James Meldrum is an economist in the Social and Economic Analysis Branch at the Fort Collins Science Center. His primary research focus is measuring, modeling, and understanding human relationships with natural resources.
James' economics and applied social science work spans many areas of interest to the USGS and our federal and non-federal partners. His main research topics include measuring, modeling, and understanding human relationships with natural resources, especially through the lens of ecosystem services, and with natural hazards, especially focused on mitigating the risks of wildland fire. James is a founding member of the Wildfire Research (WiRē) Team, an interdisciplinary collaboration focused on coproducing science in support of community wildfire adaptedness and wildfire risk mitigation on private lands, and he is an active participant in numerous USGS- and DOI-wide communities of practice.
Research Interests
- Environmental economics
- Wildfire risk mitigation
- Ecosystem services
- Behavioral economics
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 16
Identifying Chains of Consequences and Interventions for Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems
As part of a broader USGS project on Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems (PHIRE): Support for Response, Recovery, and Mitigation, the PHIRE social science team convenes stakeholders involved in post-fire hazard science and decision-making to identify potential consequences resulting from post-fire hazard scenarios along with strategies to reduce the likelihood or severity of...
Economic assessment of addressing annual invasive grasses across the sagebrush biome
This interdisciplinary project combines expert judgment on treatment costs with spatially explicit ecological modeling to estimate the financial resources needed to address the threat of invasive annual grass across the entire sagebrush biome. Results of the assessment will provide economic insights that can inform cost-effective resource allocation to efficiently achieve sagebrush conservation...
About the Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) Branch
The Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) branch is an interdisciplinary group of scientists whose primary functions are to conduct both theoretical and applied social science research, provide technical assistance, and offer training to support the development of skills in natural resource management activities.
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.
Joint Fire Science Program Evaluation
The Joint Fire Science Program is a partnership between the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service that connects relevant fire science research with stakeholders. USGS Scientists are supporting the Joint Fire Science Program by assessing the science needs of its stakeholders in order to inform future decision making.
Economic Implications of Sagebrush Treatment and Restoration Practices Across the Great Basin and Wyoming
USGS and Colorado State University researchers are conducting analyses and predictions of sagebrush recovery in the Great Basin and Wyoming and assess the role of weather, soils, and reseeding treatments.
Economics and Ecosystem Services
Federal policymakers and land managers are accountable to the public for how they use public resources and for the outcomes of policy and management decisions. Through a variety of economic analyses and custom modeling, SEA economists evaluate how investments and management decisions affect individuals, local communities, and society as a whole.
Tools for Public Land Managers
Fort Collins Science Center Economists support numerous web applications that convey information and data to specific audiences. An important aspect of many of these tools is to connect practitioners and other stakeholders to resources.
Economics of Outdoor Recreation
Planning and managing recreation areas is a series of choices, and not a day goes by that that manager doesn’t face a question, which at its roots, is often economic.
Wildlife Economics
From the benefits of tourism and hunting, to the protection of rare and endangered species, economics can play an important role in understanding humans’ relationship with wildlife.
Value of Science
The science conducted across the USGS affects the well-being of hundreds of millions of Americans. However, it is challenging to quantify the value of this science, and better understanding and communication of this value is often needed.
Economics of Invasive Species
In managing invasive species, land managers and policy makers need information to help allocate scarce resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 16
Identifying Chains of Consequences and Interventions for Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems
As part of a broader USGS project on Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems (PHIRE): Support for Response, Recovery, and Mitigation, the PHIRE social science team convenes stakeholders involved in post-fire hazard science and decision-making to identify potential consequences resulting from post-fire hazard scenarios along with strategies to reduce the likelihood or severity of...Economic assessment of addressing annual invasive grasses across the sagebrush biome
This interdisciplinary project combines expert judgment on treatment costs with spatially explicit ecological modeling to estimate the financial resources needed to address the threat of invasive annual grass across the entire sagebrush biome. Results of the assessment will provide economic insights that can inform cost-effective resource allocation to efficiently achieve sagebrush conservation...About the Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) Branch
The Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) branch is an interdisciplinary group of scientists whose primary functions are to conduct both theoretical and applied social science research, provide technical assistance, and offer training to support the development of skills in natural resource management activities.Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.Joint Fire Science Program Evaluation
The Joint Fire Science Program is a partnership between the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service that connects relevant fire science research with stakeholders. USGS Scientists are supporting the Joint Fire Science Program by assessing the science needs of its stakeholders in order to inform future decision making.Economic Implications of Sagebrush Treatment and Restoration Practices Across the Great Basin and Wyoming
USGS and Colorado State University researchers are conducting analyses and predictions of sagebrush recovery in the Great Basin and Wyoming and assess the role of weather, soils, and reseeding treatments.Economics and Ecosystem Services
Federal policymakers and land managers are accountable to the public for how they use public resources and for the outcomes of policy and management decisions. Through a variety of economic analyses and custom modeling, SEA economists evaluate how investments and management decisions affect individuals, local communities, and society as a whole.Tools for Public Land Managers
Fort Collins Science Center Economists support numerous web applications that convey information and data to specific audiences. An important aspect of many of these tools is to connect practitioners and other stakeholders to resources.Economics of Outdoor Recreation
Planning and managing recreation areas is a series of choices, and not a day goes by that that manager doesn’t face a question, which at its roots, is often economic.Wildlife Economics
From the benefits of tourism and hunting, to the protection of rare and endangered species, economics can play an important role in understanding humans’ relationship with wildlife.Value of Science
The science conducted across the USGS affects the well-being of hundreds of millions of Americans. However, it is challenging to quantify the value of this science, and better understanding and communication of this value is often needed.Economics of Invasive Species
In managing invasive species, land managers and policy makers need information to help allocate scarce resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. - Data
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