Ecology, Management, and Restoration of Piñon-Juniper

Southwestern piñon-juniper and juniper woodlands cover large areas of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and adjacent Colorado. Ponderosa pine forests are the most common timberland in the Southwest. All three ecosystems provide a variety of natural resources and economic benefits to the region. There are different perceptions of desired conditions. Public and private land managers have adapted research results and their observations and experiences to manage these ecosystems for multiresource benefits. Ways to mitigate the threat of wildfires is a major management issue for these ecosystems, and the wide-spread piñon mortality related to drought and the bark beetle infestation has heightened concerns among managers and the general public. In addition, the impacts of climate change on these ecosystems are a growing concern. As a step in bringing research and management together to answer some of these questions, workshops concerned with the ecology, management, and restoration of piñon-juniper and ponderosa pine ecosystems were held in St. George, Utah in 2005 and in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2006. The combined proceedings from these two workshops contain papers, extended abstracts, and abstracts based o

Silvicultural Systems for Managing

Silviculturists have primarily relied on classical even-aged silvicultural systems (the planned series of treatments for tending, harvesting, and re-establishing a stand) for ponderosa pine, with uneven-aged systems used to a lesser degree. Current management practices involve greater innovation because of conflicting management objectives. Silvicultural systems used in the foreseeable future will likely meld traditional systems with greater reliance on variation across the landscape because of differing values and desired outputs. Significant changes in the management of ponderosa pine are reviewed; issues that likely will affect the future management of ponderosa pine systems are listed; and critical gaps in our understanding of ponderosa pine silviculture that may affect our management in the near term are identified

Diseases as Agents of Disturbance in

Several diseases affect the growth and survival of ponderosa pine in the Pacific Northwest and serve as agents of disturbance. Probably the most widespread and damaging class of disease agents is dwarf mistletoe, which causes serious growth loss and mortality of ponderosa pine. Dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp.) are seed plants that can parasitize all age classes of pine. Decades of research and observation have shown that although dwarf mistletoes spread slowly within and among trees, their localized effects can be quite spectacular. Root diseases caused by the fungi Armillaria ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink, Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.:Fr.) Bref., and Leptographium wageneri var. ponderosum (Harrington & Cobb) Harrington & Cobb cause localized mortality resulting in gaps in affected forests. Root diseases may spread by root contact, airborne spores, or insect vectors depending on the species of root disease fungi. Stem decays caused principally by Phellinus pini (Thore.:Fr.) A. Ames and Fomitopsis officinalis (Villars:Fr.) Bond. & Sing. result in single-tree gaps if trees break as a result of advanced decay. Decay fungi infect wounds on living trees, and decay may take decades to develop to where tree structural integrity is compromised. Stem diseases caused by rust fungi such as Cronartium comandrae Peck and C. coleosporiodes Arth. can kill the tops of trees or result in whole-tree mortality. Decayed and cankered trees can serve as habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife. Disturbances in ponderosa pine forests caused by forest diseases can affect forest succession, insect outbreaks, fire frequency and severity, and both animal and plant diversity

EIGHTY-EIGHT YEARS OF CHANGE IN A MANAGED

Smith, Helen Y.; Arno, Stephen F., eds. 1999. Eighty-eight years of change in a managed ponderosa pine forest

Session B—Visual Assessment of Rotational Burning—Haase, Sackett A Comparison of Visual and Quantitative Changes From Rotational Prescribed Burning in Old-Growth Stands of Southwestern

Two long-term prescribed fire studies were established near Flagstaff, Arizona in 1976 and 1977. One of the sites, Chimney Spring, is located on a basalt soil type and had not received any natural fires for the previous 100 years. The other site, called Limestone Flats, located on a sedimentary soil type, has a similar fire-free period but received a sanitation cut to remove the dead overstory in the early 1960s. The study was designed to test 1-, 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-yr burning rotations in southwestern old growth ponderosa pine stands. The primary objective was to determine if a particular burning rotation would reduce and maintain the natural accumulation of fuels and reduce the stand density to a condition that would withstand a wildfire under average worst conditions. Permanent photo points were initiated at the time each study area was established, and they have been retaken periodically. Visual changes in stand structure correspond to the reduction in number of stems but don’t reflect the continuation or increase in basal area per acre. The photos also show the initial reduction in large woody fuels followed by their incremental return

Ecosystems Restoration and Conservation: Steps

Conference Proceeding

Literature Local Data Expert Estimate LANDFIRE Mapping Zones

The Rapid Assessment is a component of the LANDFIRE project. Reference condition models for the Rapid Assessment were created through a series of expert workshops and a peer-review process in 2004 and 2005. For more information, please visit www.landfire.gov. Please direct questions to [email protected]

General Model Sources Literature Local Data Expert Estimate LANDFIRE Mapping Zones

The Rapid Assessment is a component of the LANDFIRE project. Reference condition models for the Rapid Assessment were created through a series of expert workshops and a peer-review process in 2004 and 2005. For more information, please visit www.landfire.gov. Please direct questions to [email protected]

Rapid AssessmentModel Zones

The Rapid Assessment is a component of the LANDFIRE project. Reference condition models for the Rapid Assessment were created through a series of expert workshops and a peer-review process in 2004 and 2005. For more information, please visit www.landfire.gov. Please direct questions to [email protected]