Alexander Wick, 2016

Thesis:

Adaptive management of a riparian zone in the lower Klamath River basin, northern California : the effects of riparian harvest on canopy closure, water temperatures and baseflow

My thesis research involved examining riparian canopy covers impacts on water temperature, and the policy and laws governing riparian timber harvest buffers and suitable salmonid habitat. I quantified the effect of riparian canopy cover removal on stream water temperature in the Lower Klamath River watershed in Northern Humboldt County, and examined how the policy which governs these buffer zones both effects and is affected by scientific study. By using a before/after control/impact experimental riparian thinning design, combined with grounded theory methodology, I quantified the impact that riparian management has on water temperatures, and examined how well policy allows for riparian heterogeneity, adapts to new scientific study and consensus, and what steps can be taken to encourage Adaptive Resource Management on private industrial timberland in California.

Ariel Weisgrau, 2020

Thesis:

Intraspecific water exchange via common mycorrhizal networks​

Ariel grew up in North County of San Diego, CA and transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt for their soils program. Having never been further north than Davis, CA, forestry wasn?t something they had spent a lot of time thinking about. They found an unexpected passion for tree physiology and graduated from Humboldt with a B.S. in Forestry (Soils) in 2017. During their time at Humboldt, they spent both summers assisting professors on various research projects. One of those projects culminated in their senior thesis which focused on what types of landowners joined California?s carbon market and why they were motivated to join. They are now a Master?s student in the Tree Physiology and Forest Measurements Lab with Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas as their advisor. First fascinated by the unique properties of water molecules in their sixth-grade classroom, Ariel now uses deuterium isotopes to investigate the mechanisms of water absorption through foliage, bark, and adventitious roots in the canopy in Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce) and how water absorption and physiological characteristics interact. They are investigating how Sitka spruce in the coastal redwood ecosystem may be using fog water to reduce water tension throughout the canopy, and how that affects foliar physiology.

Hai Vuong, 2014

Thesis:

Using liDAR to estimate the total aboveground live biomass of redwood stands in South Fork Caspar Creek Watershed, Jackson Demonstration State Forest, Mendocino, California.

I have a B.S. in Forestry from Cal Poly Humboldt and a B.S of Forestry from the National Institute of Agriculture at Saigon, South Vietnam. I have worked in the Black Mountain Experimental Forest at the Pacific Southwest Research station's Redding Lab. I also have 15 years of experience on the rain forest focused on the Central High land of South Vietnam, and 6 months in Lao forest. My research is on the integration of mobile torrefaction and pelletization systems for enhanced forest biomass feedstock supply to minimize the transportation cost and facilitate the energy conversion process.

Michael Vernon, 2017

Thesis:

In the face of drought: Do fuel treatments promote resistance to multi-year drought in a mixed-conifer forest of northern California?

Mike graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2008 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. Prior to arriving at Humboldt, Mike spent several years working as a field botanist with researchers at Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. Mike has been involved in a wide range of research projects, from long-term plant community responses to variable forest thinning in the Oregon coast range to the influence of Sudden Oak Death on fire risk in northern California forests. His thesis research investigates the influence of fuel reduction treatments on tree growth responses to drought in northern California.

Andrew Slack, 2016

Thesis:

Large sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) vigor and mortality in a fire-excluded forest of the central Sierra Nevada.

My personal interest in ecology, forestry, and fire originated from my upbringing in Boulder, Colorado, where as a kid I spent hours exploring ponderosa pine forests. I graduated from the University of Colorado in 2010 with degrees in Environmental Studies and History, and spent the next 3 years working on a fire and fuels crew. In that time I experienced catastrophic wildfires, long and brutal droughts, and rapidly developing mountain communities invading forests with no plan for sustainability. These issues encouraged me to go back to school and experience a new region of the western United States. Currently, my research looks into the influence of climate and increased competition related to fire suppression on sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) growth and defense. This project combines my passions for ecology and history by using dendrochronology methods to reconstruct how sugar pine vigor and health change over time and what mechanisms drive that change.

Madelinn Schriver, 2015

Thesis:

Stand and tree growth characteristics of Quercus garryana and Quercus kelloggi woodlands in northwestern California

Andre Sanchez,

Thesis:

Quantifying summer water budget use by fir and oak trees within overtopped and released forest stands.

Growing up in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Andre‚ was surrounded by an agriculturally fueled community and the many water issues that ensue. This, in combination with frequent family trips to the Sierra Nevada gem that is Yosemite National Park, ultimately shaped his passion for conservation and restoration work. After receiving his B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology from UC Davis in 2014, he went on to conduct amphibian surveys and aquatic restoration for Yosemite National Park where he would return for three seasons. Andre also went on to work with other aquatic restoration and water resources oriented programs that include the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Program, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and conducting coastal climate change monitoring with the U.S. Geological Survey. Andre would return to academia to pursue the M.S. in Natural Resources with a Watershed Management emphasis. Andre's research interests lie in landscape scale watershed management and restoration, aquatic ecology, and forest ecology. Working with Dr. Andrew Stubblefield, Andre's research looks at quantifying summer water budget use by fir and oak trees within overtopped and released forest stands.

Chantell Royer, 2011

Thesis:

Building a foundation for coordinated water quality monitoring in the Klamath River basin.

Prior to attending Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt) as a graduate student in Watershed Management, I worked for five years the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) as a research assistant. My work at NOAA Fisheries and UCSC was primarily focused on Chinook salmon life history and production source identification using otoliths (fish ears). While working for NOAA Fisheries I began volunteering for the Coastal Watershed Council, monitoring water quality in local streams. While there, I began to recognize the vital role terrestrial habitat play in salmonid survival, a role that is often forgotten as land use, water and riparian resources are prioritized for anthropogenic needs.

My passion for understanding the intersection between salmonid habitat utilization and water quality continued at Humboldt through my graduate research project. At Humboldt, I was fortunate to be part of a multi-year project in the Klamath Basin. Through the Klamath Watershed Institute (KWI), an affiliate of the University, water quality monitoring organizations participated in an effort to establish a basin-wide monitoring organization and draft a monitoring plan. The KWI played a central role in facilitating this interagency effort. As part of my thesis work, I worked with stakeholders to draft a water quality monitoring plan for the Klamath Basin. I served as the geographic information systems (GIS) analyst, mapping, documenting and archiving monitoring locations and water quality data. The Klamath Basin Monitoring Program (KBMP) was born out of this effort.

In addition to my Masters degree from Humboldt, I also earned a certificate in GIS from Humboldt. I am currently part of a local GIS start-up, Humboldt Cartography. Humboldt Cartography was established in 2011 by four Humboldt GIS certificate students. Humboldt Cartography specializes in geographic information systems and cartographic solutions.

Chantell Krider (nee Royer) graduated in 2011 and is currently the Recovery Plan Coordinator for the Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Board.

Diedra Rodriguez, 2018

Thesis:

Persistence of stream restoration with large wood, Redwood National and State Parks, California

Diedra Rodriguez grew up in a coastal city in Ventura County, CA and received her B.S. in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Ecological Restoration from Cal Poly Humboldt. During her time as an undergraduate she has worked with Humboldt County Resource Conservation District on the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project in Fortuna, CA and Bureau of Land Management studying amphibians in Headwater Forest Reserve in Eureka, CA. Upon graduation she worked for the U.S. Forest Service in the Shasta-Trinity Forest restoring areas that have been affected by intense wildfires. Diedra?s research interests lie in ecological restoration and river ecology. Her thesis research explores the effectiveness of constructed log jams for stream restoration in Mill Creek, Redwood State and National Park.?

Kelley Reid, 2011

Thesis:

An assessment of gravel bar texture and composition following in-channel mining in the Mad River, California.

Skimming of gravel bars is an important industry in Humboldt County. Concerns have been voiced that the practice could release fine sediment into the stream which could affect salmonids. For his Masters thesis, Kelley sought to collect quantitative information to inform the debate. Gravel samples were taken from five gravel bars, and sifted into size classes. Statistical analysis will be used to determine if there was a difference between pre-extraction, post-extraction, after rains, and after-inundation gravel bars. Kelley works for the Army Corps of Engineers in Eureka, CA.