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Overview
Montane forests are restricted to “sky islands” of mountain habitat in the Transverse and Peninsular mountain ranges of Southern California.
Ongoing major threats to these forests include wildfire, urban development, droughts, rapid climate warming, ozone pollution, and invasive species. Without proactive management focused on forest health, much of southern California’s montane forests may be lost in coming decades to these threats.
The conservation strategy addresses all higher elevation forested lands across the region, regardless of ownership, through an all-lands approach.
The impacts of forest loss cross ownership boundaries and successful management for forest resilience requires partnership across boundary lines.
The Southern Montane Forest Project is a multi-jurisdictional collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey, the USDA Forest Service, San Diego State University, and the Climate Science Alliance. This project is made possible with funding support from the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Conservation Strategy
The Southern California Montane Forests Project's Conservation Strategy is a roadmap for increasing the resilience and persistence of Southern California's montane forests.
View and download the full strategy by clicking on the image or button below.
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Short on time? View the strategy summary here.
Click on the video above to watch the recording of the January 9, 2025 webinar and learn how the strategy can be implemented and explore potential applications in your work!
Strategy
NEW! Online Adaptation Menu Dashboard
An online version of the strategy's Adaptation Menu (pg. 68-120) is now available!
Dashboard users can use this tool to more easily navigate all nine strategies and their related approaches and tactics.
To learn more, we encourage you to sign up to receive project updates and announcements using the form linked below. Visit the "About" page for more resources and information about the project.
To get in touch with the project team or share your feedback, please contact us through the form linked below.
On the Blog
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