David J.A. Wood (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Model performance and output variables for phenological events across land cover types in the Northwestern Plains, 1989-2014
Many aspects of recurring plant developmental events – vegetation phenology – are measured by remote sensing. By consistently measuring the timing and magnitude of the growing season, it is possible to study the complex relationships among drivers of the seasonal cycle of vegetation, including legacy conditions. We studied the role of current and legacy climate, and contextual factors on the land
UAV based vegetation classification results and input NDVI, vegetation height, and texture datasets for two Montana rangeland sites in 2018
Unpiloted aerial system (UAS) flight campaigns were conducted at two rangeland sites in Southwestern Montana during the 2018 growing season to classify vegetation and landcover types. A total of nine flights were conducted at the Argenta site and seven at the Virginia City site. To align images in space and time, we used four-dimensional structure from motion (4D SfM) and continued with processing
A Multiscale Index of Landscape Intactness for the Western U.S.
Landscape intactness has been defined as a quantifiable estimate of naturalness measured on a gradient of anthropogenic influence. We developed a multiscale index of landscape intactness for the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) landscape approach, which requires multiple scales of information to quantify the cumulative effects of land use. The multiscale index of landscape intactness represents a
Effects of culverts on habitat connectivity in streams—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of culverts on stream connectivity and subsequent effects on fish. We conducted a stru
Authors
Richard J. Lehrter, Tait K. Rutherford, Jason B. Dunham, Aaron N. Johnston, David J.A. Wood, Travis S. Haby, Sarah K. Carter
Effects of noise from oil and gas development on ungulates and small mammals—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of noise from oil and gas development on North American ungulates and small mammals, i
Authors
Tait K. Rutherford, Logan M. Maxwell, Nathan J. Kleist, Elisabeth C. Teige, Richard J. Lehrter, Megan A. Gilbert, David J.A. Wood, Aaron N. Johnston, Claudia Mengelt, John C. Tull, Travis S. Haby, Sarah K. Carter
Synthesis of climate and ecological science to support grassland management priorities in the North Central Region
Grasslands in the Great Plains are of ecological, economic, and cultural importance in the United States. In response to a need to understand how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems and their management in the 21st century, the U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center led a synthesis of peer-reviewed climate and ecology literature relevant
Authors
Christine D. Miller Hesed, Heather M. Yocum, Imtiaz Rangwala, Amy Symstad, Jeff M. Martin, Kevin Ellison, David J. A. Wood, Marissa Ahlering, Katherine J. Chase, Shelley Crausbay, Ana D. Davidson, Julie L. Elliott, Jim Giocomo, David Hoover, Toni Klemm, David A. Lightfoot, Owen P. McKenna, Brian W. Miller, Danika Mosher, R. Chelsea Nagy, Jesse B. Nippert, Jeremy Pittman, Lauren M. Porensky, Jilmarie Stephens, Alexander V. Zale
Antecedent climatic conditions spanning several years influence multiple land-surface phenology events in semi-arid environments
Ecological processes are complex, often exhibiting non-linear, interactive, or hierarchical relationships. Furthermore, models identifying drivers of phenology are constrained by uncertainty regarding predictors, interactions across scales, and legacy impacts of prior climate conditions. Nonetheless, measuring and modeling ecosystem processes such as phenology remains critical for management of ec
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Paul C. Stoy, Scott Powell, Erik A. Beever
Multiple UAV flights across the growing season can characterize fine scale phenological heterogeneity within and among vegetation functional groups
Grasslands and shrublands exhibit pronounced spatial and temporal variability in structure and function with differences in phenology that can be difficult to observe. Unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) can measure vegetation spectral patterns relatively cheaply and repeatably at fine spatial resolution. We tested the ability of UAVs to measure phenological variability within vegetation functional g
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Todd M. Preston, Scott Powell, Paul C. Stoy
Is the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management
Vegetation phenology—the seasonal timing and duration of vegetative phases—is controlled by spatiotemporally variable contributions of climatic and environmental factors plus additional potential influence from human management. We used land surface phenology derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and climate data to examine variability in vegetation productivity and phenologica
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Scott Powell, Paul C. Stoy, Lindsey Thurman, Erik A. Beever
Towards an urgent yet deliberate conservation strategy: Sustaining social-ecological systems in rangelands of the Northern Great Plains, Montana
Urgency and deliberateness are often at odds when executing conservation projects, especially as the scale and complexity of objectives increases. The pace of environmental degradation supports immediate and measurable action. However, best practices for adaptive governance and building resilient social-ecological systems call for more deliberate efforts and participatory processes, which can be s
Authors
Katie Epstein, David J. A. Wood, Kelli Roemer, Bryce Currey, Hannah Duff, Justin D Gay, Hannah Goemann, Sasha Loewen, Megan C Milligan, John A F Wendt, E N Jack Brookshire, Bruce D. Maxwell, Lance B. McNew, Dave B McWethy, Paul C. Stoy, Julia Hobson Haggerty
Quantifying ecological integrity of terrestrial systems to inform management of multiple-use public lands in the United States
The concept of ecological integrity has been applied widely to management of aquatic systems, but still is considered by many to be too vague and difficult to quantify to be useful for managing terrestrial systems, particularly across broad areas. Extensive public lands in the western United States are managed for diverse uses such as timber harvest, livestock grazing, energy development, and wild
Authors
Sarah K. Carter, Erica Fleishman, Ian I.F. Leinwand, Curtis H. Flather, Natasha B. Carr, Frank A. Fogarty, Matthias Leu, Barry R. Noon, M.E. Wohlfeil, David J. A. Wood
Toward a social-ecological theory of forest macrosystems for improved ecosystem management
The implications of cumulative land-use decisions and shifting climate on forests, require us to integrate our understanding of ecosystems, markets, policy, and resource management into a social-ecological system. Humans play a central role in macrosystem dynamics, which complicates ecological theories that do not explicitly include human interactions. These dynamics also impact ecological service
Authors
William J. Kleindl, Paul C. Stoy, Michael W. Binford, Ankur R. Desai, Mike Dietze, Courtney A. Schultz, Gregory Starr, Christina Staudhammer, David J. A. Wood
On the exchange of sensible and latent heat between the atmosphere and melting snow
The snow energy balance is difficult to measure during the snowmelt period, yet critical for predictions of water yield in regions characterized by snow cover. Robust simplifications of the snowmelt energy balance can aid our understanding of water resources in a changing climate. Research to date has demonstrated that the net turbulent flux (FT) between a melting snowpack and the atmosphere is ne
Authors
Paul C. Stoy, Erich H. Peitzsch, David J. A. Wood, Daniel Rottinghaus, Georg Wohlfahrt, Michael Goulden, Helen Ward
Summary of science, activities, programs, and policies that influence the rangewide conservation of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
The Greater Sage-Grouse, has been observed, hunted, and counted for decades. The sagebrush biome, home to the Greater Sage-Grouse, includes sagebrush-steppe and Great Basin sagebrush communities, interspersed with grasslands, salt flats, badlands, mountain ranges, springs, intermittent creeks and washes, and major river systems, and is one of the most widespread and enigmatic components of Western
Authors
D.J. Manier, David J.A. Wood, Z.H. Bowen, R.M. Donovan, M.J. Holloran, L.M. Juliusson, K.S. Mayne, S.J. Oyler-McCance, F.R. Quamen, D.J. Saher, A.J. Titolo
Non-USGS Publications**
Carr, N.B., Leinwand, I.I.F., and Wood, D.J.A., 2016, A Multiscale Index of Landscape Intactness for the Western United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release
Lurz, P.W.W., Koprowski, J.L., Wood, D.J.A. 2008 The use of GIS and modelling approaches in squirrel population management and conservation: a review. Current Science 95(7):918-922.
Wood, D.J.A., Drake, S., Rushton, S.P., Rautenkranz, D., Lurz, P.W.W., and Koprowski, J.L. 2007. Fine scale mountain-wide analysis of habitat disturbance. Journal of Wildlife Management 71: 2357-2364.
Wood, D.J.A., Koprowski, J.L., and Lurz, P.W.W. 2007. Tree squirrel introduction: a theoretical approach with PVA. Journal of Mammalogy 88: 1271-1279.
Wood, D.J.A., Koprowski, J.L. and Lurz, P.W.W., 2007. Tree squirrel introduction: a theoretical approach with population viability analysis. Journal of Mammalogy, 88(5), pp.1271-1279.
Rushton, S.P., Wood, D.J.A., Lurz, P.W.W., & Koprowski, J.L. 2006. Population viability analysis of the Mt. Graham red squirrel: can we predict its future in a changing environment? Biological Conservation 131: 121-131
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Model performance and output variables for phenological events across land cover types in the Northwestern Plains, 1989-2014
Many aspects of recurring plant developmental events – vegetation phenology – are measured by remote sensing. By consistently measuring the timing and magnitude of the growing season, it is possible to study the complex relationships among drivers of the seasonal cycle of vegetation, including legacy conditions. We studied the role of current and legacy climate, and contextual factors on the land
UAV based vegetation classification results and input NDVI, vegetation height, and texture datasets for two Montana rangeland sites in 2018
Unpiloted aerial system (UAS) flight campaigns were conducted at two rangeland sites in Southwestern Montana during the 2018 growing season to classify vegetation and landcover types. A total of nine flights were conducted at the Argenta site and seven at the Virginia City site. To align images in space and time, we used four-dimensional structure from motion (4D SfM) and continued with processing
A Multiscale Index of Landscape Intactness for the Western U.S.
Landscape intactness has been defined as a quantifiable estimate of naturalness measured on a gradient of anthropogenic influence. We developed a multiscale index of landscape intactness for the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) landscape approach, which requires multiple scales of information to quantify the cumulative effects of land use. The multiscale index of landscape intactness represents a
Effects of culverts on habitat connectivity in streams—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of culverts on stream connectivity and subsequent effects on fish. We conducted a stru
Authors
Richard J. Lehrter, Tait K. Rutherford, Jason B. Dunham, Aaron N. Johnston, David J.A. Wood, Travis S. Haby, Sarah K. Carter
Effects of noise from oil and gas development on ungulates and small mammals—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of noise from oil and gas development on North American ungulates and small mammals, i
Authors
Tait K. Rutherford, Logan M. Maxwell, Nathan J. Kleist, Elisabeth C. Teige, Richard J. Lehrter, Megan A. Gilbert, David J.A. Wood, Aaron N. Johnston, Claudia Mengelt, John C. Tull, Travis S. Haby, Sarah K. Carter
Synthesis of climate and ecological science to support grassland management priorities in the North Central Region
Grasslands in the Great Plains are of ecological, economic, and cultural importance in the United States. In response to a need to understand how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems and their management in the 21st century, the U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center led a synthesis of peer-reviewed climate and ecology literature relevant
Authors
Christine D. Miller Hesed, Heather M. Yocum, Imtiaz Rangwala, Amy Symstad, Jeff M. Martin, Kevin Ellison, David J. A. Wood, Marissa Ahlering, Katherine J. Chase, Shelley Crausbay, Ana D. Davidson, Julie L. Elliott, Jim Giocomo, David Hoover, Toni Klemm, David A. Lightfoot, Owen P. McKenna, Brian W. Miller, Danika Mosher, R. Chelsea Nagy, Jesse B. Nippert, Jeremy Pittman, Lauren M. Porensky, Jilmarie Stephens, Alexander V. Zale
Antecedent climatic conditions spanning several years influence multiple land-surface phenology events in semi-arid environments
Ecological processes are complex, often exhibiting non-linear, interactive, or hierarchical relationships. Furthermore, models identifying drivers of phenology are constrained by uncertainty regarding predictors, interactions across scales, and legacy impacts of prior climate conditions. Nonetheless, measuring and modeling ecosystem processes such as phenology remains critical for management of ec
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Paul C. Stoy, Scott Powell, Erik A. Beever
Multiple UAV flights across the growing season can characterize fine scale phenological heterogeneity within and among vegetation functional groups
Grasslands and shrublands exhibit pronounced spatial and temporal variability in structure and function with differences in phenology that can be difficult to observe. Unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) can measure vegetation spectral patterns relatively cheaply and repeatably at fine spatial resolution. We tested the ability of UAVs to measure phenological variability within vegetation functional g
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Todd M. Preston, Scott Powell, Paul C. Stoy
Is the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management
Vegetation phenology—the seasonal timing and duration of vegetative phases—is controlled by spatiotemporally variable contributions of climatic and environmental factors plus additional potential influence from human management. We used land surface phenology derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and climate data to examine variability in vegetation productivity and phenologica
Authors
David J. A. Wood, Scott Powell, Paul C. Stoy, Lindsey Thurman, Erik A. Beever
Towards an urgent yet deliberate conservation strategy: Sustaining social-ecological systems in rangelands of the Northern Great Plains, Montana
Urgency and deliberateness are often at odds when executing conservation projects, especially as the scale and complexity of objectives increases. The pace of environmental degradation supports immediate and measurable action. However, best practices for adaptive governance and building resilient social-ecological systems call for more deliberate efforts and participatory processes, which can be s
Authors
Katie Epstein, David J. A. Wood, Kelli Roemer, Bryce Currey, Hannah Duff, Justin D Gay, Hannah Goemann, Sasha Loewen, Megan C Milligan, John A F Wendt, E N Jack Brookshire, Bruce D. Maxwell, Lance B. McNew, Dave B McWethy, Paul C. Stoy, Julia Hobson Haggerty
Quantifying ecological integrity of terrestrial systems to inform management of multiple-use public lands in the United States
The concept of ecological integrity has been applied widely to management of aquatic systems, but still is considered by many to be too vague and difficult to quantify to be useful for managing terrestrial systems, particularly across broad areas. Extensive public lands in the western United States are managed for diverse uses such as timber harvest, livestock grazing, energy development, and wild
Authors
Sarah K. Carter, Erica Fleishman, Ian I.F. Leinwand, Curtis H. Flather, Natasha B. Carr, Frank A. Fogarty, Matthias Leu, Barry R. Noon, M.E. Wohlfeil, David J. A. Wood
Toward a social-ecological theory of forest macrosystems for improved ecosystem management
The implications of cumulative land-use decisions and shifting climate on forests, require us to integrate our understanding of ecosystems, markets, policy, and resource management into a social-ecological system. Humans play a central role in macrosystem dynamics, which complicates ecological theories that do not explicitly include human interactions. These dynamics also impact ecological service
Authors
William J. Kleindl, Paul C. Stoy, Michael W. Binford, Ankur R. Desai, Mike Dietze, Courtney A. Schultz, Gregory Starr, Christina Staudhammer, David J. A. Wood
On the exchange of sensible and latent heat between the atmosphere and melting snow
The snow energy balance is difficult to measure during the snowmelt period, yet critical for predictions of water yield in regions characterized by snow cover. Robust simplifications of the snowmelt energy balance can aid our understanding of water resources in a changing climate. Research to date has demonstrated that the net turbulent flux (FT) between a melting snowpack and the atmosphere is ne
Authors
Paul C. Stoy, Erich H. Peitzsch, David J. A. Wood, Daniel Rottinghaus, Georg Wohlfahrt, Michael Goulden, Helen Ward
Summary of science, activities, programs, and policies that influence the rangewide conservation of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
The Greater Sage-Grouse, has been observed, hunted, and counted for decades. The sagebrush biome, home to the Greater Sage-Grouse, includes sagebrush-steppe and Great Basin sagebrush communities, interspersed with grasslands, salt flats, badlands, mountain ranges, springs, intermittent creeks and washes, and major river systems, and is one of the most widespread and enigmatic components of Western
Authors
D.J. Manier, David J.A. Wood, Z.H. Bowen, R.M. Donovan, M.J. Holloran, L.M. Juliusson, K.S. Mayne, S.J. Oyler-McCance, F.R. Quamen, D.J. Saher, A.J. Titolo
Non-USGS Publications**
Carr, N.B., Leinwand, I.I.F., and Wood, D.J.A., 2016, A Multiscale Index of Landscape Intactness for the Western United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release
Lurz, P.W.W., Koprowski, J.L., Wood, D.J.A. 2008 The use of GIS and modelling approaches in squirrel population management and conservation: a review. Current Science 95(7):918-922.
Wood, D.J.A., Drake, S., Rushton, S.P., Rautenkranz, D., Lurz, P.W.W., and Koprowski, J.L. 2007. Fine scale mountain-wide analysis of habitat disturbance. Journal of Wildlife Management 71: 2357-2364.
Wood, D.J.A., Koprowski, J.L., and Lurz, P.W.W. 2007. Tree squirrel introduction: a theoretical approach with PVA. Journal of Mammalogy 88: 1271-1279.
Wood, D.J.A., Koprowski, J.L. and Lurz, P.W.W., 2007. Tree squirrel introduction: a theoretical approach with population viability analysis. Journal of Mammalogy, 88(5), pp.1271-1279.
Rushton, S.P., Wood, D.J.A., Lurz, P.W.W., & Koprowski, J.L. 2006. Population viability analysis of the Mt. Graham red squirrel: can we predict its future in a changing environment? Biological Conservation 131: 121-131
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.