Springs Monitoring for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative in Northern Arizona
Channel: Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox
Date: 2023-03-24

The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) aims to restore 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forest across four national forests in Northern Arizona to improve forest resilience to climate change and reduce the risk of increasingly frequent and severe wildfires. Treatments such as mechanical thinning and prescribed burns are anticipated to impact springs in the project area—keystone ecosystems of landscapes, and indicators of environmental change. However, there has been limited monitoring of the more than 20,000 springs throughout the Colorado River basin. The Springs Stewardship Institute is in year four of a five-year study monitoring how treatments affect spring ecosystems and influence aquifer recharge. The results will improve knowledge of spring ecosystems and inform future management considerations.

Presented by Larry Stevens, Springs Stewardship Institute
March 21, 2023