The Potential for Biotechnology to Address Forest Health - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Potential for Biotechnology to Address Forest Health Perspectives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Forest Ecology Working Group For the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Chuck Hunter U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Atlanta, GA March 5, 2018

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) input to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NAS) Forest Biotech Committee Request 1. What work is FWS doing in the area of forest health, particularly the work of its Forest Ecology Working Group (FEWG)? Request 2. What is the FWS decision-making process pertaining to using trees or seed stock for habitat restoration that are sourced from another location? Request 3. Is the FWS considering the use of genetically engineered trees to assist with habitat restoration?

Request 1: What work is FWS doing in the area of forest health, particularly the work of its Forest Ecology Working Group. • Mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • FWS ’ approach to 21st Century conservation • Legislative underpinnings as they pertain to forest health • Introduction to the FWS Forest Ecology Working Group • FWS Forest Priorities • FEWG Plan of Action

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Approach to 21st Century conservation Strategic Habitat Conservation Working at ecologically meaningful scales across FWS programs and with partners to maintain functional sustainable landscapes.

Legislative underpinnings pertaining to forest health include: Endangered Species Act, Purpose: The purposes of this Act are to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved… Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act: … require the Service to monitor and assess migratory nongame birds, determine the effects of environmental changes and human activities, identify those likely to be candidates for endangered species listing, identify appropriate actions… Migratory Bird Treaty Act Refuge Administration Act Refuge Improvement Act Wilderness Act Many others

Introduction to the FWS Forest Ecology Working Group The FEWG was established in 2016 to enhance FWS understanding of forest ecology and related applied sciences and habitat management principles to meet the Service mission. The purpose of the FEWG is to provide a coordinated approach to influence work processes, increase staff competency and capacity related to the above across all levels, programs, and regions of the Service. Forest Health and evaluating impacts on forest ecosystems and fish, wildlife, and plants that depend on those ecosystems is a primary issue for the FEWG to address. Planting the Seed for Forest Ecology, Applied Science and Habitat Management within FWS

Introduction to the FWS FEWG The FEWG has national FWS representation from the Southeast, Pacific Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Pacific Regions, as well as FWS Headquarters and the National Conservation Training Center with staff representing several Resource Programs

The FEWG Plan of Action towards: Planting the seed... to influence work processes, staff competency and capacity, to increase the understanding and integration of forest ecology, applied science and habitat management principles across all levels, programs, and regions of the FWS Taking Root…Establish a training program to develop educational opportunities for FWS staff in the areas of forest ecology and management Spreading our Branches...Establish a Community of Practice both within FWS and working with our conservation partners to advise and assist where needed to address forest restoration and conservation to benefit species habitats Taking Stock…Establishing expectations, metrics and benchmarks, as a means for feedback and adaptive learning that continues to enhance expertise and capacity for forest ecology and habitat management within the Service

Forests and FWS Priorities Forest ecosystems are complex, dynamic and function at large spatial and temporal scales. Many are altered and degraded. Forest ecosystems provide habitat for many priority trust species and other resources, such as forest dependent at-risk, threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, interjurisdictional fisheries, and these and other species on National Wildlife Refuges. Understanding forest ecology and habitat management is critical for all Service regions and natural resource programs to meet the Service Mission.

Defining Forest Health or what constitutes “Healthy Forests” From the FY 2018- 2022 DOI Strategic Plan Framework, under “Generating Revenue and Utilizing Our Natural Resources”: Focus timber programs on “healthy forests” lifecycle The Service's Forest Ecology Working Group (Group) proposes as a starting point for discussion the following preliminary definition for “Healthy Forests”: Healthy forests for DOI managed lands represent the range of natural variation in structure and composition inherent with intact ecological processes, applying the best available scientific information, and capable of sustaining the full complement of appropriate fish, wildlife, and plants within an ecological context over time. .

Forest Land Ownership Across the United States

How have the fields of forestry and forest ecology changed in the past 30 years?

Concept could under some circumstances also apply to conservation concern species

Forest Succession as a Dynamic (Space:Time), Not Linear and Static Pinus strobus/Vaccinium angustifolium- Epigaea repens (PVE) Habitat Type 1 Major and/or frequent ecological disturbances (e.g., crown fire) push stands to earlier seral stages, minor and/or infrequent disturbances (e.g., surface fire) to later seral stages. 1 Burger and Kotar. 2003. Forest community and habitat types of Michigan.

Stoddard-Neel: co-founders of Ecological Forestry

Modern Applications of Ecological Forestry led by Franklin-Johnson

Contemporary Terrestrial Ecosystem Management: Tenets of Ecological Forestry • Within the context of biodiversity maintenance, more (not less!) forest management is needed, but within an ecological framework; • Management cannot ignore geology, biogeography, and evolutionary patterns and processes (constraints); • Emulation of natural disturbance regimes (e.g., fire, windthrow); • Recovery periods between disturbances; • Intermediate treatments emulate natural stand development processes; • Consideration of biological legacies (snags, CWD, etc.); The “Three - • Implemented within the context of matrix management legged Stool of Ecological (e.g., landscape scales, the “ fourth leg”). Forestry” Seymour and Hunter. 1999. In Managing biodiversity in forest ecosystems . Franklin et al. 2007. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-GTR-19.

Request 2: The NAS committee would also like to learn about the FWS’s decision making process when it comes to introducing trees for habitat restoration when those introduced trees are from another location? (especially, introducing trees or seed stock from one location to restore the tree population in another area that no longer has a sufficient seedbank of native trees) • Does FWS deal with plant/tree introductions? • Are there people who think about the effects on wildlife of moving tree species around (as a part of overall forest “health”)?

Does FWS deal with plant/tree introductions? Yes, at least from a National Wildlife Refuges and Partnerships (Private Lands) perspective Frequent use of seeds/saplings in afforestation efforts originating from distant locations, mostly for species with large contiguous distributions (species with more isolated populations would be a different matter) There may be occasional use of selectively bred strains (to enhance local adaptations) of plant species intended for restoration Potential for considering genetically hybridized plants for restoration (American chestnut outcrossed with Chinese chestnut is an example possibly being considered for restoration on some National Wildlife Refuges)

Are there people who think about the effects on wildlife of moving tree species around (as a part of overall forest “health”)? Yes, many within FEWG have an interest. More broadly, staff from several FWS Programs, likely would be drawn in to evaluate such movements with respect to associated Endangered Species, Migratory Birds, and Fisheries. Two topics for further discussion: (1) Types of Issues in evaluating forest health and emerging biotechnology (2) Habitat management: conservation and restoration delivery considerations, identifying forest ecosystem types, priority associated species, and present/emerging issues