The story in the understory: Mechanical treatments stimulate expansion of native understory plants in dry conifer forests

More than 100 years of fire exclusion, logging, grazing, and other human activities have contributed to uncharacteristically high tree densities in the dry conifer forests of the western United States. Mechanical forest treatments using heavy machinery or chainsaws to remove trees are being used widely to create a more open and diverse overstory, especially in situations where prescribed fire is not feasible. It has not been clear how these treatments affect the understory, particularly over longer time frames. To help managers better assess what is happening in the understory, Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) researchers Arièl Demarest and Paula Fornwalt recently published a study that looked at responses shortly after mechanical treatment (1-2 years) and over a longer time frame (4-6 years), across a wide environmental gradient in dry conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.