The National Phenology Network
Providing capacity to meet natural
resource agency science and
monitoring objectives
Jake F. Weltzin
Ecologist
US Geological Survey
Outline
• IM&A in the USFS context
• The National Phenology Network
• Nature's Notebook: A project of the USA-NPN
• Data applications
• R9 pilot project
USFS in a changing environment
The Roadmap
The Scorecard
The 2012 Planning Rule
Monitoring Directive
Doug Chaltry
Regional Planner,
Monitoring &
Evaluation Coordinator
USFS Eastern Region
IM&A: Needs defined by Goals
• Goal 1: Relevant and credible information
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Focused on priority management issues
Integration and scalability
Based on relevant science
High quality and consistency
Timely and accessible
• Goal 2: An inclusive and comprehensive system
– Information needs shared by partners
– Across organizational and geographic boundaries
• Goal 3: Must be responsive and adaptive to change
– Responsive to changing management needs
– Responsive to social, economic, and ecological change
– Responsive and adaptive to changing agency capacity
IM&A Strategy, USFS, 8 July 2013
Adaptive management across agencies
“A unified, multiscale monitoring system capable of
detecting and evaluating national, regional and local trends
will enable land mangers to develop and adjust adaptation
and mitigation strategies to improve their effectiveness
across landscapes and landownerships."
- National Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change 2011
Outline
• IM&A in the USFS context
• The National Phenology Network
• Nature's Notebook: A project of the USA-NPN
• Data applications
• R9 pilot project
What is the…
National Phenology Network?
Phenology is…
The recurring plant and
animal life cycle stages, or
phenophases, such as leafing
and flowering, maturation of
agricultural plants,
emergence of insects, and
migration of birds.
Why Phenology?
Phenology data helps us understand how plants,
animals and landscapes respond to environmental
variation and climate change.
What is the…
National Phenology Network?
Science, management, decision-making, policy
Enquist et al., Intl J Biomet 2014
What is the…
National Phenology Network?
USA-NPN serves science and society by collecting,
organizing and distributing phenological information to aid
decision-making and adaptation to variable climates and
changing environments.
Large fires in western US
Mean growing season length (d) 2001-2006
Ganguly et al. 2010
Betancourt et al. in prep
USA-NPN 5-year Strategic Plan
www.usanpn.org/pubs/reports
What is the…
National Phenology Network?
Intensive science sites
Extensive observation sites
Volunteer &
education networks
Remote
sensing
Adapted from CENR-OSTP
Adapted from K.B. Jones et al. 2010
What is the…
National Phenology Network?
A National Framework for
Science and Monitoring
UC-NRS
LCCs + CSCs
Outline
• IM&A in the USFS context
• The National Phenology Network
• Nature's Notebook: A project of the USA-NPN
• Data applications
• R9 pilot project
What is…
Nature's Notebook?
A ground-based, multi-taxa, national-scale observing system
• Organism-based
- status (presence/absence)
- abundance or intensity
• Standard protocols
- vetted & published
- provenance
- cross-walked
- 945 species (plant+animal)
• 7 data pubs to date
OMB Control #: 1028-0103
Denny et al., Intl J Biomet 2014
www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook
What is…
Nature's Notebook?
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Data dashboard: www.usanpn.org/node/21094
What is…
Nature's Notebook?
Data, metadata, documentation freely available
www.usanpn.org/results/data
What is…
Nature's Notebook?
Dynamic tools for visualizing data
www.usanpn.org/data/visualizations
Outline
• IM&A in the USFS context
• The National Phenology Network
• Nature's Notebook: A project of the USA-NPN
• Data applications
• R9 pilot project
How do natural resource professionals…
pollinators
understand bird
migrations and habitats?
Proportion trees reported flowering
% eBird checklists/week
Pat Davis/PLOS One
Williams et al., 2013
Derived from Kellermann et al., in prep
How do natural resource professionals…
forecast forest green-up at regional scales?
Red maple (A. rubrum)
A. rubrum, 2080-2099
Jeong et al., GRL 2013
How do natural resource professionals…
understand impacts of anomalous climate?
Spring Onset, 1950-2012
From Ault et al., EOS 2013 and Ault et al., in prep
How do natural resource professionals…
manage invasive species?
MODIS EVI
In-situ % green
16-day composites
250 m pixel
In-situ % green
Precipitation
Wallace et al., in prep
How do natural resource professionals…
determine species vulnerability?
How do natural resource professionals…
plug into phenology monitoring and science?
www.usanpn.org/fws
How do natural resource professionals…
cross organizations and geographies?
www.usanpn.org/appalachian
Outline
• IM&A in the USFS context
• The National Phenology Network
• Nature's Notebook: A project of the USA-NPN
• Data applications
• R9 pilot project
NFS R9 Partnership…helping achieve
Scorecard & Planning Rule requirements
 Develop an understanding of fundamental questions
about how organisms are responding to changes in
climate (SC Element 8 on monitoring).
 Inform management decisions (PR monitoring reqs for
species indicators, invasive species, climate change).
 Facilitate the establishment of partnerships across the
landscape (PR monitoring req for collaboration).
 Facilitate public outreach & engagement (PR
monitoring reqs for visitor use & satisfaction of
recreation objectives).
www.usanpn.org/usfs
NFS R9 Partnership…helping achieve
Scorecard & Planning Rule requirements
Form working group consisting of interested forests to
explore implementation of phenology monitoring:
Meet monthly (3x to-date)
Learn how NPS & FWS are partnering with NPN
Select pilot forest to investigate how an existing
monitoring program might be adapted: Ottawa NF
Next Steps:
• Jointly develop plan for Ottawa NF pilot study
• Provide preliminary training webinars for Region
• Jointly develop information sheet(s)
www.usanpn.org/usfs
IM&A, NPN and Nature's Notebook…
• Goal 1: Relevant and credible information applied to priority
issues
• Goal 2: Inclusive and comprehensive system across
organizational and geographic boundaries
• Goal 3: Responsive and adaptive to changing management
needs: social, cultural, ecological & agency
"…the best science for adaptation will be conceived in
strong adaptive research-management partnerships. We
must find new ways for scientists, managers, and citizens
to work together to pool their observational powers and
intelligence to continually reexamine the realities of
forest systems."
- D. Cleaves in Peterson et al. 2014
Thank you…
Applied information Management
Acquire
a project of the USA-NPN
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API
USGS GDP
Forecast
How do natural resource professionals…
improve urban water quality?
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2979604.shtml?cat=1
How do natural resource professionals…
communicate climate change?
Next up:
How do natural resource professionals…
engage the next generation?
www.usanpn.org/nn/mobile-apps
How do natural resource professionals…
develop a diverse workforce?
Credit: Carolyn Enquist
How do natural resource professionals…
help educators implement programs?
www.usanpn.org/education