Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treatments, changes in disturbance regimes such as drought and fire, and widespread tree mortality. Currently there exist competing objectives for the management of these systems, including the desire to preserve pinyon-juniper viability as climate conditions continue to shift, as well as the need to track these systems to ensure their ranges do [...]
Summary
Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treatments, changes in disturbance regimes such as drought and fire, and widespread tree mortality. Currently there exist competing objectives for the management of these systems, including the desire to preserve pinyon-juniper viability as climate conditions continue to shift, as well as the need to track these systems to ensure their ranges do not expand into historically non-forested areas. The Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC), which considers pinyon-juniper woodlands among their focal resources, recently conducted vulnerability assessments of these woodlands in the four corners and upper Rio Grande landscapes. In a series of workshops to discuss these assessments, stakeholders identified the need for synthesizing regional knowledge of pinyon-juniper woodland structure and dynamics, which can differ dramatically due to the geographically broad distribution of this ecosystem.
The goal of this project is to synthesize the state of the science on pinyon-juniper woodland ecosystems by examining previous research and management practices to identify what is known and what remains to be studied. To do this, researchers are compiling published, peer-reviewed, scientific manuscripts and agency reports on the structure, function, and management of pinyon-juniper ecosystems into a comprehensive database. Unpublished material from land managers who work with pinyon-juniper systems, libraries at the US Forest Service, USGS, and other agencies will also be incorporated. The end product will be a state of the science report evaluating the influence current management decisions and climatic conditions have on possible adaptation strategies for pinyon-juniper woodlands.
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PinyonJuniper_Woodlands_NPS.jpg “Pinyon juniper woodlands in Mesa Verde National Park - Credit: NPS”
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Purpose
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a major part of western landscapes, and are utilized for recreation and resource extraction. However, there are competing management objectives relating both to retaining PJ and to ensuring it does not move into non-forested areas. Understanding and evaluating possible management strategies requires a comprehensive evaluation of what we know about PJ systems and how they are influenced by management and climatic conditions. This project will help provide that broad perspective by examining previous research and management practices related to PJ ecosystems to identify what is known, and what remains to be studied.
Project Extension
parts
type
Technical Summary
value
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are pervasive across the western U.S. and provide a broad suite of ecosystem services, including cultural resources, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and material harvesting. However, concerns about the future PJ ecosystems, focused on both desires to ensure the long-term viability of PJ woodlands as climate continues to change, and other efforts to minimize woody encroachment into historically non-forested areas, have become major challenges for resource management in drylands throughout the western U.S. This project will help address these divergent perspectives, and provide the context for potential targeted research, by synthesizing existing literature to identify areas of concurrence and remaining knowledge gaps about the structure, function and management of PJ systems.
projectStatus
Completed
Budget Extension
annualBudgets
year
2017
totalFunds
45416.0
totalFunds
45416.0
Preview Image
Pinyon juniper woodlands in Mesa Verde National Park - Credit: NPS