This report examines public perspectives on disturbance-based management conducted in the central Cascade Range in Oregon as part of the Blue River Landscape Strategy.

In forest reserves of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, management objectives include protecting late-seral habitat structure by reducing the threat of large-scale disturbances like wildfire. We simulated how altering within and among-stand structure with silvicultural treatments of differing intensity affected late-seral forest (LSF) structure and fire threat (FT) reduction over 30 years in a 6070-ha reserve. We then evaluated how different financial requirements influenced the treatment mix selected for each decade, the associated effects on FT reduction and LSF structure in the reserve, and treatment costs. Requirements for treatments to earn money (NPV+), break even (NPVO), or to not meet any financial goal at the scale of the entire reserve (landscape) affected the predicted reduction of FT and the total area of LSF structure in different ways. With or without a requirement to break even, treatments accomplished about the same landscape level of FT reduction and LSF structure. Although treatment effects were similar, their associated net revenues ranged from negative $1 million to positive $3000 over 30 years. In contrast, a requirement for landscape treatments to earn money ($0.5 to $1.5 million NPV) over the same period had a negative effect on FT reduction and carried a cost in terms of both FT reduction and LSF structure. Results suggest that the spatial scale at which silvicultural treatments were evaluated was influential because the lowest cost to the reserve objectives was accomplished by a mix of treatments that earned or lost money at the stand level but that collectivel broke even at the landscape scale. Results also indicate that the timeframe over which treatments were evaluated was important because if breaking even was required within each decade instead of cumulatively over all three, the cost in terms of FT reduction and LSF structure was similar to requiring landscape treatments to earn $0.5 million NPV.

Millions of miles of highway crisscross the United States. Highways fragment the landscape, affecting the distribution of animal populations and limiting the ability of individuals to disperse between those populations. Moreover, animal-vehicle collisions are a serious hazard to wildlife, not to mention people.

Some federal forest managers working in late-successional reserves find themselves in a potential no-win situation. The Northwest Forest Plan requires that the reserves be protected from large-scale natural and human disturbances while simultaneously maintaining older forest habitat.

Conservation measures for aquatic species throughout the Pacific Northwest rely heavily on maintaining forested riparian zones. A key rationale for this strategy is that the presence of standing and downed trees next to streams will provide a continuous source of wood, which is an important structural component of aquatic habitat.

In recent years, interest has increased in restoring Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana Dougl. ex Hook.) and prairie landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, especially where elements of historical plant communities are intact. We evaluated the effect of alternative management scenarios on the extent and condition of Oregon white oak, the extent of prairie, and the harvest and standing volumes of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) within a 2934-ha portion of Fort Lewis, Washington (named the Tenalquot Planning Area for the purpose of the project). A landscape-level analysis of the scenarios was completed using a geographic information system, a forest growth model (ORGANON), and landscape visualization software (EnVision). The scenarios ranged from no active management to restoration of the historical extent of oak and prairies within the planning area. The results indicate that the window of opportunity for restoring oak and prairie landscapes in the Puget Sound lowlands and other regions is small, and aggressive management is needed to maintain or enhance these landscapes. The project demonstrates the value of landscape level analyses and the use of new technologies for conveying the results of alternative management scenarios.

Timber availability, aboveground tree biomass, and changes in aboveground carbon pools are important consequences of landscape management.

A gradient-analysis-based model and grid-based map are presented that use the potential vegetation zone as the object of the model. Several new variables are presented that describe the environmental gradients of the landscape at different scales. Boundary algorithms are conceptualized, and then defined, that describe the environmental boundaries between vegetation zones on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA.

The Landscape Treatment Designer (LTD) is a multicriteria spatial prioritization and optimization system to help design and explore landscape fuel treatment scenarios. The program fills a gap between fire model programs such as FlamMap, and planning systems such as ArcFuels, in the fuel treatment planning process. The LTD uses inputs on spatial treatment objectives, activity constraints, and treatment thresholds, and then identifies optimal fuel treatment locations with respect to the input parameters.

Scientists have had little information about how prescribed fire and cattle grazing—common practices in many Western ponderosa pine forests—affect plant abundance and reproduction in the forest understory. Pacific Northwest Research Station scientists began to explore how these practices affect vegetation in a five-year study of postfire vegetation in eastern Oregon ponderosa pine forests where cattle have been routinely pastured from late June or early July through early to mid August. For this area of eastern Oregon, they found that excluding cattle grazing during peak growing season increased native plant cover and grass flowering capability in ungrazed areas compared to grazed areas. Because vegetation was measured prior to releasing cattle on the land, the study's results tend to reflect lasting grazing impacts rather than simple consumption.

The Integrated Landscape Assessment Project (ILAP) was a multiyear effort to produce information, maps, and models to help land managers, policymakers, and others conduct mid- to broad-scale (e.g., watersheds to states and larger areas) prioritization of land management actions, perform landscape assessments, and estimate cumulative effects of management actions for planning and other purposes.

The Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT) is a set of procedures and tools used to rapidly determine forest ecological conditions and potential threats.

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Artwork may be mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements [...]

The post “Landscapes & Waterscapes” Photography Competition appeared first on Photocompete.

You shouldn't find yourself rewatching some sitcom for the thousandth time or sitting through a vacuous Hollywood blockbuster just because you're stoned and stuck inside during the age of social distancing.…

Drink Local Life under the COVID-19 pandemic is rough for everyone, individuals and businesses alike.…

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system optimizes an information processing environment, and comprises at least one processor. The system collects information pertaining to operational behavior of the information processing environment and including a plurality of parameters. A neural network structure is established to associate the parameters to a desired operational performance characteristic for the information processing environment. The neural network structure is trained with the collected information from the information processing environment to produce a model for the information processing environment. The model is optimized to determine values for the parameters and the information processing environment is adjusted based on the determined parameter values to attain the desired operational performance of the information processing environment. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for optimizing an information processing environment in substantially the same manner described above.

The “Microcosm Terrestrial and Aquatic Landscape Habitat” is a Main Basin Pond 4 surrounded on three sides by artificial rock, “Miniature Mountains” 3 a, 3 b, 3 c or Natural Looking Imitation Rocks. The fourth, front side has no “Miniature Mountains” or Natural Looking Imitation Rocks to enclose the Main Basin Pond. Instead, here I adhere on a Pane of Glass 2 a to the imitation rock surface using Silicon Sealant 2 b or other sealants 2 c: A pond-aquarium hybrid! The “Miniature Mountains” are higher than the water level in the Main Basin Pond. On the top or sides of the “Miniature Mountains” is an Upper Pool 5. Water in the Main Basin Pond is circulated up to the Upper Pool using a Submersible; Electric, Aquatic, Pump 8. From the Upper Pool, the Water then flows down a Water Course to the Waterfalls and back to the Main Basin Pond to oxygenate the water.

The general field of the invention is that of the graphical representation of a synthetic three dimensional view of the exterior landscape in an onboard visualisation system for aircraft, said graphical representation being displayed on a visualisation screen comprising the piloting and navigation information of said aircraft superposed onto said three-dimensional synthetic representation of the exterior landscape, said synthetic representation being computed up to a first determined distance, characterised in that said three-dimensional synthetic representation is tilted at a tilt angle about an axiom positioned at the level of the terrain in a substantially horizontal plane, and substantially perpendicularly to an axis between the flight direction and the heading of the aircraft, said axis moving with the aircraft.

Improvements in a fire escape having a structure of a Helix/Spiral Cylinder shape. It's a building within a building. It provides a quick and safe evacuation for all fire victims, including the A.D.A., the injured and the elderly. Its spiral design can accommodate a large number of floor levels. It eliminates the hazards acquainted with stairs and elevators. It has the capability of removing some of the smoke from the high-rise fire by way of a metal Ducting System. It draws the smoke into the center smoke shaft. The spiral is a two-way traffic pathway, which offers Fire Department personnel and their equipment a method of upward transportation to any floor-level they need for fighting this fire incident. My design can be retrofitted to any existing building.

A door escape includes a hinge member securable to a door pivotably movable between an open position and a closed position relative to an enclosure. A first securing device secures the hinge member to the door. The first securing device is manually removable from the hinge member from exterior of the enclosure, permitting removal of the door from the enclosure. A second securing device secures the hinge member to the door. The second securing device is manually removable from the hinge member from interior of the enclosure, permitting removal of the door from the enclosure.

A CRICKETER who asked for his leg to be amputated to cure constant pain is back in the England team.

“Writers write.” “Publish or perish.” Even without a global pandemic, writers face constant pressure to produce new material. But for the first-time novelist, publishing a book when bookstores are closed for browsing, signings and readers is particularly tough.

Plugin Boutique has launched an exclusive sale on That Thing by BeatSkillz, offering 65% off on the soundscape multi-fx processor for a limited time. “That Thing” is a multi-effects processor that was designed to get you “That Thing” missing from digitally perfect tracks today. It features a beautiful wide and deep chorus section great to […]

The post That Thing Soundscape FX by BeatSkillz on sale for $19 USD appeared first on rekkerd.org.

Woodman’s Immaculate Maple Syrup Studio has launched WoodScaper 1.2, an audio effect that delivers classic guitar effects. Version 1.2 adds Next and Previous preset buttons and some more improvements and fixes. WoodScaper combines the 4 classic guitar effects into one unit : phaser, chorus/flanger, wah-wah and tremolo. Besides the familiar controls each effect has some […]

The post WoodScaper classic guitar effects by Woodman’s Immaculate Maple Syrup Studio appeared first on rekkerd.org.

In light of recent reports about Chechnya’s anti-gay kidnappings, torture and killings, Reveal revisits stories that expose what it’s like to be gay in Russia. Right now, hateful rhetoric against the LGBT community appears on a daily basis on Russian TV and in speeches by Russian politicians. Reveal traces the roots of the anti-gay movement and shows how President Vladimir Putin uses this agenda to quash political dissent, exert influence on neighboring nations and bash the West.

Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting.

Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @reveal.

And to see some of what you’re hearing, we’re also on Instagram @revealnews.

A days-long tense standoff between protesters and police is grinding on at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The numbers of protesters barricaded inside the school has dwindled to about 100, and their food supplies are rapidly depleting after police surrounded the campus on Sunday. The situation is growing so desperate for the remaining protesters that several of them unsuccessfully attempted to escape the police siege by climbing through sewer drains, according to local media . Police say they've arrested about 1,100 people in the past day. At a Tuesday news conference , officers accused the protesters of crimes such as taking part in riots and possessing dangerous weapons. Authorities have threatened to use live ammunition against the demonstrators, though they say that level of force is a last resort. Protesters are pleading for help. A video posted by protest leader Joshua Wong features a message from a masked woman who is identified as a student at Polytechnic University. "We have

Drift Deeper Recordings 013 is here, This one has been years in the pipeline, thankfully Andreiclv eventually got back to me to give the approval for release. The tracks were beautifully mastered by our friend Evaldas at Cold Tear Records. Some serious chilled people watching tracks on this release. Enjoy and share with your friends. [...]

The post Andreiclv – Cityscapes EP (Drift Deeper Recordings 013) appeared first on Drift Deeper Recordings.

THE FIRST THING you notice about Bonnie Berk and Larry Kessler’s property in the Mount Baker neighborhood of Seattle is the formidable retaining wall. Accentuated with terra-cotta tiles and red brick, the wall provides double-sided access to the property via stairs, and was part of the original home design by Arthur Loveless. It’s a grand […]

This is a stressful, frightening and unprecedented time in American history. Nonfiction books can inform us about past disasters in American history, and help guide us as we navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

A white-naped crane that briefly escaped from the Woodland Park Zoo was returned to its open-air exhibit Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from the zoo. The crane traveled a short distance down North 55th Street around 4 p.m. and entered a sunken garage near Greenwood Avenue North, where animal keepers caught it, the statement […]

The Queen has marked the 75th anniversary of the allied Victory in Europe remembering how she sneaked outside Buckingham Palace in 1945 to celebrate with the joyous crowds.

The Serbian-American writer spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about how death, afterlife and American West mythology inspired her novel, Inland.

* What are some possible origins of coronavirus? * Are you more likely to get coronavirus if you work in an abattoir? * Can I get sick from meat processed in an abattoir if the worker had coronavirus? * Could herbal medicine play a role in helping stop or treat coronavirus? And Norman and Tegan discuss research regarding skin rashes that are being reported by some COVID-19 patients.

DAILY BRIEFING: Police are still looking for escapee Jake Mark Pearce, the Greens want an end to wildlife culls after six permits were issued to kill platypus.

A man who was taken to hospital for dog bite injuries received after allegedly punching a police dog in the head remains on the loose after escaping from custody on Saturday.

Private contractors tasked with guarding a violent serial offender broke an "absolute principal of looking after prisoners" when they allowed him to escape and go on the run in Perth, WA's Corrective Services Minister says.

A man who triggered a four-day manhunt after fleeing from custody at hospital is recaptured in a dramatic arrest in Perth's north-east suburbs, with a security contractor fined $100,000 over his escape.

The threat of bushfire never occurred to this WA couple after all, they lived in a more or less treeless estate. Thanks to sheer chance, they still do. Now they're making their own luck.

For the first time in 15 years, cattle are grazing the roadsides of the Moyne Shire, in Victoria's south-west.

Enjoying the sunrise or sunset is a simple pleasure you can do from your home. Tasmanian landscape photographer Nick Monk shares his tips on how to catch the light.

A prisoner who escaped from a low security prison farm in South Australia has been found "without incident", police say.

Landscape, memory and Monet

With shorelines shifting around the globe, communities in low lying areas along the Mid West & Wheatbelt coastline are experiencing the brunt of coastal erosion.

An outback Queensland grazier has organised a fine art photography workshop in the tiny town of Yaraka as a way to not only improve her skills but to escape the harsh reality of drought for a weekend.