The Climate Science Alliance is excited to announce the Southern Montane Forests Project, a new collaboration with the US Forest Service, the Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management at San Diego State University, and the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center to create a “Climate-Informed Conservation Strategy for Southern California’s Montane Forests.”
The Climate Science Alliance is excited to announce the Southern Montane Forests Project, a collaboration with the US Forest Service, Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management (IEMM) at San Diego State University, and the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. Through collaborative planning sessions, guided by stakeholder input, we will develop a scientific assessment and create a conservation strategy for Southern California’s montane forests.
Southern California’s montane forests are “sky islands” of mountain habitat that feature conifers and several oak species. These forests are facing rapidly intensifying stressors and disturbances that are exacerbated by climate change. The goal of this project is to advance our collective understanding of the vulnerabilities and challenges facing these forests and the opportunities and strategies for increasing forest resilience.
Leading the Southern Montane Forests Project is the Research and Management team, a group of skilled and experienced researchers from the US Forest Service: Dr. Hugh D. Safford, Dr. Nicole Molinari, Jeff Heys, and the newest addition to the team — Associate Ecologist Dr. Sarah Hennessy, who joined in early November.
The Engagement Strategy team, led by the Climate Science Alliance and San Diego State University’s IEMM, will help convene and facilitate workshops, collaborative planning sessions, and conversations to guide the scientific assessment and conservation strategy for Southern California’s montane forests. We plan to draw upon the expertise and input of our robust network of partners including Tribal nations whose ancestral lands encompass the region’s montane forests.
We look forward to kicking off the Southern Montane Forests Project alongside researchers, community leaders, partners, and other stakeholders. To learn more about this effort, please visit: www.climatesciencealliance.org/southern-forests.