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What's New Archive[02-Feb-2012] New Web Site Shares Information About Deadly Tree Pathogens - Sudden oak death, Port-Orford-cedar root disease and other deadly tree diseases caused by Phytophthora species (pronounced fy-TOF-ther-uh) are threatening forest ecosystems worldwide. These microorganisms, which are related to algae and diatoms, spend part of their life cycle in soil or water but once they infect trees, they can kill them. A new web site, developed jointly by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and Oregon State University, hopes to put knowledge and resources in the hands of scientists and land managers as they look for ways to fight these deadly diseases. [read the full news release.] [23-Jan-2012] High-Tech Models Help Guide Restoration Efforts to Save Threatened Plants - A team of scientists from the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and two universities will begin research using sophisticated topographic models to identify areas within dry forests that have the most potential for ecological restoration. [read the full news release.] [09-Jan-2012] New Research Helps Predict Bat Presence at Wind Energy Facilities - An interactive tool developed by researchers from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) will help wind energy facility operators make informed decisions on efficient ways to reduce impacts on migratory bats. [read the full news release.] [29-Nov-2011] U.S. Forest Service Arboretum Provides California State Capitol Christmas Tree - Past and present employees from the USDA Forest Service's Institute of Forest Genetics will reminisce about the tiny seedling they watched grow into a 60-foot tree when Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. lights the 80th Annual California State Capitol Christmas Tree on Dec. 7 in front of the State Capitol in Sacramento. Part of the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and located in Placerville, the Institute has donated a white fir to the state for the past 13 years. [read the full news release.] [24-Oct-2011] [28-Sep-2011] Visit our Tahoe Science research partnerships pages to learn more about the program. [16-May-2011] Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog Provides Insight on River Management - River flow fluctuations downstream of dams are often out of sync with natural flow patterns and can have significant negative effects on aquatic species, such as native frogs, according to a team of researchers. The team examined how altered water flows caused by hydroelectric dams impact the life cycle of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii). [read the full news release] Visit our Rana boylii topic pages to learn more about the research. [03-May-2011] Tahoe Science - PSW is initiating 15 new science projects in support of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act and the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. PSW administers this competitive Tahoe Science Program with funds provided by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) through the sale of public lands as authorized by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA). The current round of projects will guide research efforts in the areas of Forest Health, Watershed, Water Quality, and Habitat Restoration, Air Quality, and Integrating Science. [read the full announcement] [22-Apr-2011]
Deanna J. Stouder [08-Apr-2011] New Program Plants Seed for Local Hawaiian Students - Students on the Island of Hawaii will get an opportunity to learn about native plants, ecological restoration and environmental sustainability, thanks to a new program funded through the USDA Forest Service’s More Kids in the Woods initiative. [read the full news release] [03-Apr-2011] Mangroves Among the Most Carbon-Rich Forests in the Tropics - A research team from the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest and Northern research stations, University of Helsinki and the Center for International Forestry Research examined the carbon content of 25 mangrove forests across the Indo-Pacific region and found that per hectare mangrove forests store up to four times more carbon than most other tropical forests around the world. [read the full news release] [14-Mar-2011] New High-Resolution Carbon Mapping Techniques Provide More Accurate Results - A team of scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology and the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) has developed new, more accurate methods for mapping carbon in Hawaii's forests. [read the full news release] [30-Nov-2010] [23-Nov-2010] U.S. Forest Service and Two Universities Team Up to Develop New Ecosystems for Hawaiian Forests - In collaboration with Stanford University and the University of Hawaii, Hilo, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station’s Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry will begin research next spring on developing "hybrid ecosystems"—a mix of native and non-native species—in an effort to create a sustainable ecosystem in tropical forests. [read the full news release.] [13-Oct-2010] U.S. Forest Service and El Dorado High School Team Up to Hold Third Annual Natural Resources Fair - El Dorado High School students and employees from the Pacific Southwest Research Station and Eldorado National Forest will continue to spark an interest in resource management among more than 600 middle school students expected at the third annual Natural Connections fair on October 15. Sixth- through eighth-grade students from Placerville and Sacramento will visit 30 activity stations that will teach them about topics, such as biomes, food chains, water, wildlife, fire ecology and safety, insects, non-native invasive species, recreation, timber management, and genetics. The activities will be led by about 90 El Dorado High School students, along with Forest Service natural resources professionals from the Eldorado National Forest and Pacific Southwest Research Station, and partners from American River Conservancy, California State Department of Water Resources, UC Davis Extension and El Dorado County. [read the full news release.] [07-Sep-2010] Tahoe Science: PSW has issued a request for proposals for Tahoe science projects funded through SNPLMA Round 11. - 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-2010 The request for proposals closes October 27, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. Be sure to check back to this website and the Grants.gov opportunity for any updates prior to submitting your proposal. Visit our Tahoe Science research partnerships pages to learn more about the program. [11-Aug-2010] Carbon costs and benefits of fuel treatment - The amount of carbon stored in our forest ecosystem, mainly in living biomass and soil, is also to a lesser extent also in dead wood and litter. Understory thinning and prescribed fires reduce carbon stocks and produce emissions, but continued tree growth re-sequesters that carbon in approximately 15 years. Learn about the several carbon costs that should be considered when conducting prescribed burning or thinning to reduce tree density and surface fuel loads:
[29-Jul-2010] Prescribed Burning Helps Managers Avoid Soil Damage - In a study funded by the Joint Fire Science Program and the National Fire Plan, soil heating was measured during a series of experimental burns that compared several soil types and moisture contents. The study revealed that soil-moisture content greater than 20 percent by volume effectively quenched the heat pulse in a wide variety of soils. From these findings, a predictive model was presented that allows fire managers to identify fuel load and moisture conditions to avoid soil damage during burning. [13-Jul-2010] Historic Critchfield Memorial Herbarium goes digital: believed to be the largest collection of pine specimens in the world. - The Station has released the online version of the historic Critchfield Memorial Herbarium. The website includes collection information as well as a photograph of each specimen. Many specimens in the collection date back to the early 1920’s and represent an important record of the development of the field of pine taxonomy. Many influential forest geneticists deposited specimens in the herbarium. The collection includes several holotypes and isotypes- specimens used to define a species. With over 4,000 specimens, it is believed to be the largest collection of pines in the world. [Read the full news release]. [01-Jul-2010] Bringing the woods to kids: the Richmond Edible Forest Project - The city of Richmond represents one of the most diverse populations in Contra Costa County. It also has a high poverty rate: more than 13 percent of the residents live below the federal poverty level according to a 1999 report published by the Urban Habitat Program in San Francisco. But the Richmond Edible Forest Project hopes to help change those statistics by teaching local youth how to garden and produce a healthy food source for themselves and their communities. [Read the full news release]. [22-Jun-2010] Summer day camps provide fun environmental education activities for Humboldt County youth - The city recreation programs of Arcata and Eureka are offering several week-long camps focused on natural resources themes such as wildlife, forestry, aquatics and fisheries, air and space, and renewable energy. Camp participants will explore their local environment, and learn about research and careers in natural resources. The camps are supported by a special program sponsored by the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest (PSW) Research Station and contributions from community partners. [Read the full news release].
The Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) is initiating 17 new science projects (see the attached announcement for the full list) in support of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act and the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. PSW administers this competitive Tahoe Science program with funds provided by the Bureau of Land Management through the sale of public lands as authorized by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. The Round 10 projects will guide efforts in the areas of Forest Health, Watershed, Water Quality, and Habitat Restoration; and Air Quality and Meteorology. Visit our Tahoe Science research partnerships pages to learn more about the program.
Read the full news release. [15-Mar-2010] Tahoe Science: PSW has issued a request for proposals that will apply the experience and expertise of a research team to synthesize past research, monitoring, and other relevant scientific knowledge in developing products to meet management needs for a comprehensive approach to managing the nearshore ecology and aesthetics of Lake Tahoe. 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: Visit our Tahoe Science research partnerships pages to learn more about the program. [09-Mar-2010] There's No Place Like Home; Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs are further imperiled by their strong site fidelity to degraded sites - researchers Kathleen Matthews and Haiganoush Preisler found that site fidelity, the tendency to return to previously occupied habitats, is strong in the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog. The research showed how cumulative effects of a changing climate and introduced non-native trout are negatively impacting the habitat of a species already extirpated from 90% of its historic localities, and will further stress frogs with strong site fidelity. Low snowpack levels causing lake drying and predation by introduced non-native trout is hampering the breeding success of this imperiled frog. A recently published study in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences titled "Site fidelity of the declining amphibian Rana sierra (Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog)" underscores the need to incorporate the site fidelity habits of this frog while designing restoration strategies for its continued existence. Learn more... read the full news release. [01-Mar-2010]> [26-Jan-2010]2010 Request for Proposals for Sudden Oak Death/Phytophthora ramorum research - provides for approximately $500,000 to be awarded competitively in 2010. Through this Request for Proposals, we will fund research, nationwide and internationally, to increase the understanding of Phytophthora ramorum/Sudden Oak Death. Proposals are due on or before Wednesday, March 31, 2010. Complete instructions for submission are provided on the Request for Proposals. For more information contact Susan Frankel, Sudden Oak Death/Phytophthora ramorum Research Program Manager at sfrankel@fs.fed.us or 510-559-6472. Learn more about the SOD Program.
[22-Dec-2009]Tahoe Science: The Tahoe Science Consortium and Pacific Southwest Research Station have assembled a report entitled, "Effects of Fuels Management in the Tahoe Basin: A Scientific Literature Review." The report consists of chapters authored by research scientists that summarize the relevant scientific literature on vegetation responses to treatments, effects of treatments on future wildfires, soil and water quality responses, effects of wild and prescribed fires on air quality, and wildlife habitat and community responses. The report also includes a 6 page Executive Summary, an introductory overview of the context of fuels management in the basin, and an appendix describing several ongoing research efforts designed to answer key questions. Electronic copies of this report are available here: Effects of Fuels Management in the Tahoe Basin: A Scientific Literature Review Visit our Tahoe Science research partnerships pages to learn more about the program.
Visit our Tahoe Science research partnerships pages to learn more about the program. [17-Nov-2009]Urban Ecohydrology Project Explores Impacts from Water Demand for City Trees: With a grant from the Urban Long Term Research Areas-Exploratory Awards (ULTRA-Ex), a program administered by National Science Foundation, social scientist Stephanie Pincetl will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team from University of California Los Angeles Institute of the Environment to investigate ecosystem transformation in cities, with a focus on water. The research will examine the human planted urban vegetation and Los Angeles water-use impacts on water supply from distant sources in a context of climate change. Learn more... read the full news release and read about Stephanie Pincetl. [09-Nov-2009]
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Fewer Marten detections in California forest linked to decline in habitat - The reclusive American marten is getting even harder to find in the Sierra Nevada, according to a study by a team of researchers from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University. A new study at the Sagehen Experimental Forest found that marten detections have dropped 60 percent since the 1980s—a decrease that may be caused by a degradation of the wooded areas in which they live, researchers say. Their findings appeared in the current issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management. [read the 
Tahoe Science - PSW has released the Tahoe Science Program Round 12 Request for Proposals. Please read the 
[19-Mar-2010] New Project Helps Land Managers Understand Interactions of Climate Change, Pathogens and Forests - Scientists synthesize information about interactions of climate change, plant pathogens and forests in a systematic and useful way in a new report for land managers titled 
American Pika are thriving in the Sierra Nevada and southwestern Great Basin - New research addressing climate change questions, a priority focus of the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, documents that American pika in the Sierra Nevada and southwestern Great Basin are thriving and persist in a wider range of temperatures than previously discovered. Results were recently published in a paper titled "
[25-Jan-2010]PSW Scientist Earns Deputy Chief's Distinguished Science Award - Research paleoecologist 
[18-Dec-2009] Forest Service Researchers Release Sierra Nevada Fisher Kit - An orphaned fisher kit released back into its native habitat after being rescued this summer by USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station's Kings River Fisher Project (KRFP) crew appears to be thriving. His successful reintroduction to Sierra National Forest is considered significant because Fishers are currently listed as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act; their status is currently being reviewed. (Read the 
[14-Dec-2009] Adapting to Climate Change: A Short Course for Land Managers - A new climate change short course, available online at the 
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 ...