Pacific Southwest Research Station

[image:] TreeSearch, links to http://treesearch.fs.fed.us/

Giving you access to over 25,000 online USDA Forest Service Research publications.

Science that makes a difference.

The Pacific Southwest Research Station is a world leader in natural resources research through our scientific excellence and responsiveness to the needs of current and future generations.

We represent the research and development branch of the USDA Forest Service in the states of California and Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands. Our primary work occurs in California (the most populous state with the fifth largest economy in the world) and Hawaii (a strategic location in the Pacific Rim economies and tourism). Our mission is to Develop and communicate science needed to sustain forest ecosystems and their benefits to society.

Low-intensity prescribed fire. Photo by M. North Researchers model carbon storage and emissions after different fuels treatments: PSW scientist, Malcolm North, and collaborators sought to better understand how to manage forests with frequent fire regimes to maximize carbon sequestration and minimize emissions. They used a computer model and field data to study how different fuel reduction treatments, including thinning and/or prescribed burning, affect the amount of carbon stored and released in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests with and without wildfire. The field data and model focused on tree-based carbon and quantified total carbon storage and emissions immediately following different fuels treatments and projected over a century. They concluded that a low-density forest dominated by large fire-resistant pines may be a desired stand structure for stabilizing tree-based carbon stocks in fire prone areas. Learn more ...

North, M., M. Hurteau, and J. Innes. 2009. Fire suppression and fuels treatment effects on mixed-conifer carbon stocks and emissions. Ecological Applications, 19(6), 2009, pp. 1385-1396.
Hurteau, M., M. North. 2008. Fuel treatment effects on tree-based forest carbon storage and emissions undermodeled wildfire scenarios. Front Ecol Environ 2009; 7(8): 409-414, doi:10.1890/080049.
NPR's Morning Addition story, Using Trees To Curb Climate Change Not So Simple, including an interview with Matthew Hurteau.
Teakettle Experimental Forest overview, and the Teakettle Ecosystem Experiment
Read about other Experimental Forests administered by the Pacific Southwest Research Station.
Read about Malcolm North.

Photo: Emerald Bay Tahoe Science: PSW has issued a request for proposals for Tahoe science projects funded through SNPLMA Round 10.

A blank template for proposals is available.

This opportunity can be accessed through the grants.gov website, which includes blank forms. To access the opportunity to compete for funding under this RFP, search for one or more of the following attributes:

Opportunity Number: USDA-FS-PSW-TAHOE-2009
Opportunity Title: Tahoe Research Supported by SNPLMA Round 10
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 10.652 (Forestry Research)

Please check back to this website and the Grants.gov opportunity for any updates prior to submitting your proposal.

The CUFR Tree Carbon Calculator (CTCC) is now national! The new version of the CTCC works just like the old, but

extends use from the 6 California climate regions to 16 US climate zones (same zones used in i-Tree Streets)
includes palm species in palm-friendly climate zones
emissions factors for 16 regions
and energy information for 16 regions (heating and cooling degree days) for energy conservation trees

Users from coast to coast can enter species, tree size (diameter-at-breast height) or tree age and receive information on the amount of biomass and carbon stored in the tree, as well as benefits associated with energy conservation projects. All results are based on tree growth data from each region. To learn more or download this Excel application, visit the U.S. Forest Service's Climate Change Resource Center website. To see what else we're doing in the area of uban foresty, visit out Center for Urban Forestry pages.

Spring 2009 issue of Science Perspectives - The article, The changing faces of forest recreation , features the work of researcher Debbie Chavez. In southern California, social scientists are studying the needs and recreation patterns of Latino visitors to better understand this rapidly growing user group. Read this article or check out all of our Science Perspectives.

Goheen, E.M.; Frankel, S.J., tech. coords. 2009. Proceedings of the fourth meeting of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Working Party S07.02.09: Phytophthoras in forests and natural ecosystems. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-221. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 334 p.

Browse the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Video Presentations page - see our experts' lectures and presentations on topics in tropical ecosystems and forestry. Current titles include "The Hawaii Tropical Experimental Forest"; "A General Framework for Ecological Restoration in Changing Climate"; "Mangroves, Sediment and Water"; "Habitat Value of Mangroves for Fish in Micronesia". Browse the videos.

Global Climate Change

Pacific Southwest Global Change - Learn about climate change research and related activities conducted by scientists at the PSW Research Station.
Pacific Southwest Research Station and Region 5 Sustainable Operations Survey Report - Read the results of our sustainable operations survey. Current participation in sustainable operations efforts and ideas for increasing success are presented. For more information contact Pat Winter pwinter@fs.fed.us.
Scientists talk about climate change in the West - Topics emphasize information of interest to wildland managers and others who want an understanding of the interaction among climate change, forests, wildfire, water supplies, fish and wildlife, and associated values, and the implications for wildland management.

PSW Station participates in MillionTreesLA initiative - The Pacific Southwest Research Station is pleased to be able to provide a simple tree selection tool to assist the City of Los Angeles in meeting their goal to plant a million trees. See how to pick a one-in-a-million tree! at our Center for Urban Forestry area. Also visit http://www.milliontreesla.org to learn more about the effort.