Prioritizing woody fuel and restoration treatments in sagebrush and pinyon-juniper ecosystems during an era of vegetation change ─ Spatial data and management guidelines

Elko Front Case Study: Webinar

Rocky Mountain Research Station; Great Basin Fire Science Exchange

May 19 at 11am PT/2pm ET

Please join us to learn about the spatial data on sagebrush and pinyon-juniper vegetation associations and fuel treatment responses available for the Great Basin. Learn how the available spatial data and an analysis of how plant associations are changing on the Elko Front High-Priority Landscape were used to develop guidelines for prioritizing management actions.

Presenters will be Sofia Koutzoukis, Postdoctoral Researcher USDA Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, and Jeanne Chambers, Emeritus Senior Scientist USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Jeanne Chambers, Emeritus Senior Scientist USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, will discuss the factors that place the Elko Front at high risk of catastrophic wildfire and the management objectives. She will describe the spatial data layers that have been developed to aid managers in prioritizing fuel treatments and restoration activities where they will have the greatest benefits.

Sofia Koutzoukis, Postdoctoral Researcher USDA Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, will discuss the changes occurring in the vegetation associations on the Elko Front and the contributing factors. She will describe how the spatial data layers were coupled with an understanding of the ongoing vegetation changes to develop guidelines for prioritizing woody fuel treatments and restoration activities.