FY2013Pion (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) (PJ) currently occupy approximately 19 million hectars in the Intermountain West. Prior to 1860, approximately 66% of what is now woodland occurred as sagebrush plant communities.
This watershed scale project:
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Documents the impact of PJ treatments in formerly sagebrush steppe communities on understory vegetation composition, hydrologic function, and surface runoff and soil erosion at the landscape scale.
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Expands the snow monitoring component to understand snow dynamics and timing of plant phenology in cut and uncut treatments.
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Secures expertise to analyze existing datasets.
