Wildfires are increasing dramatically in frequency and severity across southwestern North America in recent decades as a consequence of heavy fuel loadings from fire suppression, acute aridity, and high temperatures under climate change. These shifting fire regimes are causing major changes to forest habitats and the ecosystem services they provide to human communities. In an effort to mitigate wildfire risk and bolster forest health, the state of Arizona is embarking upon a massive effort across northern Arizona to restore ponderosa pine forest integrity and wildfire resiliency. The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) seeks to treat 20 million acres of ponderosa pine forest over 20 years. While widespread restoration efforts are currently underway, virtually no research exists to quantify the effectiveness of forest management on subsequent wildfire behavior or post-fire drought resilience in this region with short term results. I used ECOSTRESS ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) land surface temperature, evapotranspiration, and evaporative stress index data, along with fire severity data from four wildfires that burned through previously thinned areas to address the following research questions: 1) Did pre-fire forest thinning significantly modulate subsequent wildfire behavior in the 4FRI? and 2) Did forest management (i.e. thinning) bolster post-fire ponderosa pine drought resiliency in one-year post-fire? My linear mixed effects model results revealed that forest thinning failed to mitigate subsequent wildfire severity and did not reduce immediate post-fire or post-thinning drought stress in unburned or burned stands. This suggests that forest management is not an effective drought or fire resilience management strategy, at least over the short term after a fire occurs. Exploring how different types of forest management treatments influence fire severity and their capacity to mitigate drought stress is critical for informing the effectiveness of ongoing management activities focused on bolstering forest resiliency in an increasingly arid and fiery planet.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 33852