The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a reference Web site for resource managers and decisionmakers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and project implementation on lands in the West. Changing climates have already catalyzed changes in environments throughout the West, and future effects are expected to be greater. Although future scenarios are daunting, managers can do much to promote adaptation to climate change and encourage reduction of human effects on climate.

The CCRC addresses the manager’s question “What can I do about climate change?” by providing information about basic climate sciences and compiling knowledge resources and support for adaptation and mitigation strategies. The site offers educational information, including basic science modules that explain climate and climate impacts, decision-support models, maps, simulations, case studies, and toolkits. The site is a joint project of the three western Forest Service Research Stations Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW), Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW), Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), and the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center.

What's new?

April 2009 edition of the Mountain Research Initiative Newsletter is now available. This twice-a-year publication covers a wide range of subjects, activities, and scientific communications regarding high-elevation research. This issue has an emphasis on the effects of climate change on water.
The new U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center should be a conduit between climate science and fish and wildlife management, according to a preliminary report released today from a group of nearly 200 representatives from state and federal agencies, academia and nongovernmental organizations.
The Feb 2009 issue of Mountain Views, CIRMOUNT's biannual newsletter, is now available. This is the Newsletter of the Consortium for Integrated Climate Research in Western Mountains. This is a highly recommended resource for practical current research and application.
Urban Forests and Climate Change, and Tree Carbon Calculator Tool added: A new topic page about Urban Forests and Climate Change has been added to the CCRC. The page provides access to a certified Urban Forest Project Reporting Protocol, a calculator to determine the carbon-fixation value of urban trees that adheres to the protocol, and a wide range of information and references on the subject, from the Center for Urban Forest Research of the Pacific Southwest Research Station.
Forests and Climate Change - The Forest Service publishes a Strategic Framework:This document provides a road map to guide our actions for addressing climate change as we care for natural lands. Seven goals are outlined that will help the Forest Service to sustain the nation's forest and grasslands for present and future generations in this era of climate change. To achieve these goals, the Forest Service is working with a broad range of agencies, scientists, stakeholders, tribes, international interests and the public at-large to make good use of diverse expertise and ideas.
Sustainable Operations - Our Environmental Footprint & The Climate Change Connection: is the latest in a growing library of portable electronic presentations, or PEPs, which serve as interactive learning resources that present scientific information in an on-demand, media-rich format.
Climate Time Machine, from NASA JPL and California Institute of Technology: A series of visualizations showing how some key indicators of climate change, such as temperature, sea ice extent, and carbon dioxide, have changed in Earth's recent history.
Climate Change and Water: In Brief. A new publication from the Forest Service National Headquarters
State of Wyoming Climate Change Workshop: Biologists, scientists, policy-makers, sportsmen and members of the media came together in Cheyenne on Monday, June 16 to learn more about climate change and how it could potentially affect Wyoming's resources. Slides and contact information are posted.
Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems
(SAP 4.6) This Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6 (SAP 4.6) focuses on impacts of global climate change, especially impacts on three broad dimensions of the human condition: human health, human settlements, and human welfare.
MTNCLIM 2008 Mountain Climate Research Conference. Talks, Posters, and Webcasts from the conference held June 9-12 in Silverton, CO
Bull Trout and Climate Change. Mulitmedia production of a 2008 symposium at the Western Division Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. Sponsored by the US Forest Service-Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Geological Survey.
Preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources: Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.4. Chapter 3 addresses National Forests
Woody Biomass Utilization. New USFS site on using woody biomass for energy and other uses
Sustainable Forest Resource Management
Carbon Sequestration. National "Ecosystem Services" site