Lubrecht Experimental Forest Conditions
- Lubrecht Experimental Forest is the largest forest managed by a university in the United States.
- The elevation of the forest ranges from lows of ~3600 ft (1110 m) above sea level along the Blackfoot River and highs of ~ 5900 ft (1800 m) above sea level in the Cap Wallace area.
- Mean annual air temperature (MAT) varies across the forest. Near the Lubrecht Experimental Forest camp, MAT is 7 °C. Mean annual precipitation near Lubrecht camp is 50 cm, about half of which falls as snow starting in late Autumn and continuing through the early spring.
- The area was heavily logged in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Much of the second- and third-growth forest now occurring is classified within the Douglas-fir habitat type series (Pfister et al. 1977).
- Recent inventory data from ~300 plots across Lubrecht reveal a heavy dominance of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)—which makes up 58% of trees—followed by western Larch (Larix occidentalis) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)—each making up about 15% of trees—and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) which makes up ~12 % of trees.
- There are > 210 species of vascular plants found in the understory across Lubrecht, mostly forbs followed by graminoids and shrubs/trees. In addition to native plants, there are ~25 species of exotics that occur at variable levels and locations.
- There are numerous species of non-vascular primary producers commonly found at the ground surface across the forest including mosses, lichens, and cyanobacteria that are commonly found in biological soil crusts in semi-arid systems.
Fire History
Eons of naturally occurring fires and human ignitions by Native Americans have shaped the ecology of Rocky Mountain forests. The history of Native American use of fire in the Rocky Mountains is rich and complex, with fire being a key tool in managing landscapes, enhancing resource availability, and supporting cultural practices. Indigenous peoples of the region, such as the Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Ute, Arapaho, Shoshone, and others, used fire in ways that were deeply connected to their understanding of the land. Fires were historically far more frequent, but less severe than over the past century, which has been a period of fire suppression that has greatly altered the regions' forest conditions and health.
At Lubrecht, between 1700 and 1900 AD, tree rings studied from a collection of 55 trees recorded more than 20 fires, suggesting an average of roughly 14 fires per century prior to major European influences that led to the reduction of fires across the region (Heyerdahl et al. 2008, Grissino-Mayer et al. 2006). Most of these fires (68%) occurred in the early portion of the growing season during the late spring and early summer months. During the period 1871–1931, no fires were recorded in the tree rings from Lubrecht. A few isolated fires between 1931 and 1950 were the last recorded before the start of prescribed fire use for restoration and research projects in the forest.