Soil fungal and prokaryotic community structure exhibits differential short-term responses to timber harvest in the Pacific Northwest

Pedosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Rachel E. DANIELSON ◽  
Megan L. MCGINNIS ◽  
Scott M. HOLUB ◽  
David D. MYROLD
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Prokaryotic Community ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Pacific

scholarly journals Health Impact Assessment of PM2.5 attributable mortality from the September 2020 Washington State Wildfire Smoke Episode

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yisi Liu ◽  
Elena Austin ◽  
Jianbang Xiang ◽  
Tim Gould ◽  
Tim Larson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Excess Mortality ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Attributable Mortality ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Short Term Mortality

AbstractMajor wildfires that started in the summer of 2020 along the west coast of the U.S. have made PM2.5 concentrations in cities in this region rank among the highest in the world. Regions of Washington were impacted by active wildfires in the state, and by aged wood smoke transported from fires in Oregon and California. This study aims to assess the population health impact of increased PM2.5 concentrations attributable to the wildfire. Average daily PM2.5 concentrations for each county before and during the 2020 Washington wildfire episode were obtained from the Washington Department of Ecology. Utilizing previously established associations of short-term mortality for PM2.5, we estimated excess mortality for Washington attributable to the increased PM2.5 levels. On average, PM2.5 concentrations increased 91.7 μg/m3 during the wildfire episode. Each week of wildfire smoke exposures was estimated to result in 87.6 (95% CI: 70.9, 103.1) cases of increased all-cause mortality, 19.1 (95% CI: 10.0, 28.2) increased cardiovascular disease deaths, and 9.4 (95% CI: 5.1, 13.5) increased respiratory disease deaths. Because wildfire smoke episodes are likely to continue impacting the Pacific Northwest in future years, continued preparedness and mitigations to reduce exposures to wildfire smoke are necessary to avoid this excess health burden.

Low Mortality of Larval Lampreys from Electrofishing, Suction-pumping, Anesthesia, and Handling

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 640-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Jolley ◽  
Christina T. Uh ◽  
Gregory S. Silver ◽  
Timothy A. Whitesel
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Pacific Lamprey ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Delayed Mortality

Abstract Native lamprey populations are declining worldwide. In the Pacific Northwest focus on conservation and management of these ecologically and culturally important species has increased. Concern has emerged regarding the effects of sampling and handling of lamprey, with little to no attention given to the larval lifestage. We monitored the survival of larval Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus and Lampetra spp. after backpack electrofishing, deepwater electrofishing and suction-pumping, anesthesia, and handling. We performed survival trials on wild-caught lamprey (n = 15 larvae in each trial) collected from the Clackamas River drainage in Oregon, USA, coupled with control group trials from lamprey sourced from a hatchery (n = 10 larvae). Short-term (96 h) survival was >98% with only one observed mortality. Delayed mortality (1 wk) was observed for four individuals that had fungus; two of those were positive for the bacteria Aeromonas hyrdrophila. We recorded blood hematocrit as a secondary measure of stress. The baseline, nonstressed larvae hematocrit levels did not differ from those of fish that had undergone stress through electrofishing, suction-pumping, and handling without anesthesia. Electrofishing, suction-pumping, and anesthesia showed no short-term negative effects on larval lamprey although potential long-term effects remain unstudied. These techniques appear to provide efficient and relatively safe methods for collecting and surveying larval lamprey.

scholarly journals Weather Regimes and Forecast Errors in the Pacific Northwest

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 829-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn A. McMurdie ◽  
Joseph H. Casola
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Forecast Errors ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Weather Regimes ◽  
Numerical Weather ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract Despite overall improvements in numerical weather prediction and data assimilation, large short-term forecast errors of sea level pressure and 2-m temperature still occur. This is especially true for the west coast of North America where short-term numerical weather forecasts of surface low pressure systems can have large position and central pressure errors. In this study, forecast errors of sea level pressure and temperature in the Pacific Northwest are related to the shape of the large-scale flow aloft. Applying a hierarchical limited-contour clustering algorithm to historical 500-hPa geopotential height data produces four distinct weather regimes. The Rockies ridge regime, which exhibits a ridge near the axis of the Rocky Mountains and nearly zonal flow across the Pacific, experiences the highest magnitude and frequency of large sea level pressure errors. On the other hand, the coastal ridge regime, which exhibits a ridge aligned with the North American west coast, experiences the highest magnitude and frequency of large 2-m minimum temperature errors.

Impacts of Assimilating Smartphone Pressure Observations on Forecast Skill during Two Case Studies in the Pacific Northwest

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1375-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor McNicholas ◽  
Clifford F. Mass
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Android App ◽  
Global Surface ◽  
Correction Strategies

Abstract Over a half-billion smartphones are now capable of measuring atmospheric pressure, potentially providing a global surface observing network of unprecedented density and coverage. An earlier study by the authors described an Android app, uWx, that served as a test bed for advanced quality control and bias correction strategies. To evaluate the utility and quality of the resulting smartphone pressure observations, ensemble data assimilation experiments were performed for two case studies over the Pacific Northwest. In both case studies, smartphone pressures improved the analyses and forecasts of assimilated and nonassimilated variables. In case I, which considered the passage of a front across the region, cycled smartphone pressure assimilation consistently improved 1-h forecasts of the altimeter setting, 2-m temperature, and 2-m dewpoint. During a postfrontal period, cycled smartphone pressure assimilation improved mesoscale forecasts of hourly precipitation accumulation. In case II, which considered a major coastal windstorm, cycling experiments assimilating smartphone pressures improved 10-m wind forecasts as well as the predicted track and intensity. For both cases, free-forecast experiments initialized with smartphone data produced forecast improvements extending several hours, suggesting the utility of crowdsourced smartphone pressures for short-term numerical weather prediction.

Field Note: Introducing SYSPROP—A Software Tool to Identify Small but Economically Viable Timber Parcels in the Pacific Northwest

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Helderop ◽  
Tony H Grubesic ◽  
Clayton N Edson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
The United States ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Small Individual ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Field Note

Abstract The past several decades have seen a steady decline in timber harvest rates from many parts of the United States, particularly the Pacific Northwest. Although various factors fuel this decline, one of the principal drivers is increasing rates of parcelization of the landscape. Increasingly parcelized forested landscapes tend to be more challenging to log—both because urbanization rates are somewhat correlated with parcelization but also due to the additional administrative overhead in securing logging rights in increasingly smaller parcels. The purpose of this note is to introduce SYSPROP, a tool to aid in the automatic identification of economically viable parcels for logging. We conclude with a case study of a small logging company operating in Washington State that used this tool to identify several promising parcels. Study Implications: In the Pacific Northwest of the United States, large areas of forested landscape are being broken into small individual parcels. This makes adequately harvesting timber from these tracts of land difficult, because stumpage rights need to be negotiated for each distinct parcel. We introduce a set of software tools that allows a user to automatically identify economically viable parcels for logging company operators. The paper concludes with an exploration of a case study detailing how one small logging company used the software.

Leaf-level physiology in four subalpine plants in tephra-impacted forests during drought

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abby J. Watt ◽  
Dylan G. Fischer ◽  
Joseph A. Antos ◽  
Donald B. Zobel
Keyword(s):  
Water Potential ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Subalpine Forests ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
The Pacific

Ecological impacts of climate change in the Pacific Northwest may hinge on acclimation to drier summers, highlighting the importance of plant physiological studies in forests. Evaluating dominant forest plant species under old-growth and managed forest conditions is similarly important as timber harvest might change microclimates and alter drought effects on plants. We examined water potential and gas exchange rates of four dominant plant species in understories of subalpine forests of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States during 2015 — a year with drought conditions representative of future climate projections. We examined two conifer species (Abies amabilis Douglas ex J. Forbes and Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) and two huckleberry species (Vaccinium membranaceum Douglas ex Torr. and Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm.) in old-growth and formerly clear-cut forests at two elevations. Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence of hydraulic stress, and there were no significant differences between old-growth and clear-cut stands, consistent with an edaphic buffering effect in this volcanic landscape. Variation in stem elongation rates among years also indicated the lack of a strong drought response in 2015. Water potential, photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance varied among species and among elevations. In combination, our results help constrain expected physiological activity of understory species in subalpine forests and emphasize the importance of the edaphic context (e.g., tephra deposits) in framing expectations for the responses to drought.

Terrestrial movements of juvenile and adult tailed frogs in relation to timber harvest in coastal British Columbia

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2455-2466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya R Wahbe ◽  
Fred L Bunnell ◽  
R Bruce Bury
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Ascaphus Truei ◽  
Drift Fence ◽  
The Pacific

Tailed frog (Ascaphus truei Stejneger) populations are at risk in much of the Pacific Northwest, and recolonization of sites may be slow postlogging. To examine the terrestrial movements of Ascaphus in clearcuts and old growth, we employed pitfall traps and drift-fence arrays installed along streams and 100 m into upland habitat. In the fall, we captured frogs farther from streams in old growth than in clearcuts, and more frogs were captured ≤25 m from streams in clearcuts. Stronger stream affinity in clearcuts was most evident with juvenile frogs, which exhibited more upstream movements than adults. Compared with inland sites where frogs remained close to streams (e.g., 12 m), frogs at our coastal sites were captured at greater distances from streams (≥100 m), having lower stream affinity than frogs at inland sites. Long-distance overland movements appear more likely where forested stands are present. Aggregations of Ascaphus at individual streams may not represent distinct populations and should not be managed as distinct units. Preserving groups of interconnected streams within watersheds instead of individual streams will improve the conservation status of Ascaphus. Population monitoring can ensure conservation measures promote long-term persistence.

scholarly journals Drivers of grass endophyte communities in prairies of the Pacific Northwest, USA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Bailes ◽  
Dan Thomas ◽  
Scott D. Bridgham ◽  
Bitty A. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Dispersal Limitation ◽  
Plant Size ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Grass Endophyte ◽  
The Pacific

AbstractPrairies of the Pacific Northwest are highly threatened, with only ∼2% of historic land area remaining. The combined risk of global climate change and land use change make these prairies a high conservation priority. However, little attention has been paid to the microbiota of these systems, including the hyper diverse fungi that live asymptomatically in their leaves, the endophytes. Using culture-free, full-community DNA sequencing, we investigated the diversity, composition, and structure of full fungal foliar endophyte and ecological guild communities in two native, cool-season bunchgrasses along a climate gradient. We quantified the relative importance of host, host fitness, environment, and spatial structuring in microbial community structure. We found markedly different communities between the southern and central-northern sites, suggesting a potential dispersal limitation in the Klamath Mountains. We also found that each host species was home to distinct fungal communities. Climate was the strongest predictor of endophyte community, while fitness (e.g., plant size, reproductive status, density) was less important for community structure. For both host species, seasonality contributed strongly to the variation we observed. At the ecological guild level, saprotrophs tended to decline with latitude, whereas symbiotrophs and pathotrophs both tended to increase with latitude. Our results suggest that climate change will have large consequences for these diverse fungal communities.

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