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
Annotated Bibliography: Grazing Effects on Amphibians and Their Habitats
Livestock grazing is one of the most common land uses in the western United States, where multiple amphibians of conservation concern use habitats that are grazed.
Patterns in Age Structure of Golden Eagles Wintering in Eastern North America
Wildlife behavior varies seasonally, particularly for long-distance migrants, and that variation can have substantial demographic consequences.
Small-Scale Water Deficits After Wildfires Create Long-Lasting Ecological Impacts
Moisture deficit affects ecological processes and land management interventions, such as restoration of native vegetation.
Publications
Assessing population-level consequences of anthropogenic stressors for terrestrial wildlife
Human activity influences wildlife. However, the ecological and conservation significances of these influences are difficult to predict and depend on their population‐level consequences. This difficulty arises partly because of information gaps, and partly because the data on stressors are usually collected in a count‐based manner (e.g., number of...
Katzner, Todd E.; Braham, Melissa A.; Conkling, Tara; Diffendorfer, James E.; Duerr, Adam E.; Loss, Scott R.; Nelson, David M.; Vander Zanden, Hannah B.; Yee, Julie L. Long term persistence of aspen in snowdrift-dependent ecosystems
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests throughout the western United States have experienced significant mortality in recent decades, much of which has been influenced by climate variability, especially drought. In the western portion of its range, where most precipitation arrives during winter as snowfall and summers are dry, snowdrifts that...
Kretchun, Alec M; Scheller, Robert M; Shinneman, Douglas; Soderquist, B; Maguire, Kaitlin C.; Link, Timothy E; Strand, Eva K. Movements and habitat use of loons for assessment of conservation buffer zones in the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska
Oil and gas development in the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, may pose threats to wildlife. Management guidelines within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska dictate buffer zones for coastal wildlife habitat and for breeding and foraging sites of yellow-billed loons (YBLOs; Gavia adamsii), a species of conservation concern. However, few data...
Poessel, Sharon; Uher-Koch, Brian D.; Pearce, John M.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Katzner, Todd E.; Douglas, David C.; von Biela, Vanessa R.; Harrison, Autumn-Lynne