Helping Woodlands & Fighting Fire with the Dawson Project

This story was written by our esteemed partners at Intermountain West Joint Venture. 

Pinyon-juniper woodlands, composed of pinyon pine and juniper trees, are one of the largest forest types in the United States, covering millions of acres of the American West. However, despite their ecological and cultural importance, data about what pinyon juniper trees actually need to thrive is lacking. A partnership including several universities, the Bureau of Land Management, and the USDA Forest Service is studying ways to manage these woodlands nationwide, both for the good of the trees and for people affected by worsening wildfire and drought.

In Southwest Colorado, fuels specialists and researchers have come together to experimentally evaluate different silvicultural treatments for enhancing pinyon-juniper ecosystem health and reducing fire risk. This interdisciplinary team has implemented replicated silvicultural treatments that vary in spatial complexity and amount of thinning in pinyon-juniper woodlands spanning an elevational gradient.