Tree Mortality Data Collection Network

2021 Network meeting

March 10-11, 2021 Online via Zoom (9 am to 12:30 pm on both days) The desired goals of the workshop wereto: 1) Share latest results on live and dead trees, tree fall rates, fuels, regeneration, and post-mortality management and 2) Discuss frameworks for incorporating data into forest management planning and identify management challenges and opportunities.  3-10 & 11 2021 Tree Mortality Data Network meeting agenda  

Presentations                2021 Workshop Summary

Day one:

• Tree Mortality Data Collection Network 2021 Day 1 Workshop Introduction Dr. Jodi Axelson, UC Berkeley Video recording
• Listening to the trees: what global tree mortality observations tell us about the fates of earth’s historical forests under hotter drought Dr. Craig Allen, USGS New Mexico and Dr. Bill Hammond, Oklahoma State University Video recording
• Characterizing ground and surface fuels in Sierra Nevada forests shortly after the 2012–2016 drought Dr. Emilio Vilanova Torre, UC Berkeley Video recording
• Bark-beetle killed ponderosa pine snag demography & initial changes in fuel loads Dr. Leif A. Mortenson, US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station Video recording
• Tracking tree mortality and fire risk in giant sequoia Ecosystems: New actions to address new threats Dr. Christy Brigham, Sequoia /Kings Canyon National Parks Video recording
• The 2020 fire season in context: Disaster or opportunity? Dr. Crystal A. Kolden. UC Merced Video recording

Panel discussion: Moderator John Battles, Panelists William Hammond (Univ. of Oklahoma), Craig Allen (USGS), Crystal Kolden (UC Merced)
Joe Restaino (CALFIRE) Video Recording

Day two:

• Tree Mortality Data Collection Network 2021 Day 2 workshop introduction Dr. Emilio Vilanova Torre, UC Berkeley Video recording
• The collective pipeline to climate-smart reforestation Britta Dyer, California State Director, American Forests Video recording
• Using assisted gene flow to establish climate-adapted forests Dr. Derek Young, UC Davis Video recording
• Dr. Jessica Wright, US Forest Service PSW Research Station Video recording
• Climate-wise reforestation toolkit   Amarina Wuenschel, US Forest Service Region 5, Video recording
• Replanting strategies under changing wildfire, climate and budget conditions  Dr. Malcolm North, US Forest Service PSW Research Station Video recording

Panel discussion: Moderator John Battles, Panelists Britta Dyer (American Forests), Eric Sprague (American Forests), Jessica Wright (US Forest Service), Stewart McMorrow (CalFire) Video Recording

Click here to be placed on our mailing list. 3/2019 publication on the California Tree Mortality Data Collection Network

2020 Network meeting

March 10th, 2020 9 am– 5 pm, US Forest Service Wildfire Training Center, McClellan, CA - Goals of the workshop were to 1) Share latest results on live and dead trees, tree fall rates, fuels, regeneration, and postmortality management; 2) Discuss frameworks for incorporating data into forest management planning and policy. The meeting was canceled due to the pandemic stay at home orders. 3-10-2020 Tree Mortality Data Network meeting flyer

Drought Mortality Data Project Overview

• What is the future course of the bark beetle outbreak?
• What is the impact of tree mortality on forest carbon storage?
• What are the likely successional trajectories in impacted stands? Is forest regeneration occurring and what are the implications for future forest composition?
• How does the increase in standing, and eventual downed, dead trees affect the timing and magnitude of wildfire hazard?

Through funding from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, CalFire, Yosemite National Park and the U.S. Forest Service, UC Berkeley researchers collected data at eight Drought Mortality (DX) sites throughout the Sierra Nevada in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 to answer these questions. Collaborating organizations, including the Forest Service, Park Service, and USGS, also collected data in many locations. 

Collaborators: CalFire, National Park Service, US Forest Service (Forest Health Protection, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Region 5), USGeological Service, Universities of California (Berkeley, Davis, and Cooperative Extension), University of Washington.

2019 Network Meeting

March 14th, 2019, Wildfire Training Center in McClellan, CA -  The desired outcomes of the workshop was to: 1) Share results of the field season on live and dead trees, bark beetle attacks, regeneration, and fuels 2) Solicit input from partners and managers on useful data summary products 3) Discuss on-going collaboration on field data collection, interpretation and use

Meeting materials: Presentations and notes from the workshop are posted below. 3-14-2019 Workshop agenda

Presentations: 

• Local reactions and responses to tree mortality - a flash back Brittany Dyer, American Forests
• California Forest Management Task Force - Coordinating the state's investments in forest management wood utilization and workforce development  Kevin Conway, CalFire
• Tree Mortality and Dead Biomass 2018 Update John Battles, University of California Berkeley
• 2018 field season update Leif Mortenson, Christopher Fettig & Beverly Bulaon - US Forest Service
• Effects of bark beetle and drought induced tree mortality on wildfire severity in the Sierra Rebecca Wayman and Hugh Safford, UC Davis
• Mortality and recovery following extreme drought in California  Derek Young, Becky Estes, Amarina Wuenschel, Shana Gross, Marc Meyer, Christina Restaino, Hugh Safford - UC Davis, US Forest Service, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
• Structure and composition of natural regeneration across a latitudinal and tree mortality gradient Jodi Axelson, John Battles, Lauren Cox, Susie Kocher & Elliot Kuskulis, UC Berkeley and UC Cooperative Extension
• Predicting the spatial patterns of postfire conifer regeneration  Kristen Shive - Save the Redwoods League, Kevin Welch & Hugh Safford - UC Davis, Kevin O'hara and Scott Stephens - UC Berkeley
• Mortality in the context of long-term stand dynamics Rob York, UC Berkeley 
• Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Experiments - Treatments to promote resistance resilience and adaptation Sarah Bisbing, University of Nevada Reno
• Biomass Utilization in the Southern Sierra Nevada  Larry Swan, US Forest Service

2018 Network Meeting

March 12th, 2018 Wildfire Training Center in McClellan, CA - The desired outcomes of the workshop was to: 1) Share results of the field season on live and dead trees, bark beetle attacks, regeneration, and fuels 2) Solicit input from partners and managers on useful data summary products 3) Discuss on-going collaboration on field data collection, interpretation and use

Meeting materials: Presentations and notes from the workshop are posted below.  3-12-2018 Tree Mortality Data Recap meeting agenda

Presentations:

• Tree mortality and bark beetles in the Sierra Nevada Elliot Kuskulis, University of California, Berkeley 
• How forest treatments influence tree mortality and recovery in the Sierra Nevada Dr. Christina Restaino, University of California, Davis
• Tree Injections - Splat Verb Treatments - Western Pine Beetle biology Sheri Smith, US Forest Service, Region 5 Forest Health Protection
• Drought mortality - Implications for carbon and fuels Dr. John Battles and Lauren Cox, University of California, Berkeley
• Inventory-based mortality estimates for California forests 2001-2015 Dr. Stella Cousins, University of California, Berkeley
• Mapping dead tree biomass from the recent California mortality event Carmen Tubbesing, University of California, Berkeley
• Remote Sensing of Forest Health - Ecosystem Disturbance and Recovery Tracker (eDaRT) Michèle Slaton, US Forest Service, Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab

2017 Drought Mortality Data Summaries and Site Profiles

Summary of group discussion on tree mortality information needs