Geography: Southwestern Region (R3)

Using wildfire to restore resiliency to dry pine ecosystems

Managing wildfires for resource objectives diminished the likelihood of extreme fire events over time by making wildfire activity more predictable. Adding resource objective wildfire to the current rate of forest restoration expanded the area treated fivefold, and restoration objectives were achieved in 25 years when the rate of forest restoration was increased five times the current pace.

Variable streamflow response to forest disturbance in the western United States

Forest disturbance is typically expected to lead to increased runoff, and therefore more water available for aquatic ecosystems and people. We examined streamflow and forest change in 159 watersheds in the western U.S. to test this expectation. Although some disturbed watersheds produced more runoff, very dry watersheds not only produced less runoff following disturbance but also were more likely to experience disturbance in the first place.

New RMRS product improves national response to drought

The epic droughts of 2018 in the southwestern U.S. devastated landscapes and economies. The Rangeland Production Monitoring System was used to help the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the USDA Farm Service Agency identify the areas most affected by drought and seek emergency funding to facilitate reseeding efforts. 

The rundown on native western forbs

Over the last 20 years, researchers and practitioners have greatly increased our knowledge of native western forbs, their biology, ecology, and use in restoration. Now there is an online book that synthesizes this research and practical experience

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Why fires are climbing higher than ever before due to increased western aridity

Fires are burning higher and broader. Increases in burned area and altogether larger fire occurrences have been noted throughout the past half-century within western regions of the United States. The key word in all of this: higher. Recent collaborative research by Rocky Mountain Research Station, McGill University, University of California, and Boise State University focuses on the elevational distribution amongst forest fires in mountainous areas of the western United States—showing unique and unprecedented burned forest rates in areas above 2,500 m (8,200 ft) from 1984 to 2017.​​

Examining extreme single-day fire spread events

Wildfire activity in recent years is notable not only for an expansion of total area burned but also for large, single-day fire spread events that pose challenges to ecological systems and human communities. In this study, we evaluated the relationships between extreme single-day fire spread events, annual area burned, and fire season climate, while also predicting changes under future warming. 

New insights into cross-boundary wildfires

Wildfires do not respect ownership or management boundaries, and those that move across them are called “cross-boundary” fires. This study provides evidence that challenges the common narrative that most destructive fires spread from USFS-managed wildlands to communities. Rather, nearly three-quarters of cross-boundary ignitions originated on private lands and were human-caused. Overall area burned in cross-boundary fires has increased over the last three decades.