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Historical Range of Variability for Forest Vegetation of the National Forests of the Colorado Front Range

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Historical Range of Variability for Forest Vegetation of the National Forests of the Colorado Front Range Historical Range of Variability for Forest Vegetation of the National Forests of the Colorado Front Range Thomas T. Veblen Joseph A. Donnegan USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region 740 Simms St Golden, CO 80401 Fort Collins, CO 80521 Historical Range of Variability for Forest Vegetation of the National Forests of the Colorado Front Range FINAL REPORT: USDA FOREST SERVICE AGREEMENT No. 1102-0001-99-033 WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER Nov. 27, 2005 Thomas T. Veblen Joseph A. Donnegan1 Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region 740 Simms St Golden, CO 80401 1 Current address: USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis, 620 SW Main Street, #400, Portland, OR 97205 Preface and Acknowledgments This report is a response to the widespread recognition that forest resource planning and decision-making would benefit from a series of assessments of the historical range of variability (HRV) of the ecosystems which comprise the National Forest lands of the Rocky Mountain region. Although the work on the current report formally began under a Cooperative Agreement between the Regional Office of the Forest Service and the University of Colorado in 1999, prior events contributed significantly to this report. Most significantly, the staff of several National Forests in the region (e.g. Rio Grande, White River, Routt) conducted their own assessments of historic range of variability of Forest lands in the mid-1990s. These documents provided useful starting points, and were critically important in initiating the still evolving process of how to conduct the assessment of HRV in Region 2. In the late 1990s, the senior author of the current report participated in an external review of several of the HRV reports produced by the Forest Service staff. This external review team included among others the leaders of the current round of HRV reports in the Region (Dennis Knight of University of Wyoming, William Romme of Colorado State University, and Thomas Veblen of the University of Colorado). While lauding many aspects of the initial HRV reports, this external review team made a number of suggestions for their improvements. In particular, the external team raised questions about the validity of conclusions that were based exclusively on professional judgments or hypotheses that had not been examined through any systematic research process. The team stressed the need for greater reliance on peer- reviewed research publications, and more critical evaluation of some of the widespread perceptions about changes in these forest ecosystems which had been assumed to be related to past resource management practices. That initial experience as a critic of HRV reports hopefully has improved the quality of the current report, and with certainty it has contributed a high degree of caution and humility in the recognition of the limitations and challenges involved in conducting an assessment of HRV. This report is the result of a recognition by the leadership of the Regional Office of Region 2 of both the importance of the HRV process and the desirability of participation in it by researchers ii who have published extensively on Rocky Mountain forest ecosystems in the peer-reviewed literature. The current round of HRV reports was initiated in 1999 by Claudia Regan, Regional Ecologist for Region 2. This report has benefited from her insights into both the science and management aspects of the HRV process. Her leadership and perseverance in this long process are deeply appreciated. While the interpretations in this report are the responsibility of its authors, we have endeavored to address critiques and alternate interpretations from a wide variety of sources. Over the past five years we have benefited from numerous discussions with many Forest Service personnel of topics directly related to the HRV assessment. In the current report we have addressed issues and alternative interpretations which have become apparent to us from these discussions with individuals and in numerous workshops. We also have addressed issues which were raised by Forest Service personnel in written reviews of the initial drafts of the report. Likewise, the current report addresses and has benefited from written reviews of drafts of the report from researchers in the Region and from five anonymous reviewers selected by the Ecological Society of America. For providing critical comments, information, data, and/or research assistance we thank: • William L. Baker, University of Wyoming, Laramie • Jill Baron, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins • Peter Bebi, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Peter Brown, Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research Inc., Fort Collins • Bill Butler, Rocky Mountain National Park • Stacy Drury, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Karen Eisenhart, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Sara Gallup, Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, U.S.D.A. Forest Service • Mauro Gonzalez, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • John Gubbins, Middle Park, Colorado • Tim Hogan, Herbarium, University of Colorado, Boulder • Laurie Huckaby, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service • David Johnson, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Region 2 • Al Kane, Pike-San Isabel N.F., Supervisor's Office • Merrill Kaufmann, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service • Dennis Knight, University of Wyoming, Laramie • Dominik Kulakowski, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Cecilia McNichol, Pike-San Isabel N.F., Leadville District • Mel Mehl, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Region 2 • Mark Mitchell, Pike-San Isabel N.F. Comanche Grasslands • Mike Morrison, Pike-San Isabel N.F., Supervisor's Office • Alan Reed, Alpine Archeology Institute, Montrose, Colorado • Claudia Regan, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Region 2 • Frank Romero, Pike-San Isabel N.F., Supervisor's Office • William Romme, Colorado State University, Fort Collins • Frank Rupp, Bureau of Land Management, Kremmling iii • Nancy Ryke, Pike-San Isabel N.F., Supervisor's Office • Joanne Sanfillipo, Routt National Forest, U.S.D.A. Forest Service • John Schmid, retired from Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service • Tania Schoennagel, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Wayne Shepperd, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service • Rosemary Sherriff, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Jason Sibold, Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder • Vern Thomas, Colorado State University • Ellen Wohl, Colorado State University iv Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................................7 1.1. Concepts of Ecosystem Management and Historical Range of Variability............................................... 8 1.2. Disturbance and Ecosystem Management.................................................................................................... 9 1.3. Objectives and Questions Addressed in This Assessment ........................................................................10 2. METHODOLOGY........................................................................................................................................ 12 2.1. Early Historical Records, Photographs, and Reports..................................................................................13 2.2. Macro- and Micro-Fossil Records...................................................................................................................13 2.3. Tree-Ring Evidence of Disturbance Regimes and Past Environmental Conditions...............................14 2.4. Inference from Modern Conditions of Ecosystem Parameters.................................................................15 3. ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL SETTING OF THE AREA...............................................................17 3.1. Geology and soils .............................................................................................................................................17 3.1.1. Arapaho-Roosevelt N.F. ..........................................................................................................................17 3.1.2. Pike-San Isabel N.F. ................................................................................................................................18 3.2. Climate of the Colorado Front Range ...........................................................................................................21 3.3. Vegetation Patterns.........................................................................................................................................26 3.3.1. Arapaho-Roosevelt N.F. ..........................................................................................................................26 3.3.2. Pike-San Isabel N.F. ................................................................................................................................39 3.4. Human Settlement and Land Use .................................................................................................................49 3.4.1. The Native American Period ..................................................................................................................49 3.4.2. The Euro-American Period: Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest ....................................................52 3.4.3.
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