Pacific Southwest Research Station

Publications and Products

Order a printed copy
of this publication.

General Technical Report

Title: Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium

Author: Murphy, Dennis D.; Stine, Peter A.

Date: 2004

Source: Murphy, Dennis D. and Stine, Peter A., editors. Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-193. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; 287 p.

Station ID: GTR-PSW-193

Description: Land and resource management issues in the Sierra Nevada are becoming increasingly complex and controversial. The objective of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium was to provide a synoptic overview of the current state of scientific knowledge related to key management issues. Attempts were made to tie recent scientific findings to applications in land management and policy development. The symposium addressed four primary objectives: to highlight ecological research and monitoring activities ongoing in the Sierra Nevada; to provide access for all interested parties to information on Sierran research activities, databases, and web sites; to identify new research needs and priorities of organizations, particularly those interested in managing resources or lands in the Sierra; and to explore opportunities to expand and leverage collaborative research opportunities in the Sierra Nevada, including those that encourage interagency, student, and intern involvement. The papers in this volume are summarized presentations by each speaker, as well as overview summaries provided by the session chairs. Introductory and synoptic papers precede or follow the main presentations of the conference. Poster abstracts for the approximately 100 posters presented at the symposium are also included.

Key Words: Sierra Nevada, forest, land management, climate change, landscape change, fire, biodiversity, aquatic ecosystems, watersheds, conservation, resource management policy

Front Matter and Table of Contents

Front Cover and Front Matter 557 KB

Table of Contents 191 KB

Introduction

Introduction 100 KB

Acknowledgments 144 KB

Achieving a Nexus of Science and Policy, Management and Policy in Sierra Nevada 144 KB

Keynote 144 KB

Session 1 - Climate and Landscape Change Over Time

Session Overview: Climate and Landscape Change Over Time 87 KB
Constance I. Millar

Interannual-scale to Century-scale Climate Variability in Western North America 260 KB
Malcolm K. Hughes

Regional Changes and Global Connections: Monitoring Climate Variability and
Change in the Western United States 252 KB
Henry F. Diaz

Recent Projections of 21st-century Climate Change and Watershed Responses in the Sierra Nevada 363 KB
Michael D. Dettinger, Daniel R. Cayan, Noah Knowles, Anthony Westerling, and Mary K. Tyree

Response of Sierra Nevada Vegetation and Fire Regimes to Past Climate Changes 185 KB
R. Scott Anderson

Climate Change in Wildland Management: Taking the Long View 169 KB
Scott Stine

Mountains, Fire, Fire Suppression, and the Carbon Cycle in the Western United States 360 KB
David Schimel

Session 2 - Fire and Physical Processes

Fire in the Sierra Nevada 180 KB
Carl N. Skinner and Scott L. Stephens

Fire and Landscapes: Patterns and Processes 845 KB
Jan W. van Wagtendonk

Fire and Fire Surrogate Study in the Sierra Nevada: Evaluating Restoration Treatments at Blodgett Forest and Sequoia National Park 323 KB
Eric E. Knapp, Scott L. Stephens, James D. McIver,Jason J. Moghaddas, and Jon E. Keeley

Effectiveness of Thinning and Prescribed Fire in Reducing Wildfire Severity 248 KB
Philip N. Omi and Erik J. Martinson

Linking Vegetation Patterns to Potential Smoke Production and Fire Hazard 451 KB
Roger D. Ottmar and Ernesto Alvarado

Session 3 - Forest Ecosystems

Session Overview: Forest Ecosystems 145 KB
John J. Battles and Robert C. Heald

Biosphere and Atmosphere Interactions in Sierra Nevada Forests 157 KB
Allen H. Goldstein

Landscape Pattern and Ecological Process in the Sierra Nevada 198 KB
Dean L. Urban

Nutrient Cycling in the Sierra Nevada: The Roles of Fire and Water at Little Valley, Nevada 145 KB
Dale W. Johnson

Sierra Nevada Grasslands: Interactions Between Livestock Grazing and Ecosystem Structure and Function 255 KB
Barbara H. Allen-Diaz

Forest Stand Structure and Development: Implications for Forest Management 162 KB
Kevin L. O'Hara

Session 4 - Aquatic Systems and Watersheds

Aquatic Systems and Watersheds 192 KB
Rick Kattelmann and Fraser Shilling

Non-Native Fish Introductions and the Reversibility of Amphibian Declines in the Sierra Nevada 333 KB
Roland A. Knapp

Establishing Reference Conditions for Streams and Measuring Ecological Responses to Management Actions Using Aquatic Invertebrate Biological Assessments 158 KB
David Herbst

Nutrient and Sediment Transport in Streams of the Lake Tahoe Basin: A 30-Year Retrospective143 103 KB
Robert Coats

Assessing Cumulative Watershed Effects in the Central Sierra Nevada: Hillslope Measurements and Catchment-Scale Modeling 280 KB
Lee H. MacDonald, Drew Coe, and Sandra Litschert

Turning Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones in the Analysis Of Cumulative Impacts 359 KB
Leslie M. Reid

Session 5 - Biodiversity

Biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada 405 KB
Dennis D. Murphy, Erica Fleishman, and Peter A. Stine

Invasive Exotic Plant Species in Sierra Nevada Ecosystems 291 KB
Carla M. D' Antonio, Eric L. Berlow, and Karen L. Haubensak

The Status and Conservation of Mesocarnivores in the Sierra Nevada 559 KB
William J. Zielinski

A Framework for Setting Land Conservation Priorities in the Sierra Nevada 792 KB
Frank W. Davis, Chris C. Costello, David Stoms, Elia Machado, and Josh Metz

The Future of Biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada through the Lake Tahoe Basin Looking Glass 305 KB
Patricia N. Manley

Policy and Institutions Response

Sierra Nevada Science Symposium: Policy and Institutions Synthesis 111 KB
Mark Nechodom, Larry Ruth, and Jim Quinn

Poster Sessions and Back Cover

Poster Sessions 243 KB

Back cover 701 KB

Citation

Murphy, Dennis D.; Stine, Peter A. 2004. Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium Murphy, Dennis D. and Stine, Peter A., editors. Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-193. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; 287 p.