PUBLIC TALK: From satellite imagery to electron microscopy: lessons learned about wildfire management in California

In combination with recent drought, elevated temperatures, and extended fire seasons, the high fuel loads in fire suppressed forests are contributing to larger and more severe wildfires in the Western United States. Many of these fires occur in the forested montane watersheds that provide 60-90% of the developed water supply of the state, creating a critical nexus between water and fire from a management perspective. Both water and fire cycles are impacted by, and impact upon the growth, spread, function, and disturbance of vegetation communities. This means there are multiple processes linking plants, fire and water. With climate change projected to further warm temperatures, reduce snowpacks, extend fire seasons, and increase drought stress on Californian watersheds, a better understanding of the dynamics of this complex system is urgently needed. This presentation is an overview of 4 years of graduate work at the nexus of climate change, wildfires, vegetation, and hydrology. It is filled with surprising findings, lessons learned, some mishaps, and bears compromising science.

Speaker: Katya Rakhmatulina is an ecohydrology PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. She studied Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, and pursued her masters degree in Civil Systems at Berkeley, working with remote sensing networks. Katya loves everything outdoors and is currently working on her dissertation with her advisor, Sally Thompson, at UWA.