Climate Programs

The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a web-based, national resource that connects land managers and decisionmakers with useable science to address climate change in planning and application. Current and expected climate changes have serious implications for ecosystems and the benefits they provide.

Categories: climate change, forest, wildfire, management

FuelCalc is a desktop software application for determining changes in surface and crown fuel loading after thinning, pruning, piling and/or prescribed fire.

Categories: wildfire, prescribed burns, planned fires, fuels, prevention, mitigation, adaptation, climate change, extreme weather

The Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) integrates climate change science into land management and planning. This tool generates reports capturing and organizing information for a specific location and natural resource issue by synchronizing climate change literature with mapping tools and climate models. Learn more about this information delivery tool here.Please note, as of 9/16/22, the TACCIMO site is currently experiencing technical issues.

Categories: climate change impacts, planning, maps, land management, natural resource protection, climate models

The Intertribal Nursery Council (INC) is a USDA Forest Service managed, tribally guided, organization for advancing the interests of native peoples involved with plant production in nurseries.

Categories: plant production, traditional ecological knowledge, nursery training

The U.S. Forest Service released Tribal Connections, a new online interactive mapping tool that shows how lands managed by the agency connect or overlap with current tribal trust lands and lands tribes exchanged with the federal government prior to 1900. This reference tool will help Forest Service employees and the public better understand historical treaties and the role they play in making current land management decisions. Tribal Connections contains multiple layers that include information on forests and grasslands managed by the agency, lands owned by tribes and historical data on lands ceded by treaties. Nearly 4,000 miles of shared boundaries between tribal lands and Forest Service-administered/owned land are identified.

Categories: Forest Service, GIS, mapping, tribal trust lands, treaties

Through its Business Programs, USDA Rural Development provides for business credit needs in under-served rural areas, often in partnership with private-sector lenders, through both grants and loans.

Categories: Development, Business, Assistance

These programs have funds available to complete energy audits and feasibility studies, complete energy efficiency improvements, install renewable energy systems. Their programs help convert older heating sources to cleaner technologies, produce advanced biofuels, install flexible fuel pumps, install solar panels, build biorefineries, and much more. USDA Rural Development is at the forefront of renewable energy financing, with options including grants, guaranteed loans and payments.

Categories: Development, Assistance

USDA Rural Development provides funding opportunities in the form of payments, grants, loans, and loan guarantees, for the development and commercialization of vital utility services. These programs revitalize rural communities with a variety of infrastructure improvements, and create sustainable opportunities for wealth, new jobs, and increased economic activity in rural America.

Categories: Energy, Development, Assistance

Gateway to invasive species information; covering Federal, State, local, and international sources.

Categories: invasive species, adaptation, planning, research

USDA Service Centers are designed to be a single location where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies. This web site will provide the address of a USDA Service Center and other Agency offices serving your area along with information on how to contact them.

Categories: USDA, service centers

The Northwest Climate Hub encompasses Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The purpose of the Hub is to deliver science-based knowledge and practical information to farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and Native American tribes that will help them to adapt to climate change.

Categories: science, outreach, adaptation

APFO is home to one of the country's largest aerial film libraries. We currently house more than 70,000 rolls of film (10 million plus images). Our film dates from 1955 to the present. We have coverage of most of the United States and its territories. Historic aerial images play a more vital role today than ever before with environmental assessments, change detection, and property boundary disputes.

Categories: aerial images, GIS, mapping, boundary disputes, environmental assessment

he Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) helps the owners of non-industrial private forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters. The EFRP does this by authorizing payments to owners of private forests to restore disaster damaged forests.

The local FSA County Committee implements EFRP for all disasters with the exceptions of drought and insect infestations. In the case of drought or an insect infestation, the national FSA office authorizes EFRP implementation.

Categories: forest restoration, forest management, private forests, non-industrial forests, natural disasters, forest health

On topics related to the rural economy and rural populations, ERS conducts research on 1) Business & Industry, 2) Employment & Education, 3) Natural Amenities, 4) Population & Migration, 5) Rural Classifications, and 6) Rural Poverty & Well-being.

Categories: business, education, population, rural communities, poverty, public health, research

The Climate Change Program Office (CCPO) coordinates USDA’s responses to climate change, focusing on implications of climate change on agriculture, forests, grazing lands, and rural communities. CCPO ensures that USDA is a source of objective, analytical assessments of the effects of climate change and proposed response strategies both within USDA and for our partners.

Categories: Natural Resources, Coordination

The Rural Data Gateway strengthens USDA Rural Development partnerships with rural people, entrepreneurs, government officials and Congress by making RD’s data more available and easier to access. It features Rural Investments Dashboards that significantly expand access to RD financial data through an easy-to-use interface that allows data from more than 65 RD programs to be viewed and downloaded. The Gateway and dashboards will help USDA get more resources to the people who need them in rural places.

Categories: energy, water, infrastructure, health

USDA’s regional hubs will deliver information to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to help them adapt to climate change and weather variability. The Hubs will build capacity within USDA to provide information and guidance on technologies and risk management practices at regional and local scales.

Categories: Adaptation

The USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) was developed to provide tribal leaders and tribal citizens, 1994 Land-Grant Tribal Colleges and Universities, AI/AN businesses, and non-governmental organizations serving AI/AN communities with a tool for navigating USDA resources. The USDA programs and services available to members of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes are described in the following pages. This guide provides readers with a comprehensive summary of USDA Programs, separated into four categories: 1. Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Traditional Foods 2. Business and Community Development 3. Conservation and Forestry 4. Research, Extension, and Outreach 

Categories: resources, agriculture, food sovereignty, traditional foods, business and community development, conservation, forestry

USDA/ERS is a primary source of economic information and research that conducts applied social science research, analyzes food and commodity markets, produces policy studies, and develops economic and statistical indicators involving food, farming, natural resources, and rural development.

Categories: research, economic analysis, social science, food and commodity, statistics, natural resources, rural development, mitigation

The Earth's temperature is rising as a result of increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Agriculture is a source of methane and nitrous oxide emissions, two prominent greenhouse gases. Changes in agricultural practices can reduce emissions of these gases, and reduce atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide by sequestering carbon in soil.

Climate change will affect crop and livestock yields worldwide, which will lead to changes in food and fiber consumption, prices of agricultural commodities, and farm incomes.

ERS is uniquely positioned to analyze these changes through its expertise on the economics of:

Land use and management,
Technology adoption, and
Environmental program design.

Categories: land use management, technology adoption, greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture, carbon dioxide, carbon sequestration

Rural Development (RD) provides funding for single family homes, apartments for low-income persons or the elderly, housing for farm laborers, childcare centers, fire and police stations, hospitals, libraries, nursing homes, schools, and much more.
In partnership with non-profits, Indian tribes, state and federal government agencies, and local communities, HCFP creates packages of technical assistance and loan and grant funds to assist more rural communities and individuals.

Categories: Development, Assistance

ERS analyzes the use and efficacy of conservation practices and of Federal programs and policies in combating the harmful effects of agriculture as they relate to: Soil quality, as compromised by wind and water erosion; Water quality, as compromised by chemical/pesticide and nutrient runoff; Air quality, as compromised by soil particulates, farm chemicals, and odor from livestock; Wildlife habitat, as compromised by fragmentation, monoculture (which reduces landscape diversity), and diverting water for irrigation; and Wetlands, as compromised by conversion to cropland

Categories: conservation, agriculture, soil quality, wind and water erosion, water quality, air quality, wildlife habitat, wetlands

Lsiting of coordinators for RD programs across the country, listed by state.

Categories: Development

The National Agricultural Library has compiled a set of resources and information pretaining the natural resource and environmental issues.

Categories: Natural Resources

To facilitate access to the broad array of data available on the Arctic, this portal can be thought of as a library of links (URLs) to websites where Arctic data are made publicly available. The portal directs users to appropriate websites based on topic and short description (e.g., Arctic weather, sea ice conditions, fisheries information, Arctic oceanography, oil spill response research). It's a tool that directs users to available information on the Arctic sorted in the main categories of Society, Environment, Economics, Reference, and Organizations.

Categories: Arctic, Climate Database

Through interagency working groups and coordination with other EOP components, CEQ works to advance the President’s agenda. It also balances competing positions, and encourages government-wide coordination, bringing Federal agencies, state and local governments, and other stakeholders together on matters relating to the environment, natural resources and energy. In addition, CEQ oversees the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. The role of the Federal Environmental Executive is to promote sustainable environmental stewardship throughout the Federal government. In addition, CEQ oversees Federal agency implementation of the environmental impact assessment process and acts as a referee when agencies disagree over the adequacy of such assessments.

Categories: Coordination, Advisory, Regulatory

The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group (CIG) studies the impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change, focusing mostly on the Pacific Northwest. The CIG has partnerships with tribes in the Pacific Northwest, engages in outreach efforts that include meetings, workshops, and webinars, presentations, consultations, and technical assistance, and is a source of scientific projections, impacts assessments, and tools and resources for climate change adaptation planning and vulnerability assessment.

Categories: Adaptation, Vulnerability Assessment

With funding from Western Water Assessment and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), this Project is developing an on-line database for Indian tribes and organizations working with tribal communities to obtain relevant climate change adaption information. The web-based database currently contains 300+ documents focused on climate change science and impacts, planning, policy, tools, and examples to help inform tribal adaptation and natural resource strategies. The website also contains an interactive map of relevant activities and links to individuals and organizations working on tribal adaptation efforts.

Categories: Drought, Adaptation

This national analysis, by the Union of Concerned Scientists, identifies the number of US homes at risk from chronic flooding over the coming decades due to sea level rise. It also shows the current property value, estimated population, and portion of the property tax base at risk. Information is available by state, community, and zip code. For this analysis, chronic flooding is defined to be flooding that occurs 26 times or more per year, a level of disruption also referred to as chronic inundation. Two time frames are featured. The first falls within the lifespan of a 30-year mortgage issued today. The second extends out to 2100, when more than 2.4 million of today's homes could be at risk. The challenges and choices that come with rising seas are profound and have significant implications for coastal residents, communities, and the broader economy. We explore these implications in the closing section.

Categories: chronic flooding, rising sea level, coastal communities, relocation, infrastructure,

The Hot-Dry-Windy Index (HDW) was designed to help users determine which days are more likely to have adverse atmospheric conditions that make it more difficult to manage a wildland fire. It combines weather data from the surface and low levels of the atmosphere into a first-look product.

Categories: wildfire management, weather conditions, prevention