Treesearch

The National Fire Danger Rating System indices deduced from a regional simulation weather model were used to estimate probabilities and numbers of large fire events on monthly and 1-degree grid scales. The weather model simulations and forecasts are ongoing experimental products from the Experimental Climate Prediction Center at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The monthly average Fosberg Fire Weather Index, deduced from the weather simulation, along with the monthly average Keetch–Byram Drought Index and Energy Release Component, were found to be more strongly associated with...

The Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii) has declined across much of its native range in California. Improper stream management may lower egg mass survival and reduce the availability of suitable breeding habitats. We collected data during six breeding-seasons (2002-2007) along an unregulated stream in northwestern California. We monitored temporal reproductive patterns at a breeding site and used mark-recapture and behavioral observations to spatially and temporally track individuals and investigate aspects of the mating strategy. The duration of breeding activity lasted three to...

Sport-fish introductions are now recognized as an important cause of amphibian decline, but few researchers have quantified the demographic responses of amphibians to current options in fisheries management designed to minimize effects on sensitive amphibians. Demographic analyses with mark–recapture data allow researchers to assess the relative importance of survival, local recruitment, and migration to changes in population densities. I conducted a 4-year, replicated whole-lake experiment in the Klamath Mountains of northern California (U.S.A.) to quantify changes in population density,...

The Sixth Oak Symposium provided a forum for current research and outstanding case studies on oak woodland science and sustainability in California. This symposium was the latest in a series of conferences on this subject held every 5 years since 1979. The proceedings from this conference series represent the most comprehensive source of scientific and management information on a wide range of subjects including oak ecology, hardwood rangeland management, oak restoration and conservation, woodland land-use change and planning. The conference was attended by academics, planners, conservation...

In the fall of 2005, the Directors of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) determined that to ensure that the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) of the USGS maintains and continues its important support of conservation and management of birds, it should be guided by a clear vision for the future. In order to carry out this task, they impaneled a fourteen-member Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) on the Bird Banding Laboratory. It was made up of representatives of the broad bird-banding community, public and private, and was cochaired by a senior representa...

FOR MOST LARGE U.S. PARKS AND WILDERNESS AREAS, enabling legislation and management policy call for preservation of these protected areas unimpaired in perpetuity. Central to the notions of protection, preservation, and unimpairment has been the concept of maintaining "naturalness," a condition imagined by many to persist over time in the absence of human intervention. As will be discussed below in more detail, the goal of naturalness has been codified in legislation and protected area policy and built into agency culture. For much of the 20th century, the adequacy of naturalness as the...

This study has as objective to assess AIRDAS (Airborne Infrared Disaster Assessment System) sensor for the monitoring of deforestation in the northern area of Mato Grosso State, between the latitudes 10° and 12° south and longitudes 54° and 56° west, within the area known as deforestation arch. The results show that the main advantage of this sensor is the spatial resolution achieved, which allows the detection of highgreding areas, and several regeneration stages in previously exploited areas. It is concluded that AIRDAS sensor is efficient on deforestation monitoring, mainly in areas...

Many issues confront scientists, land managers, policymakers, and the public who deal with or are affected by management of fire and fuels across the southwestern United States (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and California). The 2002 Fire Conference was convened to tackle these concerns. It began with a plenary session addressing the central problems of fire and fuels management in the Southwest. Concurrent sessions with over 100 oral presentations covered a wide range of topics, including fire ecology, fire behavior, fire history, fire prevention, fire education, restoration...

The Hawaiian Islands are one of the United States' most treasured natural resources. Their natural beauty attracts legions of visitors every year, and they represent a unique set of ecosystems. Despite their limited geographic size, Hawai‘i hosts a remarkable range of habitats. On some islands, dry tropical forest, wet rain forest, and alpine ecosystems are found within 20 miles of each other. The Hawaiian Islands are the most geographically isolated archipelago on Earth. Of the thousands of species native to the islands, 90 percent are found nowhere else. These native treasures are...

Urban forests don't get the recognition that natural forests do. They don't encompass sweeping vistas and magnificent views and they don't provide critical habitat to endangered species. Nevertheless, they are vital. More than 90 percent of all Californians live, work, and play in urban forests. Trees in the urban landscape provide vital ecosystem services, including reducing rainwater runoff, cooling urban heat islands, shading nearby buildings, and controlling air pollution.