Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)
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Scientists from the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center capitalize on their diverse expertise to answer scientific questions shaped by the environments of the western United States. We collaborate with each other and with partners to provide rigorous, objective, and timely information and guidance for the management and conservation of biological systems in the West and worldwide.
FRESC Research Teams
FRESC scientists, individually or collaboratively with partners, investigate high-priority questions about biological systems.
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News
Modeling Management Actions Helps Researchers Pinpoint the Main Culprit of Wood Frog Declines
Amphibian decline is a global conservation crisis driven by multiple interacting stressors, which often act at a local scale with global implications.
New Study: Distribution of the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog in Oregon
USGS researchers are beginning a new technical assistance study to help identify the current distribution of Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs in Oregon.
Researchers Compare Mercury in Songbird Feathers, Nails
Although feathers are commonly used to monitor mercury in birds, their reliability has not been assessed for many avian species, including most songbirds.
Publications
Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Reestablishing shrub canopy cover after disturbance in semi-arid ecosystems, such as sagebrush steppe, is essential to provide wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem functioning. While several studies have explored the effects of landscape and climate factors on the success or failure of sagebrush seeding, the influence of soil properties on...
Barnard, David; Germino, Matthew J.; Arkle, Robert; Bradford, John; Duniway, Michael; Pilliod, David; Pyke, David; Shriver, Robert; Welty, Justin Effect of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) on apparent survival of frogs and toads in the western USA
Despite increasing interest in determining the population-level effects of emerging infectious diseases on wildlife, estimating effects of disease on survival rates remains difficult. Even for a well-studied disease such as amphibian chytridiomycosis (caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]), there are few estimates of...
Russell, Robin E.; Halstead, Brian J.; Mosher, Brittany; Muths, Erin L.; Adams, Michael J.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Fisher, Robert N.; Kleeman, Patrick M.; Backlin, Adam R.; Pearl, Christopher; Honeycutt, R. Ken; Hossack, Blake R. Conservation research across scales in a national program: How to be relevant to local management yet general at the same time
Successfully addressing complex conservation problems requires attention to pattern and process at multiple spatial scales. This is challenging from a logistical and organizational perspective. In response to indications of worldwide declines in amphibian populations, the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) of the United States...
Adams, Michael J.; Muths, Erin L.