BLM OR/WA PNW CESU Managing Understories for Climate Change

Project ID: L15AC00009

Federal Agency: Bureau of Land Management

Partner Institution: Oregon State University

Fiscal Year: 2015

Initial Funding: $100,000

Total Funding: $147,025

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Disciplines: Biological

Principal Investigator: Puettmann, Klaus

Agreement Technical Representative: Evers, Louisa

Abstract: The objective of this project is to utilize a trait-based approach to study interactions between overstory density, disturbance and future climate change conditions on:

1. Native early-seral plant communities, which are considered rare under current forest management scenarios and have the potential for valuable structure contributions and wildlife habitat in a managed landscape.
2. Species with low mobility, e.g., with short-distance seed dispersal or species with clonal reproduction. These species (which include some tree species) are most likely to be negatively impacted by a changing climate.
3. Special status species, e.g., determined by the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center. Cultural resources, specifically vegetation traditionally collected used by Native Americans