Case Study: Adaptive Management
Oak Woodlands and Chaparral
The Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network (KSON) applies an adaptive management approach to oak restoration implementation. The restoration discussed in this case study was in an oak woodland mosaic, unique to Southern Oregon, and includes patches of chaparral. Chaparral is a natural part of oak habitats, but it also poses a risk of spreading severe fire which can put large, old oak trees at risk. Because oak woodlands are threatened by loss and degradation, management initiatives sometimes reduce chaparral to reduce the risk of high-severity fires and promote a mix of low to moderate-severity fires. Restoring and managing oak woodland ecosystems in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion requires learning how best to achieve a balanced vegetation composition that includes chaparral habitat components.
Using Prairie, Oak, and Riparian Habitats of Western Oregon and Washington version 1.0 the focal species were identified for this project. These focal species provide a rapid assessment of overall management activities and a benchmark for oak habitat restoration goals. The information gathered from this study was added to version 2.0 of this Partners in Flight Plan and was developed into a decision support tool (DST).
The Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network identified a research need to guide restoration practices to ensure a balance of fuel reduction and wildlife habitat objectives. A series of studies conducted at Upper and Lower Table Rocks near Medford Oregon, an area of critical environmental concern, found that chaparral-associated bird species did not establish territories in very small retained chaparral patches; patches larger than five acres were more likely to be used by birds during the breeding season.
Following recommendations from that research, restoration prescriptions retained chaparral patch sizes of five to twelve acres where possible, and placement of smaller patches near larger patches to ensure adequate habitat for chaparral-associated bird species. A follow-up study demonstrated the success of the adaptive management approach: all six chaparral-associated bird species established territories in the larger retained patches.
Adaptive management is only successful within a partnership when monitoring research is communicated to practitioners who then use the results of the research to modify their treatments and protocols. Within KSON for this project, those practitioners were the Bureau of Land Management, the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, and the Nature Conservancy.