Building resilience in dryland ecosystems: A climate adaptation strategy menu for pinyon–juniper woodlands

Forests
By: , and 

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Abstract

Pinyon–juniper (PJ) woodlands, one of the most extensive mature and old-growth woodland types in the Western United States, provide critical ecological, cultural, and economic benefits but face increasing threats from climate change, altered disturbance regimes, invasive species, and pests. We developed the PJ Woodland Climate Adaptation Management Menu, a decision support tool designed to guide adaptive, climate-informed management of PJ ecosystems, particularly within the Colorado Plateau ecoregion. The menu was created through an iterative, collaborative process involving literature review, integration of strategies from existing adaptation frameworks, and extensive input from scientists, land managers, and community partners during workshops and focus groups. The menu links specific, evidence-based approaches to each of six broad strategies, including soliciting community input, mitigating disturbance, enhancing and maintaining biodiversity, conserving ecotones, timing actions for optimal outcomes, and accepting climate-driven changes when appropriate. It is intended for use with the Adaptation Workbook to help managers connect local goals and climate vulnerabilities to tailored management tactics. Hypothetical scenarios demonstrate the menu’s application to contrasting PJ woodland conditions, from die-off events to old-growth maintenance. Lessons learned during development underscore the value of early stakeholder engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and balancing diverse ecological objectives. This menu offers a flexible, transferable framework to strengthen climate resilience in PJ woodlands and serves as a model that could improve adaptation planning in other dryland forest ecosystems.

Suggested Citation

Gray, J., Slate, M.L., Ennis, A., Peterson, C., Bradford, J., Noel, A.R., Duniway, M.C., Bishop, T.B., Barrett, I.P., Domschke, C., Humphries, J.T., and Barger, N.N., 2026, Building resilience in dryland ecosystems: A climate adaptation strategy menu for pinyon–juniper woodlands: Forests, v. 17, no. 5, 554, 27 p., https://doi.org/10.3390/f17050554.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Building resilience in dryland ecosystems: A climate adaptation strategy menu for pinyon–juniper woodlands
Series title Forests
DOI 10.3390/f17050554
Volume 17
Issue 5
Publication Date April 30, 2026
Year Published 2026
Language English
Publisher MDPI
Contributing office(s) Southwest Biological Science Center
Description 554, 27 p.
Additional publication details