CTFS – ForestGEO in affiliation with Utah State University, the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, and the University of Montana welcomes the Utah Forest Dynamics Plot (UFDP) to the network after its first census completion in September of 2015!
UFDP is a research and educational project located in the
subalpine forest of the Colorado Plateau in Cedar Breaks
National Monument, Utah. The plot was established in the summers of
2014 and 2015 with Jim Lutz of Utah State University as the
Principal Investigator (PI). This is the third plot in the Western
Forest Initiative, which includes two additional CTFS – ForestGEO
plots, the Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot (WFDP) and
the Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot (YFDP).
The plot is 13.2 ha in extent, with elevations ranging from 3,039
m to 3,169 m, the elevational limit of closed canopy forest at this
latitude. The forest is characterized by a mosaic of mixed conifer/aspen
forest types with over 22,000 live stems and 4,000 dead stems. The most
abundant species are Abies bifolia (subalpine fir), Populus
tremuloides (aspen), Picea engelmannii (Engelmann
spruce), Pinus flexilis (limber pine), and Pinus
longaeva (bristlecone pine).
Jim Lutz and his team are conducting research on changes to
climate and the causes of tree mortality at UFDP. The research projects serve
as a platform for education and training for students, biologists, and
citizen-scientists through hands-on fieldwork experiences.
For more information about UFDP, please see: