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Kevin L. O'Hara Professor of
Silviculture Tel:
(510) 642-2127 Office:
207 Mulford Hall 145 Mulford Hall |
Research terms: silviculture,
stand dynamics, uneven-aged, multiaged, selection silviculture, pruning,
thinning, silviculture in redwood, mixed-conifer,
ponderosa pine, tanoak, sugar pine
Education
Research and
Teaching Experience
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Post-Doctoral Research Associate. Silviculture.
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Assistant Professor. Silviculture.
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Associate Professor. Silviculture.
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Visiting Scientist. Silviculture. Finnish Forest
Research Institute, Parkano Field
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Visiting Scientist.
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Professor. Silviculture.
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Associate Professor. Silviculture.
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Professor of Silviculture.
ESPM 101B.
Silviculture (one segment in the Forestry field camp offered during the
summer). Forty hours of lecture/field exercises per week for one week. (1
credit) Prerequisites: 101A. Evaluation of systems for managing forest
stands including regeneration, controlling stand density, forest growth,
genetics and tree improvement, and prescribed burning.
ESPM 185. Multiple Resource Silviculture. (4 credits). Three hours of lecture and
three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: 116A or course in
community ecology. Principles and concepts of the biological
aspects of establishment, growth, composition, and quality of forest trees and
stands. The manipulation of forests and control of stand
structure to achieve multiple resource objectives. Offered
during fall term.
ESPM 276. Advanced Silviculture. (2 credits). Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
185 or equivalent. Analysis and evaluation of current
literature and experience. Format includes both lecture and discussion. Offered spring semester of odd-numbered years.
ESPM 264. Silviculture Seminar. (1 credit). Two hours of presentation and discussion per
week on advanced silvicultural topics. Offered fall 1999.
My research involves integrating stand dynamics into stand- and landscape-level decision-making. Stand dynamics generally refers to changes in stand structure and accompanying processes over time. With a good understanding of stand structure and stand development, silviculturists and other forest managers can anticipate changes in structure and make appropriate interventions to meet management objectives. These interventions can be in the form of treatments to enhance timber production, create wildlife habitat, or restore forest ecosystems.
One area of my research involves using leaf area to represent the occupied growing space of trees. Leaf area is useful for representing rates of energy and material exchange in tree canopies, and it is limited by site quality variables. By examining rates of tree increment per unit of leaf area, differences in the efficiency (or growing space efficiency) of trees based on crown class, age, or species can be measured. This work enables the identification of stand components that are making large contributions to stand increment and those that are not. For example, in even-aged stands, codominant trees appear to be most efficient. In multiaged ponderosa pine, the oldest age classes appear to be most efficient. This information is useful for silviculturists trying to maximize volume increment or examining the volume increment implications of changes in forest stand structure.
Other research has involved reconstruction of mixed-species
stand development to compare growth rates of different species. Patterns of
height growth development can vary between species enabling mixed-species
stands to form multistrata canopies. Work is
currently underway in the mixed-conifer forests of the
Finally, a major portion of my research effort is focused on decision support tools that assist managers making silvicultural decisions. These decision support systems include models which predict stand growth, decision keys for prioritizing stands for precommercial thinning treatments, expert systems for prioritizing silvicultural treatments, and the development of stocking guidelines for single-species, mixed-species, and multiaged stands.
Selected Publications (2003 to present)
O'Hara, K.L., N.I. Valappil, and L.M. Nagel. 2003. Stocking control procedures for multiaged ponderosa pine stands in the Inland Northwest. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 18(1): 5-14.
O'Hara, K.L., and R.F. Gersonde. 2004. Stocking control concepts in uneven-aged silviculture. Forestry 77(2): 131-143.
Gersonde, R.F., J.J. Battles, and K.L. O'Hara. 2004. Characterizing
the light environment in
O'Hara, K.L., and K.M. Waring
2005. Forest restoration practices in the Pacific Northwest and
Waring, K.M., and K.L. O'Hara. 2005. Silvicultural strategies in
forest ecosystems affected by introduced pests.
Stancioiu, P.T., and K.L. O'Hara. 2005. Sapwood area - leaf area
relationships for coast redwood. Canadian
Journal of
Waring, K.M., and K.L. O'Hara. 2005. Ten-year growth and epicormic
sprouting response of western larch to pruning in western
Gersonde, R.F., and K.L. O'Hara. 2005. Comparative tree growth
efficiency in
O'Hara, K.L. 2005. Multiaged silviculture of ponderosa pine. Pp. 59-70 in Proceedings of the Symposium on Ponderosa Pine: Issues, Trends and Management (M.W. Ritchie, D.A. Maguire, and A. Youngblood, editors). USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-198.
Stancioiu, P.T., and K.L. O'Hara. 2006. Leaf area and growth
efficiency of regeneration in mixed-species, multiaged forests of the Romanian
Carpathians.
Stancioiu, P.T., and K.L. O'Hara. 2006. Morphological plasticity of regeneration subject to different levels of canopy cover in mixed-species, multiaged forests of the Romanian Carpathians. Trees: Structure and Function 20: 196-209.
Carnus, J.-M., J. Parrotta, E. Brockerhoff, M. Arbez, H. Jactel, A. Kremer, D. Lamb, O'Hara, K., B. Walters, 2006. Planted Forests and Biodiversity. Journal of Forestry 104(2): 65-77.
Stancioiu, P.T., and K.L. O'Hara. 2006. Regeneration dynamics in
different light environments of mixed species, multiaged, mountainous forests
of
O'Hara, K.L. 2006. Multiaged forest
stands for protection forests: concepts and applications.
O'Hara, K.L., and L.M. Nagel. 2006.
A functional comparison of productivity in even-aged and multiaged stands: A
synthesis for Pinus ponderosa.
Waring, K.M., and K.L. O'Hara. 2006. Estimating relative error in
growth ring analyses of second-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Canadian Journal of
Berrill, J.-P., and K.L. O'Hara. 2007. Patterns of leaf area and growing space efficiency in young
even-aged and multiaged coast redwood stands. Canadian Journal of
O’Hara,
K.L., H. Hasenauer, and G. Kindermann. 2007. Sustainability in multiaged stands: An
analysis of long-term plenter systems. Forestry
80(2): 163-181.
O’Brien,
M.J., K.L. O’Hara, N. Erbilgin, and D.L. Wood. 2007. Overstory
and shrub effects on natural regeneration processes in native Pinus radiata
stands.
O'Hara,
K.L. 2007. Bridging the
generation gap: Science is helping second- and third-growth redwoods come into their own.
O’Hara,
K.L. 2007. Pruning wounds
and occlusion: A long-standing conundrum in forestry. Journal of Forestry
105(3): 131-138.
Berrill, J.-P., and K.L. O’Hara. 2007. Redwood in
O’Hara, K.L., P.T. Stancioiu, M.A. Spencer. 2007. Understory stump sprout
development under variable canopy density and leaf area in coast redwood.
Berrill, J.-P., and K.L. O’Hara. 2007. Modeling coast redwood variable retention management regimes. Pp
261-269 in Proceedings of the Redwood
Region Forest Science Symposium: What does the Future Hold? (R.B.
Standiford, G.A. Giusti, Y.
Valachovic, W.J. Zielinski, and M.J. Furniss, editors). USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-194.
O’Hara, K.L. 2007. Silvicultural challenges in coast
redwood management. Pp 317-318 in
Proceedings of the Redwood Region Forest Science Symposium: What does the
Future Hold? (R.B. Standiford, G.A.
Giusti, Y. Valachovic, W.J.
Zielinski, and M.J. Furniss, editors). USDA
For. Serv.
Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-194.
Spencer,
M., and K.L. O’Hara.
2007. A multiple logistic regression model for predicting the development of Phytophthora ramorum
symptoms in tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus).
Pp 469-474 in Proceedings of the
Redwood Region Forest Science Symposium: What does the Future Hold? (R.B. Standiford, G.A. Giusti, Y. Valachovic, W.J.
Zielinski, and M.J. Furniss, editors). USDA
For. Serv.
Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-194.
Peracca, G.G., and K.L. O’Hara. 2008. Effects of growing space on growth for 20-year-old giant sequoia,
ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir in the
O’Hara,
K.L., R.A.York, and R.C. Heald. 2008. Effect of pruning severity and timing
of treatment on epicormic sprout development in giant sequoia.
Waring, K.M., and K.L. O’Hara. 2008. Redwood/tanoak stand development and
response to tanoak mortality caused by Phytophthora ramorum.
Berrill, J.-P., and K.L. O’Hara. 2008. Simulating multiaged
coast redwood stand development: interactions between
regeneration, structure, and productivity.
Western Journal of Applied
O’Hara,
K.L., and K.M.Waring. 2008. Implementation of a thinning and
burning study in tanoak-redwoods stands in
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· American Philosophical Society "Michaux Award" 1996.
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Outstanding Professor Award,
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· Fulbright Scholar - Austria 2005-06.
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Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award,
Service and
Professional Licenses
California Registered Professional Forester (license #2694)
Certified Forester (Society of American Foresters) no. 165
Professional Organizations:
· Society of American Foresters
· Member since 1980
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Continuing Education Coordinator for
· Faculty Advisor, UC Berkeley Student Chapter (1999 to present)
· Northwest Scientific Association, Member
Editorial Boards:
· Editorial Board, European Journal of Forest Research (2004 to present)
· Editorial Board, Silviculture, Forestry (2006 to present)
· Associate Editor, Forestry, California Agriculture (2004 to present)
Research in the UC Berkeley Silviculture Laboratory is pursuing a number of objectives. A central theme is developing a stronger ecologically-based silviculture in coast redwood and mixed conifer forest ecosystems based on sound ecophysiological research. This involves a series of studies related to both even-aged and multiaged management. Specific projects include:
Multiaged Stocking
Control in Coast Redwood: Redwood has considerable potential for management
in multiaged/uneven-aged structures. We have attempted to develop guidelines
for two-aged and three-aged redwood stands at
Production in a
Redwood
Spatial Patterns in
Mixed Redwood/Tanoak Stands With and Without the Presence of "Sudden Oak
Death": A study is examining the spatial patterns of infection and
mortality in mixed redwood/tanoak stands along the
Development of Mixed Redwood/Tanoak Stands With and Without the Presence of "Sudden Oak Death": We are reconstructing the development of mixed redwood/tanoak stands to determine relative height and diameter growth patterns of these species with and without the presence of "sudden oak death". Results will quantify effects of this exotic pathogen on stand growth and growth of individual species.
Restoration of Old Forests/Old Growth Coastal Redwood Forests: We are cooperating with the Save-The-Redwoods League to develop restoration strategies for coast redwood forests. A literature review was completed in 2003 that summarized existing knowledge on redwood silviculture and restoration of old forests. In 2004 we established variable density thinning treatments to accelerate the process of old forest formation in cutover redwood forests.
Development of
Stocking Guidelines for Multiaged Mixed-Conifer Forests in the
Stand Development of
Mixed-Conifer Forests in the
Precommercial
Thinning Response in
Pruning to Reduce
Blister Rust in Sugar Pine: In 2000, young sugar pine trees in the
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Graduate Students |
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Dryw Jones |
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Jonny Nesmith |
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