Mapping the Risk of Ecological Transformation Across Pinyon Woodlands and the U.S. West

Pinyon pine woodlands are among the most widespread and iconic vegetation types in the western United States and support recreation, resource extraction, grazing, and cultural enrichment. However, severe drought conditions have recently caused dramatic mortality of pinyon pines, creating concern about the long-term impact of increasing aridity on the viability of pinyon woodlands. Ecological transformations, or regime shifts, are rapid reorganizations of an ecosystem’s species composition, governing processes, and functions. The goal of this project is to investigate ecological transformation across the Western U.S, characterize the environmental drivers of these changes in vegetation, and apply those insights...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2018, CASC, Completed, Forests, Forests, All tags... Forests, Landscapes, Landscapes, Landscapes, North Central, North Central, North Central CASC, Plants, Plants, Plants, Projects by Region, Projects by Region, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags

Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning

Piñon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning is increasingly used to safeguard forests from fire and in an attempt to increase climate resilience. We have only a limited understanding of how fire and thinning will affect the structure and function of PJ ecosystems. Here, we examined vegetation structure, microclimate conditions, and PJ regeneration dynamics following ~20 years post-fire and thinning treatments. We found that burned...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

Determining Successful Management and Restoration Strategies for Pinyon-Juniper Communities in the Face of Changing Climate and Wildfire

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are important ecosystems in the western U.S. that provide numerous critical environmental, economic, and cultural benefits. For example, pinyon pines are a significant cultural resource for multiple Native American Tribes and provide necessary habitat for plants and wildlife (including at risk species, such as the pinyon-jay). Despite their importance, stress put on pinyon-juniper woodlands by wildfires and other interacting effects of climate change are causing major population declines of these woodland trees. Such changes to pinyon-juniper woodlands lead to uncertainty for land managers on best practices for protecting these ecosystems from stand replacing fire (where most or all of...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2020, CASC, Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, Fire, All tags... Fire, Forests, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples, Landscapes, Landscapes, North Central, North Central CASC, Plants, Plants, Projects by Region, Tribes and Tribal Organizations, Tribes and Tribal Organizations, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags