Northern Arizona University will study how forest treatment practices and climate change may impact water balance across the Kaibab Plateau and critical habitats in lower elevations of the Grand Canyon. The project will include use of a forest landscape simulation model to examine how fuel treatments and prescribed burning will affect the resilience of forest ecosystems. The project will also address whether those activities would benefit the conservation of downstream riparian habitat by mitigating anticipated changes in the stream flow and water quality.
The model will assist managers in developing, adaptation strategies for the conservation of riparian habitats by testing a range of realistic fuel treatment and prescribed burning plans designed to minimize declines in water quantity and quality. The results will be broadly applicable to forested regions throughout the Southern Rockies LCC, where managers are weighing the benefits of landscape-scale fuel treatments with regard to forest hydrology, wildfire, and climate-induced vegetation change.
FY2014Northern Arizona University will study how forest treatment practices and climate change may impact water balance across the Kaibab Plateau and critical habitats in lower elevations of the Grand Canyon. The project will include use of a forest landscape simulation model to examine how fuel treatments and prescribed burning will affect the resilience of forest ecosystems. The project will also address whether those activities would benefit the conservation of downstream riparian habitat by mitigating anticipated changes in the stream flow and water quality.
The model will assist managers in developing, adaptation strategies for the conservation of riparian habitats by testing a range of realistic fuel treatment and prescribed burning plans designed to minimize declines in water quantity and quality. The results will be broadly applicable to forested regions throughout the Southern Rockies LCC, where managers are weighing the benefits of landscape-scale fuel treatments with regard to forest hydrology, wildfire, and climate-induced vegetation change.
