Forest landscape update#

FLAT is executed in three sequential phases: Phase 1-Forest Cover Type Mapping, Phase 2-Field Assessment, and Phase 3-Management Prioritization.

The rapid assessment process presents a cost-effective opportunity for landowners - including local governments, private owners, and nongovernmental organizations - to use ecological data to guide decision-making and improve environmental outcomes on their lands.Īn introduction to FLAT, providing an overview of its purpose, methods, and implications for land management, potentially for a variety of ecosystems. FLAT enables planners and managers to understand baseline conditions, determine and prioritize restoration needs across a landscape system, and conduct ongoing monitoring to achieve land management goals.

Forest landscape update#

Sibold's 35-minute 2019 update presentation to learn more about the forests and climate of our upper watershed.The Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT) is a set of procedures and tools used to rapidly determine forest ecological conditions and potential threats. San Miguel County and the Town of Telluride are supporting his work. Jason Sibold has been monitoring and pondering the forest ecology of the Upper San Miguel River Watershed for a decade. 2019 Forest Health Assessment from Doctor Jason Sieboldĭr. If you are interested in learning more or participating in future forest health efforts, please contact the San Miguel Watershed Coalition. San Miguel County, Town of Telluride, Town of Mountain Village, Telluride Ski & Golf Company, Mountain Village Owners AssociationĬolorado State University, San Miguel County, United States Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service, West Region Wildfire Councilįor the project need, scope and budget, and stakeholder meeting summaries, read this Project Summary (PDF). Mountain Studies Institute, Colorado State University, San Miguel Watershed Coalition, San Miguel County For site-specific wildfire assessments on private land visit the West Region Wildfire Council's Wildfire Risk Assessment site. The maps are intended for landscape-scale information purposes. These Forest in Flux story maps were developed as a tool to help inform future land use decisions and forest health projects in our regional landscape. The results informed a GIS mapping project that identified current and projected forest conditions, ongoing disturbances, and fire risk. The group worked to identify existing and planned forest-related projects, critical infrastructure and community values for the landscape. In 2017, a regional stakeholder group, which included local governments, federal and state agencies, business and industry, community organizations, HOAs, and Colorado State University, convened to develop a forest landscape assessment using a geographic information systems (GIS) optimization process. Upper San Miguel Basin Forest Health Landscape Assessment

The goals of this project are to gain a better understanding of spruce and aspen regeneration dynamics following disturbances such as spruce beetle outbreaks, aspen decline, harvesting, and wildfire.įor more information, visit the SBEADMR website. Specifically, SBEADMR is designed to allow a more nimble adaptive management response to rapidly changing forest conditions associated with insect and disease outbreaks. Colorado Forest Restoration Institute supports the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and the Sibold Biogeography Lab at CSU in producing science-based information that aids the Grand Mesa, Uncompaghre, and Gunnison National Forests in implementing adaptive management strategies in beetle impacted spruce-fir forests. The Spruce Beetle Epidemic and Aspen Decline Management Response (SBEADMR) team strives to understand what effect management styles have upon land affected by spruce beetles. Spruce Beetle and Aspen Decline Management Response