John B Bradford, Ph.D.
John Bradford is a Research Ecologist with the USGS Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. John studies dryland ecosystems in the context of global change and works with resource managers to identify adaptive strategies for sustaining these ecosystems in a changing world.
John focuses on understanding how changing climate, disturbances, and land use influence dryland vegetation, plant communities, and ecosystem services. He is currently engaged in the broad topics of ecohydrology and dryland sustainability in the western U.S. and has projects examining a) the potential influence of changing climatic conditions on the distribution and regeneration potential of trees and shrubs in the intermountain western U.S., b) strategies for understanding and enhancing dryland ecosystem resilience to changing climate and drought patterns, and c) ecosystem water balance and patterns of plant-available soil water in dryland regions.
Professional Experience
2011- Present: Research Ecologist - US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ
2006 - 2011: Research Ecologist - USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station, Grand Rapids, MN
2004 - 2006: Research Ecologist (Postdoctoral) - USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO
Education and Certifications
2004 - Ph.D., Ecology, Colorado State University
1996 - B.A., Biology, Cornell University
Science and Products
Soil water availability shapes species richness in mid-latitude shrub steppe plant communities
Assessment of population genetics and climatic variability can refine climate‐informed seed transfer guidelines
Bridging the research-management gap: Landscape ecology in practice on public lands in the western United States
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 19 Report)
UAV-derived estimates of forest structure to inform ponderosa pine forest restoration
Assessing the ecological impacts of biomass harvesting along a disturbance severity gradient
Gaps and hotspots in the state of knowledge of pinyon-juniper communities
Assessing plant production responses to climate across water-limited regions using Google Earth Engine
Climate-driven shifts in soil temperature and moisture regimes suggest opportunities to enhance assessments of dryland resilience and resistance
A framework for quantifying resilience to forest disturbance
Soil and stand structure explain shrub mortality patterns following global change–type drought and extreme precipitation
Soil texture and precipitation seasonality influence plant community structure in North American temperate shrub steppe
Science and Products
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Soil water availability shapes species richness in mid-latitude shrub steppe plant communities
QuestionsEcological communities are controlled by multiple, interacting abiotic and biotic factors that influence the distribution, abundance, and diversity of species. These processes jointly determine resource availability, resource competition, and ultimately species richness. For many terrestrial ecosystems in dryland climates, soil water availability is the most frequent limiting resource forAuthorsSamuel E. Jordan, Kyle A. Palmquist, John B. Bradford, William K. LauenrothAssessment of population genetics and climatic variability can refine climate‐informed seed transfer guidelines
Restoration guidelines increasingly recognize the importance of genetic attributes in translocating native plant materials (NPMs). However, when species‐specific genetic information is unavailable, seed transfer guidelines use climate‐informed seed transfer zones (CSTZs) as an approximation. While CSTZs may improve how NPMs are developed and/or matched to restoration sites, they overlook genetic fAuthorsRobert Massatti, Robert K. Shriver, Daniel E. Winkler, Bryce A. Richardson, John B. BradfordBridging the research-management gap: Landscape ecology in practice on public lands in the western United States
The field of landscape ecology has grown and matured in recent decades, but incorporating landscape science into land management decisions remains challenging. Many lands in the western United States are federally owned and managed for multiple uses, including recreation, conservation, and energy development. We argue for stronger integration of landscape science into the management of these publiAuthorsSarah K. Carter, David Pilliod, Travis S. Haby, Karen L. Prentice, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Zachary H. Bowen, John B. Bradford, Samuel A. Cushman, Joseph C. DeVivo, Michael C. Duniway, Ryan S. Hathaway, Lisa Nelson, Courtney A. Schultz, Rudy Schuster, E. Jamie Trammell, Jake WeltzinSupporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 19 Report)
A primary focus of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program (CPNPP) is to identify and develop appropriate native plant materials (NPMs) for current and future restoration projects. Multiple efforts have characterized the myriad challenges inherent in providing appropriate seed resources to enable effective, widespread restoration and have identified a broad suAuthorsRobert Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway, Seth M. Munson, John B. BradfordUAV-derived estimates of forest structure to inform ponderosa pine forest restoration
Restoring forest ecosystems has become an increasingly high priority for land managers across the American West. Millions of hectares of forest are in need of drastic yet strategic reductions in density (e.g., basal area). Meeting the restoration and management goals requires quantifying metrics of vertical and horizontal forest structure, which has relied upon field‐based measurements, manned airAuthorsAdam Belmonte, Temuulen T. Sankey, Joel A. Biederman, John B. Bradford, Scott J. Goetz, Thomas Kolb, Travis WoolleyAssessing the ecological impacts of biomass harvesting along a disturbance severity gradient
Disturbance is a central driver of forest development and ecosystem processes with variable effects within and across ecosystems. Despite the high levels of variation in disturbance severity often observed in forests following natural and anthropogenic disturbance, studies quantifying disturbance impacts often rely on categorical classifications, thus limiting opportunities to examine potential gAuthorsValerie J. Kurth, Anthony W.D. Amato, John B. Bradford, Brian J. Palik, Christopher E. LooneyGaps and hotspots in the state of knowledge of pinyon-juniper communities
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) plant communities cover a large area across North America and provide critical habitat for wildlife, biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and rich cultural resources. These communities occur across a variety of environmental gradients, disturbance regimes, structural conditions and species compositions, including three species of juniper and two species of pinyon. PJ communitiAuthorsJessica A. Hartsell, Stella M. Copeland, Seth M. Munson, Bradley J. Butterfield, John B. BradfordAssessing plant production responses to climate across water-limited regions using Google Earth Engine
(Munson) Climate variability and change acting at broad scales can lead to divergent changes in plant production at local scales. Quantifying how production responds to variation in climate at local scales is essential to understand underlying ecological processes and inform land management decision-making, but has historically been limited in spatiotemporal scale based on the use of discrete grouAuthorsErin L. Bunting, Seth M. Munson, John B. BradfordClimate-driven shifts in soil temperature and moisture regimes suggest opportunities to enhance assessments of dryland resilience and resistance
Assessing landscape patterns in climate vulnerability, as well as resilience and resistance to drought, disturbance, and invasive species, requires appropriate metrics of relevant environmental conditions. In dryland systems of western North America, soil temperature and moisture regimes have been widely utilized as an indicator of resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive plant speciesAuthorsJohn B. Bradford, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, William K. Lauenroth, Kyle A. Palmquist, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeremy D. Maestas, Steven B. CampbellA framework for quantifying resilience to forest disturbance
(Bradford) The concept of ecological resilience is an invaluable tool to assess the risk of state transitions and predict the impact of management on an ecosystem’s response to future disturbances. However, resilience is difficult to quantify and the factors contributing to resilience are often unknown in systems subject to multiple disturbances. We present a framework to assess the possibility ofAuthorsTimothy Bryant, Kristen Waring, Meador Sánchez, John B. BradfordSoil and stand structure explain shrub mortality patterns following global change–type drought and extreme precipitation
(Bradford) The probability of extreme weather events is increasing, with the potential for widespread impacts to plants, plant communities, and ecosystems. Reports of drought-related tree mortality are becoming more frequent along with increasing evidence that drought accompanied by high temperatures is especially detrimental. Simultaneously, extreme large precipitation events have become more freAuthorsRachel R. Renne, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, Kyle A. Palmquist, John B. Bradford, Ingrid C. Burke, William K. LauenrothSoil texture and precipitation seasonality influence plant community structure in North American temperate shrub steppe
In drylands, the coexistence of grasses and woody plants has been attributed to soil‐water resource partitioning. Soil texture and precipitation seasonality can influence the amount and distribution of water in the soil, and their interaction may play an important role in determining the relative importance of grasses and woody plants. We investigated the influence of this interaction on plant funAuthorsRachel R. Renne, John B. Bradford, Ingrid C. Burke, William K. Lauenroth - Science
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