North Central Washington

Okanogan is a place where boreal forests, glacial geology, soaring cliffs, secret canyons, and wild nature can still be found.

Interior Northwest Ecology

Ecology

Fire & Fuels

Wildfire updates. Fire and smoke information for from a local perspective.

2014 Finley Debris Flows (Powerpoint)
2014 Finley Salvage Proposal (Powerpoint)
2014 DNR Salvage (Powerpoint)

Fire, plants and landscapes. Powerpoint presentation to Methow Field Institute, Twisp WA, 2015 (37MB).

Can We Have Fire-Prone Ecosystems Without Fire? Presentation to the Forest Guild in 2007 (18MB powerpoint).

Relationships between bark beetle outbreaks and subsequent fire severity in the 2006 Tripod fire. This study compared the relationship of fire severity in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanii Parry ex Engelm.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas) determined from satellite reflectance ratios, with the time since prior severe mortality from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) and/or spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby), identified from yearly aerial surveys. Chi squared contingency tables indicated a complex relationship to none at all, likely involving indirect factors, particularly fuel characteristics that that change from year to year, as well as effects of local weather conditions during fires.

Shrub-steppe Ecology of North-Central Washington

Shrub-Steppe Conservation Prioritization in Washington State.

Shrub-steppe fire regimes. Powerpoint presentation to Washington Native Plant Society, 2004 (30MB).

High Elevation Ecology of North-Central Washington

Key features of boreal ecology in the Okanogan Range, Washington.

Thunder Mountain Fire Vegetation Study Final Report. Volunteers spent 450 days over 8 years studying vegetation recovery after the 1994 Thunder Mountain Fire.
View the photo series here. View the original web page here.

Unique biodiversity features of the Northern Okanogan Range

Mapping whitebark pine in the North Cascades. A long-term plan to conserve a key ecosystem.

Ecosystem Management

Hungry-Hunter Ecosystem Management Project. GIS and analysis and multi-party monitoring.

Long term woody biomass supply in the Methow Valley, Washington, by Dave Demyan and George Wooten. This research is based on net primary productivity, without addressing the important role of fire in ecosystems. Implementation is based on principles described in the paper, Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures for Biomass Harvest Forest Thinning, by the same authors.

Pine beetle outbreaks-What can be done? A presentation made in 2007 to the Shining Mountains Council in Estes Park, Colorado.

Sinlahekin Wildlife Area Restoration Plan. A long-term plan to reduce fuels and restore fire regimes in the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area. (link to an overview of vegetation classification methods used in the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, 2MB powerpoint)

Managing livestock effects on biodiversity. A slide show discussing the effects of grazing on native species, along with potential restoration objectives. Presented at the Society of Ecological Restoration Panel discussion, September 26, 2007.

General Ecology Topics

Big Biology! - A workshop for a class in Big History presented by the Methow Conservancy, Feb 11, 2013, in Twisp, Washington.

Wetland K-12 Education Guidebook - An outdoor exercise book for K-12 teachers, by Trust for Habitat Conservation, 1997.

Classification of Vascular Plant Communities of The North Cascades Using Discreet Space Boundary Analysis. 2005. Classification of North Cascades Plant Associations, by George Wooten and Peter Morrison. Ordination of 1,433 ecology plots distributed throughout the North Cascades were classified into 14 broad sets of plant associations. The major axis of variation corresponded to east-west geographic position. The secondary axis corresponded to a wet-dry gradient. Plant communities of the North Cascades spanned three full species turnovers along the primary east-west gradient.

Beaver Influence on Fisheries Habitat: Livestock Interactions. Research by Gary Ott and Don Johnson of Twisp, Washington.

Biodiversity

Exploring Northwest Argentina with Pacific Biodiversity Institute. This is a 2 MB travel log documenting a 2011 trip to the high Andes, the Chaco and the Yungas cloud forest in Argentina.

Genetics

Genetic radiation supercedes speciation in the Hawaiian flora. Plants tell a different story about evolution from that of animals.

Invasive Species

I was a knapweed millionaire: the knapweed chronicles. An anecdotal account of the rise and fall of diffuse knapweed.

Invasive Plant Species Research. Progress Report: Research on Vegetation Control - Control is Everything.

Risky Business: Invasive species management on National Forests - A review and summary of needed changes in current plans, policies and programs, by George Wooten and Marlene Renwyck. To be successful, a program of invasive species management should offer long-term sustainability, clearly stated goals, understanding of biological principles, adaptability and accountability. In the rush to secure program funding, agencies have issed opportunities for sound alternatives of invasive species.

Wetlands

Wetland Mapping on the Loomis Forest. A new method and a test of the National Wetlands Inventory, by Pacific Biodiversity Institute of Winthrop, Washington.

Ecology Essays

Plant geography of the Methow Valley. An essay on plants, time and places.

What is an ecologist. A short essay.