Learning from Project Implementation: Removing Pinyon and Juniper Trees from Sage-Steppe and Grassland Sites on the Fishlake National Forest in Central Utah, USA

Abstract

In this paper, we share data collected during implementation of a vegetation management project on the Fishlake National Forest in central Utah. This project—designed to remove encroaching pinyon and juniper trees from sage-steppe and grassland communities—has been ongoing since 2017. While cutting and lopping the targeted woodland species, Fishlake employees counted and measured both cut and leave trees. The resulting data indicate that on sites like this one, the primary postsettlement encroacher is pinyon pine (Pinus edulis), and that due to slow growth rates, trees of just 25 cm in diameter at root collar may have been established prior to Euro-American settlement. For managers, it is important to recognize that some proposed pinyon-juniper removal projects will remove primarily pinyon, not juniper. Whether such pinyon eradication is either necessary or desirable should be carefully considered by land managers.