Regeneration Status and Dynamics of Rare Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa) Stands in Western Rocky Mountain National Park

Sibold, Jason

The recent climate change driven MPB outbreak in the North Inlet PIPO population clearly illustrates the challenges that recent climate change is creating for ecosystem management planning for adaptation to climate change. The changing role of fire at the North Inlet site, from a restoration tool to a threat, stresses the importance of adaptive management in the face of climate change. Moreover, this case study demonstrates that while HRV concepts and information are still useful for ecosystem management planning, recent and future climate change dictate that HRV information is coupled with current information on the status of species, stands and landscapes. Even though the MFRI in the North Inlet was two to three times longer than those reported for similar sites in the upper montane zone on the east slope of the NCFR (Veblen et al. 2000), similarities in fire--‐PIPO establishment relationships (Ehle and Baker 2003; Sherriff and Veblen 2006) suggest that some of the conclusions in this study are applicable to PIPO management in eastern ROMO. While it is too late to change pre--‐MPB outbreak conditions in east ROMO, based on these results it is clear that following the outbreak, ROMO will need to evaluate the status of populations and reassess the potential for fire to restore the ecosystem to desired conditions. In contrast to western ROMO, the extensive areas of PIPO in eastern ROMO might provide opportunities to experiment with post--‐MPB restoration prescriptions without the risk associated with the small population in the North Inlet. Results from treatments in eastern ROMO would undoubtedly provide valuable information for management planning in the North Inlet. One important topic that was not studied or discussed in this project is the need to view ROMO management decisions for PIPO in the North Inlet in the context of the broader 8 upper Colorado River landscape. In particular, two aspects of the surrounding forested landscape are directly applicable to PIPO management in western ROMO. The first is that one other known PIPO population exists in the area and other similar sites might exist. The other documented population is south of ROMO close to Monarch Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The site and population in the Indian Peaks Wilderness appear to be similar to the North Inlet and collaborative cross--‐boundary ecosystem management could enhance PIPO conservation and potential adaptation to climate change. The second aspect is that based on conversations with private landowners in the area, people are planting PIPO in areas adjacent to the western boundary of ROMO to reforest areas in the wake of the recent MPB outbreak. The motive for planting PIPO is based on the perception that the species is better suited for recent climate conditions in the area. Thus, while ecosystem managers and scientists engage in serious debate about assisted migration, private landowners are inadvertently assisting migration of PIPO in the upper Colorado River headwaters, likely without understanding the potential ecological consequences of their actions for species migration or the preservation of local genetics

Regeneration Status and Dynamics of Rare Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa) Stands in Western Rocky Mountain National Park

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