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Climate Change is making our environment unpredictable. Increased persistence of drought is causing deaths of plants and animals across our landscapes. However, drought amongst the western United States is not a new thing. Native American populations have been living with drought since time immemorial and practiced culturally prescribed fire practices to foster the landscape for an environment that provides resources for tribal livelihoods and traditional practices (Marks-Block et al. 2019). The United States Geologic Survey and the Yurok Tribe are partnering to study the effects of prescribed burns actively occurring in Yurok Ancestral Territory. Prescribed burns promote a healthy ecosystem through positively...
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Natural climate variability can obscure or enhance long-term trends in experienced weather due to climate change. This can happen temporarily on timescales of a season to several years to a decade or two. Natural variability is poorly described and attributed to specific causes, contributing to uncertainty and misunderstandings about the nature of climate change that stakeholders and resource managers attempt to anticipate. There exists, therefore, a need to clarify the magnitude and causality of natural climate variability. This connection needs to be explained for locally-experienced weather and particularly for daily extreme events, whose seasonal behavior impacts both resources and imagination. Conversely, it...
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The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. It is daunting for resource managers to determine how to use increasingly limited staff time and funding to conserve species and ecosystems. The Refugia Research Coalition is a national framework that brings together researchers and managers to identify and develop conservation strategies for “climate change refugia”, areas that remain relatively buffered from contemporary climate change over time and enable persistence of valued physical, ecological, and socio-cultural resources. Expanding on previous work carried out in the Northwest and Northeast regions, this project will produce a list of priority species and habitats, generated by local and regional...
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This dataset contains both the inputs and outputs generated as part of the Vulnerability assessment, including indicators of Exposure (the magnitude of climatic or ecological changes within the target landscape), Sensitivity (the response of targets to exposure), and Adaptive Capacity (the potential of the target to cope with exposure). These spatial datasets can be used to construct maps that classify areas according to the presence of vulnerable components.
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Clear Lake, California’s largest freshwater lake, is an important site for seven federally recognized Tribal Nations and numerous related Tribes and Tribal communities, where they hold lakeside cultural ceremonies, fish and recreate, and gather tule reeds. Today, climate change has amplified ecological imbalances within the lake, endangering aquatic wildlife and threatening the health and wellbeing of Tribal citizens. To conserve Clear Lake’s culturally significant sites and species, this project seeks to understand the relationship between wildfires, harmful algal blooms, and aquatic toxins degrading the lake’s ecosystems. The research will particularly examine threats to the endemic, endangered, and culturally...
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Actionable science has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and the Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network has established itself as a leader in the field. The practice of actionable science is generally described as user-focused, action-oriented science that addresses pressing real-world climate adaptation challenges. It is also sometimes referred to as usable science, translational ecology, and coproduction. Successfully carrying out actionable science projects requires a range of skills, mindsets, and techniques in addition to scientific knowledge. Those skills can include mutual learning with stakeholders, attention to social and political context, iterative creative problem-solving, and interdisciplinary...
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The Southwest U.S. is experiencing hotter droughts, which are contributing to more frequent, severe wildfires. These droughts also stress vegetation, which can make it more difficult for forests to recover after fire. Forest regeneration in burned areas may be limited because seeds have to travel long distances to recolonize, and when they do arrive, conditions are often unfavorably hot and dry. Conifer forests in the region have demonstrated particular difficulty in recovering after fires, and in some cases have transformed into other ecosystem types, such as deciduous-dominated forests or grasslands. Such ecological transformations have implications not only for the plants and animals that depend on conifer forests...
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The majority of the West Coast’s most extreme storms have been linked to atmospheric rivers, a meteorological phenomenon in which large amounts of moisture are carried in narrow bands from over the Pacific Ocean to western North America. While weak atmospheric rivers are critical providers of winter rain and snow, stronger events can cause extreme flooding, mudslides, and avalanches – leading to potentially catastrophic damage to life and property. Extreme winter storms, including those linked to atmospheric rivers, are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. The goal of this project is to identify how these extreme events impact ecosystems and communities across the Southwest....
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As the predicted impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent, natural resource managers are faced with the task of developing climate adaptation plans. These managers need state-of-the-art, scientifically based information upon which to base these management plans and decisions consistently across California and the Great Basin. This project applies historical, current, and projected climate data to a regional water model to examine water availability, biodiversity, and conservation. Analysis of this climate and hydrology data is expected to help managers understand areas in the region and landscape where the effects of climate change are expected to be the most profound. The study also addresses how the...
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These data were compiled to support and inform the Bureau of Land Management’s Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program and to guide future management action when selecting regions to collect and increase seed for native plant materials development. The objective of our study was to develop geospatial datasets to aid land managers and restoration practitioners in identifying areas that will need to be restored in the future (currently disturbed) as well as areas to source new native plant materials for propagation with increased climate similarity to these areas across the Colorado Plateau, Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, and Arizona/New Mexico Plateaus. These data represent species distribution models for 12 high priority...
Tags: Achnatherum hymenoides, Arizona, Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, Arizona/New Mexico Plateaus, Astragalus lonchocarpus, All tags...
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Healthy forests and woodlands in the western United States provide many important benefits, including providing habitat for wildlife, forage for livestock, and clean water for fish and human use. Yet climate change and other stressors, from wildfires and insect attacks to severe droughts, are causing unprecedented tree die offs across the region, threatening many of these ecosystem services. Following these mortality episodes, a key question becomes: how will these ecosystems recover? In some cases, forests eventually return to their pre-disturbance states, growing back the same species and creating the same kind of ecological communities as before. However, there are increasing observations of ecosystems that...
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Invasive plants are a major land management problem in the Western U.S. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is the most prominent and problematic invader in cold deserts, with negative effects on rangeland fire patterns, wildlife habitats, and forage/vegetation. Red brome (B. madritensis) is an invader in the Mojave Desert, and can similarly introduce a new fire patterns to sensitive warm desert scrub. These invasions often cause management agencies to incur high costs for prevention, control, restoration, and fire responses. Control and prevention of invasive species is challenging because the risk of invasive plants becoming abundant depends on existing plant communities, climate and weather, land use, and fire history....
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Changing climate conditions could have significant impacts on wildlife health. Shifts in temperature and precipitation may directly affect the occurrence of disease in fish and wildlife by altering their interactions with pathogens (such as the bacterium that causes Lyme disease), helping vectors like mosquitoes and ticks expand their range, or speeding up the time it takes for a parasite to develop from an egg to an adult. Climate change can also indirectly affect the health of fish and wildlife as their habitats change. For example, reduced food availability could lead to overcrowding and increased disease transmission, or warmer temperatures might increase stress levels, weakening immune systems and making animals...
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Ponderosa pine forests are declining and their future persistence is uncertain. Most research on forest declines has focused on the effects of disturbances including wildfire, insect outbreaks, and severe drought on mortality of mature trees. Yet, recent research suggests that ponderosa pine declines may be even more severe as these ecosystems fail to regenerate naturally (i.e. grow from seed to adulthood) in a climate that is becoming increasingly less favorable for juvenile tree survival. For land managers to accurately assess and combat the risk of failed regeneration, it is critical to better understand the many factors supporting regeneration across the diverse habitats where these ecosystems are located. ...
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In order for science to have the most impact on resource management, it needs to directly address the questions that managers and other stakeholders have. Essentially, the ways in which researchers and resource managers collaborate can affect the use of scientific information in decision-making. Previous research has shown that relatively more collaboration between researchers and resource managers (or even the general public) tends to lead to more and more effective use of new scientific information. However, we do not yet have good ways to evaluate these research processes or the outcomes we expect them to produce. This project will assess the key variables necessary for the successful production of usable climate...
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Fires are becoming more extensive and severe in the West, and post-fire recovery is a challenge for communities as they adapt to a changing climate. Post-fire management can involve watershedrehabilitation, recovering valuable trees, and replanting to prevent forest loss and damage to watersheds. Land management agencies that make decisions may prioritize goals that differ from those of local populations--especially Native American Tribes, who may focus primarily on recovering non-timber values, such wetlands or species that provide food, fiber, or medicine, on their reservations and on their ancestral homelands. The goal of this research is to inform post-fire management and policy, so it is more responsive to...
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Increasing wildfire activity in the western US poses profound risks for human communities and ecological systems. Recent fire years are characterized not only by expanding area burned but also explosive fire growth. In 2020, several fires grew by >100,000 acres within a 24-hour period. Extreme single-day fire spread events such as these are poorly understood but disproportionately responsible for wildfire impacts: just the top 1% of fire spread events account for 20% of annual area burned. Extreme events are linked to warmer and drier conditions, and we project that their frequency could double under future climate. Extreme fire spread events defy suppression and overcome traditional fuels reductions treatments,...
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Managing water resources in arid regions is increasingly important in the face of more frequent droughts and desertification that is occurring with climate change. These challenges of climate change intersect with potential environmental contamination from naturally occurring sources and legacy human activity (such as mining) and create a need for sustainable land and water management planning solutions. This project aims to help create sustainability plans by involving and training the community and by making water resource data accessible and available. The project is a collaboration between the University of Arizona Indigenous Resilience Center, the Southwest Research Information Center, and local communities...
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This project aimed to contribute to effective decision making in the region for the scientific community and general public. Resource managers in the Great Basin are dealing with significant questions regarding how best to make decisions in the natural and human systems in response to climate change. Vulnerability assessments and other tools are used for climate change adaptation, but their effectiveness is not widely understood or examined. Assessing these tools for their utility and for their ability to translate science into accessible and available information for users, including the general public, is critical for the future viability and sustainability of the Great Basin. This project applied social and policy...
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Across the Navajo Nation, the negative effects of climate change are impacting soil and vegetation management practices to the detriment of ecosystem function, human health, cultural resiliency, and economic well-being. Conducting ecosystem restoration and shifting land management practices are critical elements of climate adaptation and dust mitigation strategies for the Navajo Nation. However, barriers to restoration exist. Restoration in drylands is incredibly difficult and nuanced, requiring the use of appropriate technologies, integration of multiple types of knowledge, appropriate high-quality locally-adapted native plant materials, and environmental professionals skilled in the techniques of dryland restoration...
map background search result map search result map Using Climate and Water Models to Examine Future Water Availability and Biodiversity in California and the Great Basin Understanding and Communicating the Role of Natural Climate Variability in a Changing World Linking Extreme Storms to Changes in Precipitation, Ecosystems, and Wildfire Patterns in the Sierra Nevada Assessing the Usefulness of Vulnerability Assessments and Other Science-based Tools in Climate Adaptation Producing Impactful Science: The Effect of Stakeholder Engagement Strategies on the Use of Climate Science in Management Decisions The Role of Climate in Shaping Invasive Plant Abundance across Different Spatial Locations Synthesizing Climate Change Impacts on Wildlife Health and Identifying Adaptation Strategies Post-Fire Conifer Regeneration Under a Warming Climate: Will Severe Fire Be a Catalyst for Forest Loss? Pinyon Juniper Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment Results, Four Corners and Upper Rio Grande Final Version A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest Can Management Actions Support Forest Regeneration Across the Diverse Landscapes and Climate Change Futures of the Southwestern U.S.? Science to Help Move From Mortality to Recovery in Western Forests and Woodlands Building Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science Across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network Monitoring and Adaptation to Conserve Clear Lake Cultural Keystone Species Disturbance, energy, climate partitions, cultivars and species habitat data for the Colorado Plateau and environs The Importance of Forests for All People: Understanding Forest Recovery Priorities, Management Options, and Policy Needs for Tribes in Post-Fire Landscapes Improving Water Resilience and Availability Through Culturally Prescribed Fires as a Management Tool on Yurok Tribal Lands Uniting Western Restoration Strategies and Traditional Knowledge to Build Community Capacity and Climate Resilience on the Navajo Nation Understanding Extreme Wildfire Events to Manage for Fire-Resistant and Resilient Landscapes Cultivating Water Resilience with Indigenous Peoples in Arid Lands Monitoring and Adaptation to Conserve Clear Lake Cultural Keystone Species Uniting Western Restoration Strategies and Traditional Knowledge to Build Community Capacity and Climate Resilience on the Navajo Nation Cultivating Water Resilience with Indigenous Peoples in Arid Lands Linking Extreme Storms to Changes in Precipitation, Ecosystems, and Wildfire Patterns in the Sierra Nevada Post-Fire Conifer Regeneration Under a Warming Climate: Will Severe Fire Be a Catalyst for Forest Loss? Pinyon Juniper Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment Results, Four Corners and Upper Rio Grande Final Version Disturbance, energy, climate partitions, cultivars and species habitat data for the Colorado Plateau and environs Producing Impactful Science: The Effect of Stakeholder Engagement Strategies on the Use of Climate Science in Management Decisions Assessing the Usefulness of Vulnerability Assessments and Other Science-based Tools in Climate Adaptation Understanding Extreme Wildfire Events to Manage for Fire-Resistant and Resilient Landscapes Using Climate and Water Models to Examine Future Water Availability and Biodiversity in California and the Great Basin The Role of Climate in Shaping Invasive Plant Abundance across Different Spatial Locations A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest Understanding and Communicating the Role of Natural Climate Variability in a Changing World The Importance of Forests for All People: Understanding Forest Recovery Priorities, Management Options, and Policy Needs for Tribes in Post-Fire Landscapes Can Management Actions Support Forest Regeneration Across the Diverse Landscapes and Climate Change Futures of the Southwestern U.S.? Synthesizing Climate Change Impacts on Wildlife Health and Identifying Adaptation Strategies Building Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science Across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network