Forest ThreatNet
Western Threat Center Highlights
Researchers Evaluate Landscape Change and Potential Impacts to Southern Californians
In southern California, wildfire risk, drought, and land use change threaten key ecosystem services such as water quantity (water runoff and recharge), water quality (including sediment erosion management), biodiversity, cultural resources, carbon storage, and recreation. To understand the potential impacts to the people who depend on these ecosystem services, the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center is providing support for a new assessment of socioeconomic vulnerability in the region. Researchers are using a relatively small ‘model’ watershed, the headwaters of the Santa Clara River, to identify key sources of information to inform the study, and will apply a similar approach to assess vulnerabilities associated with these ecosystem services as well as air quality and energy on four southern Californian National Forests: Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland. Scientists from the Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and Rocky Mountain Research Station, University of California, Davis, and Michigan State University lead the research team, and are joined by dozens of cooperators providing specialized information and data.
More information: www.fs.fed.us/wwetac
Santa Clara River. Photo by U.S. Forest Service.
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