Research
Current research projects
My research spans small-scale observational studies to global analyses, and covers a variety of ecological, social, and management themes.
Cross-scale and interdisciplinary partnerships have never been more important in the face of the the complex challenges facing our socio-ecological systems today. Let me know if you're interested in collaborating!
The fire suppression bias
Fire suppression is the primary management response to wildfires in many areas globally, however suppression incurs unintended consequences including fuel accumulation and the removal of less-extreme wildfires. Through a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), I am conducting research to explore and quantify these unintended consequences, and develop sustainable management strategies and opportunities for addressing and living with the growing wildfire crisis.
Collaborators:
Andrew Larson, University of Montana
Phil Higuera, University of Montana
Will Rice, University of Montana
Nadia White, University of Montana
Sean Parks, U.S. Forest Service, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
Post-fire forest recovery
I conduct research to understand how ecosystems respond to wildfire through processes of regeneration. Through a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), I studied conifer and aspen regeneration over the first several years following wildfires across Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona. With collaborators at Utah State University, we are continuing to monitor forest recovery through observation and experimental studies. I am also part of a team of 60 researchers using these and other data to investigate post-fire forest recovery across the Western U.S.
Collaborators:
Larissa Yocom, Utah State University
Karen Mock, Utah State University
Kimberley Davis, U.S. Forest Service, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory
Impacts of climate on long-term forest trajectories
Hotter, drier climate and increasing high-severity fire in the western U.S. are prompting concern whether reduced post-fire tree regeneration will cause permanent ecosystem shifts to non-forest. In a joint project with the U.S. Forest Service, I am using dendrochronological methods to investigate how post-fire climate (0-5 years) influences long-term forest development (80+ years) in a fire-prone Northern Rockies wilderness area. This work helps us predict how climate change may impact western U.S. forests in the coming decades and centuries.
Collaborators:
Andrew Larson, University of Montana
Sean Parks, U.S. Forest Service, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
Phil Higuera, University of Montana
Environmental justice & public land access
Protected areas are intended to benefit everyone, yet barriers—ranging from personal to systemic—prevent many people from accessing wild places. In a project supported by The Wilderness Society Gloria Barron Scholarship, I am using socioeconomic and geospatial data to build a metric of access to protected areas and identify areas with the least access to natural spaces. This research will help identify areas where future land protection and policy initiatives could best contribute to addressing socioeconomic and racial disparities in the access to and benefits from wild places.
Collaborators:
Will Rice, University of Montana
Travis Belote, The Wilderness Society
Andrew Larson, University of Montana
Wilderness science & management
Wilderness areas are important natural laboratories for scientists and managers working to understand fire. In the last half-century, shifts in the culture and policy of land management agencies have led to the management practice of letting some naturally ignited fires burn, allowing fire to fulfill its ecological role and increasing the extent of fire-related research opportunities. In collaboration with The Wilderness Institute at the University of Montana, I led a project identifying the global scientific advances enabled by this paradigm shift in wilderness fire management.
Collaborators:
Julia Berkey, Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation
Melissa Jaffe, Pyrologix (wildfire threat assessment research firm)
Andrew Larson, University of Montana
Sean Parks, U.S. Forest Service, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
Past research projects
Identifying sexual aspen regeneration
Quaking aspen is a common component of post-disturbance landscapes, in part because it can asexually resprout. Sexual seedling establishment is another important natural regeneration pathway for aspen, increasing genetic diversity and facilitating long-distance dispersal. However, aspen seedling research is hampered by difficulties in visually distinguishing seedlings from asexual resprouts in the field. I led a project to identify and test methods for distinguishing these two regeneration methods, reducing barriers for future research into aspen regeneration ecology.
Collaborators:
Larissa Yocom, Utah State University
Karen Mock, Utah State University
Drivers of forest productivity
Maintaining the global carbon sink requires understanding the complex factors driving productivity in forests. Through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), I conducted research at the University of Michigan Biological Station on the relative influence of species composition, structural diversity, and disturbance history on primary production in deciduous and mixed conifer forests.
Collaborators
Chris Cough, Virginia Commonwealth University
Shea Wales, Verra (Carbon accounting non-profit)
Jeff Aktins, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Funding partners
