2009 Climate Change_11_5.indd 1 11/20/09 10:31 AM
Contents

Page

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Background Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Context for the RMRS Climate Change Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Science to Support Resource Management and Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Climate Change Research Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Water Supply and Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Effects of climate change on water dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Water resource effects on human and ecological systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Adaptation options for water resources management under climate change . . . . 8

Trade-offs between carbon sequestration and water supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Effects on aquatic species including threatened/endangered/sensitive fish . . . . . . 9

Wildland Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Fire regimes in a changing climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Emissions and climate change mitigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Fire and humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Terrestrial Ecosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Threatened/endangered/sensitive terrestrial species effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Changing patterns of exotic invasive species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Carbon cycle dynamics in mitigation and adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Decision Support Science and Science Application and Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Decision support science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Science application and delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Rocky

 Mountain

 Research Station

http://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs

Cover: Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis 

Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center — AS08-16-2593

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy i

Climate change and shifting demographics 

influence the landscape and the social and 

economic systems of the Interior West. 

Climate change impacts are already evident, 

as seen in declining snowpacks, changes 

in runoff timing and intensity, increasing 

fire frequency and severity, increasing 

drought frequency and severity, and rising 

temperatures.

Determining the changing relationships 

between climate, various ecosystem components, and social and economic system 

components is critical to identifying management’s role in adapting to new climates and/

or mitigating climate change. Past research 

and the majority of resource management 

approaches assumed an unchanging climate. 

Opportunities exist to explore the relationship of past climates with historical disturbances such as drought, insects and fire in 

the context of the novel future climates. 

Sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of western landscapes will require 

adaptation and mitigation, as well as 

collaboration and cooperation across the 

organizational and geographic landscape. 

The Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) 

has identified two critical areas for emphasis: 

one relating to scientific understanding 

(i.e., synthesizing completed RMRS research 

provides a basis for the development of new 

tools, management guidance, and enhanced 

knowledge) and the other relating to natural resource management and planning 

(i.e., land managers need to know not only 

how their decisions impact their ability to 

manage for climate change, and also how 

climate change may impact the various 

resources they manage).

This document was prepared to highlight the 

Station’s climate change research and science 

delivery capacity to support the needs of its 

numerous clients. This document is organized 

into four sections. The first provides background material and includes an introduction, 

information on the context for the Station’s 

climate change research and how science can 

support land management and planning. The 

second section outlines research opportunities based on emphasis areas outlined in the 

2008 RMRS Strategic Framework Update:

 Water Supply and Quality

 Effects of climate change on water 

dynamics

 Water resource effects on human and 

ecological systems

 Adaptation options for water resources 

management under climate change

 Trade-offs between carbon sequestration and water supply

Executive Summary

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ii 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Future changes include the effects of climate change and human 

connections on terrestrial ecosystems, wildland fire, and water 

supply and quality in Interior West landscapes. These effects can be 

compounded by ecological stressors, or ameliorated by mitigators.

Source: 2008 Strategic Framework Update. 

Note: This figure represents the most current RMRS boundaries.

 Aquatic species effects (including 

threatened/endangered/sensitive fish)

 Wildland Fire

 Fire regimes in a changing climate

 Emissions and climate change 

mitigation

 Fire and humans

 Terrestrial Ecosystems

 Monitoring

 Threatened/endangered/sensitive 

terrestrial species effects

 Changing patterns of exotic invasive 

species

 Carbon cycle dynamics in mitigation 

and adaptation

The third section addresses decision support 

science and science application and delivery 

opportunities. The fourth section provides 

concluding remarks. The scientific information, tools, and technology developed by the 

RMRS will provide a basis for decisions on 

natural resource adaptation and mitigation 

management actions in the West.

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 1

Background Information

Introduction

The diversity of environmental conditions and landscapes across the RMRS 

territory—spanning from the Mexican 

border to the Canadian border—serves as 

a laboratory for studying climate change 

impacts in the Interior West. Within this 

area, 54 National Forest, and Grasslands 

sit among a mosaic of private, state, and 

other federal lands where wildlife, water, 

and disturbances move freely across boundaries. Human attraction to pristine environments has led to rapid urban expansion near 

previously undeveloped areas. Research to 

support natural resource management and 

policy-making must be tailored to these 

unique ecological, economic, and social 

condition.

Climate change is already evident in the 

Interior West in declining snowpacks, 

changes in runoff timing and intensity, 

increasing fire frequency and severity, increasing drought frequency and severity, 

and rising temperatures. Studies verify that 

average temperature increases in the Interior 

West are larger than national averages.

Areas of the Interior West are experiencing dramatic climate change. For more than 20 years, 

RMRS has housed ecologists and economists to lead assessments of climate change.

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2 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of western landscapes will require 

specifically tailored adaptation1

 and mitigation2

 strategies. This goal will also require 

that public and private land managers, urban 

dwellers, and the general public understand 

the changing climate’s potential alterations 

to ecosystem services. Techniques are needed 

to assess the consequences of anticipated 

climate change to physical, biological, and 

socio-economic systems.

1 Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustment 

in natural or human systems in response to actual 

or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which 

moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities 

(IPCC 2007). The Forest Service Strategic Framework

identifies two major categories. Anticipatory actions 

intended to prevent serious disruptions due to changing 

climate may include thinning of forests to increase 

tolerance to drought and resistance to wildfire or insects, 

genetic conservation of species, assisted migration of 

species to suitable habitat, development of wildlife 

corridors to facilitate migration, or construction of new 

water storage facilities. Opportunistic actions that take 

advantage of human-made or natural disturbance events 

to facilitate adaptation to future climate may include 

planting different species or genotypes from those 

that occurred on a site before disturbance, or active 

conversion of vegetation structure to make it more 

resilient to changing climate.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2008. 

2008 Strategic Framework Update. Fort Collins, CO: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky 

Mountain Research Station. 16 p.

2 Mitigation is an anthropogenic intervention to reduce 

the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases 

through efforts such as energy efficiency or increasing 

the carbon sequestration of carbon in ecosystems.

IPCC; Core Writing Team; Pachauri, R.K.; Reisinger, 

A., tech eds. 2007. Contribution of working groups 

I, II and III to the fourth assessment report of the 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva, 

Switzerland. 104 p.

RMRS has strong science programs supported by a landscape-scale network of 

research natural areas and experimental 

forests, sites and ranges that together are 

designed to address critical Interior West 

research needs, including:

 Air, Water, and Aquatic Environments;

 Fire, Fuel, and Smoke;

 Forest and Woodland Ecosystems;

 Grassland, Shrubland, and Desert 

Ecosystems;

 Human Dimensions;

 Inventory and Monitoring; and

 Wildlife and Terrestrial Ecosystems.

The broad natural resource challenges associated with climate change require integration 

of the understanding and research provided 

by these individual programs. This document 

was prepared from a forecasting of client 

needs and highlights the Station’s climate 

change research and science delivery capacity. Critical efforts are needed in two specific 

areas: one relating to increased scientific 

understanding of climate change and its 

impacts on the ecosystems of the Interior 

West (i.e., synthesizing completed RMRS 

research provides a basis for the development 

of new tools, management guidance, and 

enhanced knowledge) and the other relating 

to natural resource management and planning (i.e., land managers need to know not 

only how their decisions impact their ability 

to manage for climate change, and also how 

climate change may impact the various 

resources they manage).

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 3

Integrating RMRS research provides a basis for new tool development, management 

guidance, and enhanced knowledge. RMRS 

also integrates across disciplines to develop 

multi-disciplinary models or families of such 

models designed to answer specific questions. The Station’s forest and woodland 

growth models (for example, Fire and Fuels 

Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator 

and SIMPPLLE) are being updated to incorporate the latest science on growth, mortality, interactions with insects and diseases, 

fire and fuel dynamics, links to soil erosion, 

and climate change to allow managers to explore alternative scenarios.

In addition to providing scientific information, 

tools, and technology for natural resource 

adaptation and mitigation management 

actions in the Interior West, RMRS also has 

enacted sustainable operations goals and 

ethics for the workplace. RMRS leadership 

has signed a Sustainable Operations Vision 

Statement (appendix) that details actions to 

reduce activities that contribute to climate 

change, thereby lessening the Station’s environmental footprint.

Context for RMRS Climate Change 

Research

Climate change and shifting demographics 

continue to influence the ecological, social, 

and economic systems of the Interior West. 

Stressors such as air and water pollution, 

fragmentation of habitat through rapid 

urban and industrial development, insect 

and disease infestations, extended drought, 

and unnaturally severe fire events affect and 

are affected by climate change.

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4 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Determining the changing relationships 

between climate, various ecosystem components, and social and economic system 

components is critical to identifying management’s role in adapting to new climates and/

or mitigating climate change. Past research 

and the majority of resource management 

approaches assumed an unchanging climate. 

Opportunities exist to explore the relationship of past climates with historical disturbances such as drought, insects and fire in 

the context of the novel future climates. 

RMRS climate change research is influenced 

by the following efforts and documents:

 United Nations Intergovernmental 

Panel on Climate Change

 U.S. Climate Change Science Program 

(CCSP)

 U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Strategic Goals

 Forest Service Strategic Framework for 

Responding to Climate Change

 Forest Service Research and 

Development Global Change Research 

Plan (FSGCRP)

 Forest Service Research and 

Development West-Wide Climate 

Initiative (WWCI)

 Forest Service Strategic Plan

 Forest Service Rocky Mountain 

Research Station Strategic Framework

 Partner efforts and client research needs

The bulk of this document outlines the 

climate change research capacity under 

the key components of the RMRS Strategic 

Framework Update—water, fire, and terrestrial ecosystems—for the next 5 years. 

Each section begins with a short description of the importance of the resource and 

anticipated climate change impacts and 

is followed by a bulleted list of proposed 

research needs.

Science to Support Resource 

Management and Planning

Research synthesis assessments are needed 

to support land managers. Studies and tool 

development must be viewed from a climate change adaptation and/or mitigation 

perspective. Land managers need to know 

not only how their decisions impact their 

ability to manage for climate change, but also 

how climate change may impact the various 

resources they manage.

RMRS personnel have worked with land 

management partners to identify research 

needs for the next 3 to 5 years. Some key 

questions include: What does climate change 

mean to on-the-ground land management? 

How do we plan future land management 

activities under a changing climate? How do 

we continue to produce the suite of needed 

goods, services, and values under a changing 

climate? Related to these questions, three 

areas seem to offer the most potential for 

short-term payoff. They are: (1) syntheses of 

existing scientific knowledge in disciplines that 

most directly relate to management problem 

areas under climate change; (2) workshops 

designed to increase participant understanding of the implications of climate change on 

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 5

ecological, social, and economic systems; and 

(3) the development of case studies on how 

to incorporate climate change considerations 

into management and planning activities.

The Forest Service (FS) has issued guidance for forest planning and NEPA project 

planning related to climate change. RMRS 

anticipates an increase in requests for scientific 

assistance as more forest and project plans 

attempt to use this guidance and address 

climate change. RMRS plans to work with 

Forest Service Regional partners (Regions 1, 

2, 3, and 4) to develop collaborative climate 

change strategies and increase our integration efforts.

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6 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

National Forests produce much of the Interior West’s water supply. RMRS scientists conduct issuespecific regional assessments because natural resource management issues vary geographically.

Climate Change Research Needs

Water Supply and Quality

Climate and water have always shaped the 

Interior West ecosystems, landscapes, and 

human lifestyles and have profoundly influenced social and economic systems. Water 

from National Forest System (NFS) lands 

provides, maintains, and supports a wide 

variety of ecological and societal services, 

such as recreation, aesthetic values, and 

genetic stocks. RMRS scientists are leaders 

in the study of water and its relation to those 

systems and services.

Climate greatly influences aquatic systems 

and the hydrological regimes of western 

watersheds. Observed and projected climate changes within the Interior West 

include warmer temperatures, and, in 

some areas, increased rainfall intensity, 

or drier conditions. Observed changing 

temperatures affect snowpack, runoff, and 

in-stream flows in western rivers. Climate 

change is altering disturbance regimes, 

such as fire, insects, and drought, that 

affect water yield. Attempts to increase 

carbon (e.g. increasing forest biomass 

and forest productivity) may exacerbate 

the adverse effects of climate on water 

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 7

yield and vice versa. Forest Service (FS) 

lands in the Interior West constitute the 

majority of remaining habitats for numerous TES, including Chinook salmon, bull 

trout, steelhead, cutthroat trout and other 

salmonid fishes. Salmonids may be especially vulnerable to a warming climate 

given their strong dependence on cold water 

temperatures.

This section summarizes important water 

supply and quality research needs in five 

categories:

Effects of climate change on water 

dynamics

 Predict water quantity, quality, and 

timing based on current trends and 

under future climate scenarios so both 

water and land managers will have the 

information needed to modify management strategies in response to water 

related climate change impacts.

 Study relationships between climate 

drivers and watershed processes in 

order to create models to predict the 

impact of climate change at watershed 

and landscape levels.

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8 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

 Determine hydrologic responses to 

climate-induced changes in fire frequency, 

intensity, and severity as well as to vegetation change across the Interior West 

in order to develop new water resource 

management strategies.

 Examine cumulative effects among 

climate change, management activities, 

and disturbances on water quality, 

quantity, and timing, in order to adjust 

water management and use.

Water resource effects on human and 

ecological systems

 Assess the effects on human economies, 

municipal and agricultural water supplies, human migration patterns, and 

other social and economic systems.

 Determine how water management 

strategies such as water storage and 

diversion will evolve in anticipation of 

changes to available water supplies 

from Forest Service lands, and how these 

changes will influence land management 

strategies relating to water and possible 

ecological effects of water management.

 Evaluate impacts on water-related 

recreational opportunities.

 Estimate how extreme event disturbances 

and their relationships to flow variation, 

thermal qualities, and channel configurations will change.

 Develop and validate new remote sensing technologies in order to accurately 

and rapidly assess resource inventories.

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 9

 Develop cost effective and efficient 

monitoring strategies to detect aquatic 

ecosystem responses to climate change 

and evaluate the effect of changing 

stream volumes and flow rates on 

exotic organisms in riparian areas.

Adaptation options for water resources 

management under climate change

 Develop strategies for meeting or 

managing the needs/expectations of 

water resource users on FS lands and 

in downstream areas.

 Design water conservation strategies and 

assist managers with implementation.

 Work with managers to develop tools 

for implementing Best Management 

Practices on public roads to minimize 

run-off and maintain water quality.

 Determine the effectiveness of vegetation 

management (for example, fuel treatments, thinning activities, wildland fire 

use, and prescribed fires) for altering 

water supply and thermal regimes.

 Assess the effectiveness of road culvert 

modification and barrier removal for 

maintaining connectivity among aquatic 

habitats.

 Determine the effectiveness of road and 

trail decommissioning for altering water 

quality and supply.

 Assess the effect of various land management activities, other human activities 

and disturbance processes on water 

quantity, quality, and timing.

Trade-offs between carbon sequestration 

and water supply

 Identify the links among carbon 

dynamics, evapotranspiration, and the 

hydrological cycle and management’s 

role in altering these dynamics.

Effects on aquatic species including 

threatened/endangered/sensitive fish

 Determine effects of climate change 

and fire on stream temperature and fish 

distributions.

 Assess effects on Federally listed fish 

species, such as bull trout.

 Determine which climate-influenced 

water resource attributes most importantly affect aquatic and riparian species.

 Forecast distributions of key water resource attributes to determine climate 

effects on size and connectivity of suitable habitats.

Wildland Fire

Fire is an important ecological process in 

the Interior West. A growing body of evidence 

suggests that climate change is already 

influencing fire behavior. Climate change 

alters the fire environment directly through 

changes in weather and seasonality and 

indirectly through changes in vegetation and 

fuels. One of the most effective approaches to 

investigating climate’s possible influences 

on fire regimes is to examine data on how 

the two interacted in the past. Relationships 

between wildfire, ecosystems, and humans 

are complex and, therefore, require multidisciplinary research approaches. As climate 

changes, fire regimes, vegetation, and other 

ecosystem components will also change. 

Understanding these relationships is essential for developing effective adaptive management strategies.

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10 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Fire emissions contribute to atmospheric 

carbon and influence air quality and, hence, 

public health. Fire directly impacts humans 

through the wildland-urban interface, but 

humans have opportunities to ameliorate fire 

impacts through suppression and fuels management. Understanding public acceptance of 

various treatment options is critical in developing useful tools for managers. RMRS has a 

strong research program in fire fundamentals, 

fire ecology, and human dimensions as they 

relate to fire and is developing fire-related 

strategies for adaptation and mitigation.

This section summarizes important wildland 

fire research needs in three categories:

Fire regimes in a changing climate

 Investigate how the effects of changing 

climate alter fire intensity, severity, and 

occurrence.

 Determine how vegetation changes as 

a result of changing fire regimes and 

climate at a variety of scales.

 Predict how fire season and fire weather 

change regionally as a result of climate 

change.

 Develop methods for mitigating risks 

from short and mid-term climate variability and for incorporating climate 

change effects on fire regimes in forecasts and decision support models.

 Increase our understanding of the 

effects of increased fire frequency on 

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 11

forest structure, fuels, and carbon storage at the landscape scale, and identify 

opportunities for forest/fuel management to ameliorate these effects.

 Use techniques such as dendrochronology, pollen studies, and charcoal 

abundance studies to increase our 

understanding of the function of historic 

climate in driving fire regimes.

 Determine how climate-driven changes 

in fire severity will affect post-fire soil 

erosion events and design fire restoration strategies that will best ameliorate 

these effects.

 Investigate how climate change will 

alter fire regimes in ways that impact 

species diversity and develop management 

strategies to increase the resilience of 

communities to maintain diversity.

 Predict ways that changing fire regimes 

interact with other biotic and abiotic 

disturbance agents, such as insects, diseases, blowdowns, and invasive species.

Emissions and climate change 

mitigation

 Investigate fire’s impact on climate 

change mitigation strategies, such as 

the use of vegetation management as a 

carbon sequestration tool.

 Predict expected emissions and measure 

actual emissions from wildfire and from 

forest management and fuel reduction 

activities, such as prescribed fire.

 Improve our understanding of how fire 

impacts opportunities to substitute 

biofuels for fossil fuels.

 Develop a physics-based comprehensive 

fire modeling system that will be suitable for modeling fire for global carbon 

accounting among other uses.

Fire and humans

 Develop approaches to train managers 

and other decision makers on wildfire 

risk perceptions.

 Develop methods to understand 

perceptions of people who live in the 

Wildland-Urban Interface in order to 

collaborate more affectively to manage 

fuels and reduce fire risk.

 Determine both where fuel treatments 

are most cost effective and which fuel 

management alternatives are most 

effective given changing vegetation and 

the desire to use carbon offsets.

 Identify the social effects of increased 

emissions, such as public health.

 Develop effective educational tools with 

partners related to wildfire and climate 

and simultaneously promote the importance of education.

 Determine the trade-offs between 

alternative spatially-based fuel treatment strategies under the influence of 

climate change.

 Develop spatial and temporal approaches 

for integrating fuel treatments and 

wildland fire use with other forest management objectives to protect 

communities and other values at risk.

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12 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Climate change and disturbances altered by 

it will likely unravel existing relationships 

between plants and animals in unexpected 

ways. The resilience and adaptability of 

individual species vary—some may persist 

in existing locations, whereas others may 

move to seek environmental conditions within 

their physiological tolerances. Warmer and 

drier climatic conditions, changing plant and 

animal communities, and altered disturbance 

regimes may also provide new opportunities 

for insects, disease, plant, and vertebrate 

invasion. These synergistic effects will set 

ecosystems and landscapes on new trajectories, 

potentially resulting in novel combinations 

of plants, animals, and ecosystem services.

In order to develop effective methods to 

manage the changing landscapes, we will 

need a greater understanding of ecosystem 

components, their relationships to climate, 

and management’s role in manipulating 

changing landscapes. In addition, we need to 

understand the role that climate change mitigation measures, like carbon sequestration 

through forest management, forest products, and bioenergy, might play in future 

forest management. The RMRS territory 

contains most of the largest tracts of relatively undisturbed land (wildlands) in the 

lower 48 States. Collectively, the lands are a 

laboratory in which researchers can separate 

climate change effects from the effects of 

management activities and other causes.

RMRS personnel have expertise in forest 

inventory and analysis and in monitoring 

animal populations. RMRS scientists have 

established a unique niche in researching 

and monitoring terrestrial TES species that 

occur in the ecosystems most likely to be impacted by climate change and compounding 

fragmentation and habitat loss. Both wildlife 

and vegetation genetics research at RMRS 

will provide valuable cornerstones of understanding. RMRS also houses an extensive 

Researchers examine a whitebark pine sample 

for bark beetle damage. The native insect 

is thriving under changing climate. Warmer 

temperatures enable it to better survive winter 

months and produce new generations at a faster 

rate. Understanding the invasive-like insect’s 

relationship with and response to climate change is 

a critical component of RMRS research.

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 13

invasive species research program that is 

examining how climate change may expand 

ranges for invasive species and/or may decrease the effectiveness of control measures. 

In addition, RMRS scientists are working to 

develop carbon sequestration baseline information to help evaluate long-term sequestration potential.

This section summarizes important terrestrial 

ecosystem research needs in four categories:

Monitoring

 Develop inventory and monitoring 

metrics designed to identify baseline and altered ecosystem functions 

so climate change influences can 

be distinguished from those of other 

anthropogenic stressors.

 Develop surveying and monitoring 

protocols/tools to identify climate 

impacts on threatened and endangered 

species.

 Seek opportunities to link existing 

inventory networks within the Forest 

Service (for example, Forest Inventory 

and Analysis) with other existing 

and planned networks, such as the 

National Science Foundation’s LongTerm Ecological Research Network, 

the National Ecological Observation 

Network, and other monitoring programs within USGS and NASA.

 Identify methods and metrics to detect 

changes in ecosystem services to evaluate the attainment of management goals 

under a changing climate.

 Address carbon reporting and trading, 

quantification of ecosystem services, 

and global climate change research and 

policy analyses through strategic scale 

inventory and monitoring of the terrestrial vegetation resources in the United 

States. 

Threatened/endangered/sensitive 

terrestrial species effects

 Investigate population connectivity of 

TES species using both genetic analyses 

and GPS studies of animal movements 

relative to climate-induced changes to 

habitat structure and composition.

 Improve our understanding of how 

TES species distributions will change, 

how environmental features will impart 

spatial variation in rates of change, and 

how conservation resources can best be 

allocated to sustain these species.

 Determine how climate-induced changes 

in landscape vegetation patterns affect 

persistence and viability of TES species.

 Determine how natural and humaninduced disturbance processes affect 

the population viability of TES species 

and their habitats within the context of 

changing climates.

 Assess how increasing fragmentation 

and habitat loss due to climate change 

influence disease transfer from wildlife 

to humans and vice versa.

 Conduct assessments of wildlife, fish, 

and biodiversity and develop models 

that predict species’ response to landscape and climate changes.

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14 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Changing patterns of exotic invasive 

species

 Predict the potential range expansions 

of pest species, particularly terrestrial 

invertebrates and aquatic invaders, 

which are most likely to be immediately 

affected by changing temperatures.

 Assess the potential for shifting temperature and precipitation conditions 

to affect the invasiveness of exotic 

organisms and their impacts on native 

systems.

 Determine the likely implications of 

changing temperature and precipitation conditions on the effectiveness of 

invasive species management tools such 

as biological control, grazing, fire, and 

pesticides.

 Examine how drought driven by climate 

change and shifts in fire regimes may 

affect exotic species’ invasive effectiveness 

and their impacts on native systems.

 Assess how changing precipitation and 

temperature affect the susceptibility of 

native systems to invasion.

 Develop improved science information 

on the relationships among invasive 

plants, native vegetation, natural and 

anthropogenic disturbances, climate 

change, and land management activities.

Large numbers of wildlife and plant species are at risk in areas of the Interior West. Large-scale 

assessments conducted by RMRS scientists provide reliable information for resource management 

planning on national, regional, and National Forest scales.

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 15

Rangelands throughout the Interior West are threatened by exotic invasive 

species. RMRS scientists collaborate on many related efforts because clients 

for large-scale assessments extend beyond the Forest Service.

Carbon cycle dynamics in mitigation 

and adaptation

 Better understand the carbon dynamics in managed forest and woodland 

ecosystems, both in terms of effects on 

greenhouse gas emissions and effects 

on carbon sequestration, in order to 

better inventory the carbon sequestered 

in various carbon pools over time.

 Develop comprehensive and easy to 

understand syntheses of carbon cycle 

knowledge.

 Determine how changes in forest 

management, the timber processing 

industry, and fire patterns have affected 

the carbon cycle in the northern 

Rocky Mountains.

 Develop a 30+ year carbon-focused historical record of forest disturbance and 

re-growth dynamics in North America.

 Improve our understanding of carbon 

and nitrogen budgets and cycling in 

sagebrush/pinyon-juniper ecosystems.

 Assess fire frequency effects on forest 

structure, fuels, and carbon storage at 

the landscape level.

 Determine the effects of forest restoration on carbon storage in Colorado Front 

Range ecosystems.

 Identify the effects on soils and wildlife of removing varying amounts of 

forest products and biomass and those 

effects that arise from redistributing cut 

biomass for burning.

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16 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

 Improve our understanding of belowground decomposition, carbon sequestration, soil carbon, and organic matter 

pools as affected by climate change and 

forest management.

 Better understand the trade-offs between 

carbon sequestration objectives and 

other forest management objectives 

associated with alternative forest 

management systems and forest types 

in the Interior West.

 Quantify ecosystem exchanges of 

carbon dioxide in subalpine ecosystems 

using eddy flux research.

 Develop an understanding of the 

appropriate role and application of 

carbon trading/credits in forest and 

rangeland resource management.

 Quantify the relationships between 

mastication (chipping) of woody 

biomass and soil carbon.

 Develop methods to estimate carbon 

emissions from prescribed fires and 

wildfires.

Researchers measure the 

capacity of a contour-felled log 

erosion barrier (left) and examine 

sediment after a high-intensity 

rainfall event (right).

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 17

Decision Support Science 

and Science Application 

and Delivery

Decision support science

Decision support information and tools can 

help identify trade-offs between different 

management activities and help to provide 

guidance for management of natural systems 

under changing climates. New short-term 

and long-term management strategies may 

be necessary in order to mitigate climate 

change; however, these strategies may affect 

various ecosystem values that are also atrisk. Planning for changing forest, grassland, 

and rangeland uses will require information on changing social preferences, as well 

as increased understanding of how these 

uses will affect terrestrial ecosystems under 

changing climates. One need in this area is to 

understand the relationship between human 

settlement/migration patterns and climate 

change. Understanding these changes and 

the resulting effects on TES species, invasive species, demand for forest products and 

biomass, as well as other ecosystem goods 

and services and resource trade-offs provides 

support for management decisions.

Quantitative methods and models can synthesize current and evolving understanding 

of climate change impacts on plants, animals, 

ecosystems, and social systems. RMRS scientists are well-positioned to enhance climatevegetation models that can assist land managers in developing landscape projections, 

in addressing the uncertainty of future climates, and in exploring management options 

for adaptation and mitigation.

Research that will support planning and 

management efforts and improve our understanding of the potential impacts of climate 

change on ecosystem services include:

 Integrating understanding of how plant 

and animal communities and ecosystem 

processes will be altered by different 

climate change scenarios based on location, species composition, etc., in order 

to identify and evaluate management 

alternatives to facilitate adaptation to 

the changing climate.

 Improving our ability to project how 

changing climatic conditions, changing 

vegetation structure, altered disturbance 

regimes, and novel animal communities 

may enhance the potential for invasion by 

insects, diseases, plants, and vertebrates.

 Building on current efforts to characterize the relationships between at-risk 

species, invasive species, disturbances, 

and climate in order to develop management approaches to increase resilience.

 Developing approaches to work with 

agency partners and stakeholders to 

reconcile conflicting management goals 

within and across agency boundaries.

 Addressing how changing climates are 

expected to alter human values placed 

on natural resources, as well as improving our understanding of how human 

uses will affect terrestrial ecosystems.

 Incorporating climate change and carbon 

sequestration dynamics into current 

Forest Service management models, such as 

the Forest Vegetation Simulator.

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18 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

 Developing methods to tier larger scale 

analyses and assessments, such as the 

Resources Planning Act Assessment, to 

forest and project-level planning.

 Incorporating uncertainty and risk 

into management decisions to adjust 

to unanticipated changes and to allow 

for flexibility.

Science application and delivery

Research results are of limited use if they 

are not applied to the management of natural 

resources. Getting research to managers 

requires an active science delivery program 

involving various forms of information exchange and communication. This exchange 

must initiate and maintain active partnerships 

and open dialogue between researchers and 

managers to ensure mutual understanding of 

knowledge and information needs.

New science application procedures are 

designed to help reach and inform a diverse 

audience through cost-effective and updateable procedures. Examples include:

 Enhancing the Climate Change Resource 

Center Web site (http://www.fs.fed.

us/ccrc/), a one-stop reference (developed by the Pacific Southwest, Pacific 

Northwest and Rocky Mountain 

Research Stations) which contains relevant climate-related educational materials, as well as decision-support tools.

 Providing the necessary science support 

for project and forest planning and support for the development of conservation 

and restoration strategic plans for water 

dependent communities and species.

 Developing a shared NFS Research 

and Development Technology Transfer/

Science Application cadre dedicated to 

defining research needs; developing science syntheses; packaging and delivering 

publications, models, and tools; inventory 

and monitoring procedures; and, hosting 

workshops, field reviews, and training 

sessions.

 Developing a network of demonstration 

watersheds to provide water and sediment yield information that can be used 

to conduct and display research results, 

and to provide a forum and link to land 

and water management issues and information needs.

 Creating partnerships with other Federal 

agencies to develop a land and water 

manager toolbox that would provide the 

latest models and monitoring procedures 

to predict and track management actions 

for mitigating the effects of climate change.

 Defining and developing decision support tools through researcher-manager 

roundtables to assist in linking available 

science and expertise.

 Developing a short-term, rapid response 

science delivery program that utilizes 

syntheses, case studies, and information 

technology tools to quickly distribute 

available science.

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 19

Conclusion

The purpose of this document is to provide our employees, 

partners, and clients with a sense of the Station’s niche, 

capabilities, and role in climate change research and science 

delivery. Key components for this strategy’s success are 

collaboration with our partners and clients to address land 

management program needs. While this document clarifies 

for our stakeholders and others what RMRS can do relative 

to climate change, it should be noted this is just a snapshot 

of activities that can and will rapidly evolve over the next 

several years.

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20 2009 Climate Change Research Strategy

Appendix—RMRS Sustainable Operations Vision Statement

We, the leadership of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, support a sustainable resource 

management, operations, and consumption ethic. We will create within our operations those habits 

that inspire individual and organizational decisions that lead directly to reducing energy use, water use, 

and waste production at our buildings and facilities; reducing emissions from transportation and travel; 

increasing fuel efficiency in our fleet; increasing recycling; utilizing sustainable landscape design; and, 

developing and implementing green purchasing practices.

We understand that achieving this vision requires active involvement from every employee in every 

staff area. Our goal is to enable employees to achieve this vision, not by adding work, but by asking 

employees to rethink the way that we do business. This requires a change in mindset towards more 

environmentally sound operations.

As we seek to achieve our vision, we will strive towards continual improvement, acknowledge our 

responsibility as leaders in natural resource conservation, share our learning, serve as an example to 

others, and work to fulfill the public trust. Some specific actions we will take to help us move towards 

this vision include:

1) Improving the energy efficiency of our facilities through energy efficiency audits, facility improvements, and the full utilization of tools like Energy Savings Performance Contracts.

2) Planning, designing, constructing, and operating new facilities that address “whole site” sustainable practices, and result in Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certified or similar 

buildings.

3) Reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in our travel and transportation, by rightsizing our fleet, using more fuel efficient vehicles and hybrids, being selective in trips we take and 

conscious about our travel decisions, and by promoting carpooling, vehicle sharing, bicycling, and 

telecommuting (where appropriate).

4) Reducing water consumption by creating and implementing practices that support sustainable 

water resources and sustainable landscape design (e.g., xeriscaping).

5) Fully establishing and implementing green purchasing policies (with all employees that have 

purchasing authority) and ensuring that the appropriate green procurement, recycling, and waste 

minimization language is incorporated into service contracts.

6) Supporting and expanding recycling programs at our offices, which includes a Smart Paper Plan, 

plastic, aluminum, glass, electronics, furniture and equipment, etc.

7) Developing and utilizing pollution prevention plans and proper waste disposal guidelines for 

hazardous materials use.

8) Initiating and supporting the establishment of local green teams at our labs that will work to 

identify and implement place-based, grassroots sustainable operations activities.

9) Supporting appropriate employee involvement in activities and training related to sustainable 

operations.

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2009 Climate Change Research Strategy 21

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and 

activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, 

political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public 

assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities 

who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file 

a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 

(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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United States Department of Agriculture

Forest Service

Rocky Mountain

Research Station

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