My first publication is out! Our research, studying the 2021 KNP Complex Fire, supports the idea that wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains are becoming more severe largely due to fuel buildup and climate warming, which can have serious consequences for our natural resources and communities.
Although these results aren’t exactly fun news, it’s evidence that fuels that have built up for decades drive emissions in some wildfires and gives us reason to further target these fuels with treatments like prescribed fire. In my current research, I’m investigating how the composition of fuels in prescribed fire affects emissions. So far, we’re seeing similar results – it’s large, old fuels driving emissions. Together, these tell us that we have more work to do if we want to get California’s forests back to a state that inhibits the large, high-intensity fires and promotes a healthy ecosystems and simultaneously protects communities.
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