Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

The applied side of phenology

Abe Miller-Rushing,

Schoodic Education and Research Center

and Acadia National Park

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Bottom Line

• Phenological changes are changing most

everything.

• There is lack of understanding of what

changes mean for resource management.

• We can take steps to improve that.

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Outline

• Ubiquity of impacts

• What does it mean for managers?

• Improving utility of phenology information

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Natural resources

• Abundance and

distribution of species

• Water, carbon, and

nutrient cycles

• Virtually all ecological

relationships and

processes

• Evolutionary processes

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Cultural resources

• Ways of life

• Cultural traditions

• Festivals

• Health

• Economics

Photo credit: Michelle Souliere

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Agriculture

• Farming, livestock,

and forestry practices

• Horticulture

• Gardening

• Pests and pollination

Photo credit: Justin Scheetz

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Outline

• What does it mean for managers?

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Resource managers are aware of changes

in phenology but are not aware of:

• The implications

• What to do about the changes

• How best to use phenology data

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Can phenology

information

improve how I

do my job?

If so, how?

Photo credit: NPS, Big Bend National Park

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Optimize

detection and

management

of pests and

invasive

species

Photo credit: Gil Wojciech

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Plan for longer

growing and

monitoring seasons

(and flat or

declining budgets)

Photo credit: NPS, Appalachian Highlands Network

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Will changes in

phenology affect

my management

priorities?

If so, how?

Photo credit: Matt Inden

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Example prioritization criteria:

• Is the threat, problem, or need severe?

• Is the information essential for well-reasoned

and legally defensible decisions?

• Will the information provide early warning of

abnormal conditions?

• Is information actionable and will action solve

the problem?

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Flowering time tracking

Change in a

bundance o

r perf

orm

ance

Species vulnerability assessments +

-

0

+ 0

Møller et al. 2008; Willis et al. 2008, 2010; Cleland et al. 2012

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

+

-

0

+ 0

Species vulnerability assessments

Change in a

bundance o

r perf

orm

ance

Flowering time tracking

Møller et al. 2008; Willis et al. 2008, 2010; Cleland et al. 2012

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

+

-

0

+ 0

Species vulnerability assessments

Change in a

bundance o

r perf

orm

ance

Flowering time tracking

Møller et al. 2008; Willis et al. 2008, 2010; Cleland et al. 2012

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Assessments for other

management priorities

• Forest productivity

• Water

• Carbon sequestration

• Health

• Economic development

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

How do I

manage for

changes in

phenology?

Photo credit: Sarah Morris,

Arkansas Community Foundation

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Outline

• Improving utility of phenology information

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

A three-pronged approach

• Improve phenology literacy

• Understand impacts most relevant to

management and appropriate responses

• Integrate data and tools and make them

easier to use

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Phenology literacy

• Engage the right

audience

• Show how to

incorporate into what

they already do

• Build case studies

Photo credit: Michael Singer

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Research on

impacts and actions

• Study management-

relevant impacts

• Address how to

manage for

phenological change

• Build case studies

Photo credit: King Mountain Forestry

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Data and tools

• Integrate

• Increase ease of

use

• Build case studies

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

Bottom Line

• Phenological changes are changing most

everything.

• There is lack of understanding of what

changes mean for resource management.

• We can take steps to improve that.

Schoodic Education and Research Center

Acadia National Park

SERC Campus

abe_miller-rushing@nps.gov

sercinstitute.org