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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...
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...
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...
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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Image: Wyoming Big Sagebrush Community Near Winnemucca, Nevada

Sagebrush Keystone Initiative

Encompassing over 175 million acres, America’s “Sagebrush Sea” is the largest terrestrial ecosystem in the lower 48 states. A predominately shrubland system, this landscape ranges over deserts, valleys, mountains, and mesas from the Canadian border to our southwestern deserts. The sagebrush ecosystem – the ancestral homeland of many Tribal Nations – supports critical agricultural and recreation...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments
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Sagebrush Keystone Initiative

Encompassing over 175 million acres, America’s “Sagebrush Sea” is the largest terrestrial ecosystem in the lower 48 states. A predominately shrubland system, this landscape ranges over deserts, valleys, mountains, and mesas from the Canadian border to our southwestern deserts. The sagebrush ecosystem – the ancestral homeland of many Tribal Nations – supports critical agricultural and recreation...
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landscape with sagebrush on the left and cheatgrass on the right and blue, partly cloudy sky

Effects of the herbicide, Indaziflam, on invasive annual grasses

Invasive annual grasses are spreading across the sagebrush ecosystem, threatening the survival of native plant species and the wildlife habitats they support. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are collaboratively investigating the factors that...
By
Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
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Effects of the herbicide, Indaziflam, on invasive annual grasses

Invasive annual grasses are spreading across the sagebrush ecosystem, threatening the survival of native plant species and the wildlife habitats they support. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are collaboratively investigating the factors that...
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five horses stand in a sagebrush landscape, with snow-capped mountains in the background

Mapping wild horse densities across broad landscapes of the Western United States

Researchers at USGS are using historical wild horse survey and monitoring records to conduct a study of horse density across sagebrush ecosystems of the western United States. Researchers will develop generalized density maps for the species that will enhance concurrent evaluations into the ecological effects of wild horse populations.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
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Mapping wild horse densities across broad landscapes of the Western United States

Researchers at USGS are using historical wild horse survey and monitoring records to conduct a study of horse density across sagebrush ecosystems of the western United States. Researchers will develop generalized density maps for the species that will enhance concurrent evaluations into the ecological effects of wild horse populations.
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