Marcos Robles

Study: Digital Tree-Marking Methods Speed Up Forest Management and Reduce Costs In 2025, TNC Forest Program staff, a TNC Scientist, and partners published Innovative Tree Designation Methods for a Complex Silvicultural Treatment in the Journal of Forestry.

Tree thinning is one of the best tools we have when it comes to protecting ponderosa pine forests from catastrophic wildfires. Check out new research our team just published that reveals how technology can speed up tree thinning efforts while also reducing cost.

From Overgrowth to Renewal: How Restoration Is Transforming Western Dry Forests Under the careful tending of stewards, a forest that was once matted with a dense understory of branches, stunted trees and anemic shrubs opens up once more.

Check out our new story about how restoration initiates a cycle that enables dry forest ecosystems to become more resilient in just months.

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Our Arizona Science Team at TNC's Hart Prairie Preserve, so energizing to connect with colleagues in nature, here we are checking out snow monitoring stakes to better understand the ecology of Bebb's Willows which are common in Canada but reach their southern extent in Arizona.

Innovative Tree Designation Methods for a Complex Silvicultural Treatment: Costs, Efficiency and Outcomes - Journal of Forestry The pace and scale of ecological restoration in the US Southwest needs to increase dramatically, but conventional, paint-based tree marking has proven to be a significant bottleneck in the treatment p...

Check out new study that shows how use of lasers from the sky (Lidar) and tablets allowed operators to have similar results in forest restoration of Arizona compared to conventional methods, but were 5x faster and 10x cheaper. Study was collaboration of TNC, NAU, CSU, and USDA Forest Service.

YouTube video by LANDFIREvideo LANDFIRE Office Hour (Short) - Why Submit Your Disturbance Events to LANDFIRE?

Check out where we have used amazing LANDFIRE data to map forest treatments that reduce wildfire risks across the western US, kudos to Kori Blankenship at LANDFIRE.

Enjoyed a beautiful visit to Flagstaff this week to share sunshine and beers with TNC Arizona's Forest Program. The are doing incredible work with stakeholders across Northern Arizona to increase pace and scale of restoration and reduce wildfire risks, learn more here: www.nature.org/en-us/about-...

Arizona Conservation Science TNC's conservation science in AZ engages stakeholders and expertise in applied science and policy to develop new ideas and tools to help solve the most pressing challenges affecting people and nature.

In Arizona, we rely on science to confront our biggest challenges—wildfires, droughts and biodiversity loss. To deliver fast, large-scale solutions that protect communities and nature, TNC pursues evidence-based strategies grounded in our research. Learn more at nature.org/scienceAZ.

Proud to have participated in a workshop with brilliant peers in The Nature Conservancy's Western Dry Forest & Fire Program. We developed first-of-kind web maps that show progress we have made with partners to restore forests across the west and a tool to identify future landscapes to invest in.

I am pleased to share the most significant study that I have so far contributed to. We find overwhelming evidence that mechanical thinning and prescribed fire reduce subsequent wildfire severity across seasonally dry forests in the western USA. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Arizona Conservation Science TNC's conservation science in AZ engages stakeholders and expertise in applied science and policy to develop new ideas and tools to help solve the most pressing challenges affecting people and nature.

I am a scientist who works with passionate conservationists to restore lands and waters across the Western USA. I believe science is an amazing tool to create positive change for future generations, and that it is essential to couple science with ethics. See our work at nature.org/scienceAZ