Western Lands

Global Warming in the West

The latest report on global warming from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that western North America is warming faster than the globe overall. These trends are likely to increase even as policy-makers start to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so there is good reason to think about impacts and adaptations at a regional scale. Parts of the West may already have experienced warmer temperatures, drier conditions, smaller snow packs, and increased wildfires due to anthropogenic climate change. The center's first foray into this field was as part of a team that explored potential impacts on snow pack, skiing, and water resources in Aspen, Colorado.
Our next efforts focus on global warming's impact on western land use, and the potential for extreme events as the climate changes.

Ranchland Dynamics

The Ranchland dynamics project pursues a clearer picture of the rates and patterns of changes in ownership and use of the West's ranchlands, and to assess the land conservation implications of this transition. Of particular interest is the widespread transfer of ranches out of traditional hands to a new generation of owners with different land management models and goals.

Western Futures

The Western Futures Growth Model (WFGM) projects future housing density as a main surrogate of overall growth and land development. It applies population estimates and a set of spatial rules to distribute future housing across the landscape. The model produces scenarios of the future that can be compared to expectations or goals, and tested for the effects of land use planning.