Burney Mountain/Eiler site in the Experimental Network for Assisted Migration and Establishment Silviculture (ENAMES)
The Burney Mountain/Eiler Fire site, part of the Experimental Network for Assisted Migration and Establishment Silviculture (ENAMES) study, has been established in the Lassen National Forest to test assisted population migration of Douglas-fir, as well as the effect of single- versus mixed-species planting. The site burned during the 2014 Eiler Fire and was planted in 2025.
Landowner: U.S. Forest Service
Location: Lassen National Forest, Hat Creek Ranger District
Nearest town: Burney, CA
Species: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi)
Site history: The site, originally east-side mixed conifers, burned in the 2014 Eiler Fire.
Site characteristics: The site is split into four blocks at an elevation of 4,750 ft and faces on flat or minimally sloping (<5% slope). The soils of this young volcanic landscape are a mix of ashy, frigid Typic Vitrixerands and medial-skeletal fridgid Ultic Haploxerands. One block is surrounded by old lava flows on three sides. The mean annual temperature is 49 °F (coldest month 34 °F, warmest month 57 °F) and mean annual precipitation is 1360 mm (129 mm as snow).
Planting date: 2025
Contact person:
Jessica Wright, Research Geneticist, Pacific Southwest Research Station
Christopher Looney, Research Forester, Pacific Southwest Research Station
Pre-planting site conditions at the Burney Mountain site. Photo by Christopher Looney.
Pre-planting site conditions at the Burney Mountain site. Photo by Christopher Looney.
Management objectives and other considerations: TBA
Site preparation: The site was backpack sprayed with herbicide.
Pre-planting site conditions: Sites represented a mixture of recently salvaged and unsalvaged lands prior to 2023. By 2023, all four experimental blocks had been completely salvaged logged. An herbicide treatment targeting shrubs had been previously applied to two blocks with mostly failed plantings from projects prior to the recent adoption of herbicides. Scattered pockets of surviving planted pines and natural regeneration of lodgepole pine were present but avoided during plot layout.
Assisted migration treatments: The team used the Climate-Adapted Seed Tool to choose four planted seed sources (see table below).
Douglas-fir seed sources
Climate period
| Seed origin | Seed source elevation (ft) | Mean cold month temperature (°C) | Summer heat-moisture index |
Historical/local (1961-1990) | CA Seed Zone 522 (Lassen National Forest) | 4500-5000 | 1.06 | 141.17 |
Early-century (2011-2040) | CA Seed Zone 523 (Plumas National Forest) | 3000-3500 | 2.18 | 231.21 |
Mid-century (2041-2070) | CA Seed Zone 312 (Trinity National Forest) | 2000-2500 | 3.50 | 228.29 |
Late-century (2017-2100) | CA Seed Zone 526 (Eldorado National Forest) | 2500-3000 | 5.76 | 310.94 |
Jeffrey pine seed sources
Climate period
| Seed origin | Seed source elevation (ft) | Mean cold month temperature (°C) | Summer heat-moisture index |
Historical/local (1961-1990) | CA Seed Zone 522 (Lassen National Forest) | 4500-5000 | 1.06 | 141.17 |
Early-century (2011-2040) | CA Seed Zone 331 (Shasta/Trinity National Forest) | 2500-3000 | 2.26 | 202.56 |
Mid-century (2041-2070) | CA Seed Zone 371 (Mendocino/Trinity National Forest) | 4000-4500 | 3.01 | 292.43 |
Late-century (2017-2100) | CA Seed Zone 994 (San Bernardino National Forest) | 3500-4000 | 7.14 | 559.08 |
Silvicultural treatments: Two treatments: 100% Douglas-fir vs mix of Douglas-fir and assisted migration species, both with uniform planting.
Seedling stock type: 1-0 containerized stock.
Monitoring: The site will be monitored to track and compare seedling survival among seed sources and silvicultural treatments. Measurements are planned for 1, 5, 10, and 15 years after planting.
The site may also serve as a demonstration plot for managers to visit and visually compare seed source performance.
Year 1 results
In the graphs below, bars with same letter (for example, a) indicate no significant difference among seed sources/climate scenarios. Different letters (such as a vs b) indicate a significant difference based on latest measurements.
Figure 1. Seedling survival for the different seed sources 1 year after planting at the Burney Mountain/Eiler site.
Figure 2. Seedling diameter by seed source 1 year after planting at the Burney Mountain/Eiler site.
Figure 3. Seedling growth by seed source 1 year after planting at the Burney Mountain/Eiler site.
Silviculture: Douglas-fir/Jeffrey pine mixed plots had significantly larger average diameter than Douglas-fir plots.
Silviculture-climate interactions: none