Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science Completed

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treatments, changes in disturbance regimes such as drought and fire, and widespread tree mortality. Currently there exist competing objectives for the management of these systems, including the desire to preserve pinyon-juniper viability as climate conditions continue to shift, as well as the need to track these systems to ensure their ranges do not expand into historically non-forested areas. The Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC), which considers pinyon-juniper woodlands among their focal resources, recently conducted vulnerability assessments of these woodlands in the four corners and upper Rio Grande landscapes. In a series of workshops to discuss these assessments, stakeholders identified the need for synthesizing regional knowledge of pinyon-juniper woodland structure and dynamics, which can differ dramatically due to the geographically broad distribution of this ecosystem.

 

The goal of this project is to synthesize the state of the science on pinyon-juniper woodland ecosystems by examining previous research and management practices to identify what is known and what remains to be studied. To do this, researchers are compiling published, peer-reviewed, scientific manuscripts and agency reports on the structure, function, and management of pinyon-juniper ecosystems into a comprehensive database. Unpublished material from land managers who work with pinyon-juniper systems, libraries at the US Forest Service, USGS, and other agencies will also be incorporated. The end product will be a state of the science report evaluating the influence current management decisions and climatic conditions have on possible adaptation strategies for pinyon-juniper woodlands.