Rachel A Loehman

Drivers of California’s changing wildfires: a state-of-the-knowledge synthesis

Over the past four decades, annual area burned has increased significantly in California and across the western USA. This trend reflects a confluence of intersecting factors that affect wildfire regimes. It is correlated with increasing temperatures and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit. Anthropogenic climate change is the driver behind much of this change, in addition to influencing other climate-related factors, such as compression of the winter wet season. These climatic trends and associated increases in fire activity are projected to continue into the future. Additionally, factors related to the suppression of the Indigenous use of fire, aggressive fire suppression and, in some cases, changes in logging practices...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

Berry-producing plants, a key resource in Alaska Native communities, provide primary subsistence and have been integral to maintaining cultural cohesion, sense of place, and physical ties to the surrounding landscape. Despite the importance of berry-producing plants, relatively little is known about their vulnerability to changes in climate and environmental conditions. The dynamics of insect populations are strongly related to climate; however, very little is known about the insect pollinators of berry plants in Arctic and sub-Arctic ecosystems. This interaction between plants and pollinators is critical to plant communities and for providing fruit resources to Indigenous communities. Numerous plant species...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2022, Alaska, Alaska CASC, Alaska Natives and Corporations, Alaska Natives and Corporations, All tags... Arctic, Arctic, CASC, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples, Landscapes, Landscapes, Other Wildlife, Other Wildlife, Plants, Plants, Projects by Region, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags

2013 Proposal: Developing management guidelines for creating resilient whitebark pine ecosystems in the northern Rocky Mountains using spatial simulation modeling

Landscape simulation modeling will be used to develop detailed management guidelines for restoring and sustaining whitebark pine under future climates, accounting for the principal stressors that threaten its persistence (exotic disease infections, mountain pine beetles, and fire exclusion policies). We will build on existing work, including the 2012 publication A Range-Wide Restoration Strategy for Whitebark Pine Forests and existing simulation areas within critical whitebark pine habitat. This project will create a robust and trans-boundary set of management tools for creating resistant and resilient whitebark pine forests within the Rocky Mountains, USA and Canada.

A trichotomous choice survey was used to document local expert observations of five berry species locally known as: salmonberry (Rubus chamaemorus), blackberry (Empetrum nigrum), cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), and red berry (Rubus arcticus). The survey consisted of propositions concerning importance of specific berry species within Indigenous households; observations of changes in berry abundance, phenology, habitat, or availability; attribution of potential drivers of change; and instance of changes in behavior in response to changing berry resources. Respondents were asked to agree (yes) or disagree (no) with propositions or state that they were unsure of an answer (don’t...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Botany, Chevak, Ecology, Emmonak, Hooper Bay, All tags... Indigenous Knowledge, Kotlik, Yukon Delta, Fewer tags

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) encompasses the southernmost, warmest parts of the arctic tundra biome and is renowned for its high biological productivity and large subsistence-based human population. Ice-rich permafrost currently is widespread and strongly influences terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including local topography, vegetation, soil hydrology, and the water balance of lakes. Ground temperatures are near the freezing point, however, and recent projections indicate that the YKD is poised for widespread loss of permafrost by the end of this century. This has implications for the region’s extensive and heretofore stable terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Tundra wildfire is a common ecological “pulse” disturbance...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2016, LCC, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative