Management guide to ecosystem restoration treatments

Lodgepole pine is one of the most widely distributed conifers in North America, with a mixed-severity rather than stand-replacement fire regime throughout much of its range. These lodgepole pine forests are patchy and often two-aged. Fire exclusion can reduce two-aged lodgepole pine heterogeneity. This management guide summarizes the effects of thinning and prescribed burning treatments in an effort to restore two-aged lodgepole pine stands on the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, Montana. We report changes in tree density and fuel loading following thinning and prescribed burning. Results are organized by unit to help users best match a study unit stand condition and treatment to his/her own stand and proposed treatment to estimate potential treatment effects.