Pacific Southwest Research Station

• Promoting resilience in frequent-fire forests
• Natural range of variation for yellow pine and mixed-conifer forests
• Measuring individual ozone exposure in Los Angeles urban parks
• Past fires may hold key to reducing severity of future wildfires in western US
• Federal/Tribal partnerships for wildland fire research and management

What does a 'resilient' forest look like in California's Sierra Nevada? A lot fewer trees than we're used to, according to a new study of frequent-fire forests.

This assessment examines the range of conditions that exist among the yellow pine and mixed-conifer forests of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon.

This report (GTR-274) describes three successive studies that led to the development of techniques for directly monitoring human exposure to ozone.

A recent Pacific Southwest Research Station study examined the role of previous fires in predicting and reducing the severity of future wildfires in the western United States.

This recent journal article discusses various approaches in working with American Indians through research and management partnerships in the fields of wildland fire, forestry, and fuels.

Science that makes a difference.

The Pacific Southwest Research Station is a world leader in natural resources research through our scientific excellence and responsiveness to the needs of current and future generations.

We represent the research and development branch of the USDA Forest Service in the states of California and Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands. Our mission is to develop and communicate science needed to sustain forest ecosystems and their benefits to society.

This charter lays the foundation for moving the Pacific Southwest Research Station into the next decade (2022–2031).

In Forest Service Research and Development, a research station's charter lays the foundation for how we approach our research over the next decade. We recently released our new charter for PSW. The charter highlights how partners like local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies and policymakers, universities, communities, indigenous groups, private industry, and non-profit entities help shape PSW both formally and informally.

The Pacific Southwest Research Station’s work will focus on three priority research areas:

• Biodiversity and Ecosystems: interconnections among changes caused by biotic and abiotic factors, such as temperature; quantity and quality of available water; native, non-native, and invasive plants, animals, pests, and pathogens; and past and current stewardship actions
• Wildland Fire Science and Stewardship: societal and ecological challenges related to wildland fire and its management
• Humans and Nature: connections among human communities and ecosystems and the role of societies in shaping natural resources stewardship

Each year, station leaders and scientists will meet with partners to identify common goals, assess research needs and strategize around the best opportunities to work together to inform natural resources stewardship.

Innovative strategies to reduce the costs of effective wildlife overpasses

(GTR-PSW-267)

Wildlife crossing structures have been one of the most effective means of reducing animal-vehicle collisions. Yet widespread implementation has been hindered by perceived and actual expense.

Natural range of variation for red fir and subalpine forests in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon

(GTR-PSW-269)

Future climate and wildfire projections indicate an extension of the fire season and an increase in fire size and severity in these forest types.

Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California

(GTR-PSW-270)

This report presents a framework to guide the development of postfire restoration on national forests in California. We discuss the application of this approach to California’s forest, chaparral, and sagebrush-steppe ecosystems.