Morgan Nesbit Forest Resiliency Project

Densely stocked stands in the project area compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Such conditions are causing trees to be less vigorous and more vulnerable to disturbances like fire and insect and disease outbreaks. The current tree species, density, and arrangement is compromising the resilience of forested stands in the face of climate change. These conditions are also affecting other habitats such as meadows and aspen groves, which are being lost due to conifer encroachment.

Treatments are designed to meet the purpose and need and achieve a future desired condition that promotes forest health and resistance and resiliency to natural disturbance events. In general, that condition can be characterized as a greater proportion of early seral species, lower stand densities, and reduced ladder fuels that will limit wildfires from moving from the surface into stand canopies.

Treatments will vary based on Management Area, the Potential Vegetation Groups, the existing and desired structural stage, and by the existing and desired density. Stand density targets will generally strive for lower stand densities across the project. Stand density targets will be based on the Plant Association Groups.

Forests within the project area are overstocked with trees due to decades of fire suppression, elimination of indigenous burning, and past logging and grazing practices. There are now more closed-canopy stands across the landscape than there were historically. In a warming climate, closed-canopy stands may be more vulnerable to impacts from fire, insects, and disease.

The intent of the restoration is to maintain or increase the complexity of stand structure, reduce tree density, and shift composition toward more fire and drought tolerant components by increasing and favoring the recruitment of ponderosa pine and other fire and drought resistant tree species. 

These dense stands pose a risk to the centuries-old overstory of large drought and fire-resistant trees, such as ponderosa pine and western larch. These characteristics put riparian forested stands at risk of uncharacteristic fire that will result in adverse effects to riparian areas and streams.

Changes in stand densities and species composition resulting from elimination of indigenous burning, fire suppression and timber harvest activities have reduced ecosystem functions in riparian habitats in the project area.

There is a need to reduce fuel loadings so future fires can play a more natural role in providing essential processes and functions for fish and wildlife habitat. 

Road and stream crossings throughout the project area are in need of treatment to remove and or replace culverts that are causing erosion or inhibiting water flow and aquatic organism passage.

New stream crossing structures will allow up-stream and down-stream passage of aquatic organisms, flood waters, and debris.

Forest conditions in the Morgan Nesbit Project area need proactive management to restore the landscape to a wildfire resilient healthy forest.

Prescribed fire—including landscape, broadcast, and cultural or indigenous burning—will be conducted across nearly the entire project area with the exception of some of the very northern portions of the project.

Maintenance underburning will be used after the initial prescribed fire treatments have been completed to help reach and maintain more historic fuel loadings.

Thinning treatments will help reduce fire intensity and severity while providing more options for fire management. This will occur along strategic roads and ridges to modify fire behavior throughout the landscape.

Riparian treatments would be implemented adjacent to streams and move these areas toward desired conditions by reducing stand density, reducing fire hazards, and improving forest health. In general, treatments would include variable density thinning, openings, and leave areas. Thinning would be utilized to reduce conifer density, thereby reducing canopy cover, and increase available soil moisture for riparian hardwood survival and regeneration, and forage for wildlife in stands that are closely related to adjacent uplands.

Restoring riparian areas would also increase habitat for many neotropical migrants and pollinator species.

Aspen stands within the Project Area have been suppressed as a result of conifer encroachment. Removing encroaching conifers will increase aspen/hardwood vigor and regeneration, and maintain or create a diverse age class structure. In addition, releasing aspen/hardwoods from conifer competition would provide conditions suitable for the development of rich understories.