Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 2000 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.
Filter Total Items: 2402
Responding to risky neighbors: Testing for spatial spillover effects for defensible space in a fire-prone WUI community Responding to risky neighbors: Testing for spatial spillover effects for defensible space in a fire-prone WUI community
Often, factors that determine the risk of an environmental hazard occur at landscape scales, and risk mitigation requires action by multiple private property owners. How property owners respond to risk mitigation on neighboring lands depends on whether mitigation actions are strategic complements or strategic substitutes. We test for these neighbor interactions with a case study on...
Authors
Travis Warziniack, Patricia A. Champ, James R. Meldrum, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Christopher M. Barth, Lilia C. Falk
Species profile: Quercus parvula Species profile: Quercus parvula
No abstract available.
Authors
Emily Beckman, Ian S. Pearse, Abby Meyer, Murphy Westwood
Agri-tourism and rural outdoor recreation in the US: A framework for understanding economic and employment dynamics Agri-tourism and rural outdoor recreation in the US: A framework for understanding economic and employment dynamics
Agri-tourism and rural outdoor recreation are positioned at an important intersection between agricultural, natural resource, economic development and rural issues. This chapter summarizes some of the important dynamics of these sectors, including the role of land use, regional drivers, motivations for farmers and travelers, and economic impacts. As a means to illustrate several key...
Authors
Dawn Thilmany, Rebecca Hill, Michelle Haefele, Anders van Sandt, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Martha Sullins, Sarah Low
Fire severity and changing composition of forest understory plant communities Fire severity and changing composition of forest understory plant communities
Questions Gradients of fire severity in dry conifer forests can be associated with variation in understory floristic composition. Recent work in dry conifer forests in California, USA, has suggested that more severely burned stands contain more thermophilic taxa (those associated with warmer and drier conditions), and that forest disturbance may therefore accelerate floristic shifts...
Authors
Jens Stevens, Jesse Miller, Paula J. Fornwalt
The importance of simulation assumptions when evaluating detectability in population models The importance of simulation assumptions when evaluating detectability in population models
Population monitoring is important for investigating a variety of ecological questions, and N-mixture models are increasingly used to model population size (N) and trends (lambda) while estimating detectability (p) from repeated counts within primary periods (when populations are closed to changes). Extending these models to dynamic processes with serial dependence across primary periods...
Authors
Adrian P. Monroe, Gregory T. Wann, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates
Science needs for continued development of total nitrogen deposition budgets in the United States Science needs for continued development of total nitrogen deposition budgets in the United States
The objectives of this white paper are to describe the state of the science with respect to total Nr deposition budgets in North America and the research needed to improve these budgets from both a measurement and modeling standpoint. The document is intended to serve as a plan for TDep research activities but also, more broadly, to provide program managers, natural resource managers...
Authors
Gregory A. Wetherbee, Pamela H. Templar, Richard V. Pouyat, Stephen M. Decina, Brian M. Kerschner, Thomas H. Whitlow, Pamela E. Padgett, Donna B. Schwede, Jill Baron, David Clow, M. Alisa Mast, Graham A. Sexstone, Kristi H. Morris
Contact rates with nesting birds before and after invasive snake removal: Estimating the effects of trap-based control Contact rates with nesting birds before and after invasive snake removal: Estimating the effects of trap-based control
Invasive predators are responsible for almost 60% of all vertebrate extinctions worldwide with the most vulnerable faunas occurring on islands. The brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) is a notorious invasive predator that caused the extirpation or extinction of most native forest birds on Guam. The success of avian reintroduction efforts on Guam will depend on whether snake-control...
Authors
Amy A. Yackel Adams, Melia G. Nafus, Page Klug, Bjorn Lardner, M.J. Mazurek, Julie A. Savidge, Robert Reed
Influences of potential oil and gas development and future climate on Sage-grouse declines and redistribution Influences of potential oil and gas development and future climate on Sage-grouse declines and redistribution
Multiple environmental stressors impact wildlife populations, but we often know little about their cumulative and combined influences on population outcomes. We generally know more about past effects than potential future impacts, and direct influences such as changes of habitat footprints than indirect, long-term responses in behavior, distribution, or abundance. Yet, an understanding...
Authors
Julie A. Heinrichs, Michael S. O’Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge, Steven L. Garman, Collin G. Homer
Spatial capture-recapture reveals age- and sex-specific survival and movement in stream amphibians Spatial capture-recapture reveals age- and sex-specific survival and movement in stream amphibians
Life history information sets the foundation for our understanding of ecology and conservation requirements. For many species, this information is lacking even for basic demographic rates such as survival and movement. When survival and movement estimates are available, they are often derived from mixed demographic groups and do not consider differences among life stages or sexes, which...
Authors
R. Ken Honeycutt, Justin M Garwood, Winsor H. Lowe, Blake R. Hossack
Estimating visitor use and economic contributions of National Park visitor spending Estimating visitor use and economic contributions of National Park visitor spending
This chapter provides an overview of the National Park Service (NPS) methods for estimating visitor spending and calculating economic contributions of visitor spending in terms of jobs supported, wage and labor income, and total economic activity. The Visitor Spending Effects model combines visitor spending patterns and trip characteristic data with visitor use data to estimate total...
Authors
Lynne Koontz, Catherine Cullinane Thomas
Climate, environment, and disturbance history govern resilience of western North American Forests Climate, environment, and disturbance history govern resilience of western North American Forests
Before the advent of intensive forest management and fire suppression, western North American forests exhibited a naturally occurring resistance and resilience to wildfires and other disturbances. Resilience, which encompasses resistance, reflects the amount of disruption an ecosystem can withstand before its structure or organization qualitatively shift to a different basin of...
Authors
Paul F. Hessburg, Carol Miller, Sean A. Parks, Nicholas A. Povak, Alan H. Taylor, Philip E. Higuera, Susan Prichard, Malcolm P. North, Brandon M. Collins, Matthew D. Hurteau, Andrew J. Larson, Craig D. Allen, Scott L. Stephens, Hiram Rivera-Huerta, Camile S Stevens-Rumann, Lori D. Daniels, Ze’ev Gedalof, Robert W. Gray, Van R. Kane, Derek J. Churchill, R. Keala Hagmann, Thomas A. Spies, C. Alina Cansler, R. Travis Belote, Thomas T. Veblen, Mike A. Battaglia, Chad Hoffman, Carl N. Skinner, Hugh D. Safford, R. Brion Salter
Intermountain west drought social science synthesis working group: Report to the National Climate Adaptation Science Center Intermountain west drought social science synthesis working group: Report to the National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Throughout the Intermountain West, there has been significant investment in understanding how social factors influence manager and citizen experiences of drought in particular locations. Yet there is still a gap in knowledge of how human dimensions of drought impacts, planning, and resilience are similar and different across cases and regions. Building on the natural science...
Authors
Adam Wilke, Amanda E. Cravens, Robin O’Malley