Brian Huggett, 2012

Thesis:

Modeling six years of stream discharge using the distributed hydrology soil vegetation model (DHSVM) in a coastal, timber harvest catchment, Humboldt County, California.

I'm originally from Michigan and received my B.S. in Environmental Science from Lake Superior State University in 1996. Soon thereafter, I took a seasonal job in Yosemite National Park and made the Sierra my home for the next 13 years. I originally worked for the concessions company, but transitioned to the National Park Service to do hydrology tech work for the U.S.G.S., Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the California Cooperative Snow Surveys. This work focused on water quality, water quantity and climate change. The exposure to those hydroclimate luminaries and their projects was the motivation to return school and pursue an M.S. For my thesis work, I'm using the University of Washington's Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) to simulate watershed processes on a small, timber-harvest basin in the Freshwater area. I'm using a 6-year stream and sediment discharge record as well as other in-basin observations like rain gages, temperature / humidity sensors, and sediment source inventories to calibrate and validate the model. I'm expecting to graduate by the end of 2011. I'm currently working for California State Parks collecting and assimilating data for a major floodplain restoration project on Bull Creek in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

Brian Huggett graduated in 2012 and currently teaches GIS at Humboldt as a lecturer and runs a GIS consulting business.

Nick Harrison, 2012

Thesis:

Understanding the effects of soil exposure in fuels treatments that balance fuel reduction and erosion control in the Tahoe basin.

My thesis investigates the balance of erosion control with contemporary wildland fire objectives in the Lake Tahoe Basin. I am developing an understanding of the amount of organic matter that, following fuel reduction treatments, is required to be left on the forest floor in order to prevent significant erosion. To do this I conducted an experiment that simulated snowmelt runoff within eight sites where fuels were treated with mechanical mastication and eight sites where fuels were treated with prescribed fire. I am currently analyzing the data from the past two summers of field work and looking forward to publishing the results of our study in the near future.

Nick Harrison graduated in 2012 and is currently a Lead Watershed Technician at Green Diamond Resource Company.

Sara Hanna, 2012

Thesis:

Long-term, post-fire dynamics of a sagebrush steppe community in northeastern California.

My research interest are wide ranging but are generally focused in ecology. I am currently working with Dr. Ken Fulgham on project analyzing the long-term, post-fire vegetation dynamics of a sagebrush steppe community. My thesis is the synthesis of nearly thirty years of vegetation monitoring conducted on the Modoc National Forest in Northeastern California. In addition to traditional field based ecological work, I am also interested in interdisciplinary research approaches using remote sensing and GIS techniques. I have worked in the environmental consulting field for the last several years doing everything from water quality monitoring to preparing regulatory permits and disclosures. I received my Bachelors of Science in Environmental Systems: Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from UC San Diego in 2005. Sara Hanna graduated in 2012 and currently teaches Introduction to Remote Sensing at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Zawisza Grabinski-Parker, 2015

Thesis:

Reburn severity interactions over 30 years in the Klamath Mountains ecoregion, California, USA

Radeslow Glebocki, 2015

Thesis:

Fuel loading and moisture dynamics in thinned coast redwood ? Douglas-fir forests in Headwaters Forest Reserve, California

Eamon Engber, 2010

Thesis:

Fuelbed heterogeneity, flammability, and restoration of historically fire frequent oak woodlands with fire.

I grew up in northern California and have worked in various natural resource fields over the past decade, from stream restoration to fire management. My research and land management interests revolve around fire ecology, from fire?s role in shaping forest, woodland, and grassland structure to the ecological significance of leaf litter flammability. I received an M.S. in forestry in 2010 from Humboldt and currently work for the Wildland Fire Laboratory here at Humboldt doing fire ecology and fuels management research. I have also worked as a forestry technician for Redwood National Park implementing fuels management and prescribed fire projects. I hold a B.S. in Natural Resources (conservation and resource studies) from UC Berkeley (2004).

Matt Cocking, 2011

Thesis:

The Role of Native Conifer Encroachment and the Return of Fire to California Black Oak Ecosystems in Northern California.

Born and raised in southern Humboldt County, I have always felt a close connection to this region's natural and wild areas. My interests stretch across the wide array of ecosystems that exist on the North Coast and interior coast ranges of northern California. I am fascinated by the diverse history of natural and cultural resource management at different times in this region and how the mix of differing management beliefs and practices have helped shape the ecosystems across the North Coast that we see today. Of particular interest to me is the controversy in many circles of management regarding the role and use of fire in many regions in California. This interest brought me to the Cal Poly Humboldt Fire Lab where the effects of fire are examined in laboratory and field settings in Northwest California and other areas of the world. Since coming to the Cal Poly Humboldt Fire Lab I have focused my research efforts on understanding the effects of contemporary fire exclusion practices on fire-dependent California black oak ecosystems in northern California. My research investigates competition between encroaching, native conifers and declining, shade-intolerant California black oak, fire effects in conifer-encroached oak stands, and the potential for restoration and maintenance of retreating deciduous oak ecosystems in the region. To learn more about research conducted by the Cal Poly Humboldt Fire Lab visit: http://www.humboldt.edu/firelab

Chance Callahan, 2019

Thesis:

Effects of thinning and prescribed burning on tree resistance to extreme drought in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest, California USA

I'm a Californian that enjoys exploring our natural world and attempting to understand the ecological functions that take place within it. When I am not working in the Forest Measurements & Ecology Lab I try to spend as much time as possible running around our local mountains and forests. I graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt in spring 2017 with a B.S. degree in Forestry (Hydrology). During that time, I gained experience in the field by working with the U.S. Forest Service as a field technician during the summers and realized I wanted to know more about forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains. My research is focused on Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests responses to forest thinning and burning treatments. Particularly, using tree-rings to understand how forest management strategies affect trees resistance to drought stress

Cerena Brewen, 2019

Thesis:

Multidecadal change in aspen experiencing long-unburned, mixed-severity wildfire, and reburn disturbance regimes

I grew up in the small town of Susanville, CA and the Lassen National Forest has always been home for me. I received my BS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2014 and my summers in between college were spent working in Ecology for the Forest Service on the Lassen. My passion for understanding natural processes quickly grew as I gained a deeper understanding of forest structure, ecological relationships and species services. I continued working for the Forest Service in between my undergrad and starting my masters. The most influential experiences for me included aspen and meadow restoration, monitoring the effects of prescribed fire and timber removal, and managing post wildfire landscapes. I found a perfect fit with ecology as I saw the need for understanding intraspecific and interspecific relationships that are crucial for effective land management. My research interests include landscape ecology, fire ecology and ecological restoration. My research at Humboldt involves the expansion of aspen stands after disturbance. I am looking at the rate of expansion of aspen in the Sierra Nevada after different fire intervals. I hope to help gain a better understanding of the role that fire frequency plays in aspen for future management.

Gregg Bousfield, 2008

Thesis:

Peakflow prediction using an antecedent precipitation index in small forested watersheds of the Northern California Coast Range.

I have been a Hydrologist for the Klamath National Forest for 3.5 years currently stationed in Happy Camp, CA. I recently accepted a one-year temporary promotion with a Forest Service Enterprise Team, ACT2, specializing in watershed related analysis and planning. Forest Service Enterprise Team positions are usually virtual meaning one can work on any Forest across the Nation at any given time. If things go well I will eventually become a permanent employee with ACT2.

My thesis consisted of developing an empirical rainfall-runoff model using rainfall and streamflow data from the Northern California Coast Range. The watersheds used for model development were small (less than 35 km2) with extensive forest cover. The simple empirical model produced the best results for the largest peakflow event compared to smaller peakflow events which are more greatly affected by factors other than short-term rainfall history. The model also produced the best results during wet antecedent soil moisture conditions which may be due to less variability in the processes controlling streamflow generation. My major advisor was Dr. G. Robison.