Understory

The Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) just got a makeover! The FEIS has been supporting fire and natural resource managers since the late 1980s, and now it has moved and improved. Its new flow and functionality make it even easier to find information about individual species, ecosystems, and their relationships with fire.

Author: Brandon McWilliamsMany native species of bark beetles affect trees across the Western United States. Most of the time, bark beetle populations remain small and only target weakened or damaged trees, but when conditions are favorable, beetle populations erupt. This fact sheet summarizes a study examining the spatial and temporal patterns of nine specific bark beetle/host tree interactions in order to better understand how specific associations behave.

Authors: Akriti Khadka, Brandon McWilliamsThe many cultural resources in the U.S. Southwest represent the tangible and intangible heritage of human societies. Yet cultural resources are often underrepresented in climate adaptation planning. A new tool developed through a partnership between the USDA Southwest Climate Hub and the Forest Service Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center is helping to fill this gap. This fact sheet presents an introduction and overview to the Cultural Resources Exposure Assessment Toolbox Experience (CREATE), a geospatial decision-support tool desig...

Author: Brandon McWilliamsAspens are one of the most widely distributed tree species in north America and have a reputation for slowing wildfire. This fact sheet summarizes a recent study that examined the spatial effects of aspens on wildfire in the southern Rockies in order to better understand whether this reputation is earned, and discusses both the opportunities and uncertainties these findings present for managers.