RESTORATION IN WILDERNESS: SHOULD WE

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RESTORATION IN WILDERNESS SHOULD WE?

• The essential concepts of wildness and
  naturalness
• The management dilemma
• A framework for thinking about and deciding
  whether to take restoration action
• The many questions that remain

Peter Landres Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research
Institute Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA
Forest Service
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Once land is designated as wilderness, how do we
preserve the spirit of the land, its wildness and
naturalness? -- Laura
and Guy Waterman, Wilderness Ethics,1993
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THE PROBLEM

• Increasing use of all types
• Increasing region-wide threats and development
  on adjacent lands
• Increasing disruption of ecological processes
  and loss of species

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THE SOLUTION?
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We could restore natural conditions by reducing
fuels, spraying herbicides, and providing water,
BUT SHOULD WE?
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WILDERNESS ACT OF 1964 Sec. 2(c) Definition of
Wilderness
A wildernessis hereby recognized as an area
where the earth and its community of life are
untrammeled by man uncontrolled, unrestrained,
self-willed, unmanipulated wildness
has important symbolic value today
An area of wilderness is further
definedretaining its primeval character and
influencewhich is protected and managed so as to
preserve its natural conditions native
ecological compositions, structures, and
functions naturalness
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• CORE WILDERNESS VALUES
• Wildness freedom from human control and
  manipulation
• Naturalness native species, patterns, and
  processes

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THE MANAGEMENT DILEMMA
In some situations, restoring natural conditions,
e.g., natural fire regimes or simply fire as a
natural process, requires intensive and
broad-scale manipulation

• Taking restoration action compromises the
  wildness value of wilderness

More troubling in many ways than fire
suppression is the growing tendency toward
utilizing management-ignited fire. When
managers light the match, fire ceases to be a
natural force and instead becomes a manipulative
tool. --George Nickas, Wilderness
Watcher 1998
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THE MANAGEMENT DILEMMA
In some situations, restoring natural conditions,
e.g., natural fire regimes or simply fire as a
natural process, requires intensive and
broad-scale manipulation

• Taking restoration action compromises the
  wildness value of wilderness

• Not taking restoration action compromises the
  naturalness value of wilderness

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EXAMPLES OF MANIPULATION TO RESTORE NATURAL
CONDITIONS IN WILDERNESS
Reducing fuels to restore natural fire regimes
and fire effects
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EXAMPLES OF MANIPULATION TO RESTORE NATURAL
CONDITIONS IN WILDERNESS
Eradicating weeds to restore native plants and
plant communities
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EXAMPLES OF MANIPULATION TO RESTORE NATURAL
CONDITIONS IN WILDERNESS
Providing water to restore desert ungulate
populations
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EXAMPLES OF MANIPULATION TO RESTORE NATURAL
CONDITIONS IN WILDERNESS
Adding lime to buffer acidity and restore stream
pH
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EXAMPLES OF MANIPULATION TO RESTORE NATURAL
CONDITIONS IN WILDERNESS
Planting greenhouse-raised, rust-resistant
seedlings to restore whitebark pine forests
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EXAMPLES OF MANIPULATION TO RESTORE NATURAL
CONDITIONS IN WILDERNESS
Removing natural landslide debris for listed
steelhead to access spawning areas
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SHOULD RESTORATION ACTIONS BE TAKEN? (OVERSTATED)
OPPOSING VIEWS
GOAL Wildness
GOAL Naturalness
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SHOULD RESTORATION ACTIONS BE TAKEN?

• Different people hold different views based on
  philosophical, cultural, and ethical beliefs

• Different views are valid because they each
  support a fundamental value of wilderness

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THE PROBLEM AND CHALLENGE HOW TO DECIDE WHETHER
TO TAKE RESTORATION ACTIONS IN WILDERNESS
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GOAL A SYSTEMATIC, COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR
HELPING MANAGERS MAKE DEFENSIBLE DECISIONS
Basic Premises
1. First decide if action is appropriate then
decide the minimum necessary tools to accomplish
the action
2. Decisions need to take into account what is
gained and what is lost by a proposed action

• Are the impacts acceptable given the benefits?
• Are the benefits sufficient to outweigh the
  impacts?

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GOAL A SYSTEMATIC, COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR
HELPING MANAGERS MAKE DEFENSIBLE DECISIONS
Basic Premises
1. First decide if action is appropriate then
decide the minimum necessary tools to accomplish
the action
2. Decisions need to take into account what is
gained and what is lost by a proposed action
3. Consequences should dominate the probabilities
in making decisions under uncertainty, i.e., how
bad could it be if youre wrong? (Pascals Wager)
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SIMPLE DECISION MATRIX
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POTENTIAL BENEFIT FROM RESTORATION ACTION

• Significance of action to natural conditions or
  processes
• Duration of effects from action
• Geographic extent of effects from action

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POTENTIAL IMPACT ON WILDERNESS VALUES FROM
RESTORATION ACTION

• Intensity of action
• Duration of action

• Geographic extent of action
• Frequency of action

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A MORE COMPLICATED DECISION MATRIX
Summed Numerical Score of Potential Benefits
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9
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3
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Summed Numerical Score of Potential Impacts
8
12
16
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TECHNICAL QUESTIONS IF UNCERTAIN

• Is there sufficient understanding about reference
  conditions and processes, as well about the long
  term effects of restoration actions?

• Is restoration even possible in todays world?

• What are the benefits and risks of taking action
  versus not taking action?

• What are the local, regional, and national
  perceptions about these wilderness values and
  these tradeoffs?

• How will the public be involved in substantive
  discussion and does the public sufficiently trust
  the agencies to do this fairly?

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ETHICAL QUESTIONS IF UNCERTAIN

• Does manipulation compromise the core value of
  wildness?

• Is manipulation justified when used to restore
  the impacts of prior manipulation?

• Are short term restoration actions justified to
  restore natural processes that operate over the
  long term?

• Do the symbolic value of wildness and the
  ecological value of naturalness have equal
  importance?

• Is it appropriate to define a target for natural
  conditions in wilderness?

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Managing wilderness may involve many questions
and difficult tradeoffs to preserve the spirit
of the land