscape to provide ecosystem services

• Understand changes to that capacity based on historic land uses and existing conditions

• Cooperatively develop a restoration plan that is ecologically sustainable and economically viable

• Express management objectives in terms of ecosystem service outcomes and ecological context

What is this landscape about?

natural foundational processes

Geology and

Landforms

Hydrology and

Fisheries

Vegetation and

Habitats

Fire

Regimes

How do functions and processes extend beyond our boundary?

What and where are challenges and stressors on the system?

What is our management vision?

Where can we be most effective?

How can we work across programs and with partners to achieve our goals?

Underlying Processes and Functions (Foundation)

Nutrient cycling , Nutrient fixation (red alder), Soil formation , Natural Disturbance (Fire, wind,landslides, insects and disease) ,Water cycling (Collection, storage, release, filtration, cooling) ,Carbon cycling , Photosynthesis (Oxygen production) , Elevational diversity, Air purification

Clean cold water• drinking water

Food• fish, plants, elk, deer,

upland birds• First foods

(huckleberries)Forest products

• Wood products• Special forest products

Mineral sources• Stream gravel• Road rock

Jobs and economic activity

Riparian•Aquatic, floodplain

Upland Forest•Old growth, mid-seral, early seral

Shrub•Vine maple patches

Meadows•Wet and dry

Ponds and seepsRock talus

Visual qualitySceneryFirst foods (huckleberries)Recreation potential

• Dispersed camping• Swimming holes• Hiking, fishing, hunting

Existence valueSpiritual (Native values andgeneral recreation)Solitude, SpaceCultural heritageRich settlement historyPublic accessSpecial or unique species

Human Actions (Potential to affect above or below): Flood Control Dam, Forest Management, Road Construction and Maintenance, Fire Suppression , Recreation

Watershed Investment Partnerships

Medford is investing $8 million in approximately 30 miles of stream restoration

to mitigate temperature impacts from treated wastewater discharge

at 50% of chiller costs

Compliance Achieved

Cost - A lot

Grey Infrastructure

Cooling Towers

Green Infrastructure

Restore 30 miles of stream

Ecological Value

Not Much

Ecological Value

HUGE

Compliance Achieved

Cost - A lot less

Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB)

McKenzie Collaborative

payments to private landowners to maintain high quality riparian areas

partnerships with The Freshwater Trust and Oregon Watershed

Enhancement Board to restore degraded areas

working with the Willamette National Forest to maintain the quality of the

McKenzie headwaters, including stewardship contracting

Vegetation and Fire Regimes

Timber

Habitat

Biodiversity

Water quantity, quality and storage

Recreation

Grazing

Firewood

Carbon sequestration

First foods

Sense of place

Geology, Landforms and

Soils

Nutrient cycling

Site productivity

Delivery of wood and gravels (aquatic habitat)

Flow regime, Flood potential

Groundwater storage and delivery

Sense of place

How Does Ecological Information Enhance our Understanding of a

Landscape’s Capacity to Provide Ecosystem Services?

Hydrology and Fisheries

Water quantity

Water quality

Recreation

Food

Aquatic habitats

Biodiversity

Cultural and spiritual values

Wildlife

Biodiversity

Recreation and Tourism

Food

Pollination

Seed dispersal

Inspiration

Intrinsic value

Geology, Landforms and Soils

Vegetation and Fire Regimes

Wildlife

Hydrology

Integrating Knowledge Across Program Areas

• Interaction amongst landscape components and objectives

• Targeting actions to maximize efficiency

• Rationale for management (and instead of or)

Water Quality

TimberTimber

Biodiversity

People and Ecosystems of the Rogue Basin

Assessing Risks and Sustaining Values

o How do people benefit from the land?

o How do ecological processes and

structures support those benefits?

o What threatens the ability of the land to

provide those benefits over time?

o What management actions are needed

across jurisdictions?

What Does An Ecosystem Services Approach Offer?

• Highlights the connection between ecological conditions,

flows of goods and services, and public welfare

• Incorporates stakeholder values, builds transparency and

increases trust

• Integrated program delivery

• Illustrates the rationale for management actions including

trade-offs and uncertainties

• Pro-active vision rather than reactive mitigation

Thank you!

Nikola Smith

Ecologist and Ecosystem Services Specialist

U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest RegionNational Forest System (NR), State and Private Forestry, PNW Research Station

503-808-2270

nmsmith@fs.fed.us