(ft) Mean annual ( F)

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1 Washington State s: East-Side Marine Shoreline West-side Montane To Douglas-fir / Grand fir Douglas-fir / Grand fir Douglas-fir / Grand fir Sitka Spruce Shrub Palouse Prairie Okanogan Highlands / Purcell & Selkirk Mts Western Hemlock Pond. Pine East slopes of the Cascades Blue Mountains Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Climate General Environment : warm & relatively dry >5 - >7 < Republic Station Tonasket Darrington Snoqualmie Falls Greenwater Snoqualmie Pass Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Climate This east-side forest ecoregion is more continental in climate: Greater temperature extremes for similar mean values Air Temperature Doug-fir / Grand fir Doug-fir / Grand fir Elevation (ft) ,6 1,7 3, Mean annual ( F) Mean Jan min ( F) What are the effects of this difference in temperature extremes on precipitation? Data from the Western Regional Climate Center Mean Jul max ( F) Douglas-fir / Grand fir Focus on diverse forest ecosystems Most diverse forests in terms of trees: Disturbance in the Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Pests Insect damage to WA forests can be intense and it varies through years WA State insect damage Grand fir Douglas-fir Engelmann spruce Subalpine fir Ponderosa pine Okanogan Highlands Lodgepole pine Western white pine Whitebark pine Western larch larch

2 Disturbance in the Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Pests and Insect damage to east-side forests is common Disturbance in the Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Pests Insect damage by certain species varies through time Defoliation by balsam wooly aphid in WA WA State insect defoliation rate Mtn pine beetle infestation, British Columbia Specific conditions (climate, biological) for outbreak vary for each different pest through time Defoliation by western spruce budworm in WA Disturbance in the Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Pests massive outbreak of the mountain pine beetle in BC has killed 1 billion board feet (~ 9 yrs of harvest) Disturbance in the Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Fire Fire is also frequent and extensive (and interacts with insect damage) Fire cycle: (compare to Western hemlock; Sitka spruce; & Silver fir from previous classes) How will climate change influence the Info courtesy of A Snover, UW Climate Impacts Group Photos from Data: Agee 1993 Disturbance in the Douglas-fir / Grand fir : Fire This ecoregion is disproportionately affected by fire NE Cascades Blue Mts

3 : Climate General Environment : warm & quite dry >5 - >7 < Focus on mature Forest ecosystem Pinus ponderosa is well adapted for fire (and drought) Insect damage to forests of this ecoregion can also be serious Acidic litter deters tall undergrowth, promoting low intensity ground fires No lower branches to carry fire upward Thick, fireresistant bark Pinus ponderosa Photo: Northern Arizona University Data: : Climate General Environment : HOT & VERY dry >5 - >7 <

4 Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Low elevation hot, arid shrub and grass dominated ecosystems: Grass dominated steppe and pothole wetlands Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegnaria spicata) Shrub Ecosystem Productivity productivity: g C / m 2 /yr Grassland productivity: g C / m 2 /yr Daubenmire % NPP of west-side ecosystems Annual Net Primary Productivity of Ecosystems Ecosystem Type Mean NPP Range of NPP g C / m 2 / yr g C / m 2 / yr Terrestrial Uplands Tropical rain forest 2,2 1, - 3,5 Temperate evergreen forest 1,32 6-2,5 Temperate deciduous forest 1,2 6-2,5 Boreal forest 8 4-2, Woodland & shrubland ,2 Temperate grassland 6 2-1,5 Tundra and alpine Desert & semidesert scrub Freshwater Wetlands Swamp & marsh 2, 8-6, Lake and stream ,5 Marine Algal beds and reefs 2,5 5-4, Estuaries 1,8 5-4, Open Ocean Disturbance in the : Invasive Species Non-native Species 2% WA plants are non-native The horror of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) Covers nearly 1 million acres of Columbia Basin Outcompetes natives Germinates in ALL seasons, taking advantage of transient moisture Produces huge # of seeds Cheatgrass Fire Cycle Produces huge amount of flammable biomass (4x NPP of native sagebrush community) Fire frequency & extent increase Colonizes rapidly after fire positive feedback cycle Disturbance in the : Fire Disturbance in the : Land Use Fire is a frequent natural feature 24-Command Fire at Arid Lands Ecology Reserve (July 2) 164, acres in 6 days Effect on cheatgrass: Little Pristine Remains Sage Cropland Sagebrush Even the remaining areas are highly invaded by non-native species

5 Palouse Priarie : Climate General Environment : Hot & somewhat dry >5 - >7 < What mean values do not reveal is Rolling prairie Loess deposits Loess soil creates rolling topography and excellent soil conditions for agriculture Low elevation hot & semi-arid grass dominated ecosystems Loess Wind-blown soil from the west Little remains of original : %