USGS Technical Transfer for Department of War Installations in the Sagebrush Biome
The USGS has initiated a new collaboration effort with Department of War (DoW) in the sagebrush biome. The goal of this effort is to establish a network with DoW resource managers to define pervasive natural resource issues facing DoW installations and to identify existing innovative USGS science and tools that support DoW resource managers. Through this effort, the USGS will provide subject-matter expertise, science, data, and tools to aid DoW in managing issues related to wildfire risk, post-fire restoration, invasive plants, and wildlife species and their habitats, among other issues.
Background
DoW installations are often located in arid regions of the western U.S., where the 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, DoW 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-DoW partnership is to provide science and tools to assist in the planning, decision-making, and monitoring of DoW 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 War (DoW) in the sagebrush biome. The goal of this effort is to establish a network with DoW resource managers to define pervasive natural resource issues facing DoW installations and to identify existing innovative USGS science and tools that support DoW resource managers. Through this effort, the USGS will provide subject-matter expertise, science, data, and tools to aid DoW in managing issues related to wildfire risk, post-fire restoration, invasive plants, and wildlife species and their habitats, among other issues.
Background
DoW installations are often located in arid regions of the western U.S., where the 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, DoW 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-DoW partnership is to provide science and tools to assist in the planning, decision-making, and monitoring of DoW 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.