Whittel Forest Fuel Reduction and Ecosystem Enhancement Plan

The Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area is a research and teaching facility of the University and Community College System of Nevada. The property (˜2700 acres) was donated to the University System in 1959 by George Whittell. The Whittell Forest is located in the Carson Range on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada ˜30 km south of Reno, Nevada. It is 5 km west of Washoe Lake and 4 km northeast of Lake Tahoe. Most of the property is in Little Valley at an elevation of 1900-2500 m. Vegetation is dominated by Jeffrey pine forests with an understory of bitterbrush and manzanita, lodgepole pine forests, and subalpine dry meadows. The climate is semi-arid with a long summer dry season, with most precipitation falling during the winter in the form of snow. Franktown Creek drains the valley into Washoe Lake. Access is through a locked gate and via a steep dirt road by 4-wheel drive vehicle from May to November most years, and by foot, skis, or snowshoes during the remainder of the year.

Recent research has focused on plant-animal interactions involving seed-caching rodents and birds and several species of pines and shrubs, studies of vegetation decomposition and nutrient cycling, pheromone production by pine bark beetles, weather and climate, geomorphology, and archaeology. We have limited funding to support graduate student research projects. We welcome off-campus scientists who need the habitat types of the Whittell Forest. Research proposals are reviewed by the Board of Control as they are received.

Currently, research at Whittel Forest is being conducted by the following faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno:

• Stephen B. Vander Wall
• Dale W. Johnson
• Gary Blomquist