To fill this void, the Coastal Landscape Analysis and Modeling Study (CLAMS), a multidisciplinary research project centered at the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station in Corvallis, Oregon, recently completed a set of different analyses that paint a picture of how forests of the Oregon Coast Range look today, how they might change over the next 100 years, and what the implications are to forest biodiversity and forest management.

Assuming a continuation of the current suite of forest policies, CLAMS scientists project that disparate management priorities between public and private landowners will amplify contrasts in forests structure. Future timber harvest will occur predominantly on forest industry lands. Habitat area for spotted owls, low-dispersal lichens, and marbled murrlets is projected to increase dramatically on federal lands over the next 100 years. Alternative conservation policies, such as increased retention of large trees after harvest, could be implemented to increase wildlife habitat, but these would come at substantial cost to private landowners.

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.