Fact Sheet / Brief
View brief.
An extreme multi-year drought with extensive bark beetle outbreaks in California from 2012 to 2016 killed an estimated 147 million trees. This included ponderosa pine, incense cedar, white fir, and pinyon pine, rapidly changing forests over vast areas. Recently published work by Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) researchers Sharon Hood and Charlotte Reed found that major tree mortality events like these increase surface and canopy fuels— dead needles, branches, and logs— which may result in more extreme forest fires and increased emissions when these areas burn. “Hopefully, this research heightens awareness about how quickly our forests can change under extreme mortality events and the potential long-lasting hazards that are created,” says Hood.
View brief and access the tool.
Livestock grazing is a common use of rangelands that can be managed to support rangeland health, including the wide array of ecosystem services that benefit society from public lands and private lands. This requires careful allocation of naturally occurring forage on large landscapes for both domestic and wild herbivores. Managers know grazing can sustain rangeland health as long as they time it right and balance the duration, frequency, and intensity of the grazing. However, forage production on a single area or landscape varies significantly from year to year, which, until recently, has limited the accuracy of data available to managers when they make decisions about grazing.
View factsheet.
In the western United States, wildfire activity has increased the exposure of communities to fires that can devastate lives and destroy homes and businesses. As fires encroach on urban areas, protecting communities from wildfire impacts is a top priority for fire managers. Scientists studying wildland fire in the wildland urban interface (WUI) are particularly interested in using historical data and analytic models to understand how to reduce risks to the WUI.
View factsheet.
Forest management offers a diverse toolkit for delivering carbon benefits, with biochar fitting in as a cornerstone in combination with other climate-smart practices. For example, selective thinning can help promote healthier stands that capture more carbon while reducing fire risk. In turn, this generates more merchantable timber, which when used
sustainably, can also serve as a long-term carbon store, further offsetting emissions. Additionally, forests can be strategically managed to promote reforestation and afforestation efforts, expanding overall carbon sequestration potential.
View factsheet.
Mechanical thinning of forests is one method used to prevent high intensity wildfire and create a more open overstory. This Science You Can Use outlines how this treatment benefits native understory plants like grasses and sedges. Forests that were treated had higher understory species diversity, and native understory plants were more abundant. This research helps to inform restoration and forest management practices.
View factsheet.
A team of forest ecologists from RMRS and other organizations recently published research that looked at the survival of seedlings planted in the aftermath of the Cold Springs Fire. They found numerous variables that increased survival and seedling health. These results will be helpful in guiding reforestation efforts after high intensity wildfire in the future.
View brief.
Rangelands worldwide are essential for carbon sequestration, water retention, and habitat to name a few critical benefits. Prescribed fire is used to benefit vegetation and soil and reduce fuels on rangeland sites. What hasn’t been clear is how burning on rangelands may affect microbes in the soil, which are responsible for breaking down woody material. Also missing was an understanding of how the insects that typically call rangelands home respond to these burns.
View brief.
Human-caused climate change alters ecosystem processes ranging from local to global scales. As a consequence of climate change we should expect increased rates and intensities of disturbance events. Though we are only beginning to understand what those impacts might be to aspen forests and their diverse plant and animal assemblages, recent science suggests there may be unavoidable effects. In the face of anticipated climate-ecosystem challenges, contemporary managers are searching for guidance on preserving aspen resilience. We suggest crafting strategic yet cautious approaches to minimize effects and facilitate broad resilience. For instance, monitoring conditions in and near aspen forests will help land managers remain nimble in response to potentially abrupt changes. Although in its infancy, here we synthesize current research that focuses on climate adaptation strategies to improve aspen resilience.
View factsheet.
Archaea, bacteria, fungi, and viruses are organisms that comprise the soil microbiome and play a crucial role in the health of the world’s forests. The soil microbiome is vital in cycling important nutrients needed by vegetation (e.g., nitrogen), stabilizing soil organic matter, and forming essential symbioses with plants, such as the ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) that are obligate symbiotic partners of the conifer tree species that dominate forests of western North America.
View brief.
Quaking aspen forests are widely known and prized for their numerous values—biodiversity, habitat, forage, recreation, aesthetics, and others—including as a deterrent to wildfire. This reputation for stopping or slowing flames is explored here, alongside measures that may be taken to facilitate thriving aspen communities near human developments. It is clear that science supporting the premise of aspen as an effective firebreak is far from complete. Yet, how can we benefit from what we do know on this topic to increase the probability of preventing structural fire damage, while also encouraging the valued characteristics of aspen ecosystems?