Working paper 09: Restoration of ponderosa pine forests to presettlement conditions

This Working Paper is one of a series that describes the planning and implementation of restoration treatments in southwestern ponderosa pine forests. In this paper the treatment type is designed to emulate the forest structure prevalent before the landscape-level disturbances that followed Euro-American settlement. It represents the best scientifically based knowledge currently available about treatment types and effects. But this Working Paper is not a prescription. Restoration decisions need to be made with close attention to local conditionsthere is no one size fits all approach, and specific prescriptions must be determined according to project objectives. Use this publication as an aid in making informed decisions about how to restore more natural conditions, and greater health, to the southwestern ponderosa pine forests