Science Tools for Managers
Science Tools for Managers
Through our science projects, the CASCs strive to conduct science that is directly useful to resource managers and informs adaptation decision making. CASC-funded researchers develop data sets, web applications, assessments, surveys, and other tools that are publicly available for future management or research projects. Browse our projects on this topic below.
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The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Framework
The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework is a tool that helps resource managers make informed strategies for responding to socio-ecological changes, including climate change.
USGS Team Science Curriculum
USGS scientists are developing a team science curriculum to teach researchers from different fields and backgrounds how to work collaboratively and creatively to address complex environmental challenges.
A New Tool for Monitoring Vegetation Water Use and Efficiency to Support Sustainable Agroecosystem Management
Oklahoma and Texas are facing significant future water shortages that threaten farming and ranching communities. Though conservation-based management practices are being implemented across the states, there are inadequate tools for monitoring vegetation water use efficiency in real time. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will develop a web-based tool using high...
Adding Fuel to the Fire: Determining Vegetation-Specific Drought Timescales That Enhance Fuel Flammability and Fire Potential
Project Overview Increasing severe drought events occurring across the Colorado Plateau can harm vegetation and create drier and more flammable fuel for wildfire. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will analyze drought indices and satellite data to show how quickly after drought begins that different types of vegetation across the region show signs of health declines...
After the Dams: Fire Impacts and Restoration Opportunities for a Culturally Important Klamath River Willow
Project Overview The sandbar willow of the Klamath River is used within the Karuk Tribe’s ongoing cultural practices of basketweaving. The willow has been threatened by intensifying fire and dams, but restoration and the recent historical dam removals provide an opportunity to increase the quantity, quality, and access to this important resource. Researchers supported by this Southwest...
Building Climate-Resilient Rangelands Amidst Fire, Grazing, and Ecological Invasion in California
Rangelands in California face significant challenges from climate change, wildfires, and invasive species, threatening their productivity and the benefits they provide to local communities. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will develop a management framework for restoring climate-resilient rangelands in California by examining interactions between fire, grazing, and...
Climate Smart Forest Adaptation in the Wake of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is an insect causing extensive hemlock tree die-offs in the northeast, and a lack of information on climate adaptation practices is hindering effective forest management. With the overall goal of fostering resilient forests that support northeastern hemlock ecosystems and wildlife, researchers supported by this Northeast-CASC project will work with land...
Climate-Informed Disease Threat Assessment for Montana’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Project Overview Infectious disease poses a growing threat to wildlife and human health, and managing disease threats is complicated by climatic changes that can change levels of disease risk. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will co-develop a method to rank wildlife disease threats under climate change, providing critical useable information to Montana’s wildlife...
Co-producing Robust Estimates of Feral Horses on Tribal Lands
Feral horse populations in the southwestern United States, including on tribal lands, are far above sustainable levels. This overpopulation poses threats to rangeland ecosystems as the feral horses compete with native species and livestock for limited resources – which likely will become even more limited with climate change. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will...
Coastal Wetland Dynamics and Impacts on Hurricane Flood Risk along the Texas Gulf Coast in a Changing Climate
Wetlands along the Gulf Coast are crucial for reducing hurricane-induced flooding and as habitat for diverse wildlife, but are threatened by rising sea levels, climate change, and coastal development. Using remote sensing data, future climate data, and numerical models, researchers from this South Central CASC-supported project will collaborate with local expert groups to create data and...
Designing Climate-Resilient Stormwater Management in Northeastern US Cities to Support Stream Ecosystems
Current stormwater management infrastructure and strategies in the northeastern US are built around historical weather data and not the weather that is expected with climate change, like more frequent extreme rainfall. This matters because stormwater can introduce pollution to streams and can cause flooding. Researchers supported by this Northeast CASC project will combine climate data...
Developing high-resolution CMIP6 climate scenarios for Alaska
Project Overview Climate change is impacting nearly every aspect of life in Alaska, but global climate models lack the spatial resolution needed to predict changes to local hazards like avalanches and wildfires. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will downscale CMIP6 climate models to produce finer-scale data that can be used by federal, state, and tribal leaders to make...