MSI is still safely coordinating important trips into the field for our partners, and a group of San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership members was able to travel out to the Jackson Mountain area just east of Pagosa Springs last month to learn from the landscape.

The managed landscape on Jackson Mountain has been identified as an important area to SJHFHP stakeholders and the community at large, as it is close to town and residences, a popular area for recreation of all kinds, utilized frequently by wildlife, and presents dynamic opportunities to use industry as a tool for forest management while supporting rural economic growth.

During their tour, partners discussed USFS stewardship contracting, the work being done by the locally based Forest Health Company, LLC to meet project objectives in the area, and contract unit close-out processes that reflect how silviculturists, timber sale managers, and contractors promote regeneration of the future forest.

SJHFHP’s final tour stop provided insights into the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) trial study taking place on Jackson Mountain. The national ASCC study aims to address the challenge of applying scientific research to on-the-ground management across US forests. As the only ASCC site in the Southwest, Jackson Mountain is part of regional and national research efforts testing management approaches for keeping healthy forests on the landscape as our climate changes. ASCC sites span a variety of forest types across the county, so data collected at the Jackson Mountain site will contribute to a growing body of knowledge about forest management. Learn more about the ASCC program and the partners that make it all happen.

MSI and the SJHFHP have been working together for over 10 years to promote forest and watershed health in Southwest Colorado.