Pacific Southwest Research Station

Education

B.S., Forest Management, 1964, University of Missouri
M.S., Fire Ecology, 1965, University of Missouri
Advanced Studies, Forest Science, 1979-82, Oregon State University

Research Interests/Duties

• Identify and develop mitigations for factors that limit artificial and natural regeneration of mixed-species native forests in degraded, high-elevation landscapes of Hawaii, including positive and negative plant interactions with climatic and edaphic factors and facilitative and competitive interactions among alien and native species.
• Assess the impacts of silvicultural and harvesting practices on ecosystem services.

Current Emphases, Studies, Projects

• Develop productivity models and silvicultural guidelines for growing and managing Acacia koa.
• Effects of thinning, fertilization, and control of competing introduced understory plants on growth of Acacia koa and associated native species in wet and mesic montane forest in Hawaii.
• Stand dynamics in natural and planted Acacia koa in secondary forest in Hawaii.
• Efficacy of active and passive approaches to re-establishing Acacia koa-dominated forest in abandoned high-altitude pasture in Hawaii.

Selected Publications

• Scowcroft, P.G. 2012. Parent tree effects on reestablishment of Acacia koa in abandoned pasture and the influence of initial density on stand development. New Forests. DOI 10.1007/s11056-012-9352-6.
• Scowcroft, P.G., Friday, J.B., Haraguchi, J., Idol, T., Dudley, N.S. 2010. Poor stem form as a potential limitation to private investment in koa plantation forestry in Hawaii. Small-scale Forestry 9:243-262.
• Baker, P.J., Scowcroft, P.G., Ewel, J.J. 2009. Koa (Acacia koa) ecology and silviculture. General Technical Report PSW-GTR-211. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 129 p.
• Friday, J.B. Scowcroft, P.G., Ares, A. 2008. Responses of native and invasive plant species to selective logging in an Acacia koa-Metrosideros polymorpha forest in Hawaii. Applied Vegetation Science 11: 471-482.
• Scowcroft, P.G., Haraguchi, J.E., Fugii, D.M. 2008. Understory structure in a 23-year-old Acacia koa forest and 2-year growth responses to silvicultural treatments. Forest Ecology and Management 255: 1604-1617.
• Scowcroft, P.G., Friday, J.B., Idol, T., Dudley, N., Haraguchi, J., Meason, D. 2007. Growth response of Acacia koa trees to thinning, grass control, and phosphorus fertilization in a secondary forest in Hawaii. Forest Ecology and Management 239: 69-80.
• Baker, P.J., Scowcroft, P.G. 2005. Stocking guidelines for the endemic Hawaiian hardwood, Acacia koa. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 17: 610-624.
• Scowcroft, P.G., J.E. Haraguchi, and N.V. Hue.2004. Reforestation and topography affect soil properties, nitrogen pools, and nitrogen transformations in Hawaii. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 68: 959-968.
• Scowcroft, P.G., D.R. Turner, and P.M. Vitousek. 2000. Decomposition of Metrosideros polymorpha leaf litter along elevational gradients in Hawaii. Global Change Biology. 6: 73-85.
• Scowcroft, P.G., Meinzer, F.C., G. Goldstein, P.J. Melcher, and J. Jeffrey. 2000. Moderating night radiative cooling reduces frost damage to Metrosideros polymorpha seedlings used in forest restoration in Hawaii. Restoration Ecology. 8: 161-169.
• Melcher, P.J., S. Cordell, T.J. Jones, P.G. Scowcroft, W. Niemczura, T.W. Giambelluca, and G. Goldstein. 2000. Supercooling capacity increases from sea level to tree line in the Hawaiian tree species Metrosideros polymorpha. International Journal of Plant Science. 161: 369-379.
• Scowcroft, P.G., and J. Jeffrey. 1999. Potential significance of frost, topographic relief, and Acacia koa stands to restoration of mesic Hawaiian forests on abandoned rangeland. Forest Ecology and Management. 114: 447-458.