Forestry & Wildland Resources

Image
A photo of Forestry undergraduate student, Alec Wallace, walking through part of the 2023 Lost Fire in Redwood National Park as part of a research project examining the effect of the fire on fuels and tree mortality. Photo credit: Lee Donohue

Impact of Thinning Treatments on Fire-Resilient Redwood Forests

Cal Poly Humboldt Forestry Professor Jeff Kane, along with graduate student Megan Joyce, is working in collaboration with Redwood National Park and the United States Geological Survey to study the effects of the 2023 Lost Fire in redwood forests that received restoration thinning treatments.

Image
A photo of of students Eri Sharberg and Sawyer Radekin surveying for surviving Baker cypress in the Mud Lake Research Natural Area that burned in the 2021 Dixie Fire.

Restoring a Fire Resilient and Rare Pacific Northwest Tree

In the remote reaches of northern California and a small section of southern Oregon is the Baker cypress, a rare species of tree and cypress notable for its unique adaptation to fire—a characteristic that has ensured its survival through millennia of fire. However, the intensity and frequency of modern wildfires have pushed this species to the brink in some regions.

Image
Founders Hall wide angle

New Faculty Awarded Grants

The Cal Poly Humboldt Emeritus and Retired Faculty & Staff Association (ERFSA) Executive Committee is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of ERFSA Small Grants.

Image
A photo of a Logging Sports team member chopping a log with an axe.

Cal Poly Humboldt Hosting Logging Sports Conclave

The Cal Poly Humboldt Logging Sports team, an academic club of the Department of Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management, is gearing up to host the 84th Annual Association of Western Forestry Clubs Conclave.

Image
A photo of Ariel DeLara wearing sunglass near a beach.

Alum's Journey to Environmental Stewardship

Ariel DeLara (‘15, Rangeland Resource Science) now works as a district conservationist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service, where he's dedicated to environmental stewardship and conservation.

Image
A photo collage of Lucinda and Gary Jensen and Jayda and Taiden Partlow

Lumberjacks in Love

Those who attend Cal Poly Humboldt often discover their love for the outdoors, their community, or a particular discipline—some even find the love of their lives.

Image
Students and a professor study burning material in the Cal Poly Humboldt Fire Lab

Fighting Fires with Fire Science [VIDEO]

The news has been inescapable: wildfires in California and across the West have become larger, more severe, more destructive, and more deadly. Historical fire suppression and forest practices, coupled with climate change, have created an unavoidable problem.

Image
Jeff Kane, Benjamin Graham, and Erin Kelly in summer 2022 at the edge of the 2020 Slater Fire near Happy Camp, California.

New Study Looks at Community Recovery After Wildfire

When wildfire strikes a community, it can leave a path of destruction, and a chance for renewal. During the fire and in the immediate aftermath, residents and officials focus on protection and stabilization efforts. However, the availability of resources to support community recovery and promote resilience to future fires over the longer-term is less certain. Three Cal Poly Humboldt professors are studying how communities recover from wildfires over time.

HSU Earns Recognition for Excellence in Fire Ecology

Humboldt State University has once again received recertification for its contribution to the study of fire ecology. HSU joins only eight other universities in the country in receiving the AFE certification for contributing to the field of fire ecology.

Image

HSU Set to Receive 884-acre Forest

Humboldt State University is on the verge of receiving an 884-acre forest near campus, which will be used for research and field experiences. The effort is possible due to a generous donation from R.H. Emmerson & Son LLC, as well as major grants from state and federal agencies.

Image

Humboldt Minds in a Harvard Forest (Video)

In a forest 3,000 miles away, two Humboldt State students explored the ecological mysteries of seedlings and leaves for a prestigious internship through Harvard University.