Download (PDF 4.25 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/28862.pdf
Abstract
Before European settlement of the interior west of the United States, coniferous forests of this region were influenced by many disturbance regimes, primarily fires, insects, diseases, and herbivory, which maintained a diversity of successional stages and vegetative types across landscapes. Activities after settlement, such as fire suppression, grazing, and logging significantly altered these disturbance regimes. As a result, forest structure and species composition have departed from historical conditions on many landscapes and this has led to increased forest densities, forest type conversions, and greater contiguity of many western forests. These forests are now more susceptible to large-scale insect infestations, disease outbreaks, and severe wildland fires than in the past, possibly endangering overall forest ecosystem health. The purpose of this paper is to address the historical and current conditions of coniferous forests of southern Utah to aid in the development of treatments to restore the ecological composition, structure, and function of these ecosystems.
Parent Publication
Citation
Battaglia, Michael A.; Shepperd, Wayne D. 2007. Ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and spruce-fir forests [Chapter 2]. In: Hood, Sharon M.; Miller, Melanie, editors. Fire ecology and management of the major ecosystems of southern Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-202. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 7-37
