Presenter: Kit O’Connor, University of Arizona
In the Pinaleño Mountains of Southeast Arizona, a series of high-severity insect outbreaks and fires in recent decades appear to be unprecedented in the historical record. These disturbances raise concerns about forest resilience and long-term sustainability of one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the southwest. We used detailed reconstructions of forest successional dynamics, disturbance processes, and climate variability over more than 350 years to provide context for recent disturbances, to identify specific conditions of concern, and to provide some recommendations on future management actions. Please join us for this unique in-depth study of the biogeography of an Arizona Sky Island that has been altered by more than a century of fire exclusion and a series of complex interactions among natural and anthropogenic ecosystem processes.