Sustainability Commons^™

Towards Rio 2012 And Collaborative Governance For Sustainable Development, Jem Bendell

Social Space

Since the global Earth Summit in 1992, non-governmental organisations and businesses have made some strides towards sustainable development, but as Jem Bendell explains, governments need to join them.

Baselines Newsletter, No. 7, Winter/Spring 2011, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Wind Energy Potential For Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plants In La Guajira, Colombia, Carlos Martinez-Smit

Faculty-Selected Student Works

Project report required by the Master of Science Degree in Renewable and Clean Energy.

Abstract:

The region of La Guajira, located in the north of Colombia, has a lot of potential for wind power with annual average wind speeds up to 11 m/s at 10 m height in some locations, according to the national wind map. Most of the wind potential is located in Upper Guajira, where 90% of the population is indigenous Wayuu people (among the country’s poorest population) and it is also characterized with low precipitation, 500 mm/yr, high evapotranspiration, 1500 mm/yr, and low humidity. All this creates …

Ua12/13 2011 Sustainability Report [Western Kentucky University], Wku Office Of Sustainability, Christian Ryan-Downing

Sustainability Publications and Resources

AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. The organization provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.

In early 2010, Western Kentucky University became a charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). STARS® is a …

State Of The Climate In 2010, Jessica Blunden, Derek S. Arndt, Molly O. Baringer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Several large-scale climate patterns influenced climate conditions and weather patterns across the globe during 2010. The transition from a warm El Niño phase at the beginning of the year to a cool La Niña phase by July contributed to many notable events, ranging from record wetness across much of Australia to historically low Eastern Pacific basin and near-record high North Atlantic basin hurricane activity. The remaining five main hurricane basins experienced below- to well-below-normal tropical cyclone activity. The negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation was a major driver of Northern Hemisphere temperature patterns during 2009/10 winter and again in late …

Will Climate Change Alter Wildfire Behavior And Effects In Seasonally-Dry Wetlands?, Leda Kobziar Dr., Adam Watta Dr., J. Michael Camp Mr., Marissa Streiffel Ms., Alex Kattan Mr.

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The effects of edge on ecosystems is well documented on animal and plant species, as well as a number of ecosystem attributes. A substantial determinant of ecological edge effects is the effect of edge on microclimate parameters such as temperature and humidity. These effects have been described in detail in upland communities, but not in wetland forests. Of particular interest is whether hydrologic influence trumps edge effect; in other words, does the influence of inundation create a hydrologic “switch” that overwhelms edge effect? In a landscape with numerous wetland forest patches subject to seasonal hydrologic fluctuations, I measured microclimate in …

Vegetation Impacts Of Recurring Fires On Sagebrush Ecosystems In Washington: Implications For Conservation And Rehabilitation, J. D. Bakker, P. W. Dunwiddie, S. A. Hall, J. R. Evans, G, M. Davies, E. Detterweiler-Robinson

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Thousands of hectares of high quality sagebrush shrub-steppe burned in south-central Washington in 2000 and 2007, particularly on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve (ALE) on the Hanford Reach National Monument. Extensive rehabilitation efforts took place on ALE to control invasive species and establish native species following each of these fires. Permanent vegetation monitoring plots were established throughout this area in the mid-1990s, remonitored in 2001-2004, and monitored again in 2009-2010. This combination of rehabilitation treatments and monitoring provided a unique opportunity to better understand the individual and cumulative effects of recurring fires and restoration in this landscape. We investigated changes …

The Influence Of Prescribed Fire And Understory Fuels Mastication On Soil Carbon Respiration Rates In Flatwoods Forests, Leda Kobziar, David Godwin, Michael Camp, Dawn Mckinstry, Marissa Steifel, Alex Kattan, Daniel Godwin

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Soil CO2 efflux (Rs) is a significant flux of carbon dioxide from ecosystem soils to the atmosphere and is a critical component of the total ecosystem carbon budget. Rs fluxes are comprised of autotrophic (Ra) sources of CO2 produced by plant roots and associated rhizosphere fungi and heterotrophic (Rh) sources of CO2 produced by aerobic soil microbes. A variety of forest management activities, including prescribed fire and mechanical fuels mastication treatments have been shown to significantly influence Rs rates in forests of the Western United States (US), yet these relationships are not well known for southeastern US forests. Prescribed fire …

Comprehensive Fuels Treatment Pratices Guide For Mixed Conifer Forests: California, Central And Southern Rockies, And The Southwest, Alexander M. Evans, Rick G. Everett, Scott L. Stephens, James A. Youtz

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The goal of this guide is to provide a resource for managers of mixed conifer forests of the Southwestern plateaus and uplands, the Central and Southern Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges in Southern California. Mixed conifer forests have different species, structures, and spatial patterns in these regions but, in general, we focus on forests with a mix of ponderosa or Jeffrey pine, Douglas-fir, true firs, and aspen. The guide includes a comprehensive review of historic conditions, past land use, natural fire regimes, impacts of altered fire regimes, and future prospects, given climate change, for …

A Regional Experiment To Evaluate Effects Of Fire And Fire Surrogate Treatments In The Sagebrush Biome, James Mclver, Dave Pyke, Hugh Barrett, Mark Brunson, Steve Bunting, Jeanne C. Chambers, Carla D'Antonio, Paul Doescher, Dale Johnson, Sherm Karl, Steve Knick, Rick Miller, Mike Pellant, Fred Pierson, Kim Rollins, Bruce Roundy, Gene Schupp, Robin Tausch, David Turner, Mike Wisdom

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

SageSTEP is a comprehensive regional experiment that provides critical information to managers faced with a sagebrush steppe ecosystem that is increasingly at risk from wildfire, invasive plants, and climate change. The experiment provides managers with information that can be used to restore ecological communities across the 100+ million acres of the sagebrush biome. It is designed to match the temporal and spatial scales at which managers operate, is intended to reduce management risk and uncertainty of catastrophic wildfire to the greatest degree possible, and provides managers with information that allows them to better understand tradeoffs inherent in the choice of …

Climate, Fire And Carbon: Tipping Points And Landscape Vulnerability In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Anthony L. Westerling, Monica G. Turner, William H. Romme, Michael G. Ryan

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

More frequent fires under climate warming are likely to alter terrestrial carbon (C) stocks by reducing the amount of C stored in biomass and soil. However, the thresholds of fire frequency that could shift landscapes from C sinks to C sources under future climates and whether these are likely to be exceeded during the coming century are not known. We used the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) as a case study to explore the conditions under which future climate and fire regimes would result in tipping points of C source/sink dynamics. We asked: (1) How great a change in climate and …

Compiling, Synthesizing And Analyzing Existing Boreal Forest Fire History Data In Alaska, Diana L. Olson, James B. Cronan, Donald Mckenzie, Jennifer L. Barnes, Anne E. Camp, Mike Tjoelker, Jennifer Northway, Paige Eagle

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Wildland fires play a critical role in maintaining the ecological integrity of boreal forests in Alaska. Identifying and maintaining natural fire regimes is an important component of fire management. There are numerous research projects that directly or indirectly address historical fire regimes in the Alaskan boreal forest, but many are unpublished, have many unprocessed dendrochronological (tree age and fire scar) samples, or their data were used for other purposes. Furthermore, no assessment of these data exists to understand how fire has historically affected the boreal forest ecosystems of Alaska. The goal of this project was to compile and synthesize existing …

Development Of A California Fire Science Delivery Consortium, Scott Stephens Dr.

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

I have submitted several final reports to the Joint Fire Sciences Program over the years but this one is different. This project was funded to write the full proposals for the California Fire Sciences Consortium. We used the funds from this grant to create the team for the consortium and wrote the proposal that was funded by the JFS. In that regard we accomplished all that we had proposed for this project. This report will be relatively brief because the project objective was to write a full proposal for consideration of the JFS Board.

Doubling Knowledge On Fire And Eastern Invasive Plants In The Fire Effects Information System (Feis), Jane Kapler Smith, Kristin Zouhar, Janet L. Fryer

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Managers have been coming to the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) for reviews of scientific knowledge about fire effects since 1986. Prior to this project, FEIS provided relatively little coverage of invasive plant species in the eastern United States: In 2008, the system contained 52 species reviews of eastern invasive plants covering 69 taxa. The system now contains 105 reviews of eastern invasive plants covering 139 taxa. Thus the project has doubled the information in FEIS on eastern invasive plants. In fact, the information has more than doubled, since the numbers above do not include updates of 5 reviews, addition …

Effects Of Blowdown, Salvage Logging, And Wildfire On Regeneration And Fuel Characteristics In Minnesota’S Forests, Shawn Fraver, Brian Palik, John B. Bradford, Doug Shinneman, Anthony D'Amato

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The patchiness resulting from a sequence of recent disturbances – blowdown, salvage logging, and wildfire – provided an excellent opportunity to assess the impacts of these disturbances, singly and in combination, on (1) wildfire severity (2) post-disturbance vegetation responses, (3) ecosystem carbon stocks, and (4) soil mercury (Hg) accumulation or loss in jack pine (P. banksiana) forests of northern Minnesota. Considering issue 1, our results suggest that salvage logging reduced the intensity (heat released) of the subsequent fire. However, its effect on severity (impact to the system) differed between the tree crowns and forest floor. Considering issue 2, our results …

Evaluating Post-Fire Salvage Logging Effects On Erosion, Peter R. Robichaud, William J. Elliot, Lee Macdonald, Robert Coats, Joseph W. Wagenbrenner, Sarah A. Lewis, Louise E. Ashmun, Robert E. Brown

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Legal challenges have delayed numerous post-fire salvage logging operations, which often results in lost economic value of the burned timber and unrecovered legal expenses. The scientific literature has shed little light on the additive effect of salvage logging operations on post-fire runoff, erosion, flooding, and sedimentation. Hence, there is an urgent need to better understand the impacts of post-fire salvage operations so that land managers can evaluate the relative and cumulative effects of different salvage logging practices. Intensive, multi-scale studies are needed because the effects of post-fire logging are superimposed on the effect of wildfires; rates and processes change according …

Evaluating Post-Fire Salvage Logging Effects On Erosion, Peter R. Robichaud, William J. Elliot, Lee Macdonald, James Saveland, Craig Busskohl, Steve Howes, Aaron Everett, Robert Coats, Joseph W. Wagenbrenner, Sarah A. Lewis, Louise E. Ashmun, Robert E. Brown

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Legal challenges have delayed numerous post-fire salvage logging operations, which often results in lost economic value of the burned timber and unrecovered legal expenses. The scientific literature has shed little light on the additive effect of salvage logging operations on post-fire runoff, erosion, flooding, and sedimentation. Hence, there is an urgent need to better understand the impacts of post-fire salvage operations so that land managers can evaluate the relative and cumulative effects of different salvage logging practices. Intensive, multi-scale studies are needed because the effects of post-fire logging are superimposed on the effect of wildfires; rates and processes change according …

Equipment And Strategies To Enhance The Post-Wildfire Establishment And Persistence Of Great Basin Native Plants, Nancy Shaw, Beth Newingham, Amy C. Ganguli, Ann L. Hild, Robert D. Cox, Jim Truax, Mike Pellant, David Pyke, Dan Ogle, Loren St. John

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Annual grass invasion in the Great Basin has increased fire size, frequency and severity. Post-fire restoration to provide functional native plant communities is critical to improve resistance to weed invasion. Our ability to successfully re-establish mixtures of native grasses, forbs and shrubs, however, is limited. We examined the effects of the standard rangeland drill and a minimum-till drill, seeding strategies for small-seeded species, and Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. spp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) seeding rates on seeding success in burned shrub communities at four sites in the northern Great Basin. Seeded and recovering vegetation, as well as soil …

Evaluation And Improvement Of Smoke Plume Rise Models, Yongqiang Liu Dr., Gary Achtemeier Dr., Scott Goodrick Dr., Bill Jackson Dr., John Qu Dr.

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The purpose of this JFSP project was to evaluate and improve the performance of Daysmoke in simulating smoke plume rise of prescribed burning. A combined approach of field measurement, numerical modeling, and dynamical and statistical analysis was used. Smoke plume height was measured with a ceilometer for 20 prescribed burns in the southeastern U.S. The measured data was used to validate Daysmoke simulation. An empirical smoke plume rise model was developed based on the RAWS observations. Daysmoke was improved by including the number of multiple updraft cores. Regional air quality modeling was conducted with smoke plume rise provided by Daysmoke. …

Evaluation Of Smoke Models And Sensitivity Analysis For Determining Their Emission Related Uncertainties, M. Talat Odman Dr., Scott Goddrick Dr., Fernando Garcia-Menendez, Aika Yano

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Emissions from wildland (wild and prescribed) fires add to the burden of air pollution and can have adverse impacts on air quality and public health. Numerical models for dispersion and chemical transport, also known as air quality models, can be used to investigate the fire plume evolution and the smoke impacts. However, it is important that the predictive skills of smoke models be evaluated under a wide range of applicable conditions through systematic simulations of past events with existing data. Three models were evaluated in this research: CALPUFF, DAYSMOKE and CMAQ. Different prescribed burn and wildfire episodes occurring throughout the …