Premier Old Growth Ponderosa Pine forests at risk | Project summary | FAQ's

Landscapes at risk, but treatable... view conditions
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Forest Decline map

Project Area Fire Risk

If a fire were to burn in the Metolius Basin, with current conditions, how much damage would be expected?

Red=High, stand replacement
Brown=Moderate
Green=Low

If Forests look green, why are they at risk?

Conditions may be visually pleasing, yet, they are not healthy or resilient forest conditions, mainly due to many years of fire exclusion.

Certain wildlife benefit from these developed vegetation patterns, however, these patterns do pose a threat:
  • Small trees and tall shrubs serve as ladders for wildfire and compete for water and nutrients with larger trees
  • Dense forests are crowded and at high risk for fire
  • Many trees are diseased
  • Shrubs are overgrown and dying

    • How can forests be treated?

    What does "At Risk" mean?
    Low risk
    At Risk
    Dead and dying

    1. Open Forest: lower chances of extreme outbreaks of wildfire and insect/disease

    1. Outside the range of historic conditions: higher potential for wildfire and insect/disease damage.

    1. Part of a forest's life-cycle, yet if it is too extensive, it greatly impacts social/ecological values and safety with extreme danger of wildfire and outbreaks of insects/disease.

    2. Healthy forests have the highest resistance to wildfire and insect/disease outbreaks.

    2. The older and more complex the forest, the more severe the loss... more reason to protect.

    2. The Forest is at a renewal point ready for disturbance and beginning it's life cycle again. Little resistance to wildfire.

    3. Monitoring

    3. Protection

    3. Restoration

    4. No vegetation management

    4. Thinning, mowing, prescribed burning

    4. Fuels removal, replanting

     

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