before and after conifer removal IWJV copy.png

Historic aerial imagery showing conifer infill and expansion from 1954 to present day on the slopes of Medicine Lodge Peak in Beaverhead County, southwest Montana. Conifer infill is evident in the increased darkness of tree-dominated areas, while conifer expansion has occurred especially north of the peak as woodlands slowly expand into sagebrush rangelands at lower elevation. This boundary was historically mediated by frequent low-intensity wildfires. Imagery courtesy of Working Lands for Wildlife’s Landscape Explorer: https://www.landscapeexplorer.org/