Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)
Changes and Disturbance
Browse Changes and Disturbance science related to:
Wildlife Responses to Climate, Land Use, and Invasive Species
Wildlife issues drive many federal and state land management decisions, either because of litigation or mandates to protect habitat and limit extinction risks. We conduct applied research to meet this need, particularly related to the effects of natural (disease, predation) and anthropogenic (habitat loss, invasive species) stressors on wildlife populations and communities. Research on the...
Threat of Invasives to Native Species and Ecosystems
Invasive species are a growing threat to native species and ecosystem processes in fresh waters. The Introducing non-native fish into an area may have no effect, little current effect, or the potential to seriously impact the native species, possibly resulting in their extinction. We conduct research to address the causes of invasions and their impacts. We also provide technical support for...
Water Temperature in Rivers and Streams
Increases in summer stream temperature as a result of human impacts and climate change may exceed the thermal tolerances of aquatic biota that are adapted to colder environments and climates. The combined effects of humans and climate change are of global concern across the range of coldwater aquatic organisms.
Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration
Land use and unintentional (e.g., wildfire) disturbances are increasingly dominant factors affecting land-use planning and management of semiarid landscapes, particularly in sagebrush steppe rangelands. In the last 10-20 years, wildfires are occurring more frequently and increasingly in very large burn patches.
Terrestrial Vegetation Dynamics
Plant communities are the foundation for terrestrial trophic webs and animal habitat, and their structure and species composition are a result of biological and physical drivers. Additionally, they have a major role in geologic, geomorphic and soil development processes. Several global and regional stressors (for example, climate change, atmospheric and precipitation chemistry, introduced...
Role of Fire and Fuels in Ecological Restoration
Fuel loads are important drivers of fire behavior, and fire is an important natural process that can also be used as a tool for ecological restoration purposes. Land managers and fire experts attempt to track and manipulate fuel loads in order to assess fire risk, control fire behavior, and restore ecosystems. Thus, understanding the relationships between fire, vegetation dynamics, and fuel...
Restoration of Shrub Steppe Ecosystems
This research theme provides land managers information to help them make restoration decision at local and landscape scales.
Raptor Biology, Ecology, and Land-Use Effects
We study aspects of basic biology and ecology of predators to contribute to understanding ecosystems and to provide results that can be applied to the conservation of natural resources. Subject matter includes behavior and relationships of birds to features of their environment such as habitat, prey, and contaminants.
Plant Responses to Temperature and Water Limitation
Weather and climate impacts on dominant native perennials must be understood in order to efficiently manage our western landscapes. We use an ecophysiological approach, linking to population, community, and landscape ecology, to understand the impacts and responses of plants on or to their environment.
Mercury Cycling and Effects on Ecological Communities
Mercury contamination is a serious issue that impacts both ecosystem and human health on a global scale. In its organic (methylmercury) form, mercury is highly bioaccumulative and is among the most toxic compounds commonly found in the environment. Mercury is a relatively distinctive contaminant in the sense that the risk of deleterious environmental effects is more strongly related to...
Modeling Disturbance and Ecosystem Change at Landscape Scales
Models can be used to investigate changes in ecosystems and disturbance regimes across large landscapes and over long periods of time, i.e., at spatial and temporal scales that are typically not possible or practical using field-based observational or experimental methods. These spatially explicit models can also be used to investigate complex relationships and interactions among various...
Nitrogen Deficiency and Excess in Forests: Patterns, Mechanisms and Management
This research theme facilitates the sound management and restoration of Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir forests, as well as to refine broader-scale predictions of how temperate forests will function in an increasingly nitrogen-rich world.