Why Lodgepole Pine Tree Thinning and Prescribed Fire is Necessary?

Lodgepole Pine Population Dynamics in Colorado over the last Decade

Each question has multiple parts so please make sure you have addressed all the points of each question. You will be evaluated not only on your answer to each question but also on your clarity in writing, logical presentation of ideas, in addition to grammar, spelling and punctuation. You have been asked to use references in some of these essays. Please use APA format when citing references. 

1.You have graduated from university (during a pandemic!) and you have landed an awesome job as a public relations specialist for the US Forest Service. You are loving your job until you get sent out to talk to some very angry citizens who live on the boundary of Forest Service land and who are very concerned about the use of thinning and prescribed fire in the lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) stands near their homes. As the PR person for the Forest Service you have been asked to create an informational brief for the community members explaining why the Forest Service is doing these treatments. In this pamphlet it needs to be clear that this is a science-based management decision that was made based on fundamental principles in plant ecology. In your pamphlet for the community I would like you to address each of these points: 

A.You need to start by describing recent population dynamics of lodgepole pine over the last decade. This should include 1) a definition of a plant population and 2) a description of the population dynamics of this species in the state of Colorado over the past decade. Please cite one primary reference for part 2. 

B.In this next section you need to describe the role of fire in lodgepole pine forests. You should: 1) give an example of how lodgepole pine forest types are adapted to fire (give two specific examples) 2) describe the fire history in this forest type (this requires some research so please cite two papers) and 3) describe the succession of plant communities in a post-fire environment by making a prediction about how the plant community will respond to the prescribed fire. In this section you should describe how plants resources (i.e. light, water and nutrients) will change with thinning and prescribed fire.  Please cite at least three journal articles to support the predictions you make about plant community succession. 

You have been asked to write a short informational brief for the City of Boulder Colorado ClimateSmart program. One of the goals of the program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the City of Boulder. The topic of your pamphlet is “Why Carbon Matters.” In this document you have been asked to describe: 1) climate trends for the Front Range over the last 50 years (please include 1 citation) 2) how carbon is taken up and released from ecosystems 3) and how climate change may influence carbon balance in ecosystems. In part 3 you need to specifically address 2 components of the carbon cycle that may be impacted by changing climate. Please cite at least 3 journal articles that examine the effect of climate change on the carbon cycle. Since this is a document for the public, they have asked you to structure the document in a way that follows the carbon atom from the atmosphere through an ecosystem and back out to the atmosphere. Please feel free to use any supporting graphs or figures to make your point more clear.