The starkey experimental forest and range: Long-term research to meet the needs of managers

Abstract

As the current concern over climate change illustrates, there is a need, sometimes unforeseen, for the development and maintenance of long-term data sets. Coupling long-term vegetation data sets with long-term wildlife demographics allows scientists to evaluate potential cause-effect relations between changing landscapes and wildlife populations. Vegetation data sets contain important variables often included in habitat effectiveness models that predict the value of a landscape for a particular wildlife species. In this chapter, we focus on Starkey's research history and long-term research activities on wildlife and rangeland resources as case examples of applied research that has addressed societal needs for ecosystem services. In 1939, Pickford wrote a letter that initiated discussions on the Starkey Cattle and Horse Allotment in the Whitman National Forest as suitable for a research station to develop information on the management of cattle summer range within the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Loud) type. In 1940, the Starkey Experimental Forest became a reality. The major research problem to be addressed was the overgrazing of mountain ranges. The current research trajectory was initiated in 1989 with the building of a game-proof fence and development of a telemetry system to monitor ungulate movements. The initial studies focused on perceived conflicts between deer and elk, and timber harvest and livestock grazing. Current research focuses on the role of ungulates as chronic ecosystem disturbance agents and their interaction with episodic disturbance to alter successional trajectories. Also included is the confounding role of human disturbance in modifying ungulate distribution across landscapes.