Pacific Northwest Research Station

Scientists & Staff

Education

• Ph.D. Wildland Resource Science (forest management), University of California-Berkeley, 1996
• M.S. Land Resources, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1990
• B.S. Computer Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987
  
  

Current Research

My current research interest is how forests in Alaska are changing over time, particularly with respect to climate and disturbance. Aspects of this topic that I’m working on this year are:

• Change in biomass and carbon mass for different tree species and ecoregions in forests in southeast and south-central Alaska
• Mapping and predicting change in potential forest productivity in the temperate rain forest of Alaska (a project in cooperation with Oregon State University)
• Understanding how climate affects distribution and abundance of hemlock dwarf mistletoe and its host, western hemlock, and predicting future distributions for both populations under varying climate scenarios
• Developing monitoring techniques for northern latitudes, with particular focus on how remote sensing data and field information can be efficiently combined to track possible climate-related changes in boreal forests
  
  

Why This Research is Important

Mean annual temperatures have increased across Alaska in the past 60 years, and substantial further changes are expected over the next century. Although some changes are dramatic and easy to detect (melting glaciers, collapsing permafrost, and the opening of the Arctic Ocean) predicting how forests will change is complicated by uncertainties in interactions among climate, competition, insects, and disease. Understanding how and why forests are shaped by climate, and detecting early changes, is crucial to making choices that increase the resiliency and sustainability of Alaska forests and forest-dependent communities.

Featured Publications

Barrett, T.M.; Latta, G.; Hennon, P.E.; Eskelson, B.N.I.; Temesgen, H. [In press.] Host-parasite distributions under changing climate: Tsuga heterophylla and Arceuthobium tsugense in Alaska. Canadian Journal of Forest Research.

Barrett, Tara M.; Christensen, Glenn A. 2011. Forests of southeast and south-central Alaska, 2004–2008: five-year forest inventory and analysis report. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-835. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 156 p.

Barrett, T.M.; Gray, A. 2011. Potential of a national monitoring program for forests to assess change in high latitude ecosystems. Biological Conservation 144:1285-1294. Doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.10.015.

Barrett, T.M.; Maltamo, M. 2011. Missing data in forest ecology and management: advances in quantitative methods (preface). Forest Ecology and Management. Doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.12.006.

Wolken, J.M.; Hollingsworth, T.N.; Rupp, T.S., et al. 2011. Evidence and implications of recent and projected climate change in Alaska’s forest ecosystems. Ecosphere 2(11):124. Doi: 10.1890/ES11-00288.1.

Latta, G.; Temesgen, H; Adams, D.; Barrett, T.M. 2010. Analysis of potential impacts of climate change on forests of the United States Pacific Northwest. Forest Ecology and Management. 259(4): 720-729.

Eskelson, B.N.I; Temesgen, H.; Barrett, T. 2009. Estimating cavity tree and snag abundance using negative binomial regression models and nearest neighbor imputation methods. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 39: 1749-1765.

Barrett, T.M.; Andersen, H.E.; Winterberger, K.W. 2009. Integrating field and LIDAR data to monitor Alaska’s boreal forests. Proceedings of IUFRO conference extending forest inventory in space and time; May 19-22, 2009; Quebec City, Canada.

Eskelson, B.N.I.; Barrett, T.M.; Temesgen, H. 2009. Imputing mean annual change to estimate current forest attributes. Silva Fennica. 43(4): 649-658.

Eskelsen, B.N.I.; Temesgen, H.; LeMay, V.; Barrett, T.M.; Crookston, N.L.; Hudak, A.T. 2009. Roles of nearest neighbor imputation in forest management. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 24: 235-246.

Latta, G.; Temesgen, H.; Barrett, T.M. 2009. Mapping and imputing potential productivity of Pacific Northwest forests using climate variables. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 39: 1197-1207.

Eskelson, B.N.I.; Temesgen, H.; Barrett, T.M. 2009. Estimating current forest attributes from paneled inventory data using plot-level imputation: a study from the Pacific Northwest. Forest Science. 55: 1:64-71.

Halbrook, J.M.; Morgan, T.A.; Brandt, J.P.; Keegan, C.E.; Dillon, T.; Barrett, T. 2009. Alaska’s timber harvest and forest products industry, 2005. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-787. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.

Barrett, T.M. 2008. Hardwoods and Sudden oak death. In: Christensen, G.A.; Campbell, S.J.; Fried, J.S., tech. eds. California’s forest resources, 2001–2005: five-year Forest Inventory and Analysis report. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-763. Portland, OR: USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station: 40-45.

Barrett, T.M.; Waddell, K.L. 2008. Regeneration of California oak woodlands 2001-2005. In: Merenlender, A.; McCreary, D.; Purcell, K.L. The proceedings for the sixth symposium on oak woodlands: today’s challenges, tomorrow’s opportunities. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-217. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 323-331.

Temesgen, H.; Barrett, T.M.; Latta, G. 2008. Estimating cavity tree abundance in Pacific Northwest forests (U.S.A.) using nearest neighbor imputation methods. Silva Fennica. 42(3): 337-354.

Eskelson, B.N.I.; Temesgen, H.; Barrett, T.M. 2008. Comparison of stratified and non-stratified most similar neighbor imputation for estimating stand tables. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research. 82(2): 125-134.

Barrett, T.M.; Zuuring, H.R.; Christopher, T. 2007. Interpretation of forest characteristics from computer-generated images. Landscape and Urban Planning. 80(4): 396-403.

Barrett, T.M. 2006. Optimizing efficiency of height modeling for extensive forest inventories. Canadian Journal of Forestry Research. 36(9): 2259-2269.

Barrett, T.M., Gatziolis, D.; Fried, J.S.; Waddell, K.L. 2006. Sudden oak death in California: What is the potential? Journal of Forestry. 104: 2:61-64.

Barrett, T.M. 2006. Pre-epidemic mortality rates for common Phytophthora ramorum host tree species in California. In: Frankel, S.J.; Shea, P.J.; Haverty, M.I., tech. cords. Proceedings of the sudden oak death second science symposium: the state of our knowledge. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-196. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 371-378.

Bevers, M.; Barrett, T.M., tech. comps. 2005. Systems analysis in forest resources: proceedings of the 2003 symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-656. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 366 p.

Waddell, K.L.; Barrett, T.M. 2005. Oak woodlands and other hardwood forests of California, 1990s. Resour. Bull. PNW-RB-245. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 94 p.

Barrett, T.M. 2004. Estimation procedures for the combined 1990s periodic forest inventories of California, Oregon, and Washington. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-597. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.

Barrett, T.M.; Fried, J.S. 2004. Inventory: modeling. In: Burley, J; Evans, J., and Youngquist, J.A., eds. Encyclopedia of forest science. Oxford: Elsevier Science, Academic Press: 425-433.

Arthaud, G.J.; Barrett, T.A., eds. 2003. Systems analysis in forest resources: proceedings of the 8th symposium. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 327 p.

Barrett, T.M.; Schurr, F.G.; O’Hara, K.L. 2002. Classifying stand structure: a comparison of SVS images with plot visits and FVS-generated metrics. In: Crookston, N.L.; R.N. Havis, comps. Second Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) conference. Proceedings RMRS-P-25. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agricluture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 31-37.

Barrett, T.M. 2001. Models of vegetation change for landscape planning: a comparison of FETM, LANDSUM, SIMPPLLE, and VDDT. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-76. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 14 p.

Barrett, T.M.; J.G. Jones; Wakimoto, R.H. 2000. Forest Service spatial information use for planning prescribed fires. Western Journal of Applied Forestry. 15(4): 200-207.

Barrett, T.M.; Gilless, J.K. 2000. Even-aged restrictions with sub-graph adjacency. Annals of Operations Research. 95: 159-175.

Heald, R.C.; Barrett, T.M. 1999. Effects of planting density on early growth of giant sequoia. Western Journal of Applied Forestry. 14(2): 65-72.

Barrett, T.M.; Gilless, J.K.; Davis, L.S. 1998. Economic and fragmentation effects of clearcut restrictions. Forest Science. 44(4): 569-577.

Barrett, T.M. 1997. Voronoi tessellation methods to delineate harvest units for spatial forest planning. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 27: 903-910.

Barrett, T.M.; Davis, L.S. 1996. Predicting the spatial effects of forest management alternatives over multiple time periods. In: Heit, M.; Parker, H.D.; Shortreid, A., eds. GIS applications in natural resources 2. Fort Collins: GIS World, Inc.: 473-476.

US Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Research Station
Last Modified:  Monday, 16 July 2012 at 16:56:40 EDT