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• Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Intermountain Region, Part 2

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  "The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management on Federal lands in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California and western Wyoming, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. [...] The earliest and most profound effects of climate change are expected for water resources, the result of declining snowpacks causing higher peak winter streamflows, lower summer flows, and higher stream temperatures. These changes will in turn reduce fish habitat for cold-water fish species, negatively affect riparian vegetation and wildlife, damage roads and other infrastructure, and reduce reliable water supplies for communities. Increased frequency and magnitude of disturbances (drought, insect outbreaks, wildfire) will reduce the area of mature forest, affect wildlife populations (some positively, some negatively), damage infrastructure and cultural resources, degrade the quality of municipal water supplies, and reduce carbon sequestration. Climate change effects on recreation, a major economic driver in the IAP region, will be positive for warm-weather activities and negative for snow-based activities. IAP participants developed adaptation options that can be implemented in planning, project management, monitoring, and restoration as climate-smart responses to altered resource conditions."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Halofsky, Jessica E.; Peterson, David L.; Ho, Joanne J. . . .

  2018-04
• Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems in the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region

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  "Vulnerability assessments are important tools to assist in climate adaptation planning. Six priority ecosystems were identified in the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region: alpine turf and dwarf-shrubland; aquatic, riparian, and wetland ecosystems in glaciated valleys; subalpine spruce-fir; low-gradient mountain stream reaches; ponderosa pine; and Great Plains streams and riparian areas. Vulnerability to nonclimate and climate stressors for these priority ecosystems is assessed. Criteria used to assess vulnerability include ecosystem traits related to the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of the ecosystem. We engaged scientists through an expert review to vet the vulnerability rankings and confidence in the assessment. Aquatic ecosystems were the most vulnerable priority ecosystem, and alpine ecosystems had higher vulnerability than lower elevation terrestrial ecosystems. The narrative for each priority ecosystem describes the nature of the vulnerability to climate change."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Rice, Janine R.; Joyce, Linda A.; Regan, Claudia M. . . .

  2018-06
• Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Intermountain Region, Part 1

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  "The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management on Federal lands in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California, and western Wyoming, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. [...] The earliest and most profound effects of climate change are expected for water resources, the result of declining snowpacks causing higher peak winter streamflows, lower summer flows, and higher stream temperatures. These changes will in turn reduce fish habitat for cold-water fish species, negatively affect riparian vegetation and wildlife, damage roads and other infrastructure, and reduce reliable water supplies for communities. Increased frequency and magnitude of disturbances (drought, insect outbreaks, wildfire) will reduce the area of mature forest, affect wildlife populations (some positively, some negatively), damage infrastructure and cultural resources, degrade the quality of municipal water supplies, and reduce carbon sequestration. Climate change effects on recreation, a major economic driver in the IAP region, will be positive for warm-weather activities and negative for snow-based activities. IAP participants developed adaptation options that can be implemented in planning, project management, monitoring, and restoration as climate-smart responses to altered resource conditions."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Halofsky, Jessica E.; Peterson, David L.; Ho, Joanne J. . . .

  2018-04
• Climate Change on the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming: A Synthesis of Past Climate, Climate Projections, and Ecosystem Implications

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  "The Shoshone National Forest (Shoshone) covers 2.4 million acres of mountainous topography in northwest Wyoming and is a vital ecosystem that provides clean water, wildlife habitat, timber, grazing, recreational opportunities, and aesthetic value. The Shoshone has experienced and adapted to changes in climate for many millennia, and is currently experiencing a warming trend that is expected to accelerate in the next century. Climate change directly and indirectly affects the Shoshone's high-elevation, mountainous terrain that supports unique and sometimes rare ecological components. Several vulnerable and very responsive resources and processes on the Shoshone could interact to produce unforeseeable or undesirable ecosystem changes, highlighting the need to identify potential resource vulnerabilities and develop adaptation pathways and flexibility in resource management options. The objective of this report is to synthesize the current understanding of the paleo and historical climate of the Shoshone as a reference point, determine what future climates may look like, and what the effects of future climate may be on natural resources. This information allows for the identification of vulnerabilities and information gaps, thereby aiding the development of adaptation tools and strategies."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Rice, Janine R.; Tredennick, Andrew; Joyce, Linda A.

  2012-01
• Assessment of Watershed Vulnerability to Climate Change for the Uinta-Wasatch-cache and Ashley National Forests, Utah

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  "Watersheds on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests provide many ecosystem services, and climate change poses a risk to these services. We developed a watershed vulnerability assessment to provide scientific information for land managers facing the challenge of managing these watersheds. Literature-based information and expert elicitation is used to define components of watershed sensitivity and exposure to climate change. We also define the capacity of watershed function, habitats, and biota to adapt to the expected changes. Watershed vulnerability is scored high for the Wasatch Mountain Range and moderate to high for the Uinta Mountains. These watersheds are driven by a snow-dominated hydrologic regime, and they have a high sensitivity to the projected increases in drought, heat, and flooding. More evaporation, snowpack loss, and earlier snowmelt are expected to shift the timing of runoff earlier and lower streamflow. The loss of snowpack is projected to be especially pronounced in the Wasatch Range. The effects from climate change can be compounded by the non-climate stressors of fire and land uses. Adaptation to these changes is enhanced when watersheds are in good functioning condition. Management actions can serve as an iterative process that builds resilience and can assist transitions to new states under a changing climate."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Rice, Janine R.; Bardsley, Tim; Gomben, Pete . . .

  2017-06
• Assessment of Aspen Ecosystem Vulnerability to Climate Change for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests, Utah

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  "Aspen ecosystems are valued because they add biodiversity and ecological value to the landscape. They provide rich and productive habitats and increase aesthetic value. Climate change poses the risk of altering and disrupting these ecosystems, and it may worsen the effects of non-climate stressors. To provide scientific information for land managers facing the challenge of helping aspen ecosystems adapt to climate change, we developed an aspen vulnerability assessment on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests. Literature-based information and expert elicitation are used to define (a) components of sensitivity and exposure to climate change and (b) the capacity of these ecosystems to adapt to expected changes. Aspen ecosystems benefit from fire and quickly reproduce. Yet, aspen trees are susceptible to drought and heat that is projected to become more frequent and intense in the future. Some aspen-associated plant and animal species may benefit from the expected changes in disturbance regimes and stand structure, while others may experience population reductions or stress as a result of drought and heat. Overall, vulnerability is defined as moderate because although persistence of aspen ecosystems is likely, a dynamic spatial and temporal response to climate change is expected."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Rice, Janine R.; Bardsley, Tim; Gomben, Pete . . .

  2017-08
• Improving the Role of Vulnerability Assessments in Decision Support for Effective Climate Adaptation

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  "Vulnerability assessments (VA) have been proposed as an initial step in a process to develop and implement adaptation management for climate change in forest ecosystems. Scientific understanding of the effects of climate change is an ever-accumulating knowledge base. Synthesizing information from this knowledge base in the context of our understanding of ecosystem responses to natural/historical climate can be challenging. Little attention has focused on how information gathered in the vulnerability assessment phase actively facilitates the implementation of adaptation actions, that is, how and whether VA outputs actually are being used in resource projects. Given that financial and staffing resources remain critical barriers for natural resource managers, the assessment of vulnerability needs to be an effective and efficient process. We explore the success of VAs in motivating implementation of adaptation practices and offer recommendations on the development of future vulnerability assessments in natural resource management. Implementation of adaptation options may be more closely related to the extent that the VA and associated processes provided an opportunity for social learning."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Joyce, Linda A.; Millar, Constance I.

  2014
• Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Northern Rocky Mountains, Part 1

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  "The Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership (NRAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management in the Northern Rockies (USA) region, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. The NRAP region covers 183 million acres, spanning northern Idaho, Montana, northwestern Wyoming, North Dakota, and northern South Dakota, and includes 15 national forests and 3 national parks across the U.S. Forest Service Northern Region and adjacent Greater Yellowstone Area. U.S. Forest Service scientists, resource managers, and stakeholders worked together over 2 years to conduct a state-of-science climate change vulnerability assessment and develop adaptation options for national forests and national parks in the Northern Rockies region. The vulnerability assessment emphasized water, fisheries, wildlife, forest and rangeland vegetation and disturbance, recreation, cultural heritage, and ecosystem services which are regarded as key resource areas for local ecosystems and communities. Resource managers used the assessment to develop a detailed list of ways to address climate change vulnerabilities through management actions. The large number of adaptation strategies and tactics, many of which are a component of current management practice, provide a pathway for slowing the rate of deleterious change in resource conditions."

  United States. Department of Agriculture; United States. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

  Halofsky, Jessica E.; Peterson, David L.; Dante-Wood, S. Karen . . .

  2018-03