PAGE 2 CONTENTS:

Cave Creek Seedling Project

Planting Trials in Northern Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forests

ERI Adopts a Second Aspen Fence

ERI Botanists Team with the Arboretum at Flagstaff to Study Native Penstemons

Alumni Corner

Drought Influences the Regrowth of Understory Vegetation More than Grazing

Staff News

 

Cave Creek Sonoran Desert Seeding Project, continued from page 1:
by Mark Daniels, ERI Research Specialist

In the fall of 2005, ERI Research Specialist, Scott Abella, and two ERI botanists travelled to Cave Creek and, along with Gunn and his colleagues, established 22 monitoring plots in the seeded area. They then recorded the species present on each 10-m2 plot and estimated their aerial cover. Mulch cover was also estimated because Gunn and Abella were interested to see how long the mulch, with its beneficial effects on plant establishment, would persist on the ground. Vegetation on the Cave Creek plots was re-measured in the spring and fall of 2006, and again in the spring of 2007.

During the time of the experiment, rainfall was even lower than usual in the area, which would seem to doom attempts to revegetate the site. Despite the low rainfall, however, there has been a general increase in cover on the burned site, compared to adjacent burned and unseeded private land. A number of the seeded species have become established at the site (Table 1) and several species have done rather well, including the shrubby forb, desert senna (Senna covesii), and the grass, purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea).

In 2007, Abella, Gunn, and the ERI botanists co-authored and submitted a manuscript with their findings from the project to Native Plants Journal. They hope that by conducting more research like this, and by disseminating the results to land managers in a position to use the findings, we can learn how to effectively revegetate disturbed areas of the Sonoran Desert, and reverse some of the degradation that has occurred in this harsh, fragile environment.

Table 1.  Establishment of seeded species and volunteers on a Sonoran Desert Burn, Cave Creek Regional Park, Arizona.

	Sample Date
Species1	11/2/05	5/1/06	10/12/06	5/2/07
Seeded grasses
Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea)	0	91	4	50
Tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus)	95	45	9	0
Curly mesquite (Hilaria belangeri)	86	9	5	0
Seeded shrubs
Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens)	0	9	0	9
Desert ironwood (Olneya tesota)	9	0	0	5
Seeded forbs
Rough pricklypoppy (Argemone hispida)	68	5	14	0
Desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata)	14	23	0	18
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)	82	77	0	0
Southwestern mock vervain (Glandularia gooddingii)	5	0	0	41
Gordon’s bladderpod (Lesquerella gordonii)	91	82	0	59
Coulter’s lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus)	27	5	0	0
Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii/parryi)	0	68	0	28
Cleftleaf wild heliotrope (Phacelia crenulata)	95	100	23	73
Desert senna (Senna covesii)	59	68	91	82
Desert globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)	36	55	0	9
Major volunteers
Menzies’s fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)	0	86	41	0
Cryptantha (Cryptantha spp.)	46	23	0	9
Redstem stork’s bill (Erodium cicutarium)	100	95	0	91
Spotte hideseed (Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia)	0	59	0	0
Cheeseweed mallow (Malva parviflora)	95	32	0	45
Curvenut combseed (Pectocarya recurvata)	0	91	0	9
Desert Indianwheat (Plantago ovata)	73	82	0	18
Arabian schismus (Schismus arabicus)	0	95	82	100

1 These species were seeded but showed little establishment: Grasses: cane bluestem (Bothriochloa barbinodis), side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Rothrock’s grama (Bouteloua rothrockii), plains lovegrass (Eragrostis intermedia), bush muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri), vine mesquite (Panicum obtusum), plains bristlegrass (Setaria vulpiseta), spike dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus); Shrubs: fairyduster (Calliandra eriophylla), creosote bush (Larrea tridentate); Forbs: trailing windmills (Allionia incarnate), exserted Indian paintbrush (Castilleja exserta).

2 Based on twenty-two 10-m2 plots.

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Planting Trials in Northern Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forests,
continued from page 1:
by Judy Springer, ERI Research Specialist, Sr.

At a treatment site on Mt. Trumbull in the Arizona Strip, where reproductively mature grasses were transplanted into five different microsites, Abella and Springer found the survival of squirreltail (Elymus elymoides) and muttongrass (Poa fendleriana) was about 20% after five years (Figure 1). Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and upland sedge (Carex geophila) transplants did not fare as well. No transplants of these four species survived in an unthinned control area.

Percent of four graminoids transplanted in five      ecological restoration treatments a) in all treatments      b) all species combined per treatment type.

Synopses of the other planting trials indicate that Lambert’s locoweed (Oxytropis lambertii) did not survive transplanting very well (4% survival after 13 months), even with the addition of pine litter. Wax currant (Ribes cereum), Woods’ rose (Rosa woodsii), and Fendler’s meadow-rue (Thalictrum fendleri) had moderate survival after one year (48%, 28%, and 56%, respectively). Fendler’s meadow-rue exhibited significantly greater survival when outplanted below Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) than in openings. This same trend did not hold for wandbloom penstemon (Penstemon virgatus), however. Penstemon survival averaged about 50% whether planted under an oak or in an opening nearby.

Road ripping is a common method for obliterating roads created from tree thinning activities, fire fighting, or recreation activities. In a study designed by Abella, in which he planted ragleaf bahia (Bahia dissecta) and mountain muhly (Muhlenbergia montana) seedlings, survival ranged from 74-80% for these two species after one year. Seventy-three percent of the live ragleaf bahia flowered, as did 38% of the mountain muhly.

It remains to be seen whether the relatively high costs of transplanting will ever allow this method to replace conventional seeding practices. However, transplanting and outplanting methods may be most appropriate in small areas, such as abandoned roads, slash-pile scars, or for establishing islands of native plants. The manuscript for this study is in preparation and will be submitted for publication this year. For additional information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Judy Springer ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

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ERI's Adopted Aspen Fence, continued from page 1:
by Daniel Laughlin, ERI Research Specialist

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ERI Botanists Team with the Arboretum at Flagstaff to Study Native Penstemons, continued from page 1:
by Judy Springer, ERI Research Specialist, Sr.

None of these species are widespread or common, and the extent of their range in Arizona is unknown. Furthermore, there is little information available about their ecology or about the threats to existing populations. Using information obtained from historical collections of these three species at local herbaria, researchers from the ERI and the Arboretum conducted surveys to document historical and current populations. When populations were located, we also compiled information on threats to the plants. Preliminary results suggest that two of the major threats to these species are drought and animal herbivory, but more work is needed.

The ERI and Arboretum will continue collaborating to obtain funding that will be used to locate additional populations of these plants and to collect information about their life history and ecology.

The more we understand about the ecology of the rare and uncommon species of penstemons, the more effective land management agencies will be in determining whether measures need to be put in place to protect these species from threats to their well-being.

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Alumni Corner, continued from page 1:
by Robin Long, ERI Student Services Coordinator, and Kaitlin Tymrak

Wedding bells rang in Tucson for Sanjeev Pandey (B.S. Forestry ’05) and his bride, Joelle. They were married in an Indian ceremony at Govindas Restaurant, which Sanjeev reports is Tucson native Linda Ronstadt’s favorite place to eat. You guys look sharp in Indian dress! Sanjeev continues to work for Native Seeds Search in Tucson and Patagonia. He says, “I am learning lots about growing melons and watermelons, killing bugs, and whacking weeds.” Next year may find him in graduate school studying landscape architecture. Congratulations Sanjeev and Joelle!

 

Wondering where Sonja Wilson (B.A. French, ’07) is? Why in Costa Rica, of course. Sonja wrote that she is surfing, doing yoga, and working at a cabina resort in beautiful Santa Theresa. Sonja is experiencing many adventures, such as eating iguana soup. While it was her first time eating a sustainable food source, she said, “I felt bad for the little fellow.” The water and electricity in her town goes out every other day and she finds herself trying to live as eco-friendly and simply as possible.

 

There is baby news from Julie Blake Gidley (B.S. Environmental Science ’99). Silas James Gidley was born on October 25, weighing 10 lbs. 10 oz. After a few extra trips to the hospital, the Gidley family is “happy to be at home eating, sleeping, burping, and spitting up.” Julie informs us that Silas is Latin for “of the woods.” Welcome to the world, Silas!

 

Amy Waltz (Ph.D Biology, ‘01) just checked in from Bend, Oregon, her home for the past 2 ½ years. She is busy working as a fire ecologist for The Nature Conservancy, where she has the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, “as long as the word ‘fire’ appears somewhere in the title.” Her husband, Rob, recently opened a unique coffee-shop/indoor playground, so she is learning that a small business owns you, not the other way around. Whew!

 

 

 

California keeps claiming ERI folk! Dave Passovoy (M.S. Forestry ’05) recently moved to Sacramento to begin his new job as an environmental scientist for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He will be working in the Bear, Feather, and American River watersheds. Dave also keeps busy with his almost-two-year-old daughter, Aliya, who is talking up a storm and making Dave wish he had spent more time reading books on child development.

 

Tom Heinlein (M.S. Forestry ’96) writes that he is moving back to the Lower 48 for a job with the Bureau of Land Management as a field manager in Monticello, Utah. He anticipates making the trek home from Nome, Alaska sometime in March. Congratulations, Tom, and welcome back from the Great Land.

 

Good news is happening for Aaron Wilkerson (B.S. Forestry ’03). Aaron was recently promoted to Utah State Forester with the Bureau of Land Management. He and his wife, Ericka, and their three kids will be moving to Salt Lake City. For the past four years, Aaron has been working as a Forester managing lands on the Arizona Strip. He’s come a long way since this photo was taken in Robin’s office immediately after he first got hired back in 2003!

 

 

 

And finally, Brandon Oberhardt (B.S. Photography ‘03) returns as our featured artist in the ERI Art Gallery here in the NAU Forestry Building. Brandon recently traveled to Ecuador and nine stunningly colorful photographs now grace the walls of the ERI. His photos can be viewed online and are available for purchase. Go to: http://www.brophotography.com/

 

 

Have alumni news to share?  Please send your news to
Robin Long at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (928) 523-7187.

 

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Drought Influences the Regrowth of Understory Vegetation More than Grazing, continued from page 1:
by Chris Sorensen, School of Forestry/ERI Undergraduate Research Assistant

In the summer of 2005, I began a three-year study at Mount Trumbull to evaluate the short-term effects of cattle exclusion on the herbaceous understory in a partially restored ponderosa pine forest. I established 10 paired plots consisting of a treatment exclosure and a grazed control. The 35-m by 35-m electric fence exclosures were erected by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) to prevent cattle from trampling lizard pitfall array traps that were being used to study the effects of restoration treatments on lizard populations. The AZGFD constructed the exclosures in the summer of 2005, which allowed for the collection of pre-treatment data. Using a modified Daubenmire plot design, the help of other ERI undergraduates and the honed skills of several ERI botanists, I collected data on the following understory vegetation characteristics: aerial cover, species richness, and species diversity.

After finalizing and analyzing the data, I found that two years of cattle exclusion did not increase understory abundance or affect species richness and diversity. The most significant correlation I observed was between annual precipitation and total cover. During the pre-treatment year, precipitation levels at Mount Trumbull were far above the average. Each year after that, precipitation steadily declined to below the average amount. As one might expect, the large drop in precipitation significantly decreased total understory vegetation.

Although this study was faced with several confounding factors, including a small sample size and a break in the grazing allotment fence during the summer of 2006, it still provides some insights for livestock management on Mount Trumbull. For example, one to two years of livestock removal did not significantly increase or improve understory vegetation. Therefore, removing livestock for a short-period of time may not heal understory degradation caused by livestock grazing. In the case of this study, however, you could also argue that the current grazing intensity did not appear to have any negative effects. Therefore, is removing cattle to improve forage conditions worth the investment? This study also reinforces the importance of adapting livestock management to account for climate variability. Rainfall proved to be the most influential factor in this study, and if it is not taken into consideration, livestock and the understory community could be negatively affected. However, given the short-term nature of this study and its relatively small sample size, I would also recommend that more research be done on this topic.

This research project taught me a lot about the ups and the downs of the research process. From organizing the gear for the trips to Mount Trumbull to cleaning up the data and analyzing it, the research process can be very challenging and rewarding. As a School of Forestry/ERI student, it has given me a great appreciation and understanding for all the work that is conducted and has yet to be done in the fields of forest and range management. With that said, I commend the ERI for all of its work and I am truly grateful for all the help and support I received from its students and staff.

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Staff News, continued from page 1:

Diane Vosick Leaving ERI for Post with The Nature Conservancy in Oregon

Dave Egan, ERI Editor/Writer

ERI Associate Director and Outreach Team Leader, Diane Vosick, recently announced that she has accepted the position of Forest Restoration Program Director with The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. Her last day with the ERI will be February 29, 2008.

Diane has been with the ERI since 1999 and has made numerous contributions to the organization during that time, not the least of which have been providing invaluable support to Wally Covington, serving in leadership roles on policy issues, and working diligently with government leaders and agency heads to secure permanent, legislation-endorsed funding for the ERI as one of three institutes focused on dry forest restoration in the Southwest. More recently, she was instrumental in guiding the Statewide Strategy for Restoring Arizona’s Forests through the Governor’s Forest Health Council and in penning the executive summary for that document. Diane also recently served as a key member of the small-diameter wood supply analysis working group--a body of stakeholders that has helped to identify whether there is a reliable quantity of timber for sustainable wood products production in northern Arizona.

After completing an introductory training period at TNC’s main office in Portland, Diane will be working out of the organization’s central Oregon office in Bend. In her new position, she will coordinate and direct an interdisciplinary team with expertise in government relations as well as regional and site-based conservation. Working with this staff, Oregon TNC leadership, and field practitioners, Diane will  help establish TNC of Oregon as a major conservation partner in public lands forest restoration with the aim of accelerating the restoration of fire-prone forests in the state. Her job also calls for managing the Northwest Fire Learning Network, establishing key partnerships with important statewide public and private organizations, identifying funding needs and assisting with fundraising, and developing restoration strategies for restoration sites (whew!!). While that’s a big list of duties, we expect Diane to handle them with her usual mix of intelligence, determination, contagious energy, and good humor.

On behalf of the ERI staff, I’d like to congratulate Diane on her new position and wish her and husband, Geoff, all the best. The move will allow them to be near their beautiful grandchildren, who live with their parents in Portland. In addition to being near to their family, Diane and Geoff will have the opportunity to explore the many natural wonders of Oregon—the Pacific Ocean shore, the Cascade Mountains, nature reserves such as Zumwalt Prairie and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and wild areas along the Snake River.

Diane, we’ll all miss your spark, your smile, your love of anything Bruce Springsteen….and, of course, your version of the Snoopy Dance (which for those of you who have missed it, Diane does when we receive news that our federal monies have been approved).

 

Starting a Family
Kristen Pearson, Former ERI Research Technician

Starting a family is always an adventure, but my husband, Tal, and I had no idea it would be quite this adventurous. Last autumn, after a year of endless paperwork and waiting, we set off to Ethiopia to adopt two infants and learn a bit about their culture and history. We spent three wonderful weeks traveling in the southern region of the country visiting different indigenous tribes and viewing some fabulous wildlife. We also traveled to the two regions where our kids are from, learning about their birthplaces and their family history. The last week we spent visiting and getting to know our kids in the orphanage. We learned that Ethiopia is not only the birthplace of humankind, but also the source of coffee and, although we weren't coffee drinkers, we quickly became fond of it when we realized sleep was a thing of the past for us as new parents. We definitely chugged some delicious Ethiopian coffee before our epic 24-hour plane ride home with our new family. Our son, Malaku, is now 14 months and our daughter, Adey, is 8 months. We are all doing well.