Ecologist
Research
Another aspect of my research seeks to understand the processes through which forest ecosystems recover following wildfires. I investigate the effects of wildfires on environmental conditions and tree seedling regeneration. Through a project funded by the Joint Fire Science Program, I studied conifer seedling demography and changes in microclimate conditions over the first several years after recent wildfires in western Montana.
Paleofires and ecosystem change
As a paleoecologist, I seek to understand long-term ecological dynamics. I collect sediment cores from lakes and measure a variety of proxies to reconstruct past wildfires and ecosystem changes over thousands of years. These natural archives reveal how long-term variation in climate affects fire activity, forest vegetation, and biogeochemical cycling. During my Ph.D., I investigated ecological and fire histories of northern Rocky Mountain forests as part of the Big Burns Project, an interdisciplinary research project funded by the National Science Foundation.
Mechanisms of forest resilience
Ecological scenarios for climate adaptation
As a research scientist with the North-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, I am currently leading research to develop scenarios of ecological responses to climate change that are useful for climate adaptation planning in an uncertain future. The goal of this work is to assist resource managers in operationalizing the Resist, Accept, Direct framework by exploring the range of plausible ecological trajectories under rapid environmental change.
Linking across timescales
Ultimately, my goal is to link contemporary and paleoecological research, to inform forward-looking conservation and management in a context of ongoing climate change. Specifically, long-term perspectives on fire history and ecosystem development over thousands of years provide context to evaluate the significance of contemporary changes and assess future risks.
