CFIRP: What we learned in the first ten years

In response to public dissatisfaction with forest management methods, we in itiated the College of Forestry Integrated Research Project (CFIRP) to test alternative silvicultural systems in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) s tands in western Oregon. We compared costs and biological acid human respon ses among a control and three replicated silvicultural alternatives to clea rcutting that retained structural features found in old Douglas-fir forests . Treatments were applied within 8- to 15-ha stands and attempted to mimic crown fires (modified clearcut), windthrow (green tree retention), and smal l-scale impacts such as root rot diseases (small patch group selection). We also compared costs in three unreplicated treatments (large patch group se lection, wedge cut, and strip cut). Each treatment included differences in the pattern of retained dead trees (snags), as either scattered individuals or as clumps. Good communication among researchers and managers, a long-te rm commitment to the project, and careful documentation of research sites a nd data are important to the success of longterm silvicultural research pro jects. To date, over 30 publications have resulted from the project.