Ecological Restoration Institute
Our Mission
ERI serves diverse audiences with objective science and implementation strategies that support ecological restoration and climate adaptation on Western forest landscapes.
Working Paper: Opportunities for Application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Restoration of Pinyon-Juniper Ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau
Despite being substantially altered by climate change and human activities, the culturally and ecologically vital pinyon-juniper ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau can be successfully restored through management actions that both recover ecological function and actively engage local Indigenous and traditional communities.
Fact Sheet: Indigenous Biomass Use for Forest and Community Well-Being: A Case Study of Wood For Life
The traditional practice of openly burning woody biomass (a common byproduct of southwestern US forest restoration) degrades soil and compromises air quality, driving researchers to evaluate alternative air curtain burners like the FireBox and CharBoss® for their efficiency in cleanly disposing of biomass and producing soil-restoring biochar.
Positive drought feedbacks increase tree mortality risk in dry woodlands of the US Southwest
Recurrent droughts in the US Southwest have severely compromised the natural resilience of pinyon–juniper woodlands, triggering widespread mortality and crown dieback between 1998 and 2023 that ultimately heightened the future mortality risk of surviving trees by 28.2%.
Research Topics
Research Sites
This map provides an overview of the Ecological Restoration Institute’s research sites across Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
- A “pin” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the map allows you to toggle between research sites that focus on 3 areas:
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- Landscape Monitoring and Research
- Long-Term Ecological Assessment and Restoration Network (LEARN)
- Wildfire Effects
- Click on a specific pin location (orange, green or blue) on the map to learn more about the research and access literature published from data collected at the site.
- Use Ctrl + scroll to zoom in on the map.