Schatz Forestry Seminar Series
Brandon Collins
Research Scientist – USFS & UC Berkeley Wednesday March 7th @ 5 pm, FH 118
The “Forest Problem” in the Sierra Nevada: New Insights from Old Data
For the last couple of decades the “fire problem” has been at the forefront of federal forest management in the Sierra Nevada. Despite intensive regional planning efforts aimed at mitigating this problem, it continues to grow. The massive tree mortality in the central and southern Sierra Nevada introduces another problem on top of the growing fire problem. Through the use of several independent historical datasets, Dr. Collins argues that the vast departure in current forest conditions is at the heart of both of these problems, hence the “forest problem.” He will discuss the ramifications of recent large fires and tree mortality, and potential approaches for managing forests moving forward.