Restoration and Hazardous Fuel Reduction

Forest treatments such as prescribed burns, mastication, and thinning are widely implemented across the western USA to reduce fuels and enhance wildfire resilience. These practices also influence snow accumulation and melt, which, in turn, affect snow storage and duration.

Background

Background

Background

Background

Reduced fire frequency is recognized as a main cause of piñon–juniper (Pinus–Juniperus L.) expansion in western North American sagebrush steppe and grasslands. Piñon–juniper woodland control using prescribed fire and mechanical treatments have increased the past three decades with the goal of restoring sagebrush steppe plant communities.

Background

This study investigates the key drivers influencing prescribed fire effects across 16 sites in northern and central California, with particular emphasis on how operational decisions by fire practitioners shape burn outcomes.

Restoring fire in fire-adapted ecosystems is necessary to curtail woody plant expansion, enhance biodiversity, and reduce wildfire risks, yet prescribed fire is promoted less by federal agencies than other grassland conservation practices. The U.S.

Background