Forest Program
San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership
We work to provide a forum to share stakeholder perspectives to develop science-based collaborative priorities for management and monitoring of forests in the Pagosa Ranger District of the San Juan NF.
The 2-3-2 Cohesive Strategy Partnership (The 2-3-2)
Partnerships formed through the 2-3-2 have resulted in new business, hundreds of treated acres, numerous outreach and educational opportunities, and at least ten training events.
THE 4 RIVERS RESILIENT FOREST COLLABORATIVE
4 Rivers envisions a future where our communities lead stewardship actions that promote resilient watersheds and forests on all lands within our scope, strengthening the ecological, economic, and sociocultural character of La Plata and San Juan Counties.
Southwest Wildfire Impact fund
MSI, Quantified Ventures, the San Juan National Forest, Ellen Roberts, and Bob Cole combined forces to explore the feasibility of using outcomes-based financing to increase the impact of forest health interventions.
The story map above documents the ongoing monitoring efforts of the 416 Wildfire by MSI researchers and our partners. Be sure to revisit this living document as post-fire forest and aquatic monitoring results are updated with new photos and results!
State of the Forest Report
Each year, the Aspen Center for Environmental Sustainability (ACES) produces a State of the Forest Report for the Roaring Fork Watershed. In 2019, MSI partnered with ACES to produce the first edition focused on the San Juan National Forest. These reports provide local updates on the climate for the past year and investigate many of the most pressing issues currently facing our forests.
The Mixed Conifer Knowledge Synthesis was developed in response to the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership (SJHFHP) 2019 request to the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) to compile and synthesize the current best available science for mixed conifer forests. CFRI and the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) staff collaborated to create this knowledge synthesis with additional authorship from USDA-Rocky Mountain Research Station and USDA-Forest Service staff. Developed between 2019 and 2021 with engagement and input from the SJHFHP and the San Juan National Forest via collaborative discussions and field trips, the purpose of the presentation and paper is to compile current and best available science for mixed conifer forest ecology to inform future management efforts and research needs with specific information relating to the San Juan Mountain Region.
Remke et al. 2021 Mixed Conifer serves as an update to the 2021 Mixed-Conifer Forests in Southwest Colorado: A summary of Existing Knowledge and Considerations for Restoration and Management (Pelz 2010). https://cfri.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2018/03/2010_MixedConiferKnowledgeSynthesis.pdf
