Understanding Post-Wildfire Management Effects on Stand Structure and Woody Fuel Loadings

Understanding Post-Wildfire Management Effects on Stand Structure and Woody Fuel Loadings

Following large wildfires on federal, state, and private forest lands, the conventional policy is to initiate post-fire management activities, which includes the harvest of a portion of fire killed trees to recuperate the economic value of merchantable trees. This management practice, known as “salvage logging” is a contentious issue on federal lands and is extensively implemented worldwide. In these studies, we work with national forest managers across the western United States to quantify the effects of salvage logging on snag densities and biomass, dead woody fuel loadings, tree seedling survival, and non-tree vegetation cover in dry coniferous forests.

Presenter Biographies

Morris C. Johnson is a research fire ecologist at the US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory located in Seattle, Washington. He earned a B.S. degree in Urban Forestry from Southern University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and M.S. degree in Silvicultural and Forest Protection and Ph.D. degree in Ecosystem Analysis (Fire Ecology) both from the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington). He is an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.