Climate Adaptive Management of Post-fire Landscapes in the Blue Mountains

Climate change is contributing to an increase in wildfire activity in the western United States, including the Blue Mountains and Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills of the Inland Northwest. Some forest ecosystems are changing from forest to non-forest because of severe fires, a hot and dry climate, and/or the absence of a viable seed source. On sites impacted by wildfire, managers are tasked with maintaining timber value, wildlife, recreation, and the human environment important to society. However, managers contend with multiple constraints in forest restoration.

To address these constraints, a network of scientists and managers of the Blue Mountains and Eastern Cascades (the Blue Mountains Post-fire Partnership) will co-develop a decision support platform (a web application providing a menu of tools) and a user guide. The platform will help managers choose the tools that are most appropriate for their unique ecological and organizational context, with the goal of assisting managers in determining climate-adaptive responses for post-fire vegetation recovery of dry conifer forests. The platform, along with a knowledge-network and workshop, will promote cooperation across ownerships by making accessible maps of forest vulnerability to post-fire vegetation change now (1986 –2020) and into the future (2020 – 2099).

Our co-produced decision support platform will enable climate adaptive management and promote ecosystem recovery efforts for timber value, recreation, and wildlife. This project will provide an effective toolbox for improved land management, as wildfire activity is increasing, fire seasons are becoming longer, and managers are tasked with fighting fire and post-fire ecosystem rehabilitation.