Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies.
Filter Total Items: 2256
The state of the bats in North America
The world's rich diversity of bats supports healthy ecosystems and important ecosystem services. Maintaining healthy biological systems requires prompt identification of threats to biodiversity and immediate action to protect species, which for wide-ranging bat species that span geopolitical boundaries warrants international coordination. Anthropogenic forces drive the threats to bats throughout N
Authors
Amanda M. Adams, Luis A. Trujillo, C.J. Campbell, Karen L. Akre, Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales, Leanne Burns, Jeremy T.H. Coleman, Rita D. Dixon, Charles M. Francis, Melquisedec Gamba-Rios, Vona Kuczynska, Angie McIntire, Rodrigo A. Medellín, Katrina M. Morris, Jonathan D. Reichard, Brian Reichert, Jordi L. Segers, Michael D. Whitby, Winifred F. Frick
Contemporary fires are less frequent but more severe in dry conifer forests of the southwestern United States
Wildfires in the southwestern United States are increasingly frequent and severe, but whether these trends exceed historical norms remains contested. Here we combine dendroecological records, satellite-derived burn severity, and field measured tree mortality to compare historical (1700-1880) and contemporary (1985-2020) fire regimes at tree-ring fire-scar sites in Arizona and New Mexico. We found
Authors
E. McClure, J.D. Cooper, C. Guiterman, Ellis Margolis, S. Parks
Remote sensing for monitoring mine lands and recovery efforts
Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Ecosystem Restoration Program, the U.S. Department of the Interior has invested in assessing and recovering degraded ecosystems to promote healthy human communities and wildlife habitats. One priority established by the program is the need to address degraded ecosystems associated with mine lands, including active, inactive, and abandoned mines. Mine lands o
Authors
Michael S. O'Donnell, Ashley L. Whipple, Richard D. Inman, Bryan C. Tarbox, Adrian P. Monroe, Benjamin S. Robb, Cameron L. Aldridge
Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data
Stable isotope data have made pivotal contributions to nearly every discipline of the physical and natural sciences. As the generation and application of stable isotope data continues to grow exponentially, so does the need for a unifying data repository to improve accessibility and promote collaborative engagement. This paper provides an overview of the design, development, and implementation of
Authors
Oliver N. Shipley, Anna J. Dabrowski, Gabriel J. Bowen, Brian Hayden, Jonathan N. Pauli, Christopher Jordan, Lesleigh Anderson, Adriana Bailey, Clement P. Bataille, Carla Cicero, Hilary G. Close, Craig Cook, Joseph A. Cook, Ankur R. Desai, Jaivime Evaristo, Tim R. Filley, Christine A.M. France, Sora Lee Kim, Sebastian H. Kopf, Julie Loisel, Philip J. Manlick, Jamie M. McFarlin, Bailey C. McMeans, Tamsin C. O'Connel, Brice X. Semmens, Chris Stantis, Paul Szejner, Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch, Annie L. Putman, Craig A. Stricker, Tara L.E. Trammell, Mark D. Uhen, Samantha Weintraub-Leff, Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Williams, Christopher T. Yarnes, Hanna B. Vander Zanden, Seth D. Newsome
Modelling effects of flow withdrawal scenarios on riverine and riparian features of the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument
The National Park Service (NPS) is charged with maintaining natural riverine resources and processes in its parks along the Yampa River and downstream along the Green River. This mission requires information on how proposed water withdrawals would affect resources. We present a methodology that quantifies the impact on natural riverine and riparian features of Dinosaur National Monument based on a
Authors
Rebecca Diehl, J. M. Friedman
Trees have similar growth responses to first-entry fires and reburns following long-term fire exclusion
Managing fire ignitions for resource benefit decreases fuel loads and reduces the risk of high-severity fire in fire-suppressed dry conifer forests. However, the reintroduction of low-severity wildfire can injure trees, which may decrease their growth after fire. Post-fire growth responses could change from first-entry fires to reburns, as first-entry fires reduce fuel loads and the vulnerability
Authors
Kevin G. Willson, Ellis Margolis, Mathew D. Hurteau
Structured science syntheses to inform decision making on Federal public lands
The U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered to develop a new type of science product: the structured science synthesis. Structured science syntheses are peer-reviewed reports that synthesize science information about a priority resource management issue on public lands. Structured science syntheses are developed explicitly to facilitate the a
Authors
Emma I. Dietrich, Sarah K. Carter, Tait K. Rutherford, Megan A. Gilbert, Travis S. Haby, Aaron N. Johnston, Samuel E. Jordan, Nathan J. Kleist, Richard J. Lehrter, Elroy H. Masters, Claudia Mengelt, Alexandra L. Stoneburner, Elisabeth C. Teige, John C. Tull, Sarah E. Whipple, David J. A. Wood
Leveraging local habitat suitability models to enhance restoration benefits for species of conservation concern
Efforts to restore habitats and conserve wildlife species face many challenges that are exacerbated by limited funding and resources. Habitat restoration actions are often conducted across a range of habitat conditions, with limited information available to predict potential outcomes among local sites and identify those that may lead to the greatest returns on investment. Using the Gunnison sage-g
Authors
Jessica E. Shyvers, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, D. Joanne Saher, Julie A. Heinrichs, Michael S. O'Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge
Community for Data Integration 2020 project report
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 12 projects funded in fiscal year 2020, outlining their goals, activities, and accomplishments.
Authors
Leslie Hsu, Emily G. Chapin, Theodore B. Barnhart, Amanda E. Cravens, Richard A. Erickson, Jason Ferrante, Aaron Fox, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Margaret Hunter, Katharine Kolb, Jared R. Peacock, Matthew D. Petkewich, Sasha C. Reed, Terry L. Sohl, Tanja N. Williamson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Fort Collins Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Pre-fire assessment of post-fire debris flow hazards in the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed
BackgroundWildfires are increasing in size and severity due to climate change combined with overstocked forests. Fire increases the likelihood of debris flows, posing significant threats to life, property, and water supplies.AimsWe conducted a debris-flow hazard assessment of the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed (SFMW) to answer two questions: (1) where are debris flows most likely to occur; and (2) h
Authors
Manuel K. Lopez, Ellis Margolis, Anne C. Tillery, S. Bassett, Alan Hook
Despite regional variation, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus (Pinyon Jay) densities generally increase with local pinyon–juniper cover and heterogeneous ground cover
Traditionally, local-scale habitat-relationship models are developed over small spatial extents, limiting model transferability and inference outside the study area. Thus, habitat managers frequently lack fine-scale information regarding the influence of vegetation composition and structure on site suitability or species abundance. Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus (Pinyon Jay) represents one declining sp
Authors
Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge
Trail sustainability broadly defined
In this paper we provide a concise yet comprehensive examination of the importance and sustainability of trail networks, considering a diverse array of perspectives. Sustainability related to recreation infrastructure elements has been variously defined, with different disciplines often only considering one or two aspects of sustainability. In the context of trail networks, we suggest that there m
Authors
Jeffrey L. Marion, Emily J. Wilkins