Future of Fire in the Pacific Islands: Towards a National Synthesis for Wildland Fire Under a Changing Climate

Wildfire is a significant yet underappreciated issue on Pacific Islands that threatens ecosystems from ridge-tops to reefs, including native species, waters, human communities, and natural and cultural resources. In the Hawaiian archipelago, the percentage of land burned annually is equal or greater than that burned across the western United States, with most fires occurring in drier nonnative grasslands and shrublands, which make up 25% of Hawaiʻi’s total land area. As island communities face increased wildfire risk due to climate change and other factors, such as continued plant invasions, collaborative bio-cultural stewardship approaches to adaptation will be critical to wildfire management. Fire causes and effects...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2020, CASC, Completed, Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, All tags... Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, Fire, Fire, Fire, Pacific Islands, Pacific Islands, Pacific Islands CASC, Projects by Region, Projects by Region, Fewer tags

Climate Adaptation for Tropical Island Land Stewardship: Adapting a Workshop Planning Process to Hawai‘i

Tropical island ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the multiple threats of climate change (Nurse et al. 2014; Bonan 2008). In response, agencies and organizations are tasked with developing land-management strategies to help ecosystems adapt to changing environmental conditions (Swanston et al. 2016). Research has shown that proactive planning can reduce climate change impacts by facilitating more efficient and rapid responses (Bierbaum et al. 2013). Complex socio-ecological conditions, environmental change related stressors (e.g., wildfire, pests, disease, and drought), a lack of resources, and shifting public policy and agency mandates (Nagel et al. 2017) can all hinder response effectiveness (Crausbay et al....

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Future of Fire: Towards a National Synthesis of Wildland Fire Under a Changing Climate

Abundant scientific research has characterized the relationships between climate and fire in ecosystems of the United States, and there is substantial evidence that the role of fire in ecosystems is likely to change with a changing climate. Changing fire patterns pose numerous natural resource management challenges and decision makers in natural-resource management increasingly require information about potential future changes in fire regimes to effectively prepare for and adapt to climate change impacts. An effective forward-looking fire science synthesis is urgently required to reflect the changing dimensions of human fire management, recognizing that fire causes, effects, impacts, and management are all interrelated...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2020, Alaska, Alaska CASC, CASC, Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, All tags... Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, Fire, Fire, National CASC, National CASC, North Central, North Central CASC, Northwest, Northwest CASC, Pacific Islands, Pacific Islands CASC, Projects by Region, Science Tools for Managers, Science Tools for Managers, South Central, South Central CASC, Southeast, Southeast CASC, Southwest, Southwest CASC, State of the Science, State of the Science, Fewer tags

Final Report: Working with Natural Resource Managers to Co-Produce Drought Analyses in Hawai‘i

A team comprised of scientists from the East-West Center (Honolulu, Hawai‘i) and from the USDA Forest Service (Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo, Hawai‘i) piloted a project called the Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange (PDKE). The primary objective of the PDKE pilot was to explore knowledge co-production with stakeholders in Hawai‘i, by providing them with: 1) easier access to drought and climate information and data sources; 2) better and more comprehensive information; 3) improved technical assistance; and 4) a more collaborative information transfer environment. Three stakeholders were approached and agreed to be involved in the pilot: Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO), Puʻu Waʻa waʻa Forest Reserve...

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The Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange: A Co-Production Approach to Deliver Climate Resources to User Groups

Drought is a growing threat to hydrological, ecological, agricultural, and socio-cultural systems of the tropics, especially tropical islands of the Pacific where severe droughts can compromise food and water security. Overcoming barriers to knowledge sharing between land managers and researchers is a critical cross-sector strategy for engaging and mitigating or adapting to drought. Here we describe the establishment and functioning of the Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange (PDKE), which provides users with easier access to: (1) sector- and geography-specific climate information; (2) better and more comprehensive information; (3) improved technical assistance; and (4) a more collaborative information-transfer environment...

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Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange (PDKE) Factsheets: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Drought on our landscapes can influence future vegetation cover, non-native species invasions, watershed function, and fire behavior. Therefore, the PDKE project seeks to address the critical need for scientists to produce locally relevant, timely, accessible, and actionable science products that managers can use to adapt to potentially drier and hotter climates. So, the PDKE was formed with PI-CASC funding to co-produce drought data and products with project partners, like the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (HAVO). These factsheets were produced specifically for HAVO.

Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange (PDKE) Factsheets: Puʻu Waʻawaʻa

Drought on our landscapes can influence future vegetation cover, non-native species invasions, watershed function, and fire behavior. Therefore, the PDKE project seeks to address the critical need for scientists to produce locally relevant, timely, accessible, and actionable science products that managers can use to adapt to potentially drier and hotter climates. So, the PDKE was formed with PI-CASC funding to co-produce drought data and products with project partners, like the State of Hawaiʻi Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. These factsheets were produced specifically for Puʻu Waʻawaʻa.

A Century of Drought in Hawaiʻi: Geospatial Analysis and Synthesis across Hydrological, Ecological, and Socioeconomic Scales

Drought is a prominent feature of Hawaiʻi’s climate. However, it has been over 30 years since the last comprehensive meteorological drought analysis, and recent drying trends have emphasized the need to better understand drought dynamics and multi-sector effects in Hawaiʻi. Here, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of past drought effects in Hawaiʻi that we integrate with geospatial analysis of drought characteristics using a newly developed 100-year (1920–2019) gridded Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) dataset. The synthesis examines past droughts classified into five categories: Meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, ecological, and socioeconomic drought. Results show that drought duration and magnitude...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation