Northern Colorado Plateau piñon‐juniper woodland decline over the past century

A century-long decline in piñon-juniper woodlands on the Northern Colorado Plateau, including areas near Mesa Verde National Park, has been attributed to increased fire frequency since Euro-American settlement. Analysis of General Land Office survey records and modern datasets revealed net declines of 3–7% in piñon-juniper woodlands and 12–19% in montane shrublands, with corresponding increases in sagebrush shrublands (16–26%). Fire rotations, both natural and human-caused, have shortened to 188–216 years, contradicting the expectation that fire exclusion would lengthen them. Cheatgrass expansion, linked to shorter fire rotations in sagebrush, threatens landscape stability. To restore historical vegetation patterns, managers are advised to reduce intentional burning, minimize human-set fires, and control cheatgrass. These findings suggest that without intervention, the region may transition to a landscape dominated by early seral sagebrush and grassland, outside its historical range of variability.

Arendt, P. A., & Baker, W. L. (2013). Northern Colorado Plateau piñon‐juniper woodland decline over the past century. Ecosphere, 4(8), 1–30. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1890/es13-00081.1