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Mark Shafer

This project consisted of two principal components: (1) A climatological analysis of burn conditions (2) A forum to discuss fire risk and management practices The climatological study included seasonality and inter-annual variability and potential changes due to increasing temperatures. The regional forum engaged stakeholders in a discussion of the use of prescribed fire in a safe and effective manner.
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South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center Consortium - Hosted by The University of Oklahoma (2019-2024)
The South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) strives to provide actionable science, tools, and information to decision makers in order to address climate change and variability. In this effort, the South Central CASC supports actionable science through multi-institutional and stakeholder driven approaches to assessing the impacts of climate on natural and cultural resources. The South Central CASC is hosted by the University of Oklahoma with six consortium partners: Texas Tech University, The Chickasaw Nation, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Louisiana State University, Oklahoma State University, and University of New Mexico. During the period of 2019 – 2024, the South Central CASC consortium will strive...
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Fire is a natural and necessary component of the South Central Plains ecosystem. However, fire suppression and more frequent droughts in the region have resulted in a build-up of dry fuels loads such as dead wood, resulting in fires that burn hotter and impact the landscape more severely. Uncontrolled wildfires have cost the region several billion dollars in the past five years. Further, fire suppression has resulted in substantial losses in native plant biodiversity and wildlife habitat, which also has costly implications. In Oklahoma alone, it’s estimated that $157 million will be required to restore rangelands to their native conditions. Of further concern is the fact that projected changes in climate indicate...
The south central U.S. is one of the main agricultural regions in North America and annual agricultural production is valued at more than $44 billion dollars. Climate variability and drought have both direct and indirect impacts on agriculture and consequences for land management. There are many different drought monitoring products and tools available, but unfortunately most were developed without input from the stakeholders who are intended to use them. In the SC CSC region private landowners, such as farmers and ranchers, are responsible for the majority of land management. The goal of this project is to assess the information needs of famers and ranchers in the SC CSC region in the development of drought monitoring...
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