Dissertation Research: Forest Fire Mitigation and Understory Invasion

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Dissertation Research: Forest Fire Mitigation and Understory InvasionTimothy Seastedt and Elisa MillerProposal #: 0508871 ABSTRACT The purpose of this dissertation project is to test if activities associated with forest thinning operations can effectively inhibit weed establishment in thinned Colorado forests. If effective, such a management tool would be significantly more cost-effective and ecologically sound than widespread application of herbicides. A common fire mitigation practice is to chip and spread the thinned wood on-site. Other studies have found that sawdust amendments can reduce soil nitrogen availability and thereby alter the species composition of the plant community. As native Colorado plants are well adapted to low availability of soil nitrogen, wood chip amendments may selectively inhibit non-native weeds. Thus, this project tests the hypothesis that wood chip amendments affect the chemical and physical properties of soil to inhibit the establishment of weeds. This work addresses a concern at the science/management interface of two critical issues: forest fire mitigation and exotic species control. The results will identify how fire mitigation procedures affect the ability of an ecosystem to resist weed invasions in the context of co-occurring physical and chemical disturbances. In addition to its direct applicability to local management concerns (US Forest Service, Boulder County Open Space, and Rocky Mountain National Park), this project also incorporates an educational outreach component for urban schoolchildren and local citizens.