Literature Synthesis and Data Analysis

Systematic Review and Analysis of Restoration and Management in Western North American Mixed Conifer Forests

Natural Resource Conservation LLC conducted an information synthesis under contract with the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University. This project involved reviewing hundreds of published scientific articles and synthesizing data from 50 published articles meeting selection criteria to synthesize effects of tree cutting and burning in mixed conifer forests. The review found that cutting and burning treatments could, in certain cases, temporarily reduce understory vegetation in these forests, but over the longer term, nearly all understory measures increased. The synthesis provided new insight to the management and conservation of these unique forests of keen current management interest. The review was published as a special Tamm Review in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.