Frameworks, Strategies, and Protocols for Monitoring and Interdisciplinary Research Completed
By Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
November 9, 2017
Natural resource managers are faced with the prospect of dramatic climate change, the commencement of ecosystem- and landscape-scale restoration and management initiatives, as well as an interest in learning from and being accountable for restoration projects. The consequent needs for information have motivated many agencies to institute ecological monitoring programs and interdisciplinary research efforts in recent decades. With regard to monitoring, especially for federal agencies with large land holdings, designing programs and developing protocols is a complex undertaking. Even for programs with smaller scopes, a careful planning process is needed to maximize the benefit obtained from the investment in monitoring. Challenges include determining what constitutes measures of ecological integrity, and then how those measures should be sampled on the landscape. A deliberate strategy is also required for multi-disciplinary projects to ensure that high-priority information needs are met.
Projects
- USGS Support for North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative
- Monitoring Protocol for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Programs" Restoration Projects
- Monitoring Protocol for Forest Vegetation of the National Park Service North Coast and Cascades Network
- Monitoring Framework for the USFWS National Wildlife Refuges of Alaska
- Linking Hydrogeology and Aquatic Communities for Ecological Monitoring of Wadeable Mountain Streams
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 14
Integrating climate change considerations into natural resource planning—An implementation guide
Executive SummaryClimate change vulnerability assessments and associated adaptation strategies and actions connect existing climate science with possible effects on natural resources and highlight potential responses. However, these assessments, which are commonly generated for large regional areas, suggest management options in general terms without guidance for choosing among strategies and acti
Authors
Jessi Kershner, Andrea Woodward, Alicia Torregrosa
North Cascades National Park Service Complex
Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs) evaluate current conditions for a subset of natural resources and resource indicators in national parks. NRCAs also report on trends in resource condition (when possible), identify critical data gaps, and characterize a general level of confidence for study findings. The resources and indicators emphasized in a given project depend on the park’s resou
Authors
Robert Hoffman, Andrea Woodward, Patricia K. Haggerty, Kurt J. Jenkins, Paul C. Griffin, M. J. Adams, Joan Hagar, Tonnie Cummings, Dan Duriscoe, Karen Kopper, Jon Riedel, Lelaina Marin, Guillaume S. Mauger, Karen Bumbaco, Jeremy S. Littell
Moving from awareness to action: Advancing climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning for Idaho and Montana National Forests
No abstract available.
Authors
Jessi Kershner, Alicia Torregrosa, Andrea Woodward
Ground level environmental protein concentrations in various ecuadorian environments: potential uses of aerosolized protein for ecological research
Large quantities of free protein in the environment and other bioaerosols are ubiquitous throughout terrestrial ground level environments and may be integrative indicators of ecosystem status. Samples of ground level bioaerosols were collected from various ecosystems throughout Ecuador, including pristine humid tropical forest (pristine), highly altered secondary humid tropical forest (highly alte
Authors
Sarah J.R. Staton, Andrea Woodward, Josemar A. Castillo, Kelly Swing, Mark A. Hayes
Resource manager information needs regarding hydrologic regime shifts for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources in North America. LCCs were established by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) in recognition of the fact that response to climate change must be coordinated on a landscap
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Karen Jenni
Identifying resource manager information needs for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife and cultural resources in North America. LLCs were established by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) in recognition that response to climate change must be coordinated on a landscape-level basis bec
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Theresa Liedtke, Karen Jenni
A process-based hierarchical framework for monitoring glaciated alpine headwaters
Recent studies have demonstrated the geomorphic complexity and wide range of hydrologic regimes found in alpine headwater channels that provide complex habitats for aquatic taxa. These geohydrologic elements are fundamental to better understand patterns in species assemblages and indicator taxa and are necessary to aquatic monitoring protocols that aim to track changes in physical conditions. Comp
Authors
Anne A. Weekes, Christian E. Torgersen, David R. Montgomery, Andrea Woodward, Susan M. Bolton
Ecoregional-scale monitoring within conservation areas, in a rapidly changing climate
Long-term monitoring of ecological systems can prove invaluable for resource management and conservation. Such monitoring can: (1) detect instances of long-term trend (either improvement or deterioration) in monitored resources, thus providing an early-warning indication of system change to resource managers; (2) inform management decisions and help assess the effects of management actions, as wel
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Andrea Woodward
Conceptual ecological models to support detection of ecological change on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges
More than 31 million hectares of land are protected and managed in 16 refuges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Alaska. The vastness and isolation of Alaskan refuges give rise to relatively intact and complete ecosystems. The potential for these lands to provide habitat for trust species is likely to be altered, however, due to global climate change, which is having dramatic effects
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Erik A. Beever
Monitoring habitat restoration projects: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and Coastal Program Protocol
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Pacific Region (Region 1) includes more than 158 million acres (almost 247,000 square miles) of land base in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Hawai`i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Region 1 is ecologically diverse with l
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Kathy Hollar
Design of ecoregional monitoring in conservation areas of high-latitude ecosystems under contemporary climate change
Land ownership in Alaska includes a mosaic of federally managed units. Within its agency’s context, each unit has its own management strategy, authority, and resources of conservation concern, many of which are migratory animals. Though some units are geographically isolated, many are nevertheless linked by paths of abiotic and biotic flows, such as rivers, air masses, flyways, and terrestrial and
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Andrea Woodward
Framework for ecological monitoring on lands of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges and their partners
National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska and throughout the U.S. have begun developing a spatially comprehensive monitoring program to inform management decisions, and to provide data to broader research projects. In an era of unprecedented rates of climate change, monitoring is essential to detecting, understanding, communicating and mitigating climate-change effects on refuge and other resources unde
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Erik A. Beever
Natural resource managers are faced with the prospect of dramatic climate change, the commencement of ecosystem- and landscape-scale restoration and management initiatives, as well as an interest in learning from and being accountable for restoration projects. The consequent needs for information have motivated many agencies to institute ecological monitoring programs and interdisciplinary research efforts in recent decades. With regard to monitoring, especially for federal agencies with large land holdings, designing programs and developing protocols is a complex undertaking. Even for programs with smaller scopes, a careful planning process is needed to maximize the benefit obtained from the investment in monitoring. Challenges include determining what constitutes measures of ecological integrity, and then how those measures should be sampled on the landscape. A deliberate strategy is also required for multi-disciplinary projects to ensure that high-priority information needs are met.
Projects
- USGS Support for North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative
- Monitoring Protocol for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Programs" Restoration Projects
- Monitoring Protocol for Forest Vegetation of the National Park Service North Coast and Cascades Network
- Monitoring Framework for the USFWS National Wildlife Refuges of Alaska
- Linking Hydrogeology and Aquatic Communities for Ecological Monitoring of Wadeable Mountain Streams
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 14
Integrating climate change considerations into natural resource planning—An implementation guide
Executive SummaryClimate change vulnerability assessments and associated adaptation strategies and actions connect existing climate science with possible effects on natural resources and highlight potential responses. However, these assessments, which are commonly generated for large regional areas, suggest management options in general terms without guidance for choosing among strategies and acti
Authors
Jessi Kershner, Andrea Woodward, Alicia Torregrosa
North Cascades National Park Service Complex
Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs) evaluate current conditions for a subset of natural resources and resource indicators in national parks. NRCAs also report on trends in resource condition (when possible), identify critical data gaps, and characterize a general level of confidence for study findings. The resources and indicators emphasized in a given project depend on the park’s resou
Authors
Robert Hoffman, Andrea Woodward, Patricia K. Haggerty, Kurt J. Jenkins, Paul C. Griffin, M. J. Adams, Joan Hagar, Tonnie Cummings, Dan Duriscoe, Karen Kopper, Jon Riedel, Lelaina Marin, Guillaume S. Mauger, Karen Bumbaco, Jeremy S. Littell
Moving from awareness to action: Advancing climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning for Idaho and Montana National Forests
No abstract available.
Authors
Jessi Kershner, Alicia Torregrosa, Andrea Woodward
Ground level environmental protein concentrations in various ecuadorian environments: potential uses of aerosolized protein for ecological research
Large quantities of free protein in the environment and other bioaerosols are ubiquitous throughout terrestrial ground level environments and may be integrative indicators of ecosystem status. Samples of ground level bioaerosols were collected from various ecosystems throughout Ecuador, including pristine humid tropical forest (pristine), highly altered secondary humid tropical forest (highly alte
Authors
Sarah J.R. Staton, Andrea Woodward, Josemar A. Castillo, Kelly Swing, Mark A. Hayes
Resource manager information needs regarding hydrologic regime shifts for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources in North America. LCCs were established by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) in recognition of the fact that response to climate change must be coordinated on a landscap
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Karen Jenni
Identifying resource manager information needs for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife and cultural resources in North America. LLCs were established by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) in recognition that response to climate change must be coordinated on a landscape-level basis bec
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Theresa Liedtke, Karen Jenni
A process-based hierarchical framework for monitoring glaciated alpine headwaters
Recent studies have demonstrated the geomorphic complexity and wide range of hydrologic regimes found in alpine headwater channels that provide complex habitats for aquatic taxa. These geohydrologic elements are fundamental to better understand patterns in species assemblages and indicator taxa and are necessary to aquatic monitoring protocols that aim to track changes in physical conditions. Comp
Authors
Anne A. Weekes, Christian E. Torgersen, David R. Montgomery, Andrea Woodward, Susan M. Bolton
Ecoregional-scale monitoring within conservation areas, in a rapidly changing climate
Long-term monitoring of ecological systems can prove invaluable for resource management and conservation. Such monitoring can: (1) detect instances of long-term trend (either improvement or deterioration) in monitored resources, thus providing an early-warning indication of system change to resource managers; (2) inform management decisions and help assess the effects of management actions, as wel
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Andrea Woodward
Conceptual ecological models to support detection of ecological change on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges
More than 31 million hectares of land are protected and managed in 16 refuges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Alaska. The vastness and isolation of Alaskan refuges give rise to relatively intact and complete ecosystems. The potential for these lands to provide habitat for trust species is likely to be altered, however, due to global climate change, which is having dramatic effects
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Erik A. Beever
Monitoring habitat restoration projects: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and Coastal Program Protocol
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Pacific Region (Region 1) includes more than 158 million acres (almost 247,000 square miles) of land base in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Hawai`i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Region 1 is ecologically diverse with l
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Kathy Hollar
Design of ecoregional monitoring in conservation areas of high-latitude ecosystems under contemporary climate change
Land ownership in Alaska includes a mosaic of federally managed units. Within its agency’s context, each unit has its own management strategy, authority, and resources of conservation concern, many of which are migratory animals. Though some units are geographically isolated, many are nevertheless linked by paths of abiotic and biotic flows, such as rivers, air masses, flyways, and terrestrial and
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Andrea Woodward
Framework for ecological monitoring on lands of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges and their partners
National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska and throughout the U.S. have begun developing a spatially comprehensive monitoring program to inform management decisions, and to provide data to broader research projects. In an era of unprecedented rates of climate change, monitoring is essential to detecting, understanding, communicating and mitigating climate-change effects on refuge and other resources unde
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Erik A. Beever