Location: Range Management Research
Project Number: 3050-12610-001-051-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2024
End Date: Feb 28, 2027
Objective:
The post-master's/post-doctoral position will support the development of an assessment of urban forestry as part of a strategy to manage extreme heat in Southern Nevada. Focus will be on prioritization of areas for expanded urban canopy, urban forestry within a portfolio of heat management strategies being deployed in Nevada, and evaluation of impacts on neighborhoods, community well-being, and urban scale resilience. Urban forest impacts will be assessed including regional water constraints, environmental justice and expanding tree equity, and projections of a hotter and drier region subject to increased frequency and severity of extreme heat events. Activities will include: assist with prioritization of urban forests shading needs, combinations with other shading technologies, and co-location with cooling centers and informal cooling locations; design assessment strategies for determining the impact of urban forest strategies appropriate for Southern Nevada, conduct primary data collection and secondary data aggregation on urban forest and co-located cooling resources in the Southern Nevada region, including both urban, peri-urban, and rural locations; assist with the development of Spanish and Tagalog outreach and educational material on urban forests; coordinate data collection with regional modeling efforts; determine demand for baseline information and needs for future-oriented climate projection scenarios, and assist with written reports, data analysis, and presentations at relevant scientific and professional conferences.
Approach:
The project utilizes a socio-ecological approach where natural systems are considered embedded within broader social systems. Urban tree canopy is understood as part of the urban ecology, but also shading and cooling infrastructure, water consumption demands, neighborhood aesthetics, and as a managed landscape. Impact assessments are necessarily multi-criteria and inclusive of the biophysical urban forest ecophysiology, social preferences, and urban infrastructure implementation and management needs. Special focus will be paid to urban heat islands, areas experiencing tree and shade inequity, and water conservation constraints. The approach to determining best-fit for social forestry for a region is based on understanding how trees benefit local residents while contributing to large regional and public goals. A postdoctoral fellow will be hired to perform the majority of the work detailed in this agreement and meet deliverables and project goals.
