Tools and Data

The tools presented below represent a portion of the tools available for the climate, agriculture and forestry sectors. The tools range from specialized calculators to maps, models and datasets estimating a variety of outputs (e.g., crop production, greenhouse gas flux, and species distribution). Certain tools may be more relevant to land managers to aid in year-to-year decision-making, while others are more useful for researchers studying agriculture and climate change. Keep in mind that all tools have limitations and make assumptions that may not be appropriate for an entity’s climate/region/crop/soil type. USDA does not endorse the tools presented below. The tool list is provided for informational purposes only, and is not exhaustive.

Click the links below to view tool lists by sector:

See list of all tools

NEW!! The Climate Hubs Tool Shed provides information on tools from across the country that can assist agricultural and forest land managers in adapting to climate variability and change. Users can search with a keyword and our simple categories, or use the advanced search. The database includes tools that are directly relevant to climate variability and change, as well as tools that assist in managing factors that interact with climate variability and change, such as drought, pests, and extreme weather. The target audience is extension and consultants, but the database could also be useful for land managers, land owners, and researchers. To view the Tool Shed full screen in a separate window, click here. For more information on how to use the site, please review the definitions, and explore the link below:

More Tools!

Compiled Tool Lists and Analysis:

JournalMap is a scientific literature search engine that empowers you to find relevant research based on location and biophysical attributes combined with traditional keyword searches.
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Economic Tools.
Useful to Usable (U2U) Decision Dashboard provides a variety of decision-support tools to cereal crop producers.
Kansas State University Research and Extension summarized the current status of Ag-Apps here.
An analysis of Greenhouse Gas Accounting tools for the Agriculture and Forestry Sector can be found here.
The Carpe Diem West Academy helps western water and energy managers make sense of the vast array of available tools that might help them make better decisions in the face of climate uncertainty.