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To evaluate the magnitude of expansion on a regional level we evaluated six woodlands from their lower to upper elevational boundaries in four different ecological provinces (Miller et al. 2008). In this report we summarize our findings of woodland expansion in the Owyhee Mountains and discuss our preliminary findings from an ongoing study documenting changes in plant composition, structure, biomass, and fuel loads with increasing tree dominance. Specific questions addressed in this report are:
- What was the density and spatial extent of trees prior to 1850?
- What was the chronological sequence of tree establishment and rates of expansion into shrub steppe communities during the past 150 years?
- What is the current successional state of woodland development (Phase I – early, II – mid, III – late successional)?
- How do plant cover, structure, and biomass change in relation to woodland succession (Phase I, II, and III)?