Research Roundup

1000 Years of Forest History in the Glass Creek Watershed, Eastern Sierra Nevada: Interpreting the influence of fire, climatic change, and environmental change on subalpine forest structure and composition -

PSW scientists evaluate the relative roles of fire, climate change, and volcanic eruptions as architects of forest structure and composition over the past 1000 years.

Acid Rain and Calcium Depletion -

Acid rain and other anthropogenic factors can leach calcium (Ca) from forest ecosystems and mobilize potentially toxic aluminum (Al) in soils. Considering the unique role Ca plays in the physiological response of cells to environmental stress, we propose that depletion of biological Ca would impair basic stress recognition and response systems, and predispose trees to exaggerated injury following exposure to other environmental stresses.

Adapting Forests to Climate Change -

This is a new area of emphasis at NRS that seeks to 1) develop a plan to increase employee awareness of climate change and expected future impacts, and (2) identify several options for achieving the goal of adapting future forests to climate change, with specific attention to including the best available science about climate change into the forest planning process. Researchers are particularly interested in working with the models and processes that are currently used in the forest planning process, and adding features to them for addressing the potential future impacts of climate change.

Adapting to Climate Change in Olympic National Forest -

The Climate Change Adaptation Case Study at Olympic National Forest, with Olympic National Park as a partner, had the objective of determining how to adapt management of federal lands on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, to climate change. The case study process involved science-based sensitivity assessments, review of management activities and constraints, and adaptation workshops in each of four focus areas (hydrology and roads, vegetation, wildlife, and fisheries). The process produced concrete adaptation options for Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park, and illustrated the utility of place-based vulnerability assessment and scientist-manager workshops in adapting to climate change.

>> More detail

Adapting to Climate Change on the Shoshone National Forest: science-management collaboration in developing management tools -

Climate change introduces a significant challenge for land managers and decision makers in the western United States. In response to that challenge, the Westwide Climate Initiative, a science-management partnership, has conducted a series of case studies on western US Forest Service National Forests to develop and evaluate a set of decision-support tools and reference materials that will assist resource managers as they incorporate climate-change considerations into decision making. We are currently conducting the 4th case study of this project on the Shoshone National Forest (Shoshone).Specifically, the objectives in the Shoshone case study were to review existing literature on climate change effects on the Shoshone landscape, to share that information through a workshop, and then to develop a vulnerability assessment that focused on select key resources.

    Contact: Linda Joyce

>> More detail

Addressing Climate Change in the Forest Vegetation Simulator -

The Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) is a family of forest growth simulation models that allow a user to explore forest growth and yield at the stand level. This research incorporates climatic effects into FVS to produce a new extension called Climate-FVS, providing managers with a tool that allows climate change impacts to be incorporated in forest plans.

>> More detail

American Chestnut Restoration -

The American chestnut is a tree species of unique ecological and economic value that was virtually eliminated following a blight caused by a fungal pathogen, Cryphonectria parasitica. In order to restore this economically and ecologically valuable species, multiple approaches to decrease the virulence of the pathogen or increase the resistance of the tree have been evaluated. Climate change presents new implications for the recovery of the species, especially at its historic northern range limits.

Arctic fire releases large amounts of stored carbon to the atmosphere - Arctic tundra stores large amounts of carbon in cool wet soil that is hundreds to thousands of years old. Fire has been largely absent from this biome for thousands of years, but its frequency and extent are increasing, probably in response to climate warming. The Anaktuvuk River Fire in 2007 burned 645 square miles of Alaska’s Arctic slope, making it the largest fire on record for the tundra biome and doubling the cumulative area burned since 1950. Research on this fire is being used to implement measurement techniques that estimate carbon loss in tundra areas. It is also being used by scientists who are initiating studies on the effect of fire disturbance on tree migration into the Arctic.
    Contact: Teresa Hollingsworth

>> More detail

Aspen FACE Experiment -

The Aspen FACE (Free-Air Carbon Enrichment) Experiment is a multi-disciplinary study to assess the effects of increasing tropospheric ozone and carbon dioxide levels on the structure and function of northern forest.

Assessing forest carbon sequestration and water supply interactions as influenced by climate and management practices - Researchers are assessing the causal relationships between management regime or disturbance and the environmental controls of biosphere-atmosphere exchange of carbon and water. The overall objective is to measure and model the coupling effects of forest management and changing climate on carbon dioxide and water fluxes in eastern forests of the United States and China.
    Contact: Steve McNulty

Assessing forest tree risk of extinction and genetic degradation from climate change - Scientists are using spatial models of future environmental conditions to predict and map the location and quality of habitat for several hundred North American forest tree species. Known as the Forecasts of Climate-Associated Shifts in Tree Species (ForeCASTS) project, scientists are also determining where each species, within its current range, is most susceptible to extinction as a result of climate change.
    Contact: Kevin Potter

>> More detail

Assessing genetic variation of forest tree species at risk - To conserve the genetic foundation tree species need to survive and adapt in the face of insect and disease infestation and climate change, forest management decisions must consider how genetic diversity is distributed across species’ ranges. Researchers are analyzing two range-wide genetic variation studies of species with large distributions: eastern hemlock, which is being decimated by an exotic insect, and ponderosa pine, a species with isolated populations of special concern given their susceptibility to climate change, development, and bark beetles.
    Contact: Kevin Potter

Assessment of disturbance impacts on U.S. forest carbon sequestration -

Researchers are estimating forest carbon lost due to hurricane and insect disturbances in order to produce more accurate estimates of carbon sequestration by U.S. forests. Equations created to estimate total forest carbon loss based on damage could be adapted in the future to project carbon loss due to any disturbance impact.

Atmospheric Disturbance Climatology System -

Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of climate variables throughout the region is important in developing effective land management strategies that can sustain our natural resources. This science applications and product delivery effort is helping land managers to identify when and where climate and weather related disturbances typically occur in the north central and northeastern U.S.

Baltimore Ecosystem Study -

Studies on carbon dioxide concentration, CO2 and H2O flux, and the effects of multiple air pollutants on urban forests are being conducted in Baltimore. Urban conditions may represent possible future scenarios: elevated carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen deposition and elevated temperatures. A 40 m Forest Service lookout tower near Baltimore is used to conduct air quality and meteorological flux research. This is the first permanent tower to estimate carbon flux and carbon sequestration in an urban/suburban forest ecosystem. Metropolitan areas have an average tree cover of 33.4% (urban counties) and support 25% of the USA's total tree canopy cover, and their inclusion in climate models is essential for accuracy.

Biomass Gasification Project -

Southern forests can potentially be used as a source of renewable energy. SRS researchers are studying the conversion of forest biomass into electricity and the viability of this technology in the future.

Biophysical limitations, migration potential, and climatic ranges of tree species in the interface between the boreal forest and the temperate rainforest in Alaska - Three major biomes intersect in the south-central region of Alaska: the western edge of the coastal rainforest, the southern edge of the boreal forest, and the eastern edge of the mostly treeless tundra and shrub ecosystems of southwest Alaska. Predictions of climate change responses for these ecosystems vary widely and substantial vegetation changes in this area will have large impacts on the area economy. This study will evaluate tree species� vulnerability to climate change in this area of AK.
    Contact: Tara Barrett, Robert Pattison

>> More detail

Boise Aquatic Sciences Laboratory -
    Contact: Dan Isaak, Charlie Luce

>> More detail

Canada Lynx -

RMRS scientists are currently developing landscape-level habitat relationships for Canada lynx. These relationships include direct links to environmental variables such as temperature and snow cover, as well as indirect links such as forest type. These models can be linked to future projections of forested landscapes, snow cover, and temperature. To predict the specific effects of climate change on lynx RMRS scientists are cooperating with other scientists in the development habitat projections.

Carbon Implications of Poplar Energy Crops Throughout the Energy Supply Chain - Woody production systems and conversion technologies are needed to: maintain healthy forests and ecosystems, create high paying manufacturing jobs, and meet local/regional energy demands. Poplars are dedicated energy crops that can be strategically placed in the landscape to conserve soil and water, recycle nutrients, and sequester carbon. However, key environmental and economic uncertainties preclude broad-scale production of biofuels/bioproducts from poplar wood. Therefore, building on decades of research conducted at our Institute and throughout the region, we are evaluating the fate of carbon in soils and woody biomass, soil greenhouse gas emissions, and conversion efficiency barriers throughout the energy supply chain.
    Contact: Ronald Zalesny

>> More detail

Carbon and Nitrogen Responses to Forest Management Activities -

SRS researchers are examining how nitrogen and carbon pools respond to different management practices, including controlled burning and forest cutting, with different riparian buffer specifications.

Center for Urban Forest Research: Energy -

Quantification of energy benefits is an important part of the Center's research. Healthy urban forests have the ability to cut heating and air conditioning use, resulting in reduced costs and atmospheric emissions from power plants. Tree shade reduces air temperature and the amount of radiant energy absorbed and stored by built surfaces. Additionally, trees reduce the velocity of wind, slowing the infiltration of outside air. Our research shows that properly selected, located, and managed trees can drastically reduce city and residential energy costs and lessen our reliance on new power plants.

Changing climates present new threats to the conservation of forest genetic resources - As climates change, populations of native trees may become maladapted and genetic diversity may be lost. This research highlights the importance of identifying species and populations that are vulnerable to climate change and other threats. It also identifies steps that may help protect and conserve those species and populations.
    Contact: Brad St. Clair

>> More detail

Chequamegon Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (CHEAS) -

As part of the cooperative Chequamegon Ecosystem Atmosphere Study (ChEAS), NRS scientists have been studying the energy, water vapor and CO2 exchange between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere to understand the dynamics of forest productivity.

Climate Aquatics Blog -

This blog and associated discussion group provide a forum for researchers, scientists, and managers to discuss aquatic ecosystems and climate change. Posts highlight peer reviewed research and science tools relevant to this subject.

>> More detail

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Management Options (CCAMMO) - Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Management Options (CCAMMO) is an interdisciplinary project with the goal of providing a state-of-the-science analysis of forest management options to guide natural resource decision making in the face of future climate change.
    Contact: Jim Vose

Climate Change Effects on Historical Range of Variability of Two Large Landscapes in Central Utah -

Land managers need to be able to generate landscape composition and structure reference time series under historical, current, and future climate conditions to effectively prioritize, design, and implement current landscape level restoration treatments. RMRS scientists are conducting a simulation study to generate reference conditions for three climate scenarios and three fire regime scenarios using the landscape fire succession model LANDSUM. LANDSUM is being parameterized and initialized using spatial data generated from the LANDFIRE prototype project. The variation of simulated burned area and dominant vegetation types will be compared with the current landscape to determine departure. These departures will then be compared across the two climate scenarios to determine the implications of changing fire regimes and climates to fire management.

Climate Change Influences on Mountain Pine Beetle and Spruce Beetle Phenology and Associated Impacts in Western North American Forests -

RMRS scientists have established the relationship between climate and insects such as mountain pine beetle and the spruce beetle. Scientists continue to monitor mountain pine beetle phenology and temperatures in high elevation forests in western US. In conjunction with current, historic and predicted temperatures, they are using this data and their phenology model to evaluate how current trends might relate to historic patterns of mountain pine beetle caused mortality in these forests, as well as, predicting trends for the future. Working with Canadian collaborators, they have developed a cold tolerance model for mountain pine beetle using data from the recent mountain pine beetle infestations in Alberta. In conjunction with their phenology model, they aim to evaluate the relative effects of temperature on cold-induced mortality and seasonality of mountain pine beetle population success and range expansion. They also are investigating spruce beetle physiological response to temperature, including diapause, to improve and further refine a phenology model for this insect.

Climate Change Response Framework in Northern Wisconsin - This project provides information and resources to land managers throughout northern Wisconsin as they begin to incorporate climate change into land management planning and activities. A number of products have been created through this project to help bridge the gap between climate change research and on-the-ground management activities, including the creation of an Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis for the forests of northern Wisconsin.
    Contact: Chris Swanston, Maria Janowiak

>> More detail

Climate Change and Wildlife Habitat -

An analysis of potential national effects of climate change on wildlife habitat is being addressed by RMRS scientists through the estimation of an index of climate change stress to terrestrial biodiversity in order to identify regional hotspots of climate change impacts. This research focuses on management strategies for climate change in the states' Wildlife Action Plans.

Climate Change and Yellow-Cedar Decline -

Yellow-cedar is an ecologically, economically, and culturally important tree species that has experienced dramatic mortality in Alaska and nearby British Columbia for about 100 years. The extensive mortality, referred to as yellow-cedar decline, has now been documented on over 200,000 hectares and is not associated with any biotic factor (insect or disease) as a causal agent of decline. We are testing the hypothesis that reduced snowpack and associated increased amounts of soil freezing are resulting in increased root freezing injury and decline among yellow-cedar trees.

Climate Change, Carbon, and Forestry in Northwestern North America [pdf] -

Proceedings of a workshop involving different sectors of the forest community in Canada and the United States.

Climate Change, Wilderness, Human Relations -

RMRS scientists at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute have been cooperating with scientists in other circumpolar north countries to better understand the forces that protect and threaten human relationships with wilderness in the Arctic. Most recently, working under a resolution passed by tribal leadership of the Qikiktagrugmiut (native Inupiaq) of Kotzebue, Alaska, a science team led by Alan Watson of the Leopold Institute identified a combination of threats that are changing Inupiaq relationships with the Western Arctic Parklands. Native Inupiaq believe that wilderness contributes to their identity, maintaining a traditional way of life, contributes to survival of individuals and families, provides opportunities for personal growth, expression of humility, and maintenance of mental and physical health, as well as expression of independence associated with self-sufficiency. These are values not specified in our Wilderness Act, but received by these people through wilderness protection. They believe these values are threatened most by global warming and globalization as well as outside pressures imposed by tourists and some federal agency management actions. More research has been proposed to better understand the role of federal land managers in protecting these relationships and working with native Inupiaq to anticipate future changes.

Climate Drivers of Fire and Fuel in the Northern Rockies: Past, Present and Future -

RMRS scientists have data on fire extent and climate from almost four centuries (1650-2003) in the Idaho and western Montana. Our data corroborate and support Westerling et al. (2006) findings that climate variability and climate change are contributing to larger and more extensive fires across the West, but especially in the northern Rockies. We parameterized vegetation simulation model with information from these fire history data to simulate potential consequences of regional climate-fire interactions and management strategies on landscape patterns.

Climate and Landscape Change -

Climate has a profound influence in shaping the environment, natural resources, the economy, and other aspects of life throughout the world. High mountain systems, such as the Sierra Nevada, are uniquely sensitive to anticipated global climate changes and act as "canaries in the coal mine" to provide early signals of significant climate-driven changes. The Sierra Nevada Research Center is responding to this environmental issue with a research team that addresses issues ranging from basic research on ecological response to climate and landscape change to applications in national forest management, conservation, and restoration.

Climate change influences on distributions of sculpin in western Montana -

Sculpin are ecologically important, small-bodied fishes that live on the bottom of cold- and coolwater streams, rivers, and lakes. They are often the most abundant fish in small streams. We studied distributions of two sculpin species in relation to summer stream temperatures since 2006 and obtained historical distribution and temperature data extending back much farther. Water temperature is an important factor in determining summer distributions of sculpins in the study area, and we are exploring how stream warming influences sculpin distributions.

>> More detail

Climate, population, and vegetation cover change impacts on water supply and demand, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity across the conterminous U.S. -

The Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) is an integrated model that estimates ecosystem water and carbon balances and the interactions among ecosystem evapotranspiration, productivity, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity at the continental scale by coupling the key processes of the hydrologic and carbon cycles.

Climatic Indicators of Forest Health  -

Managers often need frequent, updated assessments of current and developing conditions on which to base management decisions and respond to public concerns. No methodology has been developed to indicate when a forest population is at risk to specific local and regional climate and air pollution stressors. This study resulted in an on-line information system featuring data on the relationships among various regional and global climate forcing factors and the health of forests in the north central and northeastern US, as measured by forest dieback.

Coldwater Streams and Trout Habitat in the Southern Appalachians -

Climate change has severe implications for the ecology of coldwater streams and native fish species in the southeast. Researchers are working to determine possible changes in regional trout distribution due to global changes in temperature and hydrology. Models have been developed that predict the distribution of native trout species for different global climate scenarios.

Comparative Risk Assessment Framework and Tools (CRAFT) -

Comparative Risk Assessment Framework and Tools (CRAFT) is a planning framework that forest managers and stakeholders can use to help reach agreement on the most prudent path to follow in the face of uncertainty.

Comparison of Methods for Estimating Urban Forest Carbon Storage -

Elena Aguaron-Fuente and Greg McPherson authored a chapter in the newly published book Carbon Sequestration in Urban Ecosystems. They found substantial variability in sequestration estimates produced by four methods—i Tree Streets, i-Tree Eco, the CUFR Tree Carbon Calculator, and Urban General Equations—and concluded that the latter could be used to produce conservative estimates from remotely sensed data compared to urban-based species-specific equations.

>> More detail

Condition of Forest and Rangeland Resources -

Will climate change affect the forest productivity and the forest sector in the United States? The Forest Service conducts periodic assessments of the condition of forest and rangeland resources under the authority of the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA). These periodic assessments synthesize and integrate the current state of scientific knowledge for policy discussions. Increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has raised concerns about the vulnerability of forest to the elevated carbon dioxide and potential changes in climate and climate variability. The Forest Service is mandated by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 (as amended in 1990) to prepare a Renewable Resources Assessment to assess the impact of climate change on the condition of renewable resources on forests and rangelands, and to identify the rural and urban forestry opportunities to mitigate the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Since 1990, RMRS scientists have provided the technical analyses of climate change for the RPA assessments.

Cumulative Effects of Succession, Management, and Disturbance on Forest Landscapes -

For more than 15 years we have worked together with collaborators from other institutions to develop and apply methods to forecast landscape-scale forest change in response to tree growth and species succession as well as disturbance from timber harvest and fire. Much of this work has utilized the LANDIS model to forecast changes in forest conditions for management and disturbance scenarios applied. We have demonstrated the capabilities of these tools to analyze the cumulative effects of management scenarios applied to real forest landscapes in Indiana and Missouri.

>> More detail

Current Applications of GPR in Forest Research -
    Contact: John Butnor

Detecting recent broad-scale changes in forest biodiversity - Climate change and other threats are likely to alter the composition of forests as species die out in some areas and move into others, which could alter the ecological function of forest communities. Scientists are using a new approach known as phylogenetic community analysis to measure forest biodiversity changes in the eastern United States.
    Contact: Kevin Potter

Determining the sensitivity of eastern US fire regimes to climate change - Scientists are working to better understand fire across the landscape to help land managers effectively restore fire-dependent ecosystems and address future risks. This research can support social and forest management actions to mitigate climate change impacts.
    Contact: Steve Norman

Disturbance Processes: Interactions of fire, climate, and other disturbance processes and their influences (singly and together) on sustainability of forest ecosystems. -

Recurring fires and varying climate historically played a key role in influencing the species composition, stand structures, and landscape mosaics of most forest ecosystems in western North America. In Mediterranean climates, fires and variation in climate itself are key agents of change that may or may not match societal interests. These agents, singly and in concert, alter forests over a wide range of scales by damaging or killing some plants, stimulating regeneration and growth of other plants, and setting the stage for succession. In addition, fire affects many processes in the soil and forest floor by consuming organic matter and by inducing thermal and chemical changes.

Earth System Modeling Project - Scientists are contributing to a four-year National Science Foundation-funded project focused on decadal and regional climate prediction using earth system models. The project's specific goals are to improve upon and extend current modeling capabilities to offer new assessment tools for climate change research and management agencies.
    Contact: Ge Sun

Eastern Area Modelling Consortium -

The EAMC is a multi-agency coalition of researchers and managers at the Federal, State, and local levels that is focused on fire weather, fire behavior, and smoke transport issues in the north central and northeastern U.S. The EAMC carries out core fire science research and product development related to physical fire processes (including small-scale fire-fuel-atmosphere interactions and smoke plume behavior), fire characteristics at multiple scales, and fire danger assessment (including atmospheric processes associated with fire-weather development and evolution).

Ecology, Management, and Restoration of Great Basin Meadow Ecosystems - Researchers are using a multi-scale approach to examine geomorphic, hydrologic, and vegetation influences on Great Basin meadow complexes, how these influences might change under future climates, and to develop guidelines and methods for maintaining and restoring sustainable riparian ecosystems.
    Contact: Jeanne Chambers, David Board

>> More detail

Economic impacts of insect outbreaks triggered by climate change. -

When climate change triggers forest insect outbreaks, these episodes may affect a variety of non-market forest resources, such as recreational values, real estate values and scenic values.  A multi-disciplinary team is currently investigating how climate change-induced changes in damage caused by mountain pine beetle, hemlock wooly adelgid and southern pine beetle affect non-market forest resources.

>> More detail

Effects of Climate Change on Wildfires [pdf] -

PSW scientists are developing statistical models to quantify, assess and forecast effects of climate change variables on wildland fires. This study is in collaboration with UC Merced School of Environmental Engineering and Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Effects of Global Atmospheric Change on Forest Insects -

We are studying seasonal and annual changes in forest insect populations at the Aspen FACE experiment site in northern Wisconsin where trees are growing under both elevated CO2 (+200 ppm above ambient) and ozone (+50% above ambient).

Effects of urban climate on land surface phenology - Researchers are studying urban climate drivers and their effects on land surface phenology variation to determine if a higher urban index (level of “urbanness”) affects specific aspects of forest vegetation timing and development. Results of this study may yield urban index thresholds which could be used by urban planners to avoid altering the development of urban forest vegetation.
    Contact: William Hargrove

Enhanced Adaptation to Climate Change of Conifer Species -

The success of forest regeneration programs depends upon the development of adaptation strategies for ecosystem sustainability under changing climates. There is a need to identify tree species and seed sources with enhanced adaptation to climate change pressures to ensure biologically and economically sustainable reforestation, afforestation, and gene conservation.

Estimating fine root biomass with DNA fingerprints -

Young communities of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) have been grown under elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide and elevated ozone at the Aspen FACE site, Harshaw, WI. We are using microsatellite markers to generate distinct DNA fingerprints for each of the five-aspen clones. These DNA fingerprints will be used to quantify fine-root biomass, in particular to monitor changes that occur when trees are exposed to atmospheric pollutants.

Fire Ecology -

Researchers are looking at how forest management practices - including controlled fire - can help give certain oak species in the Boston Mountains of northern Arkansas an advantage under possible conditions created by climate change.

Fire and Climatic Variability in the Pacific Northwest -

Understanding how fire has behaved in the past under different management scenarios can help in anticipating what fire patterns may be like in the future. In the Pacific Northwest, ongoing research aims to understand historical fire trends and their connection to climate.

>> More detail

Foliar biochemical indicators of environmental change and their relationship with site productivity -

Methods are needed to assess the positive or negative impact of environmental pollution on forest productivity in an asymptomatic forest stand. A goal of several research groups in the Northern Research Station (NRS) is to develop a set of physiological and biochemical markers that can assess the early onset of stress in forests due to environmental factors, before injury is visible.

Forest Biomass Energy Life Cycle Assessment Project -

This project will model the environmental, economic, and social costs and benefits of using biomass from forest thinning projects to generate electricity.

Forest Carbon Models and Budgets -

There is increasing interest in accurate estimates of national, regional, state, and local carbon fluxes, and identification of the causes of land / atmosphere / ocean exchange of carbon. Because forests store large quantities of carbon and these stocks are affected by many factors, accurate monitoring of forest carbon stocks and fluxes is a critical component of strategies to manage greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration.

Forest Economics and Policy -

Shifting climate patterns contribute to changing disturbance regimes in southern forests (insect outbreaks, fire) and, in turn, affect the economic costs of these disturbances. Climate change may also play a role in the societal values placed on forest resources. This research unit explores many of the complex relationships that exist between changing forests conditions, human communities, and economic processes.

Forest Management for an Uncertain Climate Future: Tools and Training -

Land managers need specific information, strategies, and tools to address the unique challenges of managing forests under uncertain and changing climate and ecosystem response. Sustainable forest management is critical for both the adaptation of forests to changing climatic conditions as well as mitigation of increased levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The uncertainty of future climatic conditions necessitates adaptive techniques and strategies that provide flexibility and enhance ecosystem resistance and resilience.

Forest inventory-based estimation of carbon stocks and flux in California forests in 1990 [pdf] -

Researchers modeled forest carbon stores and flux for California circa 1990, using forest inventory data. These efforts will support California’s legislatively mandated greenhouse gas inventory.

Forest tree genetic risk assessment system: a tool for conservation decision-making in changing times - The Forest Tree Genetic Risk Assessment System (ForGRAS) is a framework that allows managers to assess the relative risk of genetic degradation to forest trees affected by multiple threats.
    Contact: Kevin Potter

Genes for climate tolerance in Douglas-fir and big sagebrush - Many forest and range plants are finely attuned to their local climate, making it necessary to match seed sources with planting locations. From ecological and economic perspectives, the adaptability of the plants is critical. Forest Service and university geneticists are working to identify genes that enable certain trees and plants to tolerate and adapt to climatic extremes. This knowledge will enable nursery managers to deliver locally adapted, genetically appropriate materials for restoration even as the climate changes.
    Contact: Rich Cronn

>> More detail

Grassland restoration species for central New Mexico - Researchers are looking at long-term population dynamics, germination characteristics, response to disturbance, and climate manipulations for a suite of forbs found in central New Mexican grasslands.
    Contact: Rosemary Pendleton, Esteban Muldavin

>> More detail

Greenhouse Gas Impacts on Forest Microclimates  - Soil conditions and vegetation characteristics that develop in response to variations in weather, climate, and atmospheric chemistry can have important feedback effects on local and regional atmospheric environments. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recognized the importance of these feedback effects in further altering the climate system. This study examines (1) near-surface atmospheric changes induced by changing vegetation conditions brought on by elevated greenhouse gas concentrations and (2) the secondary effects of these induced microclimatic changes on forest ecosystems.
    Contact: Warren Heilman, Ronald Teclaw

High resolution interpolation of climate scenario change factors for the conterminous USA derived from AR4 General Circulation Model simulations. -

Researchers from the USDA Forest Service and the Canadian Forest Service collaborated in the production of a suite of downscaled change factors to use in developing climate projections covering the continental United States and Canada. The change factors were derived from simulations carried out with state-of-art general circulation models (GCMs).

>> More detail

Hydrologic and Water Quality Monitoring -

A series of studies have been conducted in the last few years to understand the hydrology, water quality and ecosystem dynamics of the Turkey Creek watershed in South Carolina. This data from a large minimally disturbed forested ecosytem will be important as a reference in understanding how climate change and variability will affect the region's water balance in the future.

Impacts of Disturbances and Climate on Carbon Sequestration and Biofuels -

Currently, U.S. forests and forest products offset about 20% of the nation's fossil fuel emissions. However, recent findings cast doubt on the sustainability of this offset. First, the strength of the U.S. forest carbon offset may be weakening due to forest ageing, climate variability, and increasing natural disturbances. Second, climate change is expected to further increase frequencies of insect outbreaks and wildfire, and alter species composition in forest ecosystems, consequently influencing forest carbon pools in a significant way. These current and projected forest carbon cycle dynamics need to be considered in strategic forest planning and management decisions in coming decades if the nation's forests are to provide stable or even increasing ecosystem services.

Impacts of Land Management on the Climate System -

New research is needed to examine the potential impacts of land cover changes, including afforestation, on the climate system. This can provide a scientific basis for adopting land use decisions that are meant to mitigate global warming.

Impacts of bark beetles on ecosystem values in western forests: A synthesis - Although basic outbreak dynamics and impacts of some bark beetle species have been described, characterizing and quantifying these impacts on ecosystem functions and services remains a significant challenge. The range of ecosystem services and resources impacted by bark beetles is wide and diverse, but most pest impact assessments and valuations are still based on timber production. New information addresses the wider range of impacts on non-timber services and resources but much of it remains scattered in the literature and databases pertaining to individual insect species. We will review and synthesize the literature involving currently used pest assessment methods, including monitoring and survey methods, summary analyses, valuation procedures, reporting metrics and standards and error and accuracy estimation.
    Contact: John Lundquist

>> More detail

Impacts of year-year variations of precipitation (snowpack and rainfall) on amphibian recruitment and survival -

This study explores the link between the changes in water availability -- including complete pond drying -- and the abundance and recruitment of mountain yellow-legged frog in Dusy Basin , Kings Canyon National Park , California , USA . We propose using the low-snowpack years (1999, 2002, 2004) as comparative case studies to predict future effects of climate change on aquatic habitat availability and amphibian abundance and survival.

Integrating Landscape-scale Forest Measurements with Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Models to Improve Carbon Management Decisions  -

Managing forests to increase carbon stocks and reduce emissions requires knowledge of how management practices and natural disturbances affect carbon pools over time, and cost-effective techniques for monitoring and reporting.

>> More detail

International collaboration research with China: the U.S.-China Carbon Consortium - The U.S.-China Carbon Consortium is a collaborative effort between American and Chinese institutions interested in studying the role of managed ecosystems in global carbon and water cycles. The overall goal is to develop a network of study sites so that data and results can be shared and synthesized at broad spatial scales in order to assess the importance of human influences on carbon and water fluxes in a changing climate.
    Contact: Ge Sun

Inyo National Forest Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory - The US Forest Service classifies ecological types consistently throughout the nation using a system called Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory (TEUI). Within this system, spatial regions are uniquely classified based on their climate, geology, geomorphology, soils and vegetation. We will expand upon a TEUI conducted by the by Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) to create an updated R5 Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory (TEUI) User Guide with specific applications for climate change planning, as well as a completed TEUI for the Inyo National Forest.
    Contact: Michèle Slaton

>> More detail

Linking Population, Ecosystem, Landscape, and Climate Models to Evaluate Climate Adaptation Strategies -

Landscape change will result from interactions among climate change; land use and management; and population, ecosystem, and landscape processes. Approaches to forecasting landscape change have commonly addressed a subset of these factors but rarely have they all be considered. Land managers and planners need knowledge of how these factors will interact and modeling tools to assess the effects of mitigation strategies.

>> More detail

Linking landscape-scale carbon monitoring with forest management - Researchers are examining the potential of sites with intensive ground-based measurements to aid in the development of landscape level carbon flux estimates.
    Contact: Steve McNulty

Mapped Atmosphere-Plant-Soil System (MAPSS) -

A landscape- to global-scale vegetation distribution model developed to simulate the potential biosphere impacts and biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks from climatic change.

Mapping projected change in global and North America vegetation - The MC1 model is routinely used in North America to predict vegetation impacts associated with climate-change projections to the year 2100, as well as associated changes to ecosystem services such as water availability and carbon sequestration. The MC1 user community spans a large number of international, federal, state, local, and nongovernmental organizations. Now, the most commonly requested summary map products from the global and North American MC1 simulations are available for viewing and download.
    Contact: Keith Reynolds

>> More detail

Measuring wildfire potential using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) -

A study to project future wildfire potential trends is being conducted in the Center for Forest Disturbance Science, US Forest Service Southern Research Station. This project consists of three phases to project wildfire potential in the globe, the U.S., and the South, respectively. The first phase is completed, the second one is underway, and the last one is planned for 2012. View their published work on global wildfire trends here.

>> More detail

Medieval Forests, Volcanism, and Response to Climate: Clues to ecological effects of future climate changes -

Whitewing Mountain, 3030 m, is a broad peak extending above current treeline that lies east of the main Sierra Nevada crest and adjacent to the Inyo Craters volcanic chain. The last eruptive sequence of Glass Creek Vent occurred ~500-800 years ago and covered the flanks and summit of Whitewing Mountain with more than 4 m of tephra. Strewn on top of the tephra over the otherwise barren summit plateau are hundreds of well-preserved dead tree stems, many of which are large, straight, and exhibit evidence of rapid growth from their tree-rings. The surprising growth rate, form, and occurrence of trees in this 'ghost forest' at this elevation suggest that they grew under climates very different from the present. Regular orientation of the tree stems and absence of stump bases suggest that the trees died in the Glass Creek Vent eruption. A similar situation exists on adjacent San Joaquin Mountain. We are using these natural events to unravel the story of forest origin, the climate under which the forests grew, and the exact year of the volcanic event.

Mid-Atlantic Forests and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed - Forest landscapes are changing as a consequence of climate and environmental change. These changes affect people and the forest ecosystems they depend on for clean water, clean air, forest products, and recreation. How can we best manage our forest resources to sustain this array of ecosystem services under increasing environmental stress and a changing climate? This research is leading to the development of effective strategies to adapt to these long-term changes.
    Contact: Yude Pan

Modeling potential future habitats for trees and birds in the eastern U.S. -

Our group, the Landscape Change Research Group, from Delaware, OH lab of the Northern Research Station, have been modeling potential changes in suitable habitat for trees and birds of the eastern US. These maps are available online at www.nrs.fs.fed.us/atlas. We also look at dispersal potentials through another modeling toolset, and work with modification factors to understand more about the factors not readily modeled.

>> More detail

Monitoring and Understanding Forest/Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Exchange: the NRS Flux Tower Network -

Data from flux sites help test physiological models of C exchange and are critical to relating fluxes and remote sensing data. Companion physiological and ecological measurements enable partitioning carbon fluxes into plant and soil components and reveal mechanisms responsible for these fluxes. Data from the flux sites have been applied in ecology, weather forecasting, and climate studies, especially for sites with several years of data to quantify inter-annual flux variations.

Monitoring climate-related changes in Alaska - Researchers from the PNW Research Station and the Department of the Interior examined options for monitoring ecoregional-level change in northern latitudes. Climate-related changes to Alaska’s forests that could be monitored include changes in abundance and rarity of vascular plants, wildlife habitat, invasive species, fire risk, fire effects, postfire succession, impacts on forest growth and mortality from insects and diseases, and alterations in carbon pools and fluxes. Although managers of individual parks and refuges often have specific needs that require more targeted monitoring, regional level monitoring can help provide context for changes observed within smaller areas.
    Contact: Tara Barrett

>> More detail

Mycorrhizal fungi and postfire establishment of tree seedlings - Understanding the complex mechanisms controlling treeline advance or retreat has important implications for projecting ecosystem responses global environmental change. A warming climate not only promotes growth of seedlings and mature trees; it also enhances disturbances, such as fire that leads to further seedling establishment. Researchers examined how the availability of fungal inoculum for the formation of critical mycorrhizas influenced postfire tree seedling establishment.
    Contact: Teresa Hollingsworth

>> More detail

NetMap module - climate change planning at the watershed level - The effects of climate change differ depending on local conditions such as topography and aspect, making it difficult for natural resource managers and decisionmakers to plan ahead. To remove some of the guesswork, researchers developed NetMap, a tool to help users determine where processes that influence aquatic ecosystems are likely to occur in a particular landscape. A new (2011) feature of NetMap lets users scale likely climate-change impacts to specific watersheds in national forests of the Pacific Northwest. These climate impacts include changes in the pattern and amount of streamflow, water temperatures, and wildfire frequency and magnitude. Results from this analysis can be exported to Google Earth to show where changes are most likely to occur.
    Contact: Gordon Reeves

>> More detail

Nondestructive System for Analyzing Carbon in the Soil -

Soil carbon is a critical component in regulating the global carbon budget, yet there are still many unknowns concerning belowground carbon storage. Technologies are needed for carbon monitoring that are nondestructive, quantitative, and can operate in either static or dynamic modes for scanning large land areas. This study looks at a new measurement method based on gamma-ray spectroscopy induced by inelastic neutron scattering.

North American Vegetation Model for Land-Use Planning in a Changing Climate -

Researchers used modeling techniques to examine potential changes in the distribution of 46 North American biomes under future climates. The resulting maps can help land managers identify areas where projections are more or less certain, and where land management programs may be most successful.

>> More detail

Northern Forest Ecosystem Experiment: Aspen Regeneration and Carbon Cycling -

The Northern Forest Ecosystem Experiment is a large-scale, long-term field experiment in which harvested forests regenerate in atmospheres with enhanced concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3) or both gasses combined. This Experiment takes place on the same site as the 11-year Aspen FACE Experiment, following the final data collection for the Aspen FACE project in 2009.

>> More detail

Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science -

The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) has been designed as a collaborative effort among the Forest Service, universities, and forest industry to provide information on managing forests for climate change adaptation, enhanced carbon sequestration, and sustainable production of bioenergy and materials.

>> More detail

Online Web Tool for Soil Erosion Prediction -

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), in the Soil and Water Engineering group at the Moscow Forest Sciences Laboratory, uses a number of specialized tools for roads, managed forests, and forests following wildfire to predict soil erosion. The daily climate parameter inputs into these predictive tools can be readily altered to reflect warmer or colder, and wetter or drier climates, by month. Our erosion model is physically-based. WEPP includes vegetation growth algorithms which are dependent on soil water availability and daily temperatures. Our predictive tools can thus show the interactions among climate, plant growth, and erosion. This means a drier and/or hotter climate may result in less vegetation, leading to either increased erosion because of reduced ground cover, or reduced erosion because of reduced precipitation. Because WEPP is driven by both temperature and precipitation, it can show the effects of changing climate on snow accumulation, melt, and runoff.

PINEMAP: Mapping the future of southern pine management in a changing world - The PINEMAP project integrates research, extension, and education to enable southern pine landowners to manage forests to increase carbon sequestration; increase efficiency of nitrogen and other fertilizer inputs; and adapt forest managment approaches to increase forest resilience and sustainability under variable climates.
    Contact: Asko Noormets

>> More detail

Pacific Northwest Wildlife Habitat -

RMRS scientists are collaborating with scientists from the Pacific Northwest Station and the University of Washington to develop methods to generate forested landscapes given climate change. These landscapes will be linked to multi-scale wildlife habitat models currently under development at RMRS.

Paleoecology of Great Basin Pinyon-Juniper Communities -

This is being studied to provide sufficient information to determine ecological processes and relationships in Great Basin ecosystems. RMRS scientists investigate how those relationships will be affected by climate change, predict site responses to management alternatives, and develop recommendations for maintaining site integrity. The best source of information for understanding potential changes is the study of vegetation responses to past climate change. Evidence from the past changes provides the data for testing predictive models of future climate change. Arid and semi-arid Great Basin ecosystems are potentially some of the most fragile to global change. Studies combining paleoecological records and current distribution of selected plant species permit estimation of their environmental limits.

Plant hydraulics, N-fertilization and Elevated CO2 -

Ongoing collaborative studies at Duke University Forest examine the growth, carbon exchange, and carbon allocation of loblolly pine in response to changing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. This study looks specifically at the interaction effects between elevated CO2, nitrogen availability and plant hydraulics in loblolly pine.

Plumas/Lassen Administrative Study Vegetation Module Forest Restoration in the Northern Sierra Nevada: Impacts on Structure, Fire Climate, and Ecosystem Resilience. -

PSW scientists focus on the effects of fuel treatments on forest structure, composition, understory microclimate, and succession, because changes in these conditions will define how fire and the forests responds to restoration.

Potential Effects of Global Warming on Plant-Climate Relationships -

This work uses climate estimates for specific geographic points to look at plant community distributions across western North America. Interested users can access the climate data as well as the predictions of current and future forest and plant distributions that have been made using these data.

>> More detail

Predicting global change effects on forest biomass and composition in south-central Siberia -

Multiple global changes such as timber harvest of previously unexploited areas and climate change will undoubtedly affect the composition and spatial distribution of boreal forests, which will in turn affect the ability of these forests to sequester carbon. To reliably predict future states of the boreal forest it is necessary to understand the complex interactions among forest regenerative processes (succession), natural disturbances (e.g., fire, wind and insects) and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., timber harvest).

Predicting the Effects of Climate Change on Avian Abundance. - Using a longterm dataset (27+ years), researchers are examining the effect of weather patterns on avian abundance at the San Joaquin Experimental Range, an oak woodland savanna in California, to reveal potential climate change effects on demography and identify species at risk.
    Contact: Kathryn Purcell, Sylvia Mori

>> More detail

Projecting Climate Change in the United States: Developing climate projections to support the Forest Service RPA 2010 Assessment -

For the 2010 USDA Forest Service Resource Planning Act (RPA) Assessment, a scenario-based approach is being used. A set of future U.S. scenarios, the RPA Scenarios, linked with IPCC global scenarios, provide a coherent interdependent future for population dynamics, socioeconomic factors and climate change, 50 years into the future. This project developed the historical and projected climate data set being used in concert with the socioeconomic data in resource models of forest condition, water supply/use projections, wildlife habitat, recreation participation, and amenity migration for the RPA Assessment.

>> More detail

Projecting timing of budburst under different winter conditions - Many plant species and different populations within species have evolved so that their spring budburst coincides with environmental conditions conducive to growth. Climate change has the potential to alter the signals that plants use, thereby changing the timing of budburst. Station scientists developed a model to predict the timing of budburst for populations of Douglas-fir, the major tree species in northwest forests. It can be used to help assess climate impacts on scales ranging from individual trees to the entire range of coast Douglas-fir.
    Contact: Peter Gould

>> More detail

Quaternary Biogeography of Pacific Southwest Tree Species: Implications of climate cycling to population ecology and genetics, conservation and land management -

PSW scientists use available literature on paleoecological abundance and distribution to reconstruct range shifts and population levels likely to have prevailed throughout the Quaternary, and analyze dynamics over several timescales. With these examples, they interpret new conceptual approaches to conservation, restoration, and land management.

Red Leaf Color as an Indicator of Environmental Stress - Vistas of colorful fall foliage hold tremendous public and media interest, and associated tourism to the Northern Forest is estimated to add billions of dollars to the regional economy each year. This natural spectacle of diverse leaf coloration is based on the physiology of leaf pigments. In addition to its aesthetic value, the biology of one pigment (anthocyanin) may provide insights to how some trees survive environmental stress.
    Contact: Paul Schaberg

Regional Climate Variability and High-Elevation Forest Response Over the Past 4000 Years: Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) chronologies and forest stand dynamics in the eastern Sierra Nevada and western Great Basin ranges. -

Using tree-ring and ecological plot methods, PSW scientists are developing longterm histories of subalpine forest demography and interpreting climate relationships of limber pine populations in the eastern Sierra Nevada and western Great Basin ranges.

Regional Dynamic Vegetation Model for the Southern Colorado Plateau: A Species-Specific Approach -

RMRS scientists and cooperators are working on a recently-funded project that will modify the SIMPPLLE landscape model to address the impact that climate change and disturbances such as bark beetles, wildlife and exotics species will have on the distribution and abundance of vegetation species.

Response of Subalpine Conifers to 20th Century Climate Variability in the Sierra Nevada: Meadow invasion, snowfield colonization, and changes in growth, form, and genetic diversity--complex and threshold reactions to warming climates challenge current assumptions -

Using tree-ring methods, ecological plot evaluation, and genetic analysis, PSW scientists are investigating multiple and independent indicators of vegetation response in subalpine conifers to 20th century climate change.

Science-management partnership facilitates management adapted to climate change - As part of an agency-wide effort, scientists have been collaborating with national forest managers and other agencies to ensure that climate change will be addressed effectively on federal land. Through a science-management partnership, they have developed scientific principles, processes, and tools for communicating about climate science, conducting assessments of the vulnerability of natural resources to climate change, and developing adaptation strategies and tactics that ensure sustainability of resources in a warmer climate.
    Contact: David Peterson

>> More detail

Shrub Encroachment, Wildland Fire, Climate Change, and Carbon Sequestration in Three Southwestern Grassland Ecosystems - This multifaceted research program addresses the impacts of shrub encroachment, precipitation variability, and warming on carbon and nitrogen dynamics of arid grasslands along a latitudinal gradient from northeastern Colorado to southern New Mexico.
    Contact: Paulette Ford

>> More detail

Social and Economic Analysis of the Effects of Climatic Change - Research conducted by the Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics team.
    Contact: Ralph Alig

Soil Carbon Sequestration and Forest Management Practices -

Ongoing Forest Service research examines how management practices can affect soil carbon storage. This study examines whether adding masticated woody residues to soils in forested sites affects short-term carbon storage. The hypothesis was that woody residues would preferentially stimulate soil fungal biomass, resulting in greater soil carbon storage.

Southern High Resolution Modeling Consortium -

The Southern High Resolution Modeling Consortium (SHRMC) is a multi-agency group made up of scientists, air quality managers, fire regulators and others at multiple levels of governance. As a part of this group, SRS researchers are working on methods and tools to improve weather prediction, fire control, air quality, and smoke impact mitigation. Related modeling consortiums exist for other regions of the U.S.

Southern Institute of Forest Ecosystems Biology -

This research unit focuses on above and below-ground ecosystem processes in southern forests and their relationship to forest productivity. Major questions that relate to climate and carbon storage include the study of whether forest management techniques can increase carbon sequestration and an examination of the factors that influence how trees are portitioning carbon.

Southern Pine Ecology and Management -

Current research within this unit addresses the effects of global change on pine-dominated forests in the Southeast and potential silvicultural responses to these changes. Research also examines the effects of climate change, forest management, and insect pests on wildlife in these southern pine-dominated forests.

Stream Temperature Modeling and Monitoring -

Climate changes can affect stream temperature patterns and therefore species distribution, abundance and productivity. This website represents an effort to organize and map stream temperature data, primarily in the western U.S. It also houses a variety of related resources on stream temperature measurement techniques, models for predicting stream temperature, and affects on suitable fish habitat.

>> More detail

Stream temperature influences on warmwater fish and crayfish communities, with emphasis on Yazoo darters -

We are exploring how summer stream temperatures influence fish and crayfish distributions in Mississippi and establishing long-term stream temperature recording sites. A focal species for the study is the Yazoo darter, a small, warmwater fish endemic to north-central Mississippi. This species appears to be restricted to stream segments with high groundwater discharge, and we are investigating whether the species' apparent groundwater dependence is due to temperature influences of groundwater.

>> More detail

Synthesis of tree responses to climate change - Pacific Northwest - Several decades of research exist on the potential responses of trees and forests to climate-related stresses. Researchers synthesized more than 400 research articles addressing physiological and ecological responses of trees and forests to variations in climate and associated stresses and disturbance agents. Although based on an international body of research, the synthesis highlights potential climate changes and responses from species and ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. It is organized around key themes: elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, temperature, precipitation, fire, pests, and their interactions, and discusses vulnerabilities and risks from a forestry management perspective. The authors identify options for silvicultural and genetic approaches to managing for forest adaptation.
    Contact: Paul D. Anderson

>> More detail

Systematic assessment of coarse scale, national level and fine scale, special interest area critical load assessments - This study proposes to develop a national map of critical pollutant loads for nitrogen and sulfur that also accounts for the combined influence of multiple pollutants (e.g., nitrogen and ozone) or the impact of non-critical load stresses (e.g., drought, insect, or disease) on forest ecosystem health. This project has been expanded to examine changes to critical acid loading due to climate change, resulting in several assessments.
    Contact: Steve McNulty

Technology development to support a national early warning system for environmental threats - Scientists and collaborators have launched the ForWarn tool, the strategic research component of the national early warning system, to help natural resource managers rapidly detect, identify, and respond to unexpected changes in the nation�s forests. ForWarn produces maps showing potential forest disturbance across the conterminous United States at 231-meter resolution every 8 days, based on images obtained over the preceding 24-day analysis window.
    Contact: William Hargrove

Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) -

The Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) is a web-based tool that connects forest planning to current climate change science. The formation of TACCIMO was rooted in the need for a standardized, credible, and concise science delivery tool relevant to forest planning and management.

>> More detail

The Adaptive Tradeoffs between Boreal and Temperate Conifers in a Warming World -

In a warming world, trees growing in seasonally cold environments may encounter new winter stresses associated with delayed acclimation, midwinter deacclimation, winter respiration, and light stress, even if they are well-adapted to surviving low-temperature stress in existing climatic regimes. Boreal and temperate conifers that maintain foliage through the winter months may be especially vulnerable.

The Delaware River Basin: Collaborative Environmental Research and Monitoring Initiative (CEMRI) -

In 1998 the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Park Service formed the Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI) to test strategies for integrated environmental monitoring among the agencies. The CEMRI project illustrates a powerful approach for tracking of environmental conditions, development of models for predicting responses of forest and aquatic processes to perturbations, estimation of future forest conditions, and identification of threats to watershed health and forest sustainability.

The Southern Forest Futures Project -

SRS researchers are among the experts working on the Southern Forest Futures Project. The goal of the project is to forecast possible forest conditions 50 years into the future, and the implications for sustainability. Climate change is among the major forces that will influence conditions in 2060.

The physiology, genetics, and distribution of ponderosa pine species vary with changes in elevation and environmental conditions -

A great need exists for collecting data on tree populations as part of a forest indicator and monitoring system. The information is important to confirm models for predicting climate change effects on individual forest stands. Current developments in DNA sequencing methods allow new possibilities for basic research on plant responses to environmental stress including growth, water usage, and cross breeding to form hybrids – and Ponderosa pine species are prime candidates for study.

>> More detail

Threat assessment of non-native perennial grasses to the ecology and management of National Grasslands in the Northern Great Plains - National Grasslands are large, diverse, and mostly intact native ecosystems that provide a wide variety of outputs and resource values. Approximately 86% of the 3.8 million acres of National Grasslands are located within the Northern Great Plains States of CO, NE, WY, SD, and ND, and may represent the last, large tracts of native short- and mixed-grass prairie in the United States. However, the structural and functional integrity of native grasslands are being threatened by intensive agriculture, urban and energy development, unmanaged recreation, and climate change. This project is strategically focused on National Grasslands issues that may adversely impact the diversity, productivity, and sustainability of what may be the last, large tracts of native grasslands in the United States.
    Contact: Jack Butler

>> More detail

Tracing the movement of an invasive insect using stable isotopes -

To better understand the response of insect populations to increasing environmental pollution, we are using stable isotope analysis to trace the movement of an invasive insect in mixed tree communities grown under different air quality conditions.

Tree Growth and Longevity Working Group and Database -

An international research symposium held September 12-13, 2011 at the Morton Arboretum heralded a rousing start for this new group. The meeting brought 150 internationally renowned researchers and practitioners to learn the current state of knowledge concerning urban tree growth, mortality, and longevity, identify important gaps in our knowledge, discuss promising new methodologies, prioritize research and education needs, and outline a course of action for future research and outreach.

>> More detail

Tropical Forest Mycology -

The Center for Forest Mycology Research (CFMR), part of the Northern Research Station, leads critical research on the biology of tropical fungi native to Hawaii, US territories in the Caribbean and to other countries in the Caribbean Basin. The primary goals of this research are to: (1) recognize emerging tropical forest diseases, especially those with the potential to spread to the continental US and (2) identify the effects of environmental change on the distributions of beneficial and harmful forest fungi.

Understanding physical processes of tree development and tree response to warmer climate - A tree undergoes many physical changes during its life. Leaf physiology, wood structure, mechanical properties, reproductive ability, and interactions with herbivores and pathogens are just some of the features that change as a seedling grows to maturity. Many of these changes are presumed to allow trees to acclimate to the environment and endure for millennia. This research endeavors to understand these processes in order to anticipate tree response to warmer climates.
    Contact: Rick Meinzer

>> More detail

Understanding soil and watershed hydrology - Understanding the impact of soil properties on forest hydrology and water quality can offer valuable information to researchers and water resource managers in addressing water shortages during droughts. Scientists examined forest hydrology and water quality patterns in North Carolina piedmont headwater watersheds with different geologic features and soil characteristics, Carolina Slate Belt (CSB) and Triassic Basin (TB), and offered reference or baseline data for area watershed planning.
    Contact: Johnny Boggs

Urban Forests and CO2 Reduction -

Urban forests improve air quality by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and absorbing air pollutants. Trees can directly sequester carbon dioxide as woody and foliar biomass while they grow. Properly planted and managed trees can also reduce the need for heating and air conditioning, resulting in fewer emissions released into the atmosphere. A study of one Southwest region's six million trees reveals that the trees remove and store approximately 304,000 tons of atmospheric CO2, 12,000 tons of ozone, and 9,000 tons of particulates.

>> More detail

Urban Forests and Climate Change: Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocols -

PSW's Center for Urban Forest Research is leading a team in the development of greenhouse gas reporting protocols for urban forests. The Urban Forest Reporting Protocols will use state-of-the-art science from the Center for Urban Forest Research to provide cities, utilities, and other organizations with an opportunity to predict, measure, and verify the role of urban trees in fighting global climate change.

Warmer winters likely to expand range of dwarf mistletoe - Climate is a key control that regulates where tree species and their pathogens can survive. By analyzing forest inventory data, scientists found that hemlock dwarf mistletoe, a leading disease agent for western hemlock, is restricted to the warmer southerly and low elevation forests in Alaska. The absence of dwarf mistletoe in some hemlock forests may be attributed to shorter growing seasons or suggest that snow limits dwarf mistletoe�s reproductive dispersal. Both western hemlock and hemlock dwarf mistletoe are projected to benefit from a warmer, less snowy climate. Scientists are projecting the potential distributions of both the tree and disease agent to affect the health of western hemlock forests during the next century in Alaska.
    Contact: Paul Hennon

>> More detail

Watershed Vulnerability Assessments on National Forests - Watershed vulnerability assessment as currently being developed in the Forest Service is a strategic assessment process that describes conditions, processes, and interactions at intermediate scales, adapting broad guidance, analysis, and approaches to ecosystem management to particular places at management-relevant scales. The draft assessment process was piloted on 11 National Forests in 2010. The goal of the pilot watershed vulnerability assessment was to quantify the current and projected future condition of watersheds as affected by climate change to inform management decision making.
    Contact: Michael Furniss

>> More detail

Western Mountain Initiative -

A collaborative research program on the effects of climatic variability and change on mountain ecosystems in the Western United States.

Westwide Climate Initiative -

A research-management partnership to assess and adapt to the effects of climatic change on western ecosystems. Proposed by scientists in the western research stations of the Forest Service, it will assess the effects of climatic change on natural resources, develop a climate-smart toolbox for resource analysis, and generate adaptive management options for western national forests.

>> More detail

Wolverines and Climate Constraints -

RMRS scientists have shown that historical wolverine distribution was highly correlated with persistent snow. Genetic analysis reinforced these understandings and showed that the occurrence patterns had been present for at least 2,000 years. Wolverine's snow association is likely due to the location of reproductive dens in snow. We are currently collaborating with Scandinavian scientists to ascertain whether European wolverines are also snow-dependent when denning. Additionally we are working with the University of Montana and and the USGS to project snow patterns into the future and determine the likely effects of snow cover changes on wolverines.

Yellow Birch, acid deposition, and climate change risk - Yellow birch is affected by low soil calcium due to acid rain and vulnerable to climate change.
    Contact: Ken Stolte

Yellow cedar continues uphill retreat - Continuing research on yellow-cedar populations in southeast Alaska found many dead trees at lower elevations and live trees most common at mid elevations. Regeneration peaked at higher elevations. These trends are consistent with the understanding that the presence of spring snow is a primary factor in the health and successful regeneration of yellowcedar. This knowledge is guiding decisions about where to favor this valuable tree through planting and thinning.
    Contact: Paul Hennon, David D'Amore

>> More detail

researchTitle - researchSummary
    Contact: contact1NameFirst contact1NameLast, contact2NameFirst contact2NameLast

>> More detail