The Rocky Mountain Research Station works with National Forest planning teams to understand and maximize an important resource: forest data collected by the Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. The program’s website, found at https://www.fia.fs.fed. us, provides a variety of tools that allow users to download standard reports and create custom queries that can be used to improve the efficiency of their planning process. By integrating or putting FIA data to work, National Forest planners are able to meet the 2012 Planning Rule’s requirements for monitoring and using the best available science. For example, National Forest planning teams can use FIA data to better understand forest characteristics and conditions using readily available data and FIA analysis skills. Additional information on FIA resources for the Interior West region can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/ interior-west-forest-inventory-analysis-fia. Other resources for National Forest plan revision teams include riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems assessments and a nationwide toolset of National Forest Climate Change Maps.
Sagebrush ecosystems are a major component of western U.S. landscapes and they provide vital habitat to a wide array of wildlife species, including greater sage-grouse and pygmy rabbits. However, in recent decades, sagebrush ecosystems have been reduced or degraded by a wide range of disturbances, including human development, overgrazing, severe fires, and encroachment by cheatgrass and pinyon-juniper woodlands. These factors are expected to continue or worsen with anticipated climate change.
Learn about research into dry farming techniques for vegetable crops in the maritime Pacific Northwest. This project is supported by the USDA Northwest Climate Hub which provides science-based information to assist with making climate-informed decisions. Dry farming is a technique that utilizes the natural moisture retention of soil to grow crops without irrigation, which may be a useful strategy for farmers experiencing drought or altered precipitation patterns. This research was led by the Oregon State University Extension Service Small Farms program.
To learn more about the USDA Northwest Climate Hub, check out our website.
The temperature of water within a river network fluctuates in time and place, creating diverse thermal regimes. This variability has important biological and ecological consequences. Water temperature and changes in temperature trigger changes in the life stages of aquatic organisms.
