The San Juan National Forest is participating in a study called the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network. The goals of this project are to test different silvicultural approaches to climate change and forest health adaptation that will also serve as useful examples across the U.S. and Canada.

The San Juan National Forest ASCC study site was established on Jackson Mountain in Southwestern Colorado, ranging in elevation from 7,400 to 8,600 feet. The site has deep, well-drained, loamy soils, and variability in aspect with deep drainages and slopes from 0 to 35%. 

The San Juan ASCC project is located within a dry mixed conifer forest type, containing various tree species including ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, white fir, aspen, and a shrubby component of Gambel oak. Each species has specific strategies and tolerances to cope with drought, fire, insects, and disease, and provides an excellent opportunity to test various management treatment strategies to inform future management of these forests.

Prior to 1880, the mean fire return interval for this particular site was about 24 years, and ranged from about 10-30 years for this particular forest type on the San Juan National Forest. The area was lightly logged over 50 years ago as indicated by large ponderosa pine stumps. In the mid-1970s through early 1980s, a prep cut of a two-stage shelterwood was implemented removing mainly large diameter ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Over the past several decades, the area has been subjected to a range of insects such as western pine beetle, fir engraver, and Douglas-fir beetle, as well as root diseases and dwarf mistletoe.