Overview of Research
Scientists on the Program use techniques such as dendrochronology, palynology, and historical studies and records to reconstruct the history of fire, climate, land use, and disturbance regimes and how they shaped modern ecosystems.
Ongoing Projects
Fire history and Stand Structure in Mixed Conifer Forests of the Colorado Front Range
1000 years of fire history and stand development in montane forests shows considerable variability in fire frequency and intensity over time and considerable spatial variability in species dominance as a result of the complex and variable disturbance regime.
For more information, contact Laurie Huckaby.
Ecological Type Conversions in Colorado Mixed Conifer Forests Driven by Disturbance and Climate
Evidence of climate-driven shifts in mid-elevation forests from dominance by ponderosa pine during the Medieval Warm Period to dominance by lodgepole pine during the Little Ice Age following stand-replacing disturbances.
For more information, contact Laurie Huckaby.
Can local fire histories be used as tools for restoration across larger geographic regions?
Comparison of tree-ring chronologies and historical fire regimes across a latitudinal gradient in the Colorado Front Range.
For more information, contact Laurie Huckaby.
Historic Fire Regimes and Native American Influences in the Foothills of the Northern Colorado Front Range
1000 years of fire history and Native American archaeology suggest that Native American burning drove the local fire regime before the advent of horses.
For more information, contact Laurie Huckaby.
Selected Publications
Scientists
Scientists conducting research in this category include:
| Fornwalt, Paula J | Research Ecologist | 970-498-2581 |
| Huckaby, Laurie | Ecologist | 970-498-1298 |