Beese, Bill

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    Two decades of variable retention in British Columbia: A review of its implementation and effectiveness for biodiversity conservation
    (Springer Nature, 2019-07-23) Beese, William J.; Deal, John; Dunsworth, B. Glen; Mitchell, Stephen J.; Philpott, Timothy J.
    Stand-level retention is an important component of sustainable forest management which aims to balance ecological, social and economic objectives. Long-term retention of mature forest structures at the time of harvesting (variable retention) is intended to produce future forest stands that more closely resemble conditions that develop after natural disturbances, thereby maintaining greater diversity of habitats for a variety of organisms. Structure includes features such as live and dead trees representing multiple canopy layers, undisturbed understory vegetation and coarse woody debris. Over the past two decades, variable retention has become common on forest lands in the temperate rainforests of coastal British Columbia (BC) and has been applied to a lesser extent in inland forest types. Our review of studies in BC and in similar forest types in our region indicates that both aggregated and dispersed retention can contribute to biodiversity conservation by providing short-term ‘life-boating’ habitat for some species and by enhancing the structural characteristics of future stands. For example, greater abundance of species present in the pre-harvest forest have been documented for vegetation, birds, carabid beetles, gastropods, ectomycorrhizal fungi and soil fauna in retention cutblocks compared to clearcuts. There are, however, some negative consequences for timber production such as wind damage to retained trees and reduced growth rates of tree regeneration compared to clearcuts. The authors suggest an adaptive management approach for balancing competing objectives when faced with uncertainty. This includes monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of various strategies for achieving goals. Over two decades of experience applying variable retention harvesting to industrial-scale management of forest lands in BC suggests that it is possible to balance production of wood with biodiversity conservation.
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    Variable retention harvesting in north Pacific temperate rainforests
    (University of Washington Press, 2013) Beese, William J.
    This chapter reviews the implementation and monitoring of variable retention harvesting in the temperate rainforests of the North Pacific coast.
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    Montane alternative silvicultural systems (MASS) forest structure and natural vegetation dynamics
    (Canadian Forest Service & B.C. Ministry of Forests, 1995) Beese, William J.; Sandford, Jeff; Toms, Judith
    This project is one of several focussed on investigating aspects of silvicultural systems being compared at the MASS study area in coastal montane forests. Clearcutting, Green Tree Retention, Shelterwood and Patch Cutting create different forest structure and microclimates that may affect natural regeneration and vegetation succession.
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    Montane alternative silvicultural systems (MASS) introduction and objectives
    (Canadian Forest Service & B.C. Ministry of Forests, 1995) Beese, William J.
    The cooperative Montane Alternative Silvicultural Systems (MASS) research project addresses regeneration, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic concerns in managing forests at higher elevations on Vancouver Island, A series of integrated studies are examining the biological and economic consequences of alternative silvicultural systems, The costs and feasibility of harvesting these old growth forests using small Patch Cuts, Green Tree Retention and Shelterwood systems are being documented, Many long-term studies will evaluate the impacts on forest dynamics, soils, microclimate and biological diversity.
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    White malaxis, Malaxis monophyllos var. diphyllos, an addition to the orchids of Canada from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia
    (The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, 1983) Beese, William J.
    Two collections in 1981 and 1982 extended the range of Malaxis monophyllos var. diphyllos, approximately 2,000 km southeast of those described from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.