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USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges pp 537–563Cite as

The Key Roles of Four Experimental Forests in the LTSP International Research Program

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Abstract

Four Experimental Forests were pivotal in piloting the long-term soil productivity (LTSP) cooperative research program—one of the most successful and extensive collaborative science efforts yet undertaken by the USDA Forest Service. Launched on the Palustris, Challenge, Marcell, and Priest River Experimental Forests, LTSP traces to a seminal discussion during a field tour in central Louisiana in 1986. P. E. Avers, National Soils Program Leader in Washington DC, described to D. H. Alban and R. F. Powers a problem arising from the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA). That conversation sparked an idea that quickly caught fire. This chapter documents how LTSP came to be and why four Experimental Forests were central to its success. It began with a ripple effect of the NFMA.

Robert F. Powers and Felix Ponder Jr. are deceased.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to P. S. Aune (USDA FS, retired), C. B. Goudey (USDA FS, retired), R. E. Miller (USDA FS Pacific Northwest Research Station, retired), D. A. Scott (USDA FS Southern Research Station), and to R. O. Fleming (Canadian Forest Service) for reviews of early drafts and for their helpful comments. We also owe an immense debt to our colleagues on the ground and in Forest Service administrative offices who expedited installations and measurements and who collectively made this study possible. At several points in the manuscript, trade names are mentioned. The purpose is for accuracy and does not necessarily indicate endorsement by the USDA Forest Service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 3644 Avtech Parkway, 96002, Redding, CA, USA

    Robert F. Powers

  2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1831 Hwy 169 East, 55744, Grand Rapids, MN, USA

    David H. Alban

  3. Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1221 South Main Street, 83843, Moscow, ID, USA

    Robert Denner & Deborah Page-Dumroese

  4. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1831 Hwy 169 East, 55744, Grand Rapids, MN, USA

    John D. Elioff

  5. Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Region 5, 3644 Avtech Parkway, 96002, Redding, CA, USA

    Gary O. Fiddler

  6. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, c/o Mrs. Mevelene Ponder, 3501 Woodland Drive, 65202, Columbia, MO, USA

    Felix Ponder

  7. Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 825352 McPherson Ave, 51503-5990, Council Bluffs, IA, USA

    Allan E. Tiarks

  8. Avers Soil Surveys Inc., 1015 Cromwell Cove, 30078, Snellville, GA, USA

    Peter E. Avers

  9. 703 Kingsley Rd., S.W., 22180, Vienna, USA, VA

    Richard G. Cline

  10. Washington Office, USDA Forest Service, 207 Horizon Dr., 16801, State College, PA, USA

    Nelson S. Loftus

Authors
  1. Robert F. Powers
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  2. David H. Alban
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  3. Robert Denner
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  4. John D. Elioff
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  5. Gary O. Fiddler
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  6. Deborah Page-Dumroese
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  7. Felix Ponder
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  8. Allan E. Tiarks
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  9. Peter E. Avers
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  10. Richard G. Cline
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  11. Nelson S. Loftus
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard G. Cline .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Deborah C. Hayes

  2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Irvine, Pennsylvania, USA

    Susan L. Stout

  3. Northeastern Areas, USDA Forest Service, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ralph H. Crawford

  4. USDA Forest Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Anne P. Hoover

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Powers, R. et al. (2014). The Key Roles of Four Experimental Forests in the LTSP International Research Program. In: Hayes, D., Stout, S., Crawford, R., Hoover, A. (eds) USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1818-4_23

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