This month we are celebrating major milestones and want to share those with you. The Climate Hub network just celebrated its 10 year anniversary. As part of that anniversary our partners recorded short stories about some of their favorite projects. We have compiled a selection of those for this episode to kick off the new year.

Relevant links:

USDA Climate Hubs: Stories from Our First 10 Years
USDA Climate Hubs: Celebrating 10 Years!

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

Dr. Elise Gornish discusses her research on restoration and weed management strategies to minimize the effects of changing climatic conditions - especially warming temperatures and decreasing precipitation. Her work focuses on designing realistic restoration strategies and solutions that are both financially and logistically feasible.

Relevant links:

The Gornish Lab

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

This is the last episode in our reforestation pipeline series. The success of a reforestation effort largely depends on proper post-planting care and monitoring. We spoke with Dr. Camille Stevens-Rumann, who studies wildfire and post-fire recovery, to learn more about what needs to happen after a tree is planted in a reforestation effort.

Relevant links:

Marshall, L.A., Fornwalt, P.J., Stevens-Rumann, C.S., Rodman, K.C., Rhoades, C.C., Zimlinghaus, K., Chapman, T.B. and Schloegel, C.A., 2023. Seedling and growing environment measurements from a tree planting unit in the 2016 Cold Springs Fire, Colorado, USA.

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

In this episode we continue our discussion of the reforestation pipeline. Last month, we discussed how reforestation efforts are critical after high severity wildfires, like the ones we have been witnessing across the Southwest. Now we sit down with two researchers who specialize in modeling to learn more about the science of choosing the right spot on the landscape for the best chances of planted seedling survival.

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:

DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/

USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest

Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

This bonus episode is a re-release of our July 2023 episode highlighting the John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center in Mora, New Mexico, which aims to advance the understanding of restoration activities on forested areas in New Mexico. The Center also provides science-based solutions for private, tribal, state, and federal forest managers, who face the threat of catastrophic fires and the inability of forest ecosystems to naturally regenerate after fires.

Related Links:
John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center at Mora

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

Dr. Joshua Sloan and Rachael Foe discuss the process of conifer seed selection and harvest for reforestation efforts in the Southwest, from selecting the parent trees and scouting for good cone crops to climbing the trees and collecting cones. Did you know some forest stands only produce a viable seed crop once every decade? Learn how you could help scout for cones through a new app from the New Mexico Reforestation Center.

Relevant links:

Related podcast episode: After-Fire Reforestation: The John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center

Cone Collector and Observations App and other resources

Seedlot Selection Tool

Info about the New Mexico Reforestation Center

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Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes!

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

Nature-based solutions - what are they exactly? Is there a standard definition? And even though the term is new to us, are the practices themselves actually something new? In this episode we speak with Dr. Laura Norman, a Research Physical Scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, to answer these questions and more.

Relevant links:

IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions
Opportunities to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions (2022)
Nature-Based Solutions Resource Guide 2.0 (2023)

The Science That Transformed A Dry Streambed Into An Oasis

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Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/

According to 2022 statistics published by the US EPA, enteric fermentation (a digestive pathway that produces gasses in the gut) by cattle accounted for around 3% of total US greenhouse gas emissions when converted to carbon dioxide equivalents. We spoke with Dr. Glenn Duff, from New Mexico State University to learn more about the research he and his team are conducting to measure gas fluxes and emissions from cattle in pursuit of improving efficiency and lowering emissions from this sector.

Relevant Links:

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer from the US EPA

Clayton Livestock Research Center, New Mexico State University

Sustainable Southwest Beef Project

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podchaser Thanks!

Follow us on X @RainShinePod

Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes!
Have a suggestion for a future episode? Please tell us!

Come Rain or Shine affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/