Back to the Future: Building resilience in Colorado Front Range forests using research findings and a new guide for restoration of ponderosa and dry-mixed conifer landscapes

Sue Miller; Rob Addington; Greg Aplet; Michael A. Battaglia; Tony Cheng; Jonas Feinstein; Jeff Underhill

Treesearch

Back to the Future: Building resilience in Colorado Front Range forests using research findings and a new guide for restoration of ponderosa and dry-mixed conifer landscapes

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Sue Miller, Rob Addington, Greg Aplet, Michael A. Battaglia, Tony Cheng, Jonas Feinstein, Jeff Underhill

Year:

2018

Type:

Science Bulletins and Newsletters

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Science You Can Use Bulletin, Issue 28. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 15 p.

Download (PDF 3.97 MB)

Download (PDF 3.97 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/55651.pdf

Abstract

Historically, the ponderosa and dry mixed-conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range were more open and grassy, and trees of all size classes were found in a grouped arrangement with sizable openings between the clumps. As a legacy of fire suppression, today’s forests are denser, with smaller trees. Proactive restoration of this forest type will help to reduce fuel loads and the risk of large and severe wildfires in the Colorado Front Range. Using the best-available information on the historical conditions of these forests to develop “desired conditions” for restoration, the Rocky Mountain Research Station has published Principles and Practices for the Restoration of Ponderosa Pine and Dry Mixed-Conifer Forests of the Colorado Front Range (RMRS-GTR-373).

Keywords

Science You Can Use, SYCU, ponderosa, dry mixed-conifer forests, Colorado Front Range, restoration, fuel loads, wildfires

Citation

Miller, Sue; Addington, Rob; Aplet, Greg; Battaglia, Mike; Cheng, Tony; Feinstein, Jonas; Underhill, Jeff. 2018. Back to the Future: Building resilience in Colorado Front Range forests using research findings and a new guide for restoration of ponderosa and dry-mixed conifer landscapes. Science You Can Use Bulletin, Issue 28. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 15 p.