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
Looking for Rattlesnakes on a Sunny Day in Idaho
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker and her volunteer assistants are on the lookout for rattlesnakes on a sunny September day in Idaho.
Detecting Invasive and Rare Species with the National Streamflow Network
Two recently published papers suggest the integration of environmental DNA, or eDNA, sampling at select National Streamflow Network streamgages in the U.S. Northwest is feasible.
Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Pacific Northwest Forest Owls
Researchers evaluated tissues from barred owls collected in Washington and Oregon to assess potential exposure of the Northern spotted owl and other old-forest wildlife in the Pacific Northwest to anticoagulant rodenticides (AR). They used ecologically similar barred owls as a surrogate species for the northern spotted owl, as the two species compete for space, habitat, and small mammal prey...
Publications
Integration of eDNA-based biological monitoring within the US Geological Survey’s national streamgage network
This study explores the feasibility and utility of integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) assessments of species occurrences into the US Geological Survey’s national streamgage network. We used an existing network of five gages in southwest Idaho to explore the type of information that could be gained as well as the associated costs and limitations...
Pilliod, David; Laramie, Matthew; McCoy, Dorene; Maclean, Scott Designing multi-scale hierarchical monitoring frameworks for wildlife to support management: A sage-grouse case study
Population monitoring is integral to the conservation and management of wildlife; yet, analyses of population demographic data rarely consider processes occurring across spatial scales, potentially limiting the effectiveness of adaptive management. Therefore, we developed a method to identify hierarchical levels of organization (i.e., populations...
O'Donnell, Michael S.; Edmunds, David R.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Heinrichs, Julie; Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Hanser, Steven E. Status of Pacific martens (Martes caurina) on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Pacific martens (Martes caurina) remain common in montane regions of the Pacific states, yet their distribution and status on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, is uncertain. Between 1968– 2008, six reliable marten detections exist; a dead juvenile female (2008) indicates martens were reproducing on the Peninsula within the last decade. To assess...
Morozumi, C. N.; Howell, B. L.; Happe, P. J.; Jenkins, Kurt J.; Pilgrim, K. L.; Schwartz, M. K.; Moriarty, K. M.; Aubry, K. B.