Subalpine Forests and Rapidly Repeated Wildfires – Oh My!

Post date: Sep 21, 2018 7:23:32 PM

Working on an NSF funded grant secured by professor Andres Holz, Geography Master’s student Sebastian Busby and crew finished their fire ecology fieldwork this summer.

The research aims to increase understanding of forest regeneration and stand structure after rapidly repeated wildfires, specifically in wet and cold environments that may not be well adapted to high fire frequency. The fieldwork took place in recently reburned upper-montane/subalpine forests atop Mt. Adams, WA and Mt. Jefferson, OR - both Cascadian volcanoes. As climate change alters hydrologic patterns across the Western U.S., the Pacific Northwest faces reduced mountain snowpack and longer, hotter summers. These mechanisms may be drying out higher elevation forests earlier in the year, making them more vulnerable to frequent wildfire. Ultimately, the study seeks to quantify how these forests may be restructuring themselves to maintain greater resilience in the face of altered wildfire regimes via climate change. The field crew included PSU Geography students Emily Sykes, Brian Michie, Crissy Johnson, and a French intern student helping the GEC lab this summer – Anthony Lefort. Now the fun part begins… analyzing the collected data!