Forest Transformation in the Southwest

Impacts from rapid climate change are challenging traditional land & wildlife management strategies that were based on a stable baseline condition. In some locations we are already observing early-stage ecosystem reorganization in response to historic land management practices combined with recent novel climate stresses. Dr. Craig Allen and Dr. Nate Stephenson discuss how the convergence of climate stress, human land use patterns and histories, and disturbance trends in the southwestern United States are leading to forest ecosystem changes and transformation. Image source: Pixabay.
Papers mentioned during the interview:

Allen, C.D., Macalady, A.K., Chenchouni, H., Bachelet, D., McDowell, N., Vennetier, M., Kitzberger, T., Rigling, A., Breshears, D.D., Hogg, E.T. and Gonzalez, P., 2010. A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests. Forest ecology and management , 259 (4), pp.660-684.

Janzen, D., 1998. Gardenification of wildland nature and the human footprint. Science , 279 (5355), pp.1312-1313.

Millar, C.I., Stephenson, N.L. and Stephens, S.L., 2007. Climate change and forests of the future: managing in the face of uncertainty. Ecological applications , 17 (8), pp.2145-2151.

Milly, P.C., Betancourt, J., Falkenmark, M., Hirsch, R.M., Kundzewicz, Z.W., Lettenmaier, D.P. and Stouffer, R.J., 2008. Stationarity is dead: whither water management?. Science , 319 (5863), pp.573-574.

Bioscience . January 2022 Issue (RAD spotlight)

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwestSustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/