FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks - Vol. 2 | Issue 5
This issue of FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks highlights new publications from FORT scientists on community wildfire risk mitigation and the use of habitat models for management of rare plants on public lands. Plus, we celebrate Amphibian Week 2024, and showcase FORT research on wildfire science and management for National Wildfire Awareness Month.
Living with Wildfire: The Wildfire Research Team adds new USGS-led collaborator report to their series on projects informing community wildfire risk mitigation
James Meldrum is lead author on a collaborator report published by the USDA Forest Service covering work with the City of Santa Fe Fire Department and other partners, seeking to understand and promote property-level wildfire risk mitigation in Santa Fe communities. The report describes the results of a systematic data collection process in 2021 and insights for partners' programs and outreach.
Accuracy, accessibility, and institutional capacity shape the utility of habitat models for managing and conserving rare plants on western public lands
A research team from the U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Land Management recently published an article in Conservation Science and Practice titled "Accuracy, Accessibility, and Institutional Capacity Shape the Utility of Habitat Models for Managing and Conserving Rare Plants on Western Public Lands."
Amphibians: The endurance athletes of Rocky Mountain National Park
For Amphibian Week 2024, FORT is celebrating four athletic amphibians from Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP): the western tiger salamander, the wood frog, the boreal chorus frog, and the boreal toad. These four species endure some of the toughest conditions an amphibian can experience including over eight months of snow each year, hot and dry summer conditions, and unpredictable wildfires.
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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.
Data
Our interdisciplinary, integrated science teams develop various data sets in support of the USGS mission areas. This information then aids natural resource managers in decision making and support of the complex issues they face in today's world. The data and tools listed here are official USGS data releases.
Connect
The majority of our staff call Fort Collins, Colorado their home, but work all over the United States. FORT research and support staff work from one of four duty stations: in Colorado, at the Fort Collins Science Center or Denver Federal Center; in New Mexico, at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station; or in Florida, at the USGS Everglades Research Offices.
New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: Fire Research
Below are ongoing or completed research projects related to fire at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station.
The Wildfire Research (WiRē) Team
Wildfires cost billions of dollars to suppress annually, yet they still devastate lives, communities, and ecosystems. While wildfire is a natural phenomenon, learning to live with wildfire is a social issue – so we need a social solution.
Economics of Wildland Fire
In recent decades, wildfires have increased in size and intensity, and the fire season has lengthened. This and other factors have increased wildfire suppression costs and risks to human health and safety. Economists in the Social and Economic Analysis Branch (SEA) at FORT investigate numerous aspects of wildland fire, its impacts, and how to mitigate the risk wildfire poses to people, resources, and property.
Assessing the Proliferation, Connectivity, and Consequences of Invasive Fine Fuels on the Sagebrush Biome
Invasive annual grasses can replace native vegetation and alter fire behavior, impacting a range of habitats and species. A team of researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado State University, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working to identify factors that influence changes in the distribution and abundance of invasive annual grasses (IAGs) within the sagebrush ecosystem. They are identifying areas where IAG cover is likely to change and where potential management actions may be most and least effective, to help land managers develop spatial strategies to combat this extensive invasion.
Field of Sagebrush Dreams: Planting and Restoring Functional Sagebrush in Burned Landscapes
Increased wildfire-induced loss of sagebrush in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial habitat loss for sagebrush-obligate species like sage-grouse. The products and information developed for this project will help restoration practitioners, biologists, and land managers evaluate the efficacy of sagebrush restoration approaches as well as their ability to successfully create functional sage-grouse habitat in post-fire landscapes.
Predicting risk of annual grass invasion following fire in sagebrush steppe and rangeland ecosystems
This project analyzes on-the-ground plant monitoring data across sagebrush and rangeland ecosystems to examine how fire, climate, topography, and plant communities influence the success of invasive annual grasses after fires.