Improving and Accelerating the Application of Science to Natural Resource Management in California

California - one of the nation's most populous states - hosts extensive public lands, crown-jewel national parks, and diverse natural resources. Resource managers in federal, state, tribal, and local agencies face challenges due to environmental changes and extreme events such as severe droughts, heat waves, flood events, massive wildfires, and forest dieback. However, state-of-the-art research that could aid in the management of natural resources facing these challenges is typically slow to be applied, owing to limited time and capacity on the part of both researchers and managers.

This project aims to accelerate the application of science to resource management by facilitating the translation and synthesis of research to relevant and often urgent management issues. The project researchers will implement a number of specific activities, ranging from the organization of science-manager working groups and other in–person events (field demonstrations, trainings, workshops, etc.) to webinars, digital dissemination of research syntheses, fact sheets and non-technical briefs that are designed to be easily accessible by managers and the public. The focus will be forest management, but may extend beyond to cover other critical resources, as needed. The project will involve coordination and collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Water Resources, USDA Forest Service, and tribes across the state to deliver up-to-date research findings to facilitate the conservation and management planning efforts of resource managers across California.