WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Grassland and Woodland Management Framework - By the Biomass Evaluation Task Force (Provisional Document)

This document, prepared by the PNM Biomass Evaluation Task Force in 2005-06, summarizes the group's knowledge of the grasslands and woodlands of New Mexico, ecological context, management needs, and considerations for restoration
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

This document, prepared by the PNM Biomass Evaluation Task Force in 2005-2006, summarizes the current state of the group's knowledge of the grasslands and woodlands of New Mexico: their ecological context, management needs, and considerations for restoration. The framework is intended for use as preliminary guidance for biomass electricity projects that may use piñon or juniper as fuel. A secondary purpose is to document the extent of our knowledge about the distribution and dynamics of these ecological systems, and to provide a list of references for ecology and management (see 3rd tab). Much of the material we present is still tentative and needs further testing. In the meantime, public agencies and private landowners are planning and conducting piñon-juniper thinning projects throughout the state. An independent group of scientists and managers is working to produce, by Winter 2006-2007, a written report that will help meet managers' needs for information in designing such projects. This report will: (1) identify and describe the types of woodland ecosystems across the West; (2) map the geographical extent of each woodland type; (3) for each type, summarize the historical fire regime, historical landscape structure and dynamics, and patterns and mechanisms of change; (3) identify what we know with high or low confidence, or what we simply don't know; and (4) list information gaps and urgent research needs. This information may aid in the evaluation and restoration of grassland and woodland ecosystems of the Southwest.

Grassland and Woodland Management Framework (PDF)