Workshops & Webinars
TACCIMO: Forest Plan Revision and Program Area Applications, May 12, 2011, 11AM-12:30PM EDT
TACCIMO (Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options) is a web-based tool being developed by the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC), WWETAC's eastern counterpart. The goal of this tool is to create custom reports for planners and managers based on climate change projections, literature based impacts and management options and forest plans. WWETAC would like to join EFETAC in making this tool available to planners and managers in the west as well.
Webinar Agenda and Instructions for Joining
Previous Webinars
Mountain Pine Beetle and Fire:
The Science Behind the Risks -
May 4, 2011
This seminar/webinar sponsored by WWETAC, the interagency Mountain Pine Beetle Forum, and Tri-County FireSafe Working Group, focused on the relationship between mountain pine beetle outbreaks and wildfire. Experts from the scientific community as well as local experts presented their research, experience and observations on the topic.
Link to mt.gov for videos from the forum
Predicting Behavior of Forest Diseases as Climate Changes – November 3, 2010 and December 2, 2010
This free hour-long webinar addressed the potential synergistic effects of climate change and forest diseases on the heath of trees and forests through case studies of sudden aspen decline, Swiss needle cast, Alaska yellow cedar decline, and other examples. Speakers discussed drivers of tree declines, methods for collection and analysis of data on tree mortality, and potential management options to minimize the undesirable effects of forest diseases.
Contact Janice Alexander (415-499-3041; jalexander[at]ucdavis.edu) for more information. This webinar is sponsored by USDA Forest Service, Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center & Pacific Southwest Research Station; University of California Cooperative Extension, Marin County; and University of California, Santa Barbara.
Download December 2nd Presentation Slides (PDF, 15 MB)
Integrating Climate Change with Forest Vegetation Models for Adaptation Planning: A Webinar for Managers, Planners, Vegetation Modelers, and Climate Change Coordinators – July 27, 2010 and August 4, 2010
Co-Host: University of Washington, Climate Impacts Group
Presenters: Dr. Jeremy Littell, Research Scientist, UW Climate Impacts Group; Dr. Samuel Cushman, Research Landscape Ecologist, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station
Evaluating the potential impacts of climate change on forest management and planning objectives is essential to ensuring that these objectives can be met in the coming decades. Numerous factors need to be considered, however, when integrating climate change and vegetation models used in forest planning and management. Which carbon dioxide emissions scenarios might you consider? Which global climate models are applicable? Which vegetation models are most appropriate for evaluating climate impacts? Underlying each of these decision points is a need to both understand and manage the uncertainties embedded in climate and vegetation modeling.
Download the Webinar Presentation
Download the Webinar Presentation with Notes
The following is helpful to know when listening to the audio file:
- You will hear a participant's "hold" function on their phone system beeping periodically for 4 minutes between 59:15 and 1:03.
- To easily change locations in the webinar playback, click on the "Advanced Options" icon next to the playback button and click on "Find" in the box that opens. This will generate a list of the slides from which you can pick and choose points of the webinar to play.
Past Workshops Sponsored by WWETAC
Managing Climate Change Risk in Forests: How Can We Use Silviculture and Genetics to Minimize Potential Problems? – November 12, 2008
Portland, Oregon
Lead: Becky Kerns
This workshop addressed how to manage risk associated with uncertainty of future climate change. Topics included an overview of climate change, the response of vegetation, managing in the face of climate change, and adaptation strategies in terms of silviculture and genetics. The workshop was a joint initiative of the Taskforce on Adapting Forests to Climate Change and the Western Forestry and Conservation Association.
Access Talks Presented at the Workshop
Project ID: FY08BK52
Workshop on exploring quantitative approaches for vegetation management and forest
planning under a changing climate - June 2008
Denver, CO
Lead: Terry Shaw
Introduction
Currently, there exist many ecological models that project vegetation
productivity or vegetation type under climate change. Those
models produce various results based on different realizations
of the ecological processes, similar to the many different global
climate models that are available. These ecological models offer
planners and managers several pictures of future vegetative
landscapes. Determining which model best suits the particular
needs of a manager or planner can be overwhelming. A workshop
is planned to provide information on how to understand and potentially
use the results of these models including ways to work with
scientists and modelers. This workshop will provide the avenue
to explore the different classes of models that can be used
to project future vegetation with climate change and the role
that these models can play in increasing the effectiveness and
efficiency of decisionmaking in land management and planning.
Workshop goals and objectives
- Evaluate and document the purposes, limitations, strengths, and weaknesses of the different classes of models that can be used to project future vegetation with climate change.
- Provide a forum for discussion between modelers, planners, and managers on ways to increase the use and effectiveness of various vegetation management models in a changing climate.
Workshop Videos
Scale, Space, Time: Mapping from Climate Models to Vegetation Models
Bioclimatic Envelope Models and Applications
Climate Change and Dynamic Landscape Models
Climate Change and Gap/Stand-level Vegetation Models
Dynamic Global Vegetation and Biogeochemical Models
Vegetation Models and Climate Change – January 23-25, 2008
Portland, Oregon
Lead: Becky Kerns & Terry Shaw
Introduction
National forest managers and planners operate in an uncertain world. To be effective, they have incorporated various forecasting tools such as vegetation management models in their planning and decisionmaking efforts. Managers and planners have incorporated information on new disturbances and have used new quantitative approaches in the past. Climate change is the latest issue to be addressed. The international discussions about climate change have been based on the use of quantitative models to project future climates and the impact of climate change on ecosystems. Public perceptions about climate change therefore are conditioned on these quantitative global projections. More than any other resource issue before, this quantitative context influences how planners and managers can respond to climate change–recognition of the quantitative aspect of climate change needs to be recognized in planning efforts.
Currently, there exist many different ecological models that project vegetation productivity or vegetation type under climate change. Those models produce various results based on different realizations of the ecological processes; similar to the many different global climate models that are available. These ecological models offer planners and managers several pictures of future vegetative landscapes. Determining which model best suits the particular needs of a manager or planner can be overwhelming. A workshop is planned to provide information on how to understand and potentially use the results of these models including ways to work with scientists and modelers. This workshop will provide the avenue to explore the different classes of models that can be used to project future vegetation with climate change and the role that these models can play in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of decisionmaking in land management and planning. The workshop will also use the expertise and experiences of the attendees to collate generalities of climate change that are potentially independent of models and quantitative approaches but still useful for decisionmaking in planning and management.
Workshop goals and objectives
- Evaluate and document the purposes, limitations, strengths, and weaknesses of the different classes of models that can be used to project future vegetation with climate change.
- Provide a forum for discussion between modelers, planners, and managers on ways to increase the use and effectiveness of various vegetation management models in a changing climate.
Desired outcomes of the workshop
- Managers and planners will have an improved understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of the various models, including a clearer knowledge of the questions that each model can and cannot answer.
- Modelers will have a better sense of the questions being posed by the planning community.
- Modelers will be better able to plan for the improvement of their models to accommodate these needs.
More on the models
Examples of several types of models will be reviewed including
those categorized as GVM, Climate envelope, gap, landscape,
and
growth and
yield. Workshop prework will include literature reviews, syntheses,
survey work and summary tables that will address
model criteria and suitability factors. Questions will revolve
around general model information (for example documentation,
support
options, scale and scope, etc.) and model capabilities (for example
integration, strengths, weaknesses, climate change features
and/or
abilities, etc.).
Audience
Forest Service and other interested scientists, modelers and
technologists, and Forest Service planners and managers from
throughout the United
States, by invitation.
Workshop format
Two-day to two-and one-half-day format with model developers,
participants and users interacting on the capabilities, strengths,
and weaknesses
of various models and model lasses.
Potential products
Potential products include syntheses or other documents that summarize
the various models and their potential for use in the planning
and management arena. In addition, a short course on quantitative
approaches for vegetation management under changing climate scenarios
is envisioned for managers and planners.
Vegetation Models and Climate Change Workshop Final Report
Note: The background documents mentioned in the report have been moved to http://www.essa.com/documents/WWETAC/
Project ID: FY08TS44
RapidSpot - Nov 6-8, 2007
Portland, OR
Lead: Alan Ager
One of the national, integrated efforts underway to address increasing wildfire risks is the Strategic Placement of Treatments (SPOTS). To increase familiarity with and use of this approach, the Forest Service Washington Office and the Western Wildands Environmental Threat Assessment Center cosponsored the RapidSpot workshop November 4th through 6th in Portland, Oregon. The workshop demonstrated the design and analysis of landscape-scale fuel treatment strategies to maximize effectiveness of treatments while meeting a variety of healthy forest objectives. The workshop also introduced the application of risk analysis concepts to fuel treatment planning. The RapidSpot Workshop was attended by teams from most of the Forest Service Regions. During the workshop, teams deigned and tested treatment patterns for a range of restoration objectives against potential fire behavior using data from ongoing projects at their home unit. The workshop was led by a team of fire modelers, geographic information systems (GIS) experts, and resource specialists with an extensive background in restoration and fuel treatment planning.
Read more information by visiting the ArcFuels page
Project ID: FY08AA39
Forests, Insects and Pathogens, and Climate Change Workshop,
June 26-28, 2007
Portland, OR
Lead: Becky Kerns & Terry Shaw
Forests, Insects and Pathogens, and Climate Change Workshop Final Report (PDF)
Note: The background documents mentioned in the report have been moved to http://www.essa.com/documents/WWETAC/
The goals of this workshop were to:
- Explore and advance the state of the science for the integrated analysis and prediction of climate change and native and exotic insect and pathogen processes for risk assessment across multiple spatial and temporal scales.
- Discuss current tools used to assess and quantify climate change, insects and pathogens, and synergistic effects on natural resources and ecosystem services at scales relevant for forest management and planning.
- Assist WWETAC in developing a collaborative RD&A strategy for risk assessment that includes the interaction of climate change and insect and pathogen threats to western wildlands.
Approximately 25 participants discussed a mixture of climate, biological, and human aspects that will likely interact in novel ways over the next century. Participants were shown a series of presentations and then given an ecosystem-focused exercise and a set of questions to stimulate thinking. They were asked to discuss what they thought could be the impacts of the changing climate on the current vegetation and on the insects and pathogens that either are a current part of each ecosystem, or that could become a part of the ecosystem in the future. They were also to identify key issues and research needs. Each subgroup was charged with providing a summary of their discussions. A final report is now available.
Project ID: FY07TS27
Advances in Threats Assessment and Their Application to Forest
and Range Management Conference, July, 18-20, 2006
Boulder,
CO
Lead: Jerry Beatty
Sponsored by the Eastern and Western Threat Assessment Centers, held over 3 days and consisting of more than 100 oral and poster presentations, this ground-breaking conference brought together over 50 scientists to discuss the latest findings in threat assessment science and promises to deliver to researchers, land managers, and policymakers the scientific knowledge about environmental threats they need to achieve their objectives. The conference proceedings will be published as a General Technical Report (GTR) by the Pacific Northwest Research Station. Fifty of the peer-reviewed papers will form the core of a Forest Environmental Threats module in the Forest Encyclopedia Network, http://threats.forestencyclopedia.net/.
Conference Presentations and Information
Project ID: FY05JB1
Pacific Southwest and California Client Meeting, May 31, 2006
Sacramento, CA
Lead: Jerry Beatty
To learn what an important set of potential clients in the Pacific Southwest and California Regions think about the research direction the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center (WWETAC) should take over the next 5 years. Participants at the meeting discussed with center personnel what they thought would be the most important values of western wildlands and what they saw as the greatest threats to those values, how those values and threats interact, and over which spatial and temporal scales they play out.
Rocky Mountain Region Client Meeting, December 1, 2005
Denver,
CO
Lead: Jerry Beatty
To learn what an important set of potential clients in the Rocky Mountain Region think about the research direction the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center (WWETAC) should take over the next 5 years. Participants at the meeting discussed with center personnel what they thought would be the most important values of western widlands and what they saw as the greatest threats to those values, how those values and threats interact, and over whish spatial and temporal scales they play out.
State of Science Review of Probabilistic Regional Risk Assessment Methodologies for Eastern and Western Wildlands, September, 20-22, 2005 Portland, OR
Lead: Becky Kerns, John Laurence, Jerry Beatty
This workshop invited 20 scientists from around the United States to present in an open forum the latest methodologies on doing probabilistic risk assessment of the threats to ecosystems. The goals of the workshop were to:
- Identify the methods currently in use that are capable of evaluating the threats to ecosystems from fire and fuels buildup, invasive species, native insects and pathogens, land use change, and climate change.
- Bring to bear the latest technologies in the area on a new set of stressors in a new geographic region.
- Discuss the existing national and regional databases provide the information required by these methodologies.
- Describe existing scientific literature and guidance for evaluating risks to ecosystems
from interactions among these stressors.
State-Of-The-Science Review of Probabilistic Regional Risk Assessment Methodologies for Western Wildlands Report (PDF, 4.3 MB)Project ID: FY05JB2 & FY05BK4
ArcFuels Training Workshops
Lead: Alan Ager
