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Natural
Resource Issues:
STEWARDSHIP
TIPS
Stewardship
practices of farmers, ranchers, and wood lot owners are scrutinized
by environmental organizations and agencies. This report highlights
stewardship tips in several different natural resource areas that
will help land managers face this scrutiny.
Riparian
function and stream ecosystems. Riparian
systems are best protected by managers that first evaluate their
functional condition in terms of hydrology, vegetation, and soil
erosion or deposition and then conduct land use activities to maintain
or enhance that functional condition. BLM's pamphlet, TR 1737-9
(1993) contains an easy to use check list for evaluating functional
condition.
Wildland
weed management. Wildland weeds
threaten many native ecosystems. Strategies used to fight range
and forest fires can also be used to address weed invasions. Public
and private landowners must work cooperatively and aggressively
to combat spread of alien species that have no natural competitors.
A full range of cultural, biological, and chemical control methods
needs to be considered.
Salmon
and the Endangered Species Act. ESA
is public policy for protecting and improving the status of plants
and animals whose continued existence is imperiled. This policy
consists of laws, regulations, and judicial rulings. Designation
of critical habitat as part of species recovery has been forced
by the courts. Private land owners operating withing critical habitat
are prohibited from harming endangered species or critical habitat.
Private landowners can submit for approval habitat conservation
plans that will allow some harm to species or habitat if attempts
to minimize harm are taken and adequate habitat is provided elsewhere.
Fire
proofing forests. Periodic fire
is part of the evolution of dry forests of Eastern Washington. Periodic
fire affects the distribution of canopy and understory species and
prevents fuel supplies and tree density prerequisite for catastrophic
fires. Forest management employing regular, controlled burning is
required to fire proof dry, eastside forests.
Interior
Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. ICBEMP was launched by Presidential executive order to accomplish
two things: assess the ecological and socioeconomic trends and conditions
in the Interior Columbia Basin and develop a land management strategy
for federal land to improve those trends and conditions. The project
area includes 145 million acres in parts of seven states and the
management strategy will affect 72 million acres managed by the
Forest Service and BLM. The public is wary of the size and scope
of the project.
Concepts
described in this report were provided by Jim Tiedeman, BLM Range
Specialist; Jim Olivarez, Region I Noxious Weed Supervisor, US Forest
Service; Steve Peterson, University of Idaho; Elton Thomas, Resource
Group Leader, Wenatchee National Forest; Rex Holloway, Public Affairs
Officer, US Forest Service and Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project; and Tom Brannon, WSU Cooperative Extension during
a seminar held at the Colockum Research Unit near Wenatchee Washington
on June 25-27, 1998. Prepared by Tom Platt, WSU Cooperative Extension.
Agricultural
Sustainability. Highlights from a seminar series conducted by Washington
State University's Ag Horizons Team and funded by USDA Western Region
SARE.
Thomas
E. Platt
MSPO Box 399 (mailing)
303 6th Street (street)
Davenport, WA 99122-0399
Phone: (509) 725-4171
FAX: (509) 725-4104
 plattom@wsu.edu
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