The Uncompaghre Plateau Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program’s (UP-CFLRP) mission is to enhance resiliency, diversity, and productivity of native ecosystems in National Forest System lands on Colorado’s Uncompahgre Plateau by using collaboration and best-available science. This program builds on successful partnerships established between CFRI, the U.S. Forest Service, local and county governments, the Uncompahgre Partnership, interest groups, private industry, and others.
The Uncompahgre Plateau spans five counties on the Western Slope of Colorado and includes key watersheds that feed the Colorado River. The Plateau provides important wildlife habitat and supports many human uses including recreation, timber harvesting, and livestock grazing.
This partnership uses an adaptive management approach that incorporates current ongoing scientific evidence and monitoring results into ongoing management efforts underway to restore a landscape that can support a natural and beneficial fire regime.
CFRI provides science support as well as monitoring and research expertise. We compile, archive, analyze, and report results addressing ecological impacts and treatment effectiveness to the collaborative, which is crucial to the iterative nature of the adaptive management process.
We guide the objectives, training, and logistics for the Montrose High School Forestry Internship Program (FIP), in which students collect data that measures the effectiveness of forest restoration, pre- and post- treatment for the UP-CFRLP.
We are also examining understory response and Gambel oak regrowth following mechanical treatments in Ponderosa pine – Gambel oak stands on the Uncompaghre Plateau.
CFRI uses standard forestry and botanical surveying methods on the Uncompaghre Plateau. The Forest Internship Program uses a Rapid Assessment Approach to collect data on pre- and post-treatment forest structure and composition, fuel composition, and understory response.
Results from several years of ongoing forest restoration monitoring include:
Photo of a densely forested area prior to forest restoration treatments. Area contains many shade tolerant species which created shaded conditions that inhibit the growth of grass, forb, and shrub species and also create dangerous ladder fuels.
Photo illustrating post-forest restoration treatment conditions, where shade tolerant species have been reduced, ponderosa pine and aspen have been retained, and forest conditions are more open and diverse, creating forest structure conditions that promote understory grass, forb, and shrub diversity.
