Jonathan Long and Carl Skinner With Contributions from the Science Synthesis Team USDA FS Pacific Southwest Research Station SocialEcological

 Focal Question: Socioecological Resilience and Stressors  Integrative Approaches in the Synthesis 1. Integrating social and ecologicaI considerations 2. Restoring reference disturbance regimes and heterogeneity at multiple scales 3. Applying strategic treatment at landscape scale with adaptive management

 “Based on recent scientific advances, what management strategies are likely to promote resilience of socioecological systems and sustain values-at-risk in the synthesis area over the short and long term given expected stressors?”

 Broadly considers systems in an integrated fashion  Connects to “ecological integrity” and “social and economic sustainability” in the Forest Planning Rule Social Processes and Components Ecological Processes and Components Integration Socioecological System Stressors

“Opportunities for landscape scale restoration” Analyzing larger areas and changes over longer time periods “Emphasis on wildland fire and opportunities to restore fire adapted ecosystems” Consider the large landscape scales at which fire operates

 Examples  Changing climate  Fire deficit and fuel build-up  Air pollution  Diseases (e.g., chytrid)  Invasive species   Novel conditions  Need forward-thinking reference conditions  Evaluate synergistic effects Nitrogen deposition Changes in fire regime (blue is less frequent fire)

1.Integrating consideration of social and ecological systems 2.Restoring disturbance regimes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems 3.Promoting large-scale adaptive management Social Processes and Components Ecological Processes and Components Integration

A. Build upon existing community capacity by incorporating traditional and local ecological knowledge and facilitating social learning B. Reduce vulnerabilities to major disruptions C. Identify important socioecological values and promote community well-being

Important concepts and approaches  Community well-being  Sense of place  All lands approach  Collaboration  Traditional and local ecological knowledge  Social learning

 Uncharacteristically large, severe, and dangerous wildfires  Short and long-term social, economic, and ecological impacts Hazardous wildfire conditions threaten community well-being Large patches of high-severity wildfire threaten ecological values

 Wide range of ecosystem services and other social and economic benefits  Biodiversity and habitat  Favorable water flows  Forest products, traditional cultural resources and associated livelihoods and infrastructure Index of wildland fire threat to forests important to surface drinking water  Integrated, applied socioecological research

 Consider impacts on local communities and economies in treatment design  Pursue opportunities to facilitate joint benefits for social and ecological systems

A. Applying fire in concert with silvicultural treatments to reestablish fire regimes and heterogeneity at multiple scales B. Designing treatments based upon reference disturbance regimes and ecological trajectories Terrestrial Systems and Aquatic Systems

 Considering reference fire regime and other ecological and social factors at multiple scales Fire regime Topography Fine-scale patchiness

 Forested riparian areas  Wildlife core areas  Post-fire landscapes Identify areas that may benefit from treatment to reduce potential impacts from uncharacteristically severe wildfires  but need more research especially on long-term effects Hat Creek within the Reading Fire (2012)

 Important habitat and biodiversity values  Altered fire regime and changing climate  increases in uncharacteristically severe wildfire  shifting precipitation Upper montane red fir forest with repeated fires

A. Use large-scale experimental areas B. Evaluate active management for riparian and wildlife zones C. Apply phased approach to treatment D. Address research gaps Riparian area in Stanislaus- Tuolumne Experimental Forest

 Most existing experimental areas are too small to evaluate dynamics of wildlife with large home ranges  Larger areas such as the owl demographic study areas offer an opportunity to conduct adaptive management projects designed to address research gaps

3B) Evaluate Management to Sustain Wildlife at Landscape Scales Landscape Resting siteHome Range Treatment Wildfire

1. Strategic defensive fuels reduction 2. Reclamation treatments in a fraction of the landscape  Need to evaluate that fraction using models in an adaptive management framework 3. Maintenance and rotation throughout the landscape in conjunction with managed wildfire and with adaptation to all wildfires

Social and ecological values Watersheds and streams Soci0economic values Wildlife Long-term and re-burn effects Chips Fire (2012) reburned study areas of the Storrie Fire (2000)

Questions and Discussion