The development of climatological information products to support ecological data collection and analysis is described. The scope of research is narrowed to issues of direct interest to the joint U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service New England Forest Health Monitoring program. Characteristics of climatological persistence and recurrence that are especially critical to New England forest health and productivity are identified. These include physical disturbance events (tornadoes, high winds and wet snowfall), drought, growing degree days and late spring freezes. Climatological data are assembled and presentations developed based on the analysis issue to be addressed: background (status and persistence); most recent decade (short-term trends, modeling and prediction); and near-term impacts (most recent sampling year). A Geographic Information System is used for presentation, data management and analysis. Major research findings focus on the application of climate data and products to operational ecological monitoring and analysis situations. Possible future activities are identified in the areas of new climatologies, program design, database acquisition or development and applied research. All these efforts would result in significant contributions to the development of a more coherent theory of natural disturbance and ecosystem response.

"November 1991." Includes bibliographical references (pages 102-108).