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Woody debris microsites enhance conifer seedling survival during extreme summer heat
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Woody debris microsites enhance conifer seedling survival during extreme summer heat

Mark Swanson and Margaret I. Magee
Technical bulletin (Washington State University. Extension), 112E, Washington State University Extension
05/2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000008247
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Abstract

Conifers -- Habitat -- Northwest, Pacific Conifers -- Northwest, Pacific Forest Ecology
Down woody debris (DWD) is defined as fallen dead wood that is usually greater than 7.6 cm (3 in) diameter. While DWD has often been considered a nuisance and a fire hazard, modern day natural resource managers and scientists now recognize its ecological value, including wildlife habitat enrichment, nutrient cycling, and moisture retention. Additionally, DWD physically modifies its immediate surroundings, changing temperatures, soil moisture, and other variables that affect the growing environment for plants. . With the frequency of heat wave events in the Pacific Northwest expected to increase (White et al. 2023), accounting for microsite conditions when planting tree seedlings can increase the probability of survival. This Extension publication describes the Log-Aspect Microsite Project (LAMP), a study which evaluated the function of DWD in creating cooler, moister conditions for planted seedlings of two conifer species, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa; hereafter PP) and interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. glauca; hereafter DF). In this study, survival and growth of planted seedlings based on their distance and orientation relative to experimentally placed DWD was examined, as was topography (slope and aspect) in relation to the microsite effect.

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