Embargo Period
8-5-2024
Degree Name
MA in Climate Change and Global Sustainability
First Advisor
Jill Welter
Abstract
Coarse woody debris (CWD), the detrital result of down wood recruitment, contributes to wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, morphological processes like soil formation, and each forest’s sense of place but if undermanaged can fuel wildfires or obstruct stakeholder use. Despite its ubiquity in Puget Sound Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in Washington, USA, few studies quantify the exact ecosystem services which down wood provides. This study seeks to understand how forest managers can estimate the ecosystem services of down wood and how human communities perceive down wood management between community, public, and private Douglas fir (P. menziesii) forests of the Puget Sound region. This study drew one hundred and fifty CWD samples in thirty down wood systems across those three management scenarios, then dehydrated the cores to determine the biomass, carbon, and moisture components. The researcher surveyed biodiversity, decomposition, and landscape properties of each system. Interviews conducted with managers and stakeholders gauged ecosystem service understanding and valuation. Species richness per log was significantly higher in the community forest management scenario than in public or private forests, though the private forest had higher species richness per m3 of CWD. Biomass and carbon content correlated negatively with more advanced decomposition stages. Water content and slope were not significantly affected by management scenarios or decay class. Managers tended to promote wildlife, decomposition, and wildfire dynamics within down wood, while stakeholders perceived biodiversity and decomposition alongside aesthetic values and detriments. All participants expressed generally positive attitudes toward most CWD instances. The findings in this study contribute to the evolving landscape of literature surrounding detrital services, finding support for ecological forestry objectives in down wood management across the Puget Sound region’s Douglas fir (P. menziesii) forests.
Disciplines
Environmental Studies | Forest Biology | Forest Management | Nature and Society Relations | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Recommended Citation
Becker, Forrest, "Living Dead Forests: Assessing Detrital Services in Puget Sound Pseudotsuga menziesii Ecosystems" (2024). Capstone Collection. 3311.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/3311
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Environmental Studies Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Forest Management Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons