SD Group Unveils Conservation Strategy for High-Elevation Forests

The San Diego-based Southern Montane Forest Project Tuesday unveiled its conservation strategy for Southern California’s montane forests, seeking to bolster the health of high-elevation forests.

The strategy is intended to offer land managers a “comprehensive guide to enhancing forest and community health with collaborations across different landscapes,” a group statement said.

Southern California’s montane forests protect the upper watersheds of major rivers and supply about 40% of the water used downstream for drinking and agriculture. They also support Indigenous communities with food, fiber and medicine and provide recreational opportunities to over 24 million people, the Southern Montane Forest Project report read.

But they are at risk from wildfires, droughts, pollution and invasive species.

“We are losing our montane forests faster than any other part of California,” said Jeff Heys, a landscape manager with the USDA Forest Service for the Southern California Wildfire Crisis Strategy. “Implementing this strategy will ensure future generations in Southern California can still enjoy these forests.”

The conservation strategy has three main components:

— A customizable decision framework to prioritize forest health;

— A regional adaptation menu to combat climate stressors; and

— A post-fire restoration framework to identify and plan restoration projects.

The Southern Montane Forest Project is a collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey, the USDA Forest Service, San Diego State University and the Climate Science Alliance.

Its stated mission is to play a role in the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which aims to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires across the country.

Megan Jennings, research scientist and co-director of the Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management at SDSU, said collaborative development helps the project in “establishing common ground action and supporting the cross-boundary partnerships that will be needed to increase the pace and scale of work to protect our region’s forests.”

The report can be found at climatesciencealliance.org/southern-forests.

— City News Service