Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID OR_2025_Ochoa

Assessing Long-term Ecohydrology Connections Following Juniper Removal

Institute: Oregon
Year Established: 2025 Start Date: 2026-01-01 End Date: 2026-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $15,826 Total Non-Federal Funds: $31,652

Principal Investigators: Carlos Ochoa

Project Summary: The relatively rapid expansion of juniper species throughout the West in the last 140 years is exacerbating drought conditions, testing the capacity of rangeland and associated riparian ecosystems to endure. Despite widespread juniper removal efforts, there is a critical lack of long-term, watershed-scale data evaluating hydrological and ecological responses to these treatments. The project addresses this need by establishing a rigorous, multi-year monitoring effort to document the effects of juniper removal in upland and riparian areas in an approximately 14,000-acre study area.The relatively rapid expansion of juniper species throughout the West in the last 140 years is exacerbating drought conditions, testing the capacity of rangeland and associated riparian ecosystems to endure. Despite widespread juniper removal efforts, there is a critical lack of long-term, watershed-scale data evaluating hydrological and ecological responses to these treatments. The project addresses this need by establishing a rigorous, multi-year monitoring effort to document the effects of juniper removal in upland and riparian areas in an approximately 14,000-acre study area.