Fort Valley Experimental Forest-A Century of Research 1908-2008

Fort Valley Experimental Forest— A Century of Research 1908-2008 Conference Proceedings August 7–9, 2008 Flagstaff, AZ United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service / Rocky Mountain Research Station Proceedings RMRS-P-55 December 2008 Olberding, Susan D., and Moore, Margaret M., tech. coords. 2008. Fort Valley Experimental Forest—A Century of Research 1908-2008. Conference Proceedings; August 7-9, 2008; Flagstaff, AZ. Proc. RMRS-P-55. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 282 p. Abstract One hundred years ago, the USFS began its forest research program in a two-room cabin near Flagstaff, Arizona, with one staff person, Gustaf A. Pearson. The site became known as the Fort Valley Experiment Station and was the first in a national network of research sites developed to address uncertainties regarding the rehabilitation and conservation for forest and range lands in the nation. Fort Valley’s name has changed over the century and for today’s reader, Fort Valley Experimental Forest (FVEF) is used. The conference recognized pioneering silvicultural, range, and watershed research and how the work continues today. Invited papers and contributed poster papers were presented during the first day of the conference. The second day’s schedule included field trips and the dedication of new monuments at the historic Fort Valley Experimental Forest headquarters. The conference consisted of USFS retired researchers, current scientists, and students that addressed issues affecting the perpetuation of the ponderosa pine forest of the Southwest. Keywords: long-term research, ponderosa pine, range research, silviculture, cultural resources, Fort Valley Experimental Forest, Long Valley Experimental Forest, http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/fortvalley/ Cover photo: Fort Valley Experimental Forest headquarters in winter. The San Francisco Peaks are in the background. 1920 photo by G.A. Pearson. NOTE: Papers were edited to a uniform style; however, authors are responsible for the content and accuracy of their papers. The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Depatment of Agricuture of any product or service. Rocky Mountain Research Station 240 W. Prospect Rd. Fort Collins, Colorado 80526 Fort Valley Experimental Forest— A Century of Research 1908–2008 Conference Proceedings August 7–9, 2008 Flagstaff, AZ Technical Coordinators Susan D. Olberding, Historian/Archivist USFS RMRS Fort Valley Experimental Forest Flagstaff, AZ Margaret M. Moore, Professor School of Forestry Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Sponsors Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDAFS Coconino National Forest Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry Ecological Restoration Institute Society of American Foresters, Southwestern Section University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources Conference Program Committee Susan D. Olberding, Rocky Mountain Research Station Margaret M. Moore, Northern Arizona University David R. Patton, U.S. Forest Service and Northern Arizona University (ret.) Peter F. Ffolliott, University of Arizona Peter J. Pilles, Jr., Coconino National Forest Daniel G. Neary, Rocky Mountain Research Station Preface The conference program committee was comprised of people long associated with Fort Valley and its research. Our goal was to summarize the important contributions to southwestern forest and range management that evolved from Fort Valley-based projects. We pulled folks from retirement to prepare the invited papers that list past and present research endeavors. We are extremely grateful for their willingness to, at least once more, put pen to paper and share their vast experiences. We also thank those who prepared poster papers that consist primarily of the most recent research occurring on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest. Daniel P. Huebner, RMRS, provided invaluable help with the technical side to these proceedings. The Conference Planning committee included: Diane T. Jacobs, Brenda Strohmeyer, Jose Iniguez, Cody Stropki, Doc Smith, Brian Geils, Daniel G. Neary, Margaret M. Moore, David R. Patton, and Peter F. Ffolliott. ii Opening Remarks for the Fort Valley Centennial Celebration G. Sam Foster, Station Director, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO Abstract—The Rocky Mountain Research Station recognizes and values the contributions of our scientists and collaborators for their work over the past century at Fort Valley Experimental Forest. With the help of our partners and collaborators, Rocky Mountain Research Station is working to improve coordination across its research Program Areas and Experimental Forests and Ranges to better support an integrated landscape research platform for the Interior West region. Given the rich historic context of Fort Valley, and the long-term studies and data it en- tails, together we can adapt and innovate our future research strategy to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. next 100 years promise to deliver even greater discoveries. Welcome! To determine the direction of future scientific research, it helps to examine where we have been. Today we are here Forest science has come a long way in only 100 years. to recognize the past—so that we can prepare better for an We’ve learned much from our investigations at Fort Valley. uncertain future. Just one century ago, the horse and steam-powered timber The Fort Valley Experimental Forest Centennial Celebra- industry was harvesting giant old-growth yellow pine and tion provides a perfect setting for commemorating past milling them as fast as the chugging locomotives could pull successes in natural resource research in the twentieth centu- the log-laden cars down the tracks. As far as people could ry and rising to the new challenges of the twenty-first. Forest see at the time, new forests were not growing to replace the Service Research and Development has a unique strength in big yellow pines that fell to axes and misery whips. This was the ability to conduct long-term land-based research studies not an insignificant problem to the fledgling Forest Service over multiple decades and scientists’ careers. The long-term charged with conservation of the nation’s forest resources. data and research studies from Fort Valley and other Research The beautiful open park-like stands of giant yellow pine Station Experimental Forests and Ranges, and the hard work extended from Canada to Mexico, and comprised the most of our dedicated research scientists and their collaborators extensive coniferous forest in the West. Failing to conserve will be invaluable in meeting new research challenges. the yellow pine forests would be a conservation tragedy I would like to welcome and express thanks to the sci- comparable to the worst nightmares early foresters could entists, partners, and collaborators participating in the Fort imagine. So, here we are 100 years later and, so far, we de- Valley Experimental Forest Centennial Celebration. I want to clare the mission accomplished. Lessons learned from Fort extend my sincere appreciation to the host for our Fort Valley Valley about our nation’s ponderosa pine ecosystems give us Experimental Forest lands, the Coconino National Forest, reason to celebrate. and congratulations on their centennial celebration this year. The Fort Valley Experimental Forest was established less Since the very beginning, the Coconino National Forest has than 100 years after British horticulturist David Douglas dis- been a vital and important partner for forest research. covered and identified the species called western yellow pine We also deeply appreciate the long-term collaboration of and blackjack or bull pine by pioneers, differentiating be- the Northern Arizona University, the Ecological Restoration tween slow-growing and rapidly growing trees, respectively. Institute, United States Geological Survey, Agricultural Settlers started building permanent homes under yellow pine Research Service, University of Arizona, Soil Conservation only around 50 years before Fort Valley. About all we knew at Service, U.S. Biological Survey, Kaibab National Forest, the birth of Fort Valley was that yellow pine made wonderful Grand Canyon National Park, the National Forest System lumber and the old trees were being felled at an alarming rate. Southwestern Region and other collaborators at Fort Valley. Just stop and think: since a team of mules pulled the first Northern Arizona University also hosts our Flagstaff wagon load of supplies to Fort Valley, we’ve landed explora- Laboratory, home to 28 of our full-time employees. Northern tion vehicles on Mars and data about Mars is streaming back Arizona University is also a very old and valued partner in to earth. It’s been an exciting century for scientists, and the research at Fort Valley. iii are related to the conservation of old yellow pine and the re- Our Celebration’s generation of new forests, the databases from Fort Valley tell Historic Context us the amount of moisture available throughout each year. At the beginning of this century, we are far better prepared to manage these pine forests in a fluctuating climate. We are Arizona has given “multiple births” to Forest Service also better prepared to consider potential elevation changes place-based long-term research. The story is well known of in future ponderosa pine forests, because long ago in 1916 Raphael Zon, Willard Drake, and Gus Pearson’s horseback Gus put weather stations at different elevations. In fact,

Load more