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As a consequence of both warming temperatures and over a century of fire suppression, wildfires in the his torically frequent-fire forests of the western US have increased both in size and intensity, resulting in large patches of high severity fire that are well outside the historic range of variation. Postfire fuels research has often focused on such high severity patches because of the risk of both type conversion and repeated high severity fire. Yet a substantial portion of any given wildfire will likely still have burned at low to moderate severity. These areas generally retain live mature trees and surface fuels, suggesting that wildfire effects may be in keeping with some forest restoration goals. To better...
Motivation. Understanding the multiple weather and climatic factors that cause wildfires is critical to short and long-period forecasting and planning. To support investigations to further such research and applications, a fine spatial scale 2km horizontal atmospheric model-founded rendition of observed wind and humidity data was generated for the period from 1980 through 2018. Focusing on California’s South Coast region, Santa Ana winds (SAWs) each occur with increasing frequency from autumn to winter and may affect fire outcomes. Aims. We investigate historical records to understand how these counteracting influences have affected fires. Methods. We defined autumn precipitation onset as the first 3 days when...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Low tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) is increasingly used to improve river corridor resilience to diverse stressors introduced by changing land use, climate, and water usage. However, the future of LTPBR depends on multiple physical, ecological, and social factors, including the influence of water availability on LTPBR outcomes and the legal capacity for future restoration in water-limited environments. A growing body of scientific and legal literature on LTPBR allows for a quantitative, regional comparison of LTPBR projects to understand: (1) How do physical characteristics of LTPBR projects (including structure type, number, and local setting) influence the magnitude of change following LTPBR? and (2) How...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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Rangelands in California face significant challenges from climate change, wildfires, and invasive species, threatening their productivity and the benefits they provide to local communities. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will develop a management framework for restoring climate-resilient rangelands in California by examining interactions between fire, grazing, and plant invasions. This work will ultimately benefit ranchers, local communities, and the environment by improving land management practices. Rangelands in the western U.S. face unprecedented challenges from changing weather patterns, increased wildfires, and invasive plant species. Climate change is intensifying pressures on rangelands,...
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State and federal agencies are negotiating long-term water-supply agreements for the Colorado River basin, but current policies prioritize water supply over ecological factors due to limited knowledge about how water storage strategies impact ecosystems. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will develop a tool to evaluate river ecosystem outcomes of various patterns of water consumption and reservoir operations, identifying management strategies that can help future policies balance water needs and ecological resources like native fish communities and natural flow patterns. State and federal agencies are negotiating water-supply agreements to govern the Colorado River basin’s water supply and...
This short film about Black Oak Tribal Stewardship was produced by local Tribal film makers,Tisina Parker and Matthew Falcon. DURATION: 7 minutes, 14 seconds
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Changes in temperature and precipitation due to climate change (and associated droughts, wildfires, extreme storms etc.) threaten important water sources, forests, wildlife habitat, and ecosystems across the Southwest and throughout the entire U.S. These threats cross political and man-made boundaries and therefore need to be addressed at larger landscape-level and regional scales. “Landscape conservation design” is one method that can be used by land and resource managers to support large scale conservation and ensure that small scale and local actions contribute to a landscape level vision. The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) is working to develop a shared vision for conservation action in the...
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Statistical downscaling methodology was applied to global atmosphere reanalysis, using a 10 year dynamical modeled output as training data, to extend a record of wind and humidity back through the satellite era beginning 1979 or 1980. To extend the record of weather to cover a longer period and thus a greater number of significant fire weather events, statistical downscaling was implemented using the Localized Constructed Analogs (LOCA) statistical downscaling technique. LOCA is computationally efficient and has been designed to better simulate extreme events and spatial weather structure than previous statistical downscaling. The output hourly 3 km spatial resolution data covering the California and Nevada region...
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California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) groves are a fundamental part of the landscape in Yosemite Valley and the tree is a cultural keystone species for associated Tribal Nations. For centuries, tribal members have planted, tended, burned, and gathered around black oak. Before Euro-American settlers, the tribes actively maintained a sacred, reciprocal relationship with these groves that promoted seedling recruitment, acorn production, pest reduction, and longevity. After Park creation, cultural practices were largely prohibited to the detriment of black oak and tribal health. This project will reinstate tribal members as stewards of black oak through tending and knowledge transmission. Tribal members, with...
In the first phase of this project (G19AP0039), we developed several technical outputs that focused on downscaled model outputs for the drivers of wildfire spread and behavior in collaboration with a group of experts from state and federal wildfire management agencies. However, during this time it had become apparent that the technical nature of the outputs of this project, while they provide valuable insight in the effects of wind temperature and drought extremes on wildfire activity, are not at a point to be readily assimilable by fire management agencies into active, real-time decision support processes to reduce community risk. At this juncture, the project pivoted from asking a Technical Advisory Committee...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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The Southwest Fire Climate Adaptation Partnership (SW FireCAP) is working to advance fire and climate adaptation in the southwestern U.S. Focused on cross-organizational collaboration and leveraging resources, the partnership facilitates climate adaptation planning by “sharing Indigenous and Western knowledge perspectives, being inclusive, and building trust.” The Collaborative Conservation and Adaptation Strategies Toolbox (CCAST) is a similar effort, established to document effective conservation initiatives and develop decision-support tools. Both initiatives are focused on showcasing high quality science-to-policy research and innovative, on-the-ground conservation management practices and promoting peer-to-peer...
The Native Nations Climate Adaptation Program (NNCAP) was founded in 2015 with the mission to build capacity to work collaboratively with Native American tribes and indigenous populations in the western United States and Mexico. NNCAP received funds from the DOI Southwest Climate Science Center to carry out a “Tribal Adaptation Initiative.” One of the objectives of this initiative was to conduct a preliminary assessment of tribal interest and capacity for adaptation across the Southwest. Twenty-six Native Nations participated in the NNCAP tribal climate change assessment and reported a wide array of involvement in climate change initiatives. This report highlights various strengths and capacity needs for climate...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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Project Overview The sandbar willow of the Klamath River is used within the Karuk Tribe’s ongoing cultural practices of basketweaving. The willow has been threatened by intensifying fire and dams, but restoration and the recent historical dam removals provide an opportunity to increase the quantity, quality, and access to this important resource. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will study how these interacting factors affect the sandbar willow and how restoration can reverse trends in willow degradation. The project will support Karuk Tribe eco-cultural goals through willow monitoring, climate adaptation planning, and educational initiatives. Project Summary Sandbars of the Klamath River, part...
    map background search result map search result map Assessing Southwest Resources, Future Climate Scenarios, and Possible Adaptation Actions to Support Conservation Planning Statistically Downscaled Wind and Humidity from the ERA-5 and MERRA-2 Reanalysis over California and Nevada from 1979-2019 Promoting Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Exchange on Climate and Fire Adaptation in the Southwestern United States After the Dams: Fire Impacts and Restoration Opportunities for a Culturally Important Klamath River Willow Building Climate-Resilient Rangelands Amidst Fire, Grazing, and Ecological Invasion in California Future of the Colorado River (Phase 2): Reservoir Operation to Balance Water Supply and River Ecosystems in the Grand Canyon Tribal-Led Renewal of Black Oak Traditions for Climate Adaptations Tribal-Led Renewal of Black Oak Traditions for Climate Adaptations After the Dams: Fire Impacts and Restoration Opportunities for a Culturally Important Klamath River Willow Building Climate-Resilient Rangelands Amidst Fire, Grazing, and Ecological Invasion in California Future of the Colorado River (Phase 2): Reservoir Operation to Balance Water Supply and River Ecosystems in the Grand Canyon Statistically Downscaled Wind and Humidity from the ERA-5 and MERRA-2 Reanalysis over California and Nevada from 1979-2019 Promoting Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Exchange on Climate and Fire Adaptation in the Southwestern United States Assessing Southwest Resources, Future Climate Scenarios, and Possible Adaptation Actions to Support Conservation Planning