Graduation Date
Spring 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources, option Forestry, Watershed, & Wildland Sciences
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Pascal Berrill
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Christa Dagley
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Christoper Looney
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
Forest management, Sierra Nevada, Ponderosa pine, Wildland urban interface, Silviculture, Forest vegetation simulator, Carbon, Economics, Managment reccomendations, Tahoe National Forest, Climate, Wildfire risk, Forest health
Subject Categories
Forestry
Abstract
This thesis presents a simulation study of various forest stand treatments and their long-term effects on ponderosa pine-dominated forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of the western USA. The goal was to create recommendations for forest management in the wildland urban interface (WUI) of the Tahoe National Forest and other locations with similar conditions. This study simulates current United States Forest Service (USFS) - Truckee Ranger District silvicultural treatment alternatives repeated over a 100-year period using the USFS Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS). Proposed treatment alternatives include restoration, resilience, transition, conservation, and no management. Treatments are to be compared in terms of their final stand structure, long term fire resilience, carbon storage, economic viability, and potential forest health issues, to inform landowners of the tradeoffs among alternative treatments in the WUI. Treatment alternatives were found to produce similar potential wildfire behavior and impacts, carbon, and forest health benefits over time, apart from the no-management treatment. Economic analysis showed the restoration and conservation treatments generate net revenue while the transition and resilience treatments did not. Simulated stand structures after 100 years of management met the desired goals and objectives for each treatment’s management objectives, acknowledging the limitations of the FVS model’s predictions as discussed herein. Simulation results and interpretations show that landowners managing in the WUI have freedom to choose management alternatives that support personal objectives while creating forest stand structures that are healthy and foster wildfire resilience. This thesis offers a management decision pathway for landowners to treat ponderosa pine stands in the WUI.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
McDaniel, Kassandra A., "Forest management options for the wildland urban interface: Comparative analysis of stand development, economics, and forest carbon over 100 years in Sierra Nevada ponderosa pine" (2026). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2549.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2549