Introduction:

     Pinyon-Juniper woodlands comprise 39% of lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the Colorado Plateau physiographic province.  In 2000, the BLM Colorado Plateau Science Committee developed a Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Strategy.  Land managers have indicated a need for a better understanding of Pinyon-Juniper (PJ) communities, the dynamics of woodland colinization/encroachment, and best practices for long-term management.  The Southwest Information Node (SWIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) has contracted the Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research to organize and make available data and information in a "Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Information Network" (PJ-WIN) so as to support enhanced natural resource decision-making on the Colorado Plateau. This project directly promotes NBII objectives related to sharing biological and natural resources data and information.  In particular, this website and its sister website PJWood, support SWIN's goals to provide access to biological databases and information tools, and furthers its focus on specific natural resource issues relevant to this region of the Southwest.