Megan Joyce,

Thesis:

Fuel dynamics and fire effects following restoration thinning treatments in secondary redwood forests

I earned a B.S. in environmental forest biology with a minor in forestry from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. After earning my undergraduate degree, I worked as a forester and timber cruiser in the private timber industry throughout the redwood region of northern California. My master's thesis focuses on wildfire effects and surface fuel dynamics following restoration thinning treatments in secondary coast redwood forests (Sequoia sempervirens). My research examines fire effects following the 2023 Lost Fire in Redwood National Park, using long-term monitoring plots to compare tree mortality, redwood regeneration, and surface fuels across various silvicultural treatments. I am also investigating live and dead surface fuels at Headwaters Forest Reserve using a chronosequence approach to assess long-term changes following thinning treatments. This work will help to inform management decisions to increase forest resistance and resilience to wildfire in coastal redwood forests under changing climate conditions.