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Land Management Research Program

The Land Management Research Program conducts research to improve the effectiveness of land management and inform restoration of priority ecosystems on millions of acres including public lands such as National Parks, refuges, and other critical landscapes that support the biodiversity of fish, wildlife, and plant species, as well as thriving economies.

Read the Landscape Science Strategy

Ecosystem Research

Looking towards mountain peaks from shore of Knox Lake

The Nation’s ecosystems are complex, dynamic, and exposed to a rapidly changing climate among other threats.  USGS scientists study how ecosystems function, the impacts of stressors, and make predictions about their future to improve restoration and management outcomes.

Explore Ecosystem Research

Firelight

Wildfire in Mason Valley, Nevada

Firelight provides updates on the latest USGS fire science for a changing world. Each issue features a variety of our wildland fire science, providing information, data and tools for use by managers before, during, and after fires.

Browse the Issues

Publications

Think regionally, act locally: Perspectives on co-design of spatial conservation prioritization tools and why end-user engagement altered our approach

Coproduction represents an inclusive approach for developing decision-support resources because it seeks to integrate scientific knowledge and end-user needs. Unfortunately, spatial decision support systems (SDSS) coproduction has sometimes resulted in limited utility for end-users, partially due to scarce SDSS coproduction guidance. To initiate coproduction, we held a series of workshops to co-de
Authors
Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Adrian P. Monroe, Patrick J. Anderson, Daniel Jones, Katharine G. Dahm, Cameron L. Aldridge
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Carbon isotope trends across a century of herbarium specimens suggest CO2 fertilization of C4 grasses.

Increasing atmospheric CO2 is changing the dynamics of tropical savanna vegetation. C3 trees and grasses are known to experience CO2 fertilization, whereas responses to CO2 by C4 grasses are more ambiguous.Here, we sample stable carbon isotope trends in herbarium collections of South African C4 and C3 grasses to reconstruct 13C discrimination.We found that C3 grasses showed no trends in 13C discri
Authors
Isa del Toro, Madelon Florence Case, Allison Karp, Jasper Slingsby, A. Carla Staver
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Structural heterogeneity predicts ecological resistance and resilience to wildfire in arid shrublands

ContextDynamic feedbacks between physical structure and ecological function drive ecosystem productivity, resilience, and biodiversity maintenance. Detailed maps of canopy structure enable comprehensive evaluations of structure–function relationships. However, these relationships are scale-dependent, and identifying relevant spatial scales to link structure to function remains challenging.Objectiv
Authors
Andrii Zaiats, Megan E Cattau, David Pilliod, Rongsong Liu, Patricia Kaye T. Dumandan, Ahmad Hojatimalekshah, Donna M. Delparte, Trevor Caughlin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
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Science

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photo of sagebrush field, rainbow, mountain with dark clouds

Prioritizing restoration and conservation of Wyoming’s sagebrush ecosystems for wildlife and sagebrush connectivity

To support strategic ecosystem management across the imperiled sagebrush steppe in Wyoming, USA, we developed an extension of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET). Our expanded tool leverages emerging spatial data resources to provide a structured but customizable set of scenarios that can guide landscape-scale planning efforts by prioritizing conservation and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Wildland Fire Science
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Prioritizing restoration and conservation of Wyoming’s sagebrush ecosystems for wildlife and sagebrush connectivity

To support strategic ecosystem management across the imperiled sagebrush steppe in Wyoming, USA, we developed an extension of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET). Our expanded tool leverages emerging spatial data resources to provide a structured but customizable set of scenarios that can guide landscape-scale planning efforts by prioritizing conservation and...
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Several antelope moving through a sagebrush landscape

Prioritizing restoration and conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in northwestern Colorado

We are working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to pilot an expansion of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET; Duchardt et al. 2021) across northwestern Colorado. We are in the initial phase of a two-phase project where we are leveraging existing data resources to provide customized scenarios that directly guide landscape-scale conservation delivery by CPW. This...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Wildland Fire Science
link

Prioritizing restoration and conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in northwestern Colorado

We are working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to pilot an expansion of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET; Duchardt et al. 2021) across northwestern Colorado. We are in the initial phase of a two-phase project where we are leveraging existing data resources to provide customized scenarios that directly guide landscape-scale conservation delivery by CPW. This...
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photo of dirt road cutting through sagebrush habitat, blue partly cloudy skies above

Gunnison Sage-grouse Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET)

In partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners, scientists from USGS Fort Collins Science Center are working to create a suite of prioritization scenarios that will inform adaptive management for Gunnison sage-grouse.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Wildland Fire Science
link

Gunnison Sage-grouse Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET)

In partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners, scientists from USGS Fort Collins Science Center are working to create a suite of prioritization scenarios that will inform adaptive management for Gunnison sage-grouse.
Learn More
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