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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

piñon, Pinus, juniper, Juniperus, woodlands

College

Life Sciences

Department

Plant and Wildlife Sciences

Abstract

Since European settlement piñon (Pinus) and juniper (Juniperus) (PJ) woodlands have expanded their range to more than 40 million hectares; this expansion constitutes one of the greatest afforestations of our time and is due to many factors including high intensity grazing, fire suppression, increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and climate change (Romme et al. 2009). As these woodlands expand into other ecosystems negative impacts to ecosystem services often occur as natural fire regimes, plant community structure, water and nutrient cycles, and biodiversity are altered. While the extent of these negative impacts are site dependent, PJ cover and density can be important indicators of the degree to which these woodlands have modified natural processes (Miller et al. 2008). Accordingly, methods that enable land managers to economically monitor PJ woodlands over large land areas are highly sought after.

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