USGS Technical Transfer for Department of Defense Installations in the Sagebrush Biome
The USGS has initiated a new collaboration effort with Department of Defense (DoD) in the sagebrush biome. The goal of this effort is to establish a network with DoD resource managers to define pervasive natural resource issues facing DoD installations and to identify existing innovative USGS science and tools that support DoD resource managers. Through this effort, the USGS will provide subject-matter expertise, science, data, and tools to aid DoD in managing issues related to wildfire risk, post-fire restoration, invasive plants, and wildlife species and their habitats, among other issues.
Background
DoD installations are often located in arid regions of the western U.S., where resilience of native plant communities to disturbance and resistance to invasion by fire prone, non-native plants such as cheatgrass is low. As a result, military training activities and non-military actions from off-base areas, can lead to increased wildfire risk, spread of invasive plants, and difficult conditions for restoration. Faced with these challenges, DoD resource managers in sagebrush and associated shrublands of the Intermountain West benefit from USGS science support in the form of subject-matter expertise, data resources, publications, and management-focused planning and implementation tools.
Objectives and Methods
The goal of the USGS-DoD partnership is to provide science and tools to assist in the planning, decision-making, and monitoring of DoD management and restoration actions. To this end, USGS is developing a science support network including natural resource specialists from Fallon Naval Air Station, Yakima Training Center, Dugway Proving Grounds, Hill Air Force Base, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Nellis Air Force Base, and the Idaho Army National Guard Orchard Combat Training Center. By working with managers from these installations, the USGS can explore applications for existing science that improve effectiveness and durability of management actions to support mission readiness.
The USGS has initiated a new collaboration effort with Department of Defense (DoD) in the sagebrush biome. The goal of this effort is to establish a network with DoD resource managers to define pervasive natural resource issues facing DoD installations and to identify existing innovative USGS science and tools that support DoD resource managers. Through this effort, the USGS will provide subject-matter expertise, science, data, and tools to aid DoD in managing issues related to wildfire risk, post-fire restoration, invasive plants, and wildlife species and their habitats, among other issues.
Background
DoD installations are often located in arid regions of the western U.S., where resilience of native plant communities to disturbance and resistance to invasion by fire prone, non-native plants such as cheatgrass is low. As a result, military training activities and non-military actions from off-base areas, can lead to increased wildfire risk, spread of invasive plants, and difficult conditions for restoration. Faced with these challenges, DoD resource managers in sagebrush and associated shrublands of the Intermountain West benefit from USGS science support in the form of subject-matter expertise, data resources, publications, and management-focused planning and implementation tools.
Objectives and Methods
The goal of the USGS-DoD partnership is to provide science and tools to assist in the planning, decision-making, and monitoring of DoD management and restoration actions. To this end, USGS is developing a science support network including natural resource specialists from Fallon Naval Air Station, Yakima Training Center, Dugway Proving Grounds, Hill Air Force Base, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Nellis Air Force Base, and the Idaho Army National Guard Orchard Combat Training Center. By working with managers from these installations, the USGS can explore applications for existing science that improve effectiveness and durability of management actions to support mission readiness.