Forest

FAR2

Taxonomy Machine Name
niacs_strategy_far2
Taxonomy Alias
far2

Climate Change Vulnerability assessment of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the U.S Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region

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.

Climate Change Vulnerability assessment of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems i…

Gunnison Basin Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Gunnison Climate Working Group

This report summarizes the results of a landscape-scale climate change vulnerability assessment of the Upper Gunnison Basin (above Blue Mesa Reservoir; referred to as Gunnison Basin in this report) to determine the relative vulnerability of 24 ecosystems and 73 species of conservation concern, using methods developed by Manomet Center for Conservation Science and NatureServe.

Gunnison Basin Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Gunnison Climate…

Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Intermountain Region

This is a Storymap that focuses on the intermountain region. Topics of focus include water, fisheries, forestry, and recreation.

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) is a science-management partnership with a wide variety of participants across the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Intermountain Region, which spans Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California, and western Wyoming.

Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Intermountain Region

Impacts in Colorado

Have you ever stopped to think what Colorado might look like in a warmer, drier climate?

Climate change isn’t just about melting ice caps and threatened polar bears. Mountain species have evolved to thrive in narrow temperature ranges and mountain ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to climate alterations.

Impacts in Colorado

Colorado's Forests in a Changing Climate

Colorado’s climate, like that of the rest of the planet, is undergoing significant change. Specifically, our state has experienced increasingly warmer temperatures in recent decades, as compared to longer-term averages. As a result, changes to forest environments already are occurring. What do these changes mean for Colorado forests, and for forest landowners?

Colorado's Forests in a Changing Climate

Longer growing seasons, warmer temperatures, and greater water demand for agriculture may reduce available water for natural ecosystems in the Southern Plains.

Submitted by dshannon on

Water is central to the region’s productivity. Projected increases in winter and spring precipitation in the Southern Plains may benefit productivity by increasing water availability through soil moisture reserves during the early growing season. The Southern Plains will remain vulnerable to periodic drought because much of the projected increase in precipitation is expected to occur in the cooler months while increasing temperatures will result in additional evapotranspiration.

The freeze-free season is expected to increase by 18 to 30 days in the Southern Great Plains by the middle of the century.

Submitted by dshannon on

The freeze-free season is defined as the period of time between the last spring frost (daily minimum temperature below 32 degrees F) and the first fall frost. The length of the annual freeze-free season has been increasing since the 1980s, and all climate models agree that it will continue to increase in the future. The largest increases are projected for southeastern Texas, where the freeze-free season could be 30 days longer.

Average annual precipitation projections suggest small changes in the Southern Plains region, with slightly wetter winters, particularly in the north of the region, and drier summers.

Submitted by dshannon on

By mid-century, summer precipitation is expected to decrease by 5-15% for much of Kansas, Oklahoma, and northern Texas, and increase by as much as 15% in central Texas. The means of several climate models indicate that winter and spring precipitation may increase by up to 10% percent by mid-century across most of the region, although southwest Texas may see decreases during these seasons. Under mild climate scenarios, changes are generally smaller than in more extreme climate scenarios.

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