For the first time, researchers have completed threat assessments for all 881 native tree species in the contiguous United States, resulting in a comprehensive checklist and synthesis that will serve as a critical baseline to guide future tree conservation efforts. The new assessment of U.S. trees reveals that 11-16% of tree species in the contiguous 48 U.S. states are threatened with extinction, with the most common threat being invasive and problematic pests and diseases. This study is the culmination of five years of research conducted by Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., The Morton Arboretum, and NatureServe, in partnership with the United States Botanic Garden and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Click here to view the paper online or click the button below to learn more about the study.

Sean O’Brien completed the eighth leg of the NatureServe Network Van Tour! Together with Van Tour Assistant Thea Cole, Sean visited Network programs throughout western Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia) and the western United States (Washington, Montana) during the summer. For the next leg of the journey, Sean looks forward to visiting Network programs in Arizona and New Mexico in late September.

To stay up to date on Van Tour adventures, we invite you to follow the Van Tour StoryMap Blog. You can also follow the journey by watching our Van Tour video trailer and following NatureServe's social media accounts. 

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Since 2014, NatureServe has worked with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to identify areas for conservation action and facilitate collaboration among electric power companies and federal agencies. Recently, EPRI published a study illustrating the industry's need for improved access to standardized data about imperiled species and habitats that intersect existing and planned electric power infrastructure.

In response to those findings, EPRI funded NatureServe to give its members a trial subscription to NatureServe Network data through the new Explorer Pro tool. The results of this pilot project found that NatureServe Explorer Pro can serve as a useful tool for the electric power industry and also provided valuable client feedback. Click the button below to read the abstract and download the full report by EPRI.

For the past several years, NatureServe has led a field crew as part of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) field crew. The 2022 field season wrapped up in early August after weeks spent collecting soil, plant species, and vegetation community data at over 200 plot locations throughout northwestern Nevada and northeastern California.

Data collected are incorporated into a national-level dataset used to inform land management decisions such as grazing allowances, assessment of restoration effectiveness after wildfires, and assessment of habitat conditions for sensitive species. NatureServe’s involvement with the BLM’s AIM program strengthens an ongoing working partnership with the largest government public land management agency in the United States.

Support for our nation’s National Park System (NPS) is connected to our ability to demonstrate the value that parks and their surrounding areas provide. To help meet this need for better communication, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is funding NatureServe to analyze multiple biodiversity and climate resilience values. The results will help identify specific opportunities for park expansion, strengthen the importance of maintaining intactness in specific regions, and support NPCA communication and stakeholder engagement goals.

Visit the Careers page on our website to see all postings from NatureServe and the Network.