Treesearch

Voss et al. (2025) aptly noted the importance of collaborative multidisciplinary research that incorporates diverse stakeholder perspectives. Based on this, they provided specific recommendations for instilling engaged scholarship across the various stages of the research process. They noted that their "hard-won advice" was based on their "rich and unique experiences" with respect to collaborative research efforts. Despite the wealth of meaningful experiences amassed by the author team, their focal article was lacking in specific examples of successful collaborative efforts that showcase...

Cold air drainage is common in mountains, and leads to large, fine-scale differences in diurnal temperature range (DTR). DTR is hypothesized to drive plant community assembly, because areas with high DTR can be exposed to both extreme high and extreme low temperatures in the same day. We established networks of temperature and relative humidity sensors along DTR gradients in two montane forest basins, and conducted plant surveys around each sensor (n = 45). We studied the seasonal stability of DTR and its effects on fine-scale variation in plant community composition, and used topographic...

Wildfires are altering forested landscapes across western North America. These wildfires are increasingly burning with high severity across large areas and driving the conversion of forest to non-forest. Understanding how longterm vegetation structure differs between low- and high-severity portions of burned landscapes, and how fire severity and post-fire vegetation structure relate to avian species and communities, is crucial for avian conservation efforts. We quantified vegetation structure and avian species composition in low- and high-severity portions of two wildfires - the 2002 Ponil...

Context: Changes in climate and associated disturbance regimes are altering patterns of biodiversity by shifting macroenvironmental conditions and modifying the structure and composition of critical habitat. These threats require understanding the climate vulnerability of species habitat to inform conservation planning.Objectives: We developed a framework to address this need for the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), a species whose range is experiencing widespread climate-driven increases in wildfire and drought that can have adverse impacts upon large, old trees, a vital...

Many widespread plant taxa of western North America have diversified into phenotypically and genetically divergent lineages due to complex biogeographic histories across heterogeneous landscapes. Mosaic hybrid zones can form when geographically co-occurring, yet environmentally distinct, lineages cross-pollinate and form hybrids that occupy unique environmental niches absent of a geographic cline. This expands the total environmental space across which parental and hybrid individuals grow, resulting in larger, less fragmented geographic distributions. Here, we highlight hybridization...

Sagebrush, the iconic gray-green shrub of the American West, occupies an area so vast it is often described as an ocean or sea. The Sagebrush Sea once stretched across nearly 175,000 square miles in western North America, but it has dwindled to nearly half that size since the arrival of European settlers in the 1800s. Today, the sagebrush biome, which encompasses parts of 11 western States in the Great Basin, is experiencing rapid transformations.

When smoke from a prescribed fire pops up on an otherwise clear day, people may question the rationale behind the haze. After all, smoke from wildland fires can be a major health hazard due to fine particulates (PM2.5) and gaseous pollutants. At the same time, prescribed fires are one of our best tools to reduce hazardous fuels and restore fire-prone forests and grasslands. In recent years, land managers have been asked to expand the use of prescribed fire, but smoke is consistently cited as a barrier. New research by USDA Forest Service scientists sheds light on one key smoke challenge -...

Like Goldilocks, ground-nesting birds in the southeastern U.S. need habitat conditions that are “just right.” They need just the right food and just enough protective cover, all in close proximity - talk about high maintenance! Recently published research syntheses in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) about ground-nesting bird species of management concern describe how prescribed fire can help meet these needs for chuck-will’s-widows, eastern whip-poor-wills, and northern bobwhites.

When the Black Fire ignited in southwestern New Mexico in 2022, it had all the ingredients for disaster: record-high winds, extremely low humidity, and over 131,000 hectares (323,708 acres) of forest fuels to feed on. But something unexpected happened. Instead of becoming another catastrophic megafire, it burned mostly at low to moderate severity. The secret? The landscape had already experienced dozens of previous fires, both planned and natural, that helped tame the beast.

It’s no secret that wildland fires kill trees, but are more trees killed by fire when they are already stressed from drought? New research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service indicates that prefire drought can increase tree mortality after fire, even with the same level of tree damage.