As climate change continues, forests are increasingly affected by multiple types of disturbances over short periods. Notably, outbreaks of bark beetles have been widespread and affect fire regimes in complex ways. Marsh Institute researcher Dominik Kulakowski (Geography) received funding from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the project “How Do Bark Beetle Outbreaks, Tree Regeneration, and Climate Determine Fuel Treatment Longevity?” Using the montane forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as a case study, this research will model interactions among fuel treatments, fires, and bark beetle outbreaks under climate change scenarios to improve understanding of this complex system.

For full project descriptions, see the Marsh Institute Research Projects web page.