Photo: Noppadol Paothong
conifer removal
We provide scientific reports, project profiles, technical tools, videos, photos, field guides, and links that tell the story of how cooperative conservation is making a difference for working lands and wildlife across the West.
News
Brewer’s Sparrows Rely on Conifer Removal to Maintain Core Sagebrush Habitat
July 22, 2025
As conifer trees take over core sagebrush habitat in southwest Montana, the population of Brewer's sparrows drops. Removing trees means more sagebrush songbirds in the ...
Publication Alert
Targeted and Proactive Conifer Treatments Restore Key Components of Sagebrush Ecosystems
October 15, 2024
Analysis of largest ever, cross-boundary conifer removal efforts in the sagebrush biome showed projects achieving management goals and validated need for coupled management of ...
Publication Alert
Getting to the Core: SGI Evaluates 12 years of Conservation through the Lens of the Sagebrush Conservation Design
October 15, 2024
SGI’s proactive, voluntary conservation model has conserved sagebrush cores but analysis shows more work to be done on invasive annual ...
Podcast
Podcast: BOSH Project Restores Sagebrush Sea at Grand Scale
September 25, 2024
The BOSH Project is the largest restoration project in the sagebrush biome. Learn how it came together, what it's acheived, and what's next in this great podcast from The Art ...
Ask an Expert
Songbird field study backs win-win results of “umbrella species” habitat management
May 23, 2024
Researcher Elise Zarri spent four summers studying how songbirds responded to conifer removal targeted at sage grouse. We sat down with her and Katie Benzel, a biologist with ...
Publication Alert
Who Fits Under the Sage Grouse Umbrella?
April 17, 2024
WLFW science shows that umbrella species management benefits non-target species that have similar habitat use as target ...
Publication Alert
Visual analysis shows tree expansion across Montana rangelands since 1950s
August 29, 2023
New mapping application shows where tree expansion is happening in Montana through easy-to-see, interactive comparisons of historical and modern aerial ...
Publication Alert
Where trees meet sage: Striking a balance between sage grouse and pinyon jay needs
May 12, 2023
Research from two papers helps managers balance conservation to benefit imperiled sagebrush and woodland birds ...
Podcast
Podcast: Part 2 of “Defend the Core” Strategy for Invasive Plants
March 30, 2023
WLFW's Jeremy Maestas and Dirac Twidwell join the Art of Range podcast for part two of a two-part discussion of Defend the Core, a proactive management strategy defending ...
Ask an Expert
Ask an Expert | The Green Glacier: What is Conifer Encroachment and Why is it Bad?
June 22, 2021
Learn about the "Green Glacier," the slow-moving expansion of conifer trees across western rangelands, in this Ask an Expert with NRCS's Jeremy ...
News
Sage Grouse Populations Grow Faster After Tree Removal
June 10, 2021
New study shows that sage grouse population growth rates are 12% higher following long-term conifer ...
News
A Landowner’s Journey to Using Prescribed Fire – Repost – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
December 9, 2020
Jim Jenkins worked to remove eastern redcedar trees from his Nebraska ranch for years, with limited success. Then he learned about how prescribed fire could do the work for ...
News
Success Story | Innovative Small Business Owner Integral to Restoring Grazing Lands
May 6, 2020
Meet Cecil Swaggart, an innovative small business owner whose expertise is advancing sagebrush restoration in the ...
News
Quantifying Outcomes Improves Conservation Effectiveness
October 8, 2019
Since 2012, Working Lands for Wildlife has partnered with the Conservation Effects Assessment Project to co-produce 37 peer-reviewed studies that measure conservation ...
News
Cutting to the Chase: Long-Term Success of Conifer Removal Depends on Both Cutting and Burning
September 10, 2019
Ask an Expert | How to use cutting and burning to most effectively restore sagebrush ecosystems experiencing conifer ...
Ask an Expert
Sage Grouse Populations Grow When Conifers are Removed
May 14, 2019
Ask an Expert - Andrew Olsen explains his research that shows sage grouse populations rise 12% following sustained and targeted conifer ...
News
Big Picture of Woodland Management in Sagebrush Country
May 9, 2019
Science to Solutions - New research highlights reduction and expansion of conifer encroachment in sagebrush ...
News
Woody Invasion Impacts Water on Great Plains
March 26, 2019
Science to Solutions - New research details impacts to water from encroaching eastern redcedar and other conifers on landscapes in the Great Plains. Similar impacts occur on ...
News
Conservation Insight Report Confirms Benefits of Conifer Removal
March 21, 2019
New report from the Conservation Effects Assessment Project confirms multiple benefits of removing encroaching ...
News
New Science: When Trees Are Cut, Grasses & Shrubs Return
November 14, 2017
Research shows that conifers decrease the native sagebrush grasses and shrubs that wildlife and livestock rely on, and confirms that forage comes back when trees are ...
News
Latest Science Reveals Most Effective Conifer Removal Treatments
July 13, 2017
New research on conifer cutting and prescribed burning helps resource managers and landowners plan sagebrush conservation projects that deliver the best results for the bird ...
News
New Science: Sage Grouse Population Increases When Western Juniper Pushed Back
April 27, 2017
A new study funded in part by the NRCS-led Sage Grouse Initiative found that survival rates of both female sage grouse and their nests increased where encroaching juniper ...
News
Conifer Removal Boosts Sage Grouse Success
January 26, 2017
New research shows that 86% of hens avoided nesting in sagebrush habitat invaded by conifers. Luckily, the studies also show that removing conifers in otherwise high-quality ...
News
Science Reveals Sage Advice: Cut (the Right) Trees to Save Bird and Herd
January 16, 2017
New research shows that removing conifers can restore habitat for at-risk grouse as well as improve water availability and forage production for ...
News
Rangeland Science Journal Publishes Special Issue On Reducing Woodland Expansion
January 10, 2017
The latest research -- published in this month's special issue of SRM's Rangeland Ecology & Management science journal -- shows the benefits of removing conifers for grouse, ...
News
New Research Finds That Sage Grouse Prefer Nesting In Conifer-Free Landscapes
November 10, 2016
Scientists tracked sage grouse nest success in southern Oregon, and found that hens avoided sites where conifer cover exceeded 3% within 800m of their ...
News
Sagebrush Songbirds Under the Sage Grouse Umbrella
October 25, 2016
New songbird maps provide tools to help expand the benefits of sage grouse conservation to more wildlife species in the sagebrush community. Learn more from our latest Science ...
News
Report: Maintaining Sagebrush-Covered Landscapes Keeps Water on the Land for Ranchers and Wildlife
August 4, 2016
by Justin Fritscher | Removing invading conifer trees improves the health of sagebrush ecosystems, providing better habitat for wildlife and better forage for livestock. And ...
News
Ask An Expert | How Does Removing Conifers Help Oregon’s Grouse?
May 31, 2016
Wildlife biologist Fozz Foster works on restoring and improving habitat in Oregon's sagebrush sea. In this 'Ask an Expert' interview, he tells SGI about how he works ...
News
New Science: Conifer Removal Restores Habitat for Lesser Prairie Chickens
April 4, 2016
Conifer encroachment spells bad news for birds that need intact, wide open spaces--sage grouse and lesser prairie-chickens included. This new report released by our partner, ...
News
Sagebrush Songbirds Benefit from Sage Grouse Habitat Restoration
September 9, 2015
New research released as part of the Sage Grouse Initiative's Science to Solutions series shows that restoring sagebrush ecosystems not only benefits ranching and sage grouse ...
News
Conifer Removal in the Sagebrush Steppe
July 8, 2015
This transition from shrub steppe to woodland has broad, concerning impacts on ecosystem function and services. This fact sheet explains the "why when, where, and how" of ...
News
Conifer Removal Restores Sage Grouse Habitat
April 23, 2014
Hundreds of thousands of acres of intact sagebrush lands--and the grouse that depend upon them--are threatened by invading conifers. SGI helps remove the threat to prevent ...