Treesearch

Forests are central to climate solutions (1), and transparent and accurate data on forest carbon stocks and fluxes are critical for scientists and decision-makers. Satellite-based forest carbon maps have recently proliferated from public agencies such as NASA and the private sector. These maps have tended toward ever-higher spatial resolutions. However, higher spatial resolutions increase the uncertainties of carbon maps, rendering products at very high spatial resolution largely meaningless for forest carbon monitoring.

Aerial retardant drops are widely used in wildfire suppression, yet their effectiveness in slowing fire spread remains difficult to quantify at scale. This study evaluates their impact on wildfire rate of spread (ROS) using a framework that combines observed and counterfactual (synthetic) drop locations from 62 Oregon wildfires. Synthetic drops were generated to simulate a no-suppression baseline, enabling comparison of ROS with and without suppression. We trained two random forest classifiers: one with real and synthetic drops (full model) and one with only synthetic drops. Both incorporat...

This paper provides a utility-theoretic framework for allocating a budget across multiple environmental projects with uncertain outcomes. We utilize portfolio theory to derive the price of a risk (i.e., variance) reduction, then we estimate willingness to pay for the same risk reduction by analyzing stated preference data using a mean-variance specification for utility. The welfare-maximizing budget allocation is determined by equating price and willingness to pay. We use our framework to make two points. First, the welfare gains from a diversified environmental policy (i.e., one composed...

Extreme summertime heat, intensified by climate change and urbanization, is the leading weather-related cause of mortality in the USA. Cities are increasingly turning to urban forests for heat mitigation, yet the complex relationship between urban ecosystem structure and cooling remains largely uninterrogated, leaving land managers uncertain about how to optimize ecosystem services and minimize disservices. This study examined hyper-local cooling mechanisms in residential landscapes in a semi-arid Colorado, USA city, using data from thirty-two front yards varying by cardinal orientation,...

This paper creates a first set of forest natural capital accounts and demonstrates how these accounts can be integrated with general equilibrium models of the economy. Focusing on the Colorado River Basin, we show that deforestation has direct implications for the forest industry and indirect impacts on the economy through water treatment costs and carbon stock. 327,000 acres of forest are projected to be lost to development by 2100, representing a loss of 1.3 million tons of carbon stored in forests. The direct economic impacts associated with forest loss are estimated to be over $30...

This study aims to characterize single-family household water consumption utilizing smart-metered subdaily water use data from more than 700 single-family households across the state of Arizona in the United States for the water year 2022. Using statistical evidence, we identify factors that drive household water consumption such as the number of occupants, appliance efficiency, and the presence of a swimming pool. Furthermore, climate and other regional drivers of water use are investigated. The analysis encompasses mixed-effects regression models to assess water use patterns on daily,...

Imagine standing in a parking lot surrounded by parked cars and black pavement. Then imagine standing in a landscape lush with trees and other vegetation. Regardless of what your weather app says, the parking lot will likely feel warmer. These two microclimates feel different due to interactions between the built environment and the surrounding nature. Pavement and buildings absorb the sun’s energy and radiate heat throughout the day. Meanwhile, trees and other vegetation do the opposite; they block incoming radiation and act like natural air conditioners through transpiration.

Planners and managers of the recreation segment of the Salmon Wild and Scenic River (WSR) will eventually need to develop a user capacity, a monitoring plan, and a lands and facilities plan. To support these needs, we conducted a river user survey in the high-use season of 2021 and 2022, with 719 surveys distributed, yielding 332 usable surveys (46% response rate); which represents the second phase of research support (following a river use monitoring study in the high-use season of 2020). Below we highlight select findings.

Today it is recognized that wilderness has many dimensions, at once touching upon history, ecology, culture, mystery, risk, management, and personal experiences. The evolution of the wilderness concept, and how it is perceived, is influenced by diverse cultural perspectives, a continually expanding understanding of how humans are supported by nature, and existential threats to humanity, both socioeconomic (e.g., income inequality, access to nature and natural resources) and environmental (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss). The primary purpose of this chapter is to review and...

Whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis) is a five-needle conifer tree species native to the western United States (US) and southwestern Canada. In the US, this ecologically important species is listed as ‘threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act because of population declines from compound stressors, including climate change, introduced white pine blister rust (WPBR), widespread outbreaks of mountain pine beetle, and altered fire regimes. Species recovery depends primarily on planting WBP seedlings that are resistant to WPBR, but suitable planting locations are likely to shift under...