Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in developing multi-month forecasts of management-relevant rangeland drought forecasts and improving a platform for delivering those forecasts to resource managers across western rangelands. The project aims to develop gridded ecological drought forecasts and synthesize establishment requirements for critical restoration species. Deliverables include synthesized information about related peer-reviewed publications and continuously updated forecast maps of near-term ecological drought and establishment probabilities for the western US. Key aspects of the project include: * Developing multi-month forecasts of management-relevant rangeland drought forecasts * Improving a platform for delivering forecasts to resource managers * Synthesizing establishment requirements for critical restoration species * Producing continuously updated forecast maps of near-term ecological drought and establishment probabilities * Informing resource allocation for management agencies * Targeting seeding for dryland restoration in locations and at times when conditions are most likely to support plant establishment