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Silviculturists are increasingly focused on the development of structurally complex forests through spatially heterogeneous treatments; however, the implementation of these treatments is challenging. We investigated the effectiveness of three tree marking methods used to implement spatially heterogeneous restoration treatments on Colorado’s Front Range: Individual Tree Marking (ITM) physically marks all trees that are either to be cut or left; Designation by Description (DxD) provides a description of the trees that are to be removed based on specific tree characteristics; and Designation by Prescription (DxP) provides the operator with a description of the desired outcomes of the treatment. We employed a mixed methods approach by (a) quantitatively comparing the heterogeneity of stands that have been treated; and (b) interviewing personnel involved in the implementation of these treatments to qualitatively …