Tools and Trainings
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Article describes development and use of the database.
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Maps, data, and other resources for natural resource practitioners.
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As a general rule, humans love trees. It’s not surprising — there’s a lot about trees to like! However, across the globe, vast swaths of the landscape are naturally treeless. In fact, they make up 40% of all terrestrial ecosystems. These meadows, grasslands, and shrublands are some of our most productive and important ecosystems, and they provide society with fertile grazing lands, open space and world-class recreation, and a remarkable diversity of unique wildlife.
Unfortunately, these grassy biomes are among the most imperiled globally, threatened by many factors including tree expansion. In the American West, conifer encroachment in core sagebrush areas results in altered fire regimes, reduced forage productivity, depleted water resources, habitat loss for sagebrush-dependent wildlife, and more.
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The USU Restoration Consortium has partnered with the NRCS West National Technology Support Center and the BLM Aquatic Resources Program to develop a standardized Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration training series. These courses are pending incorporation into AgLearn and DOI Talent. Students will also receive continuing education units (CEUs) and a professional transcript from Utah State University.
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With this training we have the opportunity to learn about Native History in the US, and the resulting trust responsibility of the federal government as a byproduct of colonization. The training then dives into Tribes present day, where sovereignty and self-determination are explored and the third module leads us into culture and identities of Indigenous Peoples across what is now known as the US, with a learning objective to “offend Natives 50% less of the time AND engage with tribes 25% more effectively!” Training background and content summary from the Nature Conservancy.
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Learn how ESCAPE (WUI Fire Evacuation and Sheltering Considerations — Assessment, Planning, and Execution) provides crucial guidance for wildfire evacuation planning, enhancing life safety for civilians and first responders.
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This virtual- and field-based training was developed and hosted by the Oak Woodlands & Forests Fire Consortium, Lake States Fire Science Consortium, and the Huron-Manistee National Forests. The virtual event was held June 1-4, 2021, and introduced participants to:
- tools for selecting metrics that match management/restoration objectives;
- developing site-specific protocols for sampling;
- developing a monitoring handbook and monitoring protocols/program for your local ecosystems;
- how to establish long-term monitoring and quantitative/qualitative data for wildfire risk assessment;
- evaluating the need for prescribed burns and other fuels treatments.
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Technical transfer requires significant time, skills, and expertise, which are rarely explicitly taught or supported. Thus, many people engage in technical transfer with limited capacity or resources. Led by the Institute for Natural Resources and the Intermountain West Joint Venture, the Sagebrush Technical Transfer Network seeks to equip those who support others in using technical information with resources, training, and a professional network to support and strengthen their technical transfer work.
Who: This training course was developed in concert with Society for Ecological Restoration and BLM’s National Training Center. It is available to restoration practitioners within the DOI and our partners. Target Audience: Natural Resource Specialists, Fire, Fuels, Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation, Botanists, Wildlife Biologists, Ecologists, Range, Minerals, Mining and Reclamation
What: This self-paced on-line course is intended to serve as an introduction to seed technology and arid and semi-arid lands restoration as a first step towards more in-depth in person restoration and revegetation courses. It provides world-class training on restoring dry land ecosystems, which are critical resources in tackling the climate crisis. By the end of the course, participants will have an understanding of: Ecological restoration principles, standards of practice, and concepts to increase the success of restoration efforts, arid/semi-arid ecosystems and the challenges they pose to successful restoration, and how to apply ecological restoration best practices and concepts in restoration planning in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.
Where: Request an account here eDOI and search for: Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Seed Technology and Restoration.
The course consists of the following modules/lessons. Each are accessed separately and must be taken in sequential order.
Module 1: Introduction
Module 2: The National Seed Strategy
Module 3: Principles, Standards and Concepts
Lesson 3.1: Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration
Lesson 3.2: Principles, Standards and Concepts – Native Seed Standards
Module 4: Arid and Semi-Arid Systems
Lesson 4.1: Overview of Drylands
Lesson 4.2: Restoration Challenges
Lesson 4.3: Current Knowledge
Module 5: Developing and Implementing a Restoration Plan
Introduction
Lesson 5.1: Project Context
Lesson 5.2: Vision, Goals, and Objectives
Lesson 5.3: Plant Materials Selection and Procurement
Lesson 5.4: Site Preparation
Lesson 5.5: Developing and Implementing Seeding and Planting Strategies
Lesson 5.6: Monitoring and Management
Lesson 5.7: Putting It All Together