John B Bradford, Ph.D.
John Bradford is a Research Ecologist with the USGS Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. John studies dryland ecosystems in the context of global change and works with resource managers to identify adaptive strategies for sustaining these ecosystems in a changing world.
John focuses on understanding how changing climate, disturbances, and land use influence dryland vegetation, plant communities, and ecosystem services. He is currently engaged in the broad topics of ecohydrology and dryland sustainability in the western U.S. and has projects examining a) the potential influence of changing climatic conditions on the distribution and regeneration potential of trees and shrubs in the intermountain western U.S., b) strategies for understanding and enhancing dryland ecosystem resilience to changing climate and drought patterns, and c) ecosystem water balance and patterns of plant-available soil water in dryland regions.
Professional Experience
2011- Present: Research Ecologist - US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ
2006 - 2011: Research Ecologist - USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station, Grand Rapids, MN
2004 - 2006: Research Ecologist (Postdoctoral) - USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO
Education and Certifications
2004 - Ph.D., Ecology, Colorado State University
1996 - B.A., Biology, Cornell University
Science and Products
Quantifying the demographic vulnerabilities of dry woodlands to climate and competition using rangewide monitoring data
Species mixture effects and climate influence growth, recruitment and mortality in Interior West USA Populus tremuloides-conifer communities
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2020 Report)
UAV-based estimate of snow cover dynamics: Optimizing semi-arid forest structure for snow persistence
Seasonal precipitation and soil moisture relationships across forests and woodlands in the southwestern United States
Forest management under megadrought: Urgent actions needed at finer-scale and higher intensity
Non-analog increases to air, surface, and belowground temperature extreme events due to climate change
Landscape‐scale restoration minimizes tree growth vulnerability to 21st century drought in a dry forest
An integrative ecological drought framework to span plant stress to ecosystem transformation
Unfamiliar territory: Emerging themes for ecological drought research and management
Forest density intensifies the importance of snowpack to growth in water-limited pine forests
Ecological forecasting—21st century science for 21st century management
Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending near-term changes in ecosystem conditions or dynamics. Managers may use the information in forecasts to minimize the adverse ef
Science and Products
Quantifying the demographic vulnerabilities of dry woodlands to climate and competition using rangewide monitoring data
Species mixture effects and climate influence growth, recruitment and mortality in Interior West USA Populus tremuloides-conifer communities
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2020 Report)
UAV-based estimate of snow cover dynamics: Optimizing semi-arid forest structure for snow persistence
Seasonal precipitation and soil moisture relationships across forests and woodlands in the southwestern United States
Forest management under megadrought: Urgent actions needed at finer-scale and higher intensity
Non-analog increases to air, surface, and belowground temperature extreme events due to climate change
Landscape‐scale restoration minimizes tree growth vulnerability to 21st century drought in a dry forest
An integrative ecological drought framework to span plant stress to ecosystem transformation
Unfamiliar territory: Emerging themes for ecological drought research and management
Forest density intensifies the importance of snowpack to growth in water-limited pine forests
Ecological forecasting—21st century science for 21st century management
Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending near-term changes in ecosystem conditions or dynamics. Managers may use the information in forecasts to minimize the adverse ef