pacific southwest region ecology program annual report fy 2012

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION
ECOLOGY PROGRAM
ANNUAL REPORT
FY 2012
http://fsweb.r5.fs.fed.us/program/ecology/

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CONTENTS
Photos: R5 Ecology Program in action ………………….. 3
Program overview …………………………………............ 6
Program staff ………………………………………………. 9
Program publications and reports, fy 2012……………… 12
Program major accomplishments and links to
USDA and USFS Strategic Goals, and R5 Strategic
Priorities, fy 2012…………………………………………… 15
Current external partners …………………………………. 48
Dedicated to the memory of Howard Kuljian

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3-yr resample of tree regeneration plots,
Showers Fire, LTBMU
Fire management field trip, Long Fire,
Eldorado NF
UC-Davis Ecology Graduate Group field
course, Inyo NF
Fen monitoring, Lassen NF
Postfire tree regeneration inventory,
Zaca Fire, Los Padres NF
2012 Ecology Program field crew “boot
camp”

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Postfire vegetation inventory, Rich Fire,
Plumas NF
Ecology Program statistics training, Davis
Forest management field trip to Sagehen
Field Station, Tahoe NF
Dinkey Project CFLRP field day, Sierra NF
Monitoring of fire effects on Shasta
snowwreath, Shasta-Trinity NFs
Interagency old-growth forest
management discussion, Emerald Bay
State Park, Lake Tahoe Basin

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Giant sequoia seedling survival
study, Sequoia NF
Fuel treatment effectiveness monitoring,
Cougar Fire, Modoc NF
International Work
Climate change monitoring, Serra dos
Órgãos National Park, Brazil
Reviewing fuel treatment network in the
Jerusalem Hills, Israel
3 rd International Climate Change and
Natural Resource Management Seminar,
participants from 25 countries
Mediterranean shrubland restoration field
visit, Valencia, Spain

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R-5 Regional Ecology Program
Ecology Program Mission Statement
“To provide leadership and program direction that
incorporates ecological science in the Agency's
multiple-scale approach to managing natural
resources for sustainability and diverse human
needs.
To facilitate understanding, development and
appropriate use of ecological principles for Agency
activities such as landscape analysis and
assessment, land management planning, inventory
and monitoring, and project implementation.”
R5 Program Overview
The Region 5 Ecology Program provides
products and expertise fundamental to
sustainable, science-based, multiple-use land
management in the Pacific Southwest. The
Program’s principal purpose is to ensure and
enable the application of current ecological
science to land and resource management on
the National Forests in California. The Regional
Program is headed by a GS-13 Ecologist in the
Regional Office, a GS-11/12 Assistant Regional
Ecologist is also stationed in the Regional
office, a GS-12 Province Ecologist is stationed
on each of five Provinces (zones of three to
four National Forests), and a cost-share
ecological analyst at the Regional level is comanaged
with the University of California-
Davis.
Primary functions at the Regional level
include:
provide expert ecological input and advice
to the Regional Forester, Regional Office
staff, and Region 5 Forests and Districts
assist in development of Regional
ecological priorities as they pertain to the
USDA and USFS Strategic Plan goals and
R5 Strategic Priorities
act as the principal ecological liaison
between USFS Region 5 and other federal
and state agencies, research institutions,
NGOs, the public and media
provide assistance to the Province
Ecologists in the form of funding, technical
expertise, and logistical support
provide assistance and ecological input to
bioregional and forest assessments for
Forest Plan processes
develop and steward applicable Regional
and National standards
review Ecology Program work plans and
products
aid in the recruitment of qualified
candidates for ecology positions
Regionwide
represent Region 5 and the Regional
Ecology Program at local, Regional, and
National functions and events
support Region 5 Forests in their
interpretation and implementation of the
Regional Ecological Restoration initiative
support Region 5 efforts to manage for
climate change mitigation and adaptation
to coordinate Fire Return Interval
Departure mapping in Region 5
serve on the executive committee for the
California Fire Science Consortium
manage the Research Natural Area (RNA)
Program
manage the Regional Aspen Delineation
Project
serve as a technical advisor to bodies such
as the Regional Forest Planning core
team, Regional Climate Change
Integration Team, and the Sierra Nevada
Forest Carnivore Conservation Assessment

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Primary functions at the Province-and
Forest-level include:
provision of expert vegetation & fire
ecology input to ecosystem management
and planning (e.g. pre-NEPA consultation,
monitoring, ID-Teams)
training and technology transfer
ecological support to restoration planning
and implementation
climate change interpretation
support to fuels treatment planning
monitoring design, implementation and
analysis
fire and fire regime modeling and mapping
determination of site potentials and
ecosystem suitability
development of desired future conditions
vegetation classification and mapping
development of management
interpretations
development of state & transition and
other stand-dynamics models
habitat modeling, mapping, and prediction
involvement with the California Fire
Science Consortium at the subregional
scale
interaction and collaboration with Forest
and District resource staff
RNA program coordination for the host
Forest
The Regional Ecology Program (REP) is
partially supported by a Regional earmark. In
fy 2012 total earmark funding came to
$700,000. Regional funds came from the
following sources: NFIM (33%), WFHF (30%),
NFVW (26%), and NFWF (11%). Province
Ecologists supplement their Regional allocation
with Forest-level funding and funding derived
elsewhere (examples include the California
Energy Commission, USFS State and Private
Forestry, the Tahoe Science Program,
California Dept. of Fish and Game, the National
Fire Plan, and the Joint Fire Sciences Program).
Until 2010, Regional funding for the Ecology
Program had fallen continuously since the early
1990’s, when funding reached or exceeded
$1,000,000 per year in 2011 dollars (Fig. 1).
Staffing has also dropped significantly, from a
high of 16 in the mid 1990’s, to six in late
2011, and 7½ (due to partial funding of Forest
employees) in late 2012. By contrast, the
National Park Service in California increased
the size of its ecology workforce from six in
1994 to over 35 in 2009 (Fig. 1). The Regional
Ecology Program is a national leader in
attracting funding from external sources (Fig.
2). Between 2006 and 2012, the REP more
than doubled its effective budget by way of
partner funding, project funding, and grants.
The Regional Ecology Program staff (and
affiliated Forest and District staff) meet at least
once annually to discuss programs of work,
funding, standards and guidelines, future
planning, and topics of current interest.
Trainings are held periodically. Annual program
reviews and annual program of work meetings
are also held on each Province. Province
Ecologists operate under a shared services
agreement between the Region and the
Province Forests. Province Ecologists prepare,
with assistance of the Regional Ecologist and
forest Resource staff, an annual Program of
Work describing objectives, activities, and
assistance needed to complete the planned
work; the annual POW is tied to National,
Regional, and Forest goals and priorities. An
annual meeting (1) to review the previous
fiscal year’s accomplishments, and (2) to
negotiate the upcoming fiscal year’s POW, is
held with the attendance of the Province
Ecologist, the Regional Ecologist, Resource
Staff officers, and any other interested parties.
The final program of work is agreed to by the
Forest Supervisors and RO Director of
Ecosystem Management.

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Region 5 Ecology Program Budget and Staffing, 1984-2012
1200
40
Thousands of $ (2011 dollars)
1000
800
600
400
200
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
Staff
Budget (2011 $s)
Ecol Prog Staff
NPS ecol staff
0
0
1975 1985 1995 2005 2015
Fiscal year
Figure 1. Ecology Program (REP) earmark funding, and number of REP staff, 1984-2012.
Number of National Park Service ecologists in California provided for comparison.
$4,500,000
$4,000,000
$3,500,000
Ecology Program budget and funding support from
external sources, 2006-2012
Ecol. Prog. earmark
External funds
$3,000,000
$2,500,000
$2,000,000
$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
$0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total
Figure 2. REP earmark funding and funding secured from external sources by the REP,
2006-2012. The REP has more than doubled its effective budget over the last
7 fiscal years through external funding.

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R5 Regional Ecology Program Staff
REGIONAL OFFICE
Hugh Safford, Ph.D.
Regional Ecologist
Pacific Southwest Region
1323 Club Drive
Vallejo, CA 94592
Phone: 707-562-8934 Fax: 707-562-9050
Email: hughsafford@fs.fed.us
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 530-219-0898 Fax: 530-752-3350
Email: hdsafford@ucdavis.edu
Sarah Sawyer, Ph.D.
Assistant Regional Ecologist
Pacific Southwest Region
1323 Club Drive
Vallejo, CA 94592
Phone: 707-562-8924 Fax: 707-562-9050
Email: scsawyer@fs.fed.us
NORTHERN PROVINCE
Serving Klamath, Shasta-Trinity, Mendocino and
Six Rivers National Forests
Ramona Butz, Ph.D.
Province Ecologist
Six Rivers National Forest
1330 Bayshore Avenue
Eureka, CA 95501
Phone: 707-441-3584
Email: rbutz@fs.fed.us

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SIERRA-CASCADE PROVINCE
Serving Lassen, Modoc and Plumas National Forests
Kyle Merriam
Province Ecologist
Plumas National Forest
P.O. Box 11500
Quincy, CA 95971
Phone: 530-283-7777
Fax: 530-283-7716
Email: kmerriam@fs.fed.us
Michelle Coppoletta
Associate Province Ecologist
Sierra Cascade Province
Plumas National Forest
P.O. Box 11500
Quincy, CA 95971
Phone: (530) 283-7822
Fax: 530-283-7716
Email: mcoppoletta@fs.fed.us
CENTRAL SIERRA PROVINCE
Serving Eldorado, Tahoe, and Stanislaus National
Forests
Becky Estes, Ph.D.
Province Ecologist
Eldorado National Forest
100 Forni Road
Placerville, CA 95667
Phone: 530-642-5161
Fax: 530-621-5297
Email: bestes@fs.fed.us

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SOUTHERN SIERRA PROVINCE
Serving Sequoia, Sierra and Stanislaus National
Forests
Marc Meyer, Ph.D.
Province Ecologist
Sierra National Forest
1600 Tollhouse Road
Clovis, CA 93611
Phone: 559-297-0706 ext. 4929
Fax: 559-294-4809
Email: mdmeyer@fs.fed.us
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROVINCE
Serving Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San
Bernardino National Forests
Christopher Stith
Province Ecologist
San Bernardino National Forest
602 S. Tippecanoe Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Phone: 909-382-2766
Fax: 909-383-5770
Email: cstith@fs.fed.us
LAKE TAHOE BASIN MANAGEMENT UNIT
Shana Gross
Forest Ecologist
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
35 College Drive
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151
Phone: 530-543-2752
Fax:
Email: segross@fs.fed.us

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REGION 5/UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS
ECOLOGY COSTSHARE
Zack Steel
Landscape Ecologist
Dept. of Environmental Science and Policy
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 530-519-2501
Email: zlsteel@ucdavis.edu
ASPEN DELINEATION PROJECT
David Burton
Director (Forest Service volunteer)
2070 Orange Drive
Penryn, CA 95663
Phone: 916-663-2574
Email: peregrines@prodigy.net
Website: www.aspensite.org
R5 REGIONAL ECOLOGY PROGRAM PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS, FY 2012
Butz, R.J. In press. Changing land management: A case study of charcoal production among a
group of pastoral women in northern Tanzania. Energy for Sustainable Development.
Carlson, C.H., S. Z. Dobrowksi, and H.D. Safford. 2012. Variation in tree mortality and
regeneration affect forest carbon recovery following fuel treatments and wildfire in the Lake
Tahoe Basin, California, USA. Carbon Balance and Management 7: 7. doi:10.1186/1750-
0680-7-7
Dolanc, C. R., J. H. Thorne, and H. D. Safford. 2012. Widespread shifts in the demographic
structure of subalpine conifers in the central Sierra Nevada over the last 80 years. Global
Ecology and Biogeography. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2011.00748.x.
Engelhardt, B. and S. Gross. 2012. LTBMU Sensitive Plant Species and Habitat - 2011
Monitoring Report. USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

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Engelhardt, B. and S. Gross. 2011. Long-term monitoring plan: Lewisia longipetala. USDA Forest
Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
Estes, B.L., Knapp, E.E., Skinner, C.N., Uzoh, F.C.C., 2012. Seasonal variation in surface fuel
moisture between forest structure treatments in a mixed conifer forest, northern California,
USA. International Journal of Wildland Fire 21: 428-435.
Estes, B.L., Oswald, B.P., 2012. Forested landscapes in Alabama. In: Gjerstad, D., McKnabb, K.,
Oates, R., Hudson, S., Estes, B. (Eds.), Managing forests on private lands in Alabama and
the Southeast. Sweetwater Press, Decatur, GA, p. 486.
Knapp, E.E., North, M., Benech, M., Estes, B.L., 2012. The variable-density thinning study at
Stanislaus-Tuolumne Experimental Forest. In: North, M. (Ed.), Managing Sierra Nevada
Forests. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station,
Albany, CA, p. 196.
Gross, S. and S. Norman. 2011. LTBMU 2010/2011 Monitoring Program Annual Monitoring
Report. USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5348784.pdf
Lawler, J. J., H. D. Safford, and E. H. Girvetz. 2012. Martens and fishers in a changing climate.
Pp. 371-397, in K. B. Aubry (ed). Biology and Conservation of Martens, Sables, and Fishers:
a New Synthesis. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.
Miller, J.D., and H.D. Safford. 2012. Trends in wildfire severity 1984-2010 in the Sierra Nevada,
Modoc Plateau and southern Cascades, California, USA. Fire Ecology 8: 41-57.
Miller, J. D., C. N. Skinner, H. D. Safford, E. E. Knapp, and C. M. Ramirez. 2012. Trends and
causes of severity, size, and number of fires in northwestern California, USA. Ecological
Applications 22:184-203.
Miller, J. D., C. N. Skinner, H. D. Safford, E. E. Knapp, and C. M. Ramirez. 2012. Northwest
California National Forests fire severity monitoring 1987-2008. Publication R5-TP-035.
USDA-Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Vallejo, CA, USA.
Moorhead, D., Gjerstad, D., Estes, B.L., 2012. Artificial regeneration. In: Gjerstad, D., McKnabb,
K., Oates, R., Hudson, S., Estes, B. (Eds.), Managing forests on private lands in Alabama
and the Southeast. Sweetwater Press, Decatur, GA, p. 486.
Rentz. E. and K. Merriam. 2011. Restoration and management of Baker Cypress in northern
California and southern Oregon. Pp. 282-289 in J. W. Willoughby, B. K. Orr, K. A.
Schierenbeck and N. Jensen, editors. Proceedings of the CNPS Conservation Conference:
Strategies and Solutions, 17-19 January 2009. CNPS, Sacramento, California.
Romme, W. H., J. A. Wiens, and H. D. Safford. 2012. Setting the stage: theoretical and
conceptual background of historical range of variation. Pp. 3-18, in: J. A. Wiens, G.

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Hayward, H. D. Safford, and C.M. Giffen (eds). Historical environmental variation in
conservation and natural resource management. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.
Safford, H. D. 2012. Serpentine endemism in the California flora: an update. Fremontia 39(1):
32-40.
Safford, H. D., G. Hayward, N. Heller, and J. A. Wiens. 2012. Climate change and historical
ecology: can the past still inform the future? Pp. 46-62, in: J. A. Wiens, G. Hayward, H. D.
Safford, and C.M. Giffen (eds). Historical environmental variation in conservation and
natural resource management. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.
Safford, H. D., M. North, and M. Meyer. 2012. Climate change and the relevance of historical
forest conditions. Pages 27-41 in M. North, editor. Managing Sierra Nevada forests. General
Technical Report PSW-GTR-237. USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station,
Albany, California, USA.
Safford, H.D., J.T. Stevens, K. Merriam, M.D. Meyer, and A.M. Latimer. 2012. Fuel treatment
effectiveness in California yellow pine and mixed conifer forests. Forest Ecology and
Management 274: 17-28.
Safford, H. D., J. A. Wiens, and G. Hayward. 2012. The growing importance of the past in
managing ecosystems of the future. Pp. 319-327, in: J. A. Wiens, G. Hayward, H. D.
Safford, and C.M. Giffen (eds). Historical environmental variation in conservation and
natural resource management. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.
Schwartz, M.W., Hellmann, J.J., McLachlan, J.M. , Sax, D.F., Borevitz, J.O., Brennan, J.,
Camacho, A.E. , Ceballos, G., Doremus, H., Early, R., Etterson, J.R., Gill, J., Gonzalez, P.,
Green, N., Hannah, L., Jamieson, D.W. , Javeline. D., Minteer, B.A., Odenbaugh, J., Polasky,
S., Richardson, D.M., Root, T.L., Safford, H.D., Sala, O., Schneider, S.H., Thompson, A.R.,
Williams, J.W., Vellend, M., Vitt, P., and Zellmer, S. 2012. Managed relocation: integrating
the scientific, regulatory and ethical challenges. Bioscience 62: 732-743
Wiens, J. A., G. Hayward, H. D. Safford, and C.M. Giffen (eds). 2012. Historical environmental
variation in conservation and natural resource management. John Wiley and Sons, New
York, NY. 337 p.
Wiens, J. A., H. D. Safford, K. McGarigal, W. H. Romme, and M. Manning. 2012. What is the
scope of “history” in historical ecology? Issues of scale in management and conservation.
Pp. 63-75, in: J. A. Wiens, G. Hayward, H. D. Safford, and C.M. Giffen (eds). Historical
environmental variation in conservation and natural resource management. John Wiley and
Sons, New York, NY.
Weixelman, D.A., B. Hill, D.J. Cooper, E.L. Berlow, J.H. Viers, S.E. Purdy, A.G. Merrill, and S.E.
Gross. 2011. A field key to Meadow Hydrogeomorphic types for the Sierra Nevada and

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Southern Cascade Ranges in California. Gen. Tech. Rep. R5-TP-034. Vallejo, CA U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 34 pp.
York, R.A., N.L. Stephenson, M.D. Meyer, S. Hanna, T. Moody, T. Caprio, and J.J. Battles. 2012.
Giant sequoia. Natural Resource Report for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and
Giant Sequoia National Monument. National Park Service Natural Resource Condition
Assessment Report NPS/SEKI/NRR-2012/XXX.
R5 ECOLOGY PROGRAM MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2012: LINKS TO
USDA & USFS STRATEGIC GOALS AND REGION 5 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
USDA STRATEGIC PLAN 2010-2015 (http://www.usda.gov)
2. Ensure our National Forests and Private Working Lands are Conserved,
Restored, and Made More Resilient to Climate Change, While Enhancing Our
Water Resources:
Objective 2.1 – Restore and Conserve the Nation’s Forests, Farms, Ranches, and
Grasslands
Objective 2.2 – Lead Efforts to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change
Objective 2.3 – Protect and Enhance America’s Water Resources
Objective 2.4 – Reduce Risk from Catastrophic Wildfire and Restore Fire to its
Appropriate Place on the Landscape
USFS STRATEGIC GOALS 2007-2012
(http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/strategic/fs-sp-fy07-12.pdf)
1. Restore, Sustain, and Enhance the Nation’s Forests and Grasslands: Forests
and grasslands have the capacity to maintain their health, productivity, diversity, and
resistance to unnaturally severe disturbance.
2. Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American People: Forests and grasslands
have sufficient long-term multiple socioeconomic benefits to meet the needs of society.
3. Conserve Open Space: Maintain the environmental, social, and economic benefits of
forests and grasslands by reducing and mitigating their conversion to other uses.
4. Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation Opportunities: A variety of high-quality
outdoor recreational opportunities on the Nation’s forests and grasslands are available to
the public.
5. Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the Forest Service: Administrative
facilities, information systems, and landownership management have the capacity to
support a wide range of natural resource challenges.
6. Engage Urban America with Forest Service Programs: Broader access by
Americans to the long-term environmental, social, economic, and other types of benefits
provided by the Forest Service.
7. Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools for Sustainable Natural
Resources Management: Management decisions are informed by the best available
science-based knowledge and tools.

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USFS PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION (R5) STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
(http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/about-region/?cid=STELPRDB5150117)
1. Ecological Restoration: The need for ecological restoration in our national forests is
widely recognized due to myriad threats to our landscapes including catastrophic
wildfire, climate change, and increasing human population pressures. The Forest Service
recognizes the need for a more focused approach that clearly identifies ecological
restoration as the primary goal for all land management actions.
2. Ensuring a Healthy Workforce and Workplace
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Ecology Program accomplishments are organized under a series of major headings, each of
which is linked to various USDA, USFS, and Region 5 goals and priorities. These include:
Climate Change: USDA Strategic Goal 2.2. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 2, 7. R5 Priority 1
Ecological Restoration: USDA Strategic Goals 2.1-2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 2, 7. R5
Priority 1
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels: USDA Strategic Goals 2.1, 2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 2, 7. R5
Priority 1
Forest Planning/NEPA: USDA Strategic Goals 2.1-2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1-4. 7. R5
Priority 1
Inventory and Monitoring: USDA Strategic Goals 2.1, 2.3, 2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 2, 5,
7. R5 Priority 1
Other: USDA Strategic Goals 2.1-2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1-3, 5, 7. R5 Priority 1
Other major headings for accomplishments are also used below. Their links to the USDA, USDA,
and Region 5 goals and priorities are identified in the text.
Regional Office
Climate Change
• Member of Region 5 Climate Change Integration Team (CCIT)
• Worked with CCIT to update the Region 5 climate change action plan, National Forest
actions plans, and the PSW Research Station action plan
• Member, national interagency Managed Relocation Working Group (MRWG)
• With MRWG, published paper treating the scientific, regulatory and ethical challenges of
managed relocation of climate-threatened species

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• Began 2-year updates of climate change trend assessments for National Forests in
California
• Participated in planning for Sierra Nevada climate change vulnerability assessment
• Met with NASA-Ames laboratory and NASA headquarters staff to discuss collaborative
opportunities in climate change research and management applications
• Gave presentation on climate change and ecological restoration to Angeles NF Forest
Leadership Team
• Worked with Brazilian Park Service (ICM-Bio) to install temperature loggers to track
changing climates in a national park in SE Brazil
• Gave two presentations to Region 5 CCIT webinar series, on California climate change
trends
• Gave climate change and restoration presentation to Region 8 regional climate change
team
• Co-edited book treating role and relevance of historical reference conditions in informing
management in a rapidly changing world (Historical Environmental Variation in
Conservation and Natural Resource Management)
• Gave presentation on climate change, fire, and forest management to Taylor Creek
visitor center summer lecture series, Lake Tahoe Basin MU
• Gave invited talk on climate change impacts on mountain ecosystem management, 9 th
anual science meeting, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Orgãos, Teresópolis, Brazil
• Published summary of climate change patterns in the Sierra Nevada in PSW General
Technical Report 237
• Worked with USFS International Programs staff and UC-Davis partners to organize and
implement International Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Institute;
trained 25 international land and resource managers
• Published study of potential climate change impacts on martens and fishers in California
Ecological Restoration
• Worked with Eldorado NF staff to develop regional postfire restoration strategy template
• Reviewed ecological restoration implementation plans for various Region 5 Forests
• Provided postfire restoration strategy template to restoration planning teams on five
National Forests
• Led California Fire Science Consortium webinar on fire regimes and forest restoration
• Provided periodic consultation to southern California chaparral restoration initiative
• Developed costshare applied ecologist position with Sequoia-Kings Canyon National
Park; position will also help coordinate activities Sierra Nevada region of the California
Fire Science Consortium
• Traveled to Israel to review forest restoration efforts in the area of the Mt. Carmel fire
(2010), Haifa
• Gave invited talk on fire regimes and ecosystem restoration to international conference
on climate change and forest fires in the Mediterranean Basin, Nir Etzion, Israel
• Updated and revised Fire Return Interval Departure (FRID) mapping for California
• Led webinar on Fire Return Interval Departure (FRID) mapping for the California Fire
Science Consortium
• Attended two field trips to Long Fire, Eldorado NF, to discuss lessons for future fire
management for resource benefit and fire restoration

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• Visited Center for Environmental Studies in the Mediterranean in Valencia, Spain, to see
activities related to shrubland restoration
• Acted as Regional contact for national Terrestrial Condition Framework (TCF) mapping
• Continued program to monitor long-term ecological effects of forest fuel treatments;
carried out monitoring in treated areas in twelve R5 fires
• Provided support to development of Freds Fire restoration strategy, Eldorado NF
• Provided support to Historical Range of Variation (HRV) modeling project, Yuba River
watershed, Tahoe NF
• Visited Outback Project area on the Tahoe NF to view results of aspen stand restoration
• Provided reviews and comments regarding restoration activities and potentials for
various Forest projects
• Funded digitization of 1930’s Forest Service vegetation maps in different parts of the
State, in order to provide information on historic reference conditions
• Consulted with Cleveland NF on restoration plans for the Witch Fire area
• Made two visits to Baja California, Mexico, to effect management and research
collaboration with Mexican National Parks in the Peninsular Ranges, in order to better
understand restoration targets for unlogged and un-fire-suppressed yellow pine forests
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels (see previous two sections as well)
• Acted as director for Sierra Nevada region of California Fire Science Consortium (CFSC)
• Oversaw writing of eight fire science publication briefs for managers as part of CFSC
workload
• Mentored two Tahoe High School juniors in field project to compare species diversities in
forest stands affected by forest treatment and burning, their project won 3 rd place in an
international forestry competition in Moscow, Russia
• Helped to plan and implement of southern Sierra Nevada prescribed fire and smoke
symposium
• Gave presentation on fuel treatment effectiveness and chaired fire ecology session,
Tahoe Science Conference
• Attended Region 5 SLMBOD (sustainable landscape management board of directors)
meeting
• Served as national USFS liaison to Natural Areas Association
• Attended periodic meetings and conference calls of S. Sierra Prescribed Fire Council
• Attended inaugural meeting of southern Sierra fire science working group
• Taught forest ecology section for national Forestry for Lawyers field course
• Held phone conference with UC-MEXUS program director to discuss future collaborative
possibilities between USFS, UC, and Mexican government management agencies
• Conducted postfire assessment of vegetation condition in Freds Fire, Eldorado NF
• Provided support to Biggie Project, Tahoe NF
• Completed postfire assessment of vegetation conditions on the Pendola Fire, Tahoe NF
• Recruited graduate student assistant at UC-Davis to complete Freds Fire inventory and
conduct assessment of successional dynamics of vegetation and fuels in S. Fork
American River canyon fires
• Continued collaborative project with California State Parks to inventory the Emerald
Point old growth forest, Emerald Bay State Park, in preparation for planned thinning and
Rx burn

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• Completed postfire assessment of vegetation and fuel conditions on the Rich Fire,
Plumas NF
• Resampled postfire tree regeneration plots in the Showers and Gondola Fires, Lake
Tahoe Basin MU
• Completed fifth year of Angora Fire postfire monitoring, LTBMU
• Gave lecture to, and led field trip with Inyo NF staff for UC-Davis new graduate student
Odyssey field course in the White Mountains
• Carried out fuel treatment effectiveness and ecological effects monitoring in twelve fires
across California
• Continued monitoring of fuels treatment effects on fire severity and ecological response
in the Angora Fire
• Continued regional inventory program of tree regeneration in severely burned wildfire
areas, sampled four fires
• Supervised Region 5/UC-Davis costshare fire ecologist
• Gave multiple lectures and interviews to public audiences and the media on fire ecology
and land management
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Served as Region 5 liaison to PSW team writing Sierra Nevada science synthesis in
support of Forest planning
• Put together team to assess natural range of variation for Sierra Nevada bioregional
assessment
• Provided ongoing consultancy to Forest Planning efforts on the LTBMU and Sequoia NM
Plans
• Developed position description and led review committee for filling of Regional Office
planning ecologist position
• Completed online NEPA course
• Attended “Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project 15-yr revisit” conference sponsored by
Pacific Rivers Council
• Prepared subject expert declaration for Beaverslide Project, Six Rivers NF
• Prepared subject expert declaration for Sierra Nevada Framework litigation
• Provided input to Blackbacked Woodpecker working group
• Responded to appeals on a number of fuel treatment projects
Inventory and Monitoring
• Provided support and funding to Regional monitoring database development pilot
project, jointly with Plumas NF, LTBMU, and Inyo NF
• Trained various international visitors (Mexico, African, South American and Asian
nations) in USFS forest inventory and monitoring protocols
• Regionally supervised inventory and monitoring programs include:
o Fuel treatment effectiveness
o Long-term ecological effects of forest fuel treatments
o Postfire tree regeneration
o Meadow condition and trend (supplement to the Regional program managed by the
Range Ecologist)
o Resampling of 1930’s Forest Service vegetation plots

20
o
See the Province sections below for Province- and Forest-level inventory and
monitoring
Research Natural Areas – USDA Strategic Goals 2.1, 2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 3,
7. R5 Priority 1.
• Managed the Regional RNA Program
• Reviewed research or management action proposals for six RNAs
• Participated in Sugar Creek RNA workshop & field trip to discuss RNA management
strategy with members of public, academic community, PSW & R5
• Provided input to fire managers and resource advisors in cases where RNAs were
threatened with wildfire
• Made field visits to three R5 RNAs
• Participated in national RNA conference calls
Ecological Unit Inventory – USDA Strategic Goals 2.1, 2.2. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 2,
5, 7. R5 Priority 1
• There has been no Regional funding for the TEUI program since 2007. In 2012 the
Ecology Program provided support to the Inyo NF TEUI mapping project, and to the
University of Montana in TEUI mapping on the Mendocino NF
• Worked with national Terrestrial Condition Framework team to delineate Ecological
Subsection boundaries for national TCF mapping
Aspen Delineation Project – USDA Strategic Goals 2.1, 2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1-3,
5, 7. R5 Priority 1
Other
• Continued work on field guide to diseases and insects of quaking aspen
• Visited aspen restoration projects in the Sierra Nevada
• Gave interview on aspen restoration to Sacramento Bee
• See Aspen Delineation Project Annual Report and website for more details
(http://www.aspensite.org)
• Recruited and hired Chief’s Scholar into assistant Regional Ecologist position
• Assistant Regional Ecologist made field visits to each Ecology Program zone position
• Assistant Regional Ecologist joined Chief’s Scholar (CS) Orientation Committee: helped
plan CS and PMF orientation, updated CS orientation packet
• Maintained and expanded Ecology Program website
• Reviewed black-backed woodpecker conservation strategy
• Completed training on grants and agreements processing and I-Web protocols
• Presented at, or participated in:
o California Fire Science Consortium webinars
o Tahoe NF FLT. ppt on ecology program
o 9 th science meeting, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Orgãos, Brazil
o Region 5 Climate Change Integration Team webinars

21
o Conference on climate change and forest fires in the Mediterranean Basin:
management and risk reduction, Nir Etzion, Israel
o Presentation to Region 8 regional climate change management team
o Southern Sierra Prescribed Fire and Smoke Symposium
o International Climate Change and Natural Resources Management seminar
o Tahoe Science Conference
o Taylor Creek amphitheater summer lecture series (Lake Tahoe Basin)
o Forestry for Lawyers course
o UC-Davis “Odyssey” field course for new ecology graduate students
o Gave lectures to UC-Davis courses in agroforestry, environmental impact analysis,
trees and forests, natural resource management, fire ecology, and conservation
biology
Published 16 scientific papers and book chapters, two others are in press (see
Publications)
Graduate student advisement (thesis committee member):
o Gabi Bohlman, M.S., UC-Davis (Postfire succession)
o Sarah Dalrymple, Ph. D., UC-Davis (Effects of forest fuel treatments on
invertebrates)
o Mila Hickenbottom, M.S., UC-Davis (Fuels mapping in conifer forests of northern Baja
California, Mexico)
o Hiram Rivera Huerta, Ph.D., Univ. Autónoma de Baja California (Fire risk mapping
and forest management planning)
o Jens Stevens, Ph. D., UC-Davis (Ecological effects of forest fuel treatments)
o Kevin Welch, Ph. D., UC-Davis (Effects of changing climate and fire regimes on
Sierra Nevada oaks and conifers)
• International work:
o USFS-International Programs/USAID assistance trip to Brazil (presentation to science
conference)
o USFS-International Programs/USAID assistance trip to Israel and Spain (presentation
at conference, field review of fuel treatment work, coordination with Center for
Environmental Studies in the Mediterranean re. postfire restoration of shrublands)
o USFS-International Programs/USAID assistance trip to Mexico (installation of field
plots for landscape measurement of fuels and forest structure, training of local
personnel)
o USFS-International Programs/USAID assistance trip to Brazil (installation of
temperature data loggers in Serra dos Órgãos National Park)
o Provided support to USFS-International Programs Middle East program, wrote
background paper for Jordan forest restoration proposal to US-AID
o Helped organize and implement 3-week International Seminar on Climate Change
and Management, in conjunction with USFS International Programs and UC-Davis.
Provided training to 25 international land and resource managers from 5 continents
Ecological Restoration
Region 5/UC-Davis Cost Share
• Attended California Fire Science Consortium-sponsored field trip to Long Fire, Eldorado
NF

22
• Attended forest restoration field trip to Sagehen Research Station, Tahoe NF
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Acted as technical coordinator for Sierra Nevada region of the California Fire Science
Consortium (CFSC)
• Represented the CFSC Sierra Nevada Region at statewide CFSC events
• Coordinated periodic meetings of CFSC Sierra Nevada Region steering committee,
including regular conference calls
• Coordinated accomplishment reporting for CFSC Sierra Nevada Region
• Updated Sierra Nevada content for the CFSC website
• Assisted in implementation of field tour to Stanislaus/Tuolumne Experimental Forest
• Wrote and/or edited fire science publication briefs for managers
• Carried out study of patterns of fire activity, severity, and size on USFS lands underlain
by serpentine soils
• Presented poster on serpentine fire regimes at ESRI Users Conference, San Diego
Training Mexican partners in fuels
mensuration, Sierra San Pedro Mártir
National Park, Mexico
Mentoring South Tahoe High School
students in study of fuel treatment
and fire effects on plant diversity
PROVINCE ECOLOGY PROGRAMS
Central Sierra Province (including Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit)
Provincewide
Ecological Restoration
• Presented at Forest Vegetation Management Conference in Redding, California on The
effectiveness of shrub mastication for seedling release and fuels reduction in plantations
within the Storrie Fire, Lassen National Forest.

23
• Assisted on development of a Postfire Ecological Restoration template packet (timeline,
organization of team, workplan) for forests
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Co-authored paper on the variable-density thinning study at Stanislaus-Tuolumne
Experimental Forest in GTR-237
• Authored paper on seasonal variation in surface fuel moisture between unthinned and
thinned mixed conifer forest, northern California, USA in the International Journal of
Wildland Fire
• Attended the Sugarloaf Science Retreat in Kings Canyon National Park to view effects of
a natural fire regime
• Presented at Northern Prescribed Fire Council Meeting in Chico, California on the
Seasonal variation in surface fuel moisture between unthinned and thinned mixed
conifer forest, northern California
• Completed publication briefs for the California Fire Science Consortium summarizing
pertinent research in ecology for managers
• Attended the Southern Sierra Smoke symposium and acted as moderator for a break out
session discussing the barriers to accomplishing prescribed burning
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Began planning for bioregional assessments to be implemented in fiscal year 2013
• Acted as reviewer for PSW Science Synthesis and provided material on topics such as
post fire restoration
• Attended Forest Plan Implementation training (NEPA 1900-1) in Redding, California
Inventory and Monitoring
• Attended ecological monitoring boot camp in Nevada City, California for incoming field
crews
• Worked on acquiring LiDAR on the Eldorado/SNAMP demography study to facilitate
better project planning for sensitive species
• Continued work on projects with PSW – Cub Complex and Storrie fire severity analysis,
Effects of season of fire on Cypripedium montanum, Klamath fire severity analysis,
Storrie fire mastication study
• Continued work on regional whitebark pine monitoring with other province ecologists
Other
• Maintained red card certification
• Applied for and was certified as an Ecological Society of America Professional Ecologist,
2012-2017

24
• Generated additional program funding through external and internal partnerships
• Reviewed applicants for the Regional Ecology Planning position
• Hosted incoming Assistant Regional Ecologist within the Central Sierra Province
• Participated on committee formed to determine the bylaws for the Southern Sierra
Nevada Prescribed fire council
• Authored and coauthored two chapters in Managing Forests for Private Landowners in
the Southeast book
• Attended 2012 annual Ecology group meeting in Davis, California
Eldorado National Forest
Climate Change
• Acted as Climate Change Coordinator for the Eldorado National Forest
• Hosted seminars on climate change for forest and district employees on various climate
change topics
• Completed climate change scorecard along with members of Green Team and other
forest employees engaged in climate issues
• Participated in solar array meeting at the Placerville Nursery
Ecological Restoration
• Participated in ongoing discussions on prioritizing areas for managed wildfires and
ecological reasons for these designations
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Provided expert opinion on the Power Fire Damage Assessment
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Participated on the ID team on development of a strategy for the Freds Fire Ecological
Restoration
• Support to project level work on Blacksmith, Tony’s and X Factor projects
• Worked with Amador district on designing purpose and need within the Power fire
Inventory and Monitoring
Other
• Developed sampling protocol on wildfire managed for natural resource benefit (Long
Fire)
• Worked with Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity to produce vegetative severity maps for
Long Fire initially and one year post
• Assisted field crew completing ecological monitoring in the Freds fire

25
• Participated on the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone Cooperative
Forests Landscapes Restoration Grant assisting on the development of the monitoring
protocol
• Team led field trip to the Long Fire, a managed wildfire on the Eldorado National Forest
along with the CFSC
• Hosted a visiting graduate student completing field requirement for a degree on
ecological restoration
• Presented a talk on ecological restoration to the Forest Leadership Team and the Pacific
District Coordinated field trip with graduate student focused on effects of fire in the
South Fork American river canyon
Stanislaus National Forest
Ecological Restoration
• Work with the Groveland district to prepare historical datasets for field trip with the
science/ecology group of the YSS
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Developed material for YSS meeting presentations on topics such as Yosemite National
Park planning and the use of the LMU tool
Forest Planning
Other
• Continued work with Groveland district on Reynolds project
• Continued work with Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions collaborative group to develop
landscape strategy
• Worked with Calaveras district to coordinate the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group
Cornerstone project
• Attended the STEF variable density tour on the Summit Ranger District
Tahoe National Forest
Ecological Restoration
• Developed protocol with the American River District silviculturist to identify planning
units for ecological restoration projects
Forest Planning/NEPA

26
• Provided support to project level work on the Cuckoo and Biggie projects; produced
ecological assessment and attended field trips
Inventory and Monitoring
Other
• Continued Historic Range of Variability work with the Yuba River District within the North
Yuba River watershed
• Support to community outreach on aspen projects on the Sierraville District
• Attended field day on the Yuba River District to discuss the HRV work
• Presented a talk on the American River District orientation day on ecological restoration
and climate change
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Climate Change
• Developed a Green Team action plan and charter for LTBMU
• Incorporated climate change consideration into two projects on the LTBMU: Incline
Fuels and Tallac Historic Site BMP
• Developed a climate action plan for the forest working with the FLT for approval
• Drafted guidance documents for element 1 and element 3 of the climate change
scorecard for the forest (approved by FLT October 2, 2012)
• Completed FY12 climate change scorecard
Ecological Restoration
• Participated in development of CRAM for wet meadows
• Project development for restoration of meadows in the LTB through removal of
encroaching conifers
• Pope Baldwin Children’s Forest:
o Establishment of the Pope-Baldwin Children’s Forest with central location at the
Washoe Tending and Gathering Garden
o Completed operating plan
o Developed a walking brochure; outlined path with tree rounds.
o
o
o
Two wet areas were developed in the garden.
Planted: Allium validum, Amelanchier alnifolia, Fragaria virginiana, Mentha arvensis,
Perideridia, Prunus virginiana , Quercus kelloggii, Ribes nevadense, Ribes cereum,
Rosa woodsii. Made garden signs for each plant
Organized youth activities: Tribal youth event for planting at garden; 3rd & 4th
grade program on the “Ways of the Washoe”; 3rd grade students who visit the
Taylor Creek Visitor Center annually for Kokanee Salmon spawning field trips were
offered additional programs to include cultural history education at the Tallac Site;

27
4th & 5th grade students participated in new fieldtrips to the Taylor Creek and Tallac
Historic Sites for educational programs on topics like watershed & ecosystem health,
forest health, cultural history, and land management. 5th grade classes participated
in restoration monitoring as a follow up to a site visit in 2011 to remove bottom
barriers in Taylor Creek to prevent growth of aquatic invasive plants.
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Maintained Red Card and READ certification LTBMU
• Completed CA fire consortium Taylor briefing paper
• Completed ESA certification
• Completed SNPLMA science review of science proposals
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Developed a Forest plan monitoring plan template
• Provided input for TRPA threshold evaluation reports
• Wrote Chapter 3 of Forest Plan DEIS on Climate Change
• Wrote Clime Change section for aquatics and plants in the Forest Plan DEIS, reviewed
wildlife section
• Provided IDT input on 9 projects.
Inventory and Monitoring
• Managed biological monitoring program
• Provided feedback & review of the following reports completed by LTBMU biological
group:
o Engelhardt, B. and S. Gross. 2012. LTBMU Sensitive Plant Species and Habitat - 2011
Monitoring Report. USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5389922.pdf
o Reviewed stream habitat assessment 2011 report
o Muskopf, S., M. Santora, M. Bindl, C. Lemmers. 2011. Sierra Nevada Yellow‐Legged
Frog Habitat Restoration Project In The Desolation Wilderness 2011 Annual Report.
USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363180.pdf
• Completed/developed monitoring plans for:
o Engelhardt, B. and S. Gross. 2011. Long-term monitoring plan: Lewisia longipetala.
USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5337950.pdf
o Developed pile burn monitoring plan to test burn pile effectiveness targeted in Aspen
and Meadows in 2012
o Developed monitoring plan to test the effectiveness of mowing the meadow for
mulch at High Meadows Restoration
• Initiated development of a stream temperature monitoring

28
• Gross, S. and S. Norman. 2011. LTBMU 2010/2011 Monitoring Program Annual
Monitoring Report. USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5348784.pdf
• Participated in the development of CRAM for wet meadows:
http://www.cramwetlands.org/
• Monitoring:
o Effectiveness of Sierra Nevada Ski Slope revegetation plots.
o Showers and Gondola Fires
o Monitoring of bryophyte cover and distribution of Sphagnum spp. and Meesia
triquetra as indicators of ecosystem health at Grass Lake RNA and Hell Hole.
o Final year of monitoring at Heavenly Creek project effectiveness of mechanical fuels
treatment in the stream environment zone
o Upper Truckee River Restoration
o Burn Piles Effectiveness in Aspen stands and wet meadows
o 38 habitat model validation points were assessed for sensitive plant habitat
• Presentations:
o Monitoring Grass Lake Research Natural Area With Bryophyte Cover Correlated With
Climatic Change. Tahoe Science Conference 2012, Incline, NV (Gross, S and W.
Christensen).
o Status of Meadows in the Lake Tahoe Basin From 2000 Through 2010. Tahoe
Science Conference 2012, Incline, NV (Gross, S and H. Safford).
o Where in the Basin Are They? Validating Habitat Suitability Models for 20 Rare Plant
Species. Tahoe Science Conference 2012, Incline, NV (Engelhardt, B. and S. Gross).
o Assessing Status and trends of Grass Lake Reasearch Natural Area, Lake Tahoe,
California: Using two genera of bryophytes (Sphagnum and Meesia) as indicators of
ecosystem health. California Native Plant Society Conference 2012, San Diego, CA
(Gross, S. and W. Christensen).
Educational event with the Washoe
Tribe, native species day at the
Washoe Garden, LTBMU
Inventory of beetle-killed stands of
whitebark pine, Inyo NF

29
Provincewide
Northern Province
Climate Change
• Participated in the Region 5 Climate Change Webinar series
• Participated in the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NPLCC) In-person
Workshop to Inform Climate Change Science Priorities in the NPLCC: Spotlight on
Terrestrial Ecosystems in Arcata
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Maintained fireline red card qualifications as Ecologist, Resource Advisor (READ), and
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)
• Advisory committee member for the Northern California section of the California Fire
Science Delivery Network
• Participated in meetings of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council in November
2011 and March 2012
• Coordinated a meeting with Regional Fire Ecologist Neil Sugihara and the four Northern
Province Fire Ecologists in Eureka
• Completed a WFDSS refresher training
• Submitted an abstract to present in a special session of the Association for Fire Ecology
Congress in Portland, OR in December 2012
• Organized a training session on using the Geospatial Interface (GI) tool and fire-specific
applications for the Northern Province Fire Ecologists
• Completed a two day ArcFuels training workshop
• Participated in advanced LiDAR training through the Remote Sensing Applications Center
(RSAC)
• Ongoing collaboration and province point-of-contact for Port Orford Cedar issues and
root disease with PNW in R6
• Presented draft dry forest PAG modeling to the Province Resource Board (PRB).
• Began modeling of dry forest Plant Association Groups (PAGs) for R5 Northwest Forest
Plan (NWFP) Survey and Manage
• Collaborated with UC Extension on investigating the source of new occurrences of
sudden oak death (SOD) in Humboldt County
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Collaborated with R5 Remote Sensing Lab to begin implementation of local updates and
corrections to existing vegetation mapping 1
• Collaborated with the R5 Remote Sensing Lab to create and ground truth a seral stage
geospatial interface (GI) tool for the Northwest Forest Plan forests

30
• Continued working with Northwest Forest Plan forest wildlife biologists, VMS Enterprise
Team, and the R5 Remote Sensing Lab to create revised NSO and other threatened and
endangered (T&E) species habitat crosswalks within the R5 existing vegetation GIS layer
• Member of the Northern Province Strategic Fire Planning Group
• Ongoing compilation and organization of data from previous Province Ecologists
• Participated in R5-wide conference calls on whitebark pine ecology and management
issues
• Gave a presentation on LiDAR technology and its potential uses in Forest planning and
management to the Northern Province Resource Board.
Inventory and Monitoring
• Supervised summer field crew of Humboldt State University students
• Coordinated collection of Golden chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla) for genetic
diversity testing by PNW in R6
• Coordinated with USFWS on potential rare plant field work on Red Mountain (BLM).
Other
• Continued participation with graduate students, tribal members, professors, agency
employees, and community members interested in research in the Klamath Mountains –
Karuk Collaborative
• Continued Regional Ecologist collaboration with Humboldt State University and USGS in
study of fire effects on old-growth forest in the Northwest Forest Plan area
• Coordinator for Research Natural Areas (RNAs) in the Klamath, Mendocino, Shasta-
Trinity, and Six Rivers National Forests
• Met with researchers from Humboldt State University, PSW-Redwood Sciences
Laboratory, and PSW-Redding Silviculture Laboratory to facilitate ongoing collaborations
• Two scientific publications in review
• Reviewed scientific manuscripts for:
o Ecological Applications
o Forest Ecology and Management
o International Journal of Wildland Fire
o Ethnobotany Research and Applications
o Energy for Sustainable Development
• Attended and presented program goals and accomplishments at the Regional Ecology
Program Annual Meeting in March 2012 in Davis, CA.
• Expanded engagement with Humboldt State University professors and students in the
areas of ecological restoration, climate change, and fire management; informal
advisement for four graduate students
• Received Adjunct Professor status in the Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources
at Humboldt State University

31
• Maintained professional memberships with the Ecological Society of America, Association
for Fire Ecology, and the International Association of Wildland Fire
• Received training on how to run mFASST (Scheduler) from the Remote Sensing Lab
• Coordinated the scanning of Northern Province Research Natural Areas Establishment
Reports and other supporting documentation with PSW Albany.
• Participated in the annual Port Orford Cedar management meeting coordinated by
Region 6
• Complete online training course for ArcGIS 10
• Ongoing online training in R statistical software
• Hosted a visit of the new Assistant Regional Ecologist and introduced her to some of the
current major efforts in the Northern Province
• Executed a Cost-Share Agreement with Humboldt State University to provide
collaborative ecological field data collection and monitoring support to the Klamath,
Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity, and Six Rivers National Forests
Six Rivers National Forest
Climate Change
• Provided support for the Six Rivers Climate Change Scorecard
• Provided support for the SRF Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program
(CFLRP) planning effort
• Assisted with acquisition of LiDAR data for the Sims Fire restoration planning effort
Ecological Restoration
• Field visit with Natural Resources and Fire staffs and Humboldt State University
researchers to Mad River Ranger District to explore oak woodland restoration
opportunities
• Conducted a field visit of the 2004 Sims Fire with the Six Rivers Fire Ecologist and
Assistant Regional Ecologist in preparation for assuming the role of technical lead for the
Sims Fire restoration planning effort in FY13
• Field meeting with Six Rivers staff and Humboldt State University researchers to discuss
oak woodland restoration opportunities on Mad River Ranger District
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Assisted SRF GIS and Natural Resources staffs with transition from older, Forest-level
vegetation layers to the current R5 vegetation layers provided by RSL
• Field visit to the Ruth Fire, Mad River Ranger District, with Natural Resources and Fire
staffs to assess post-fire conditions
• Provided ongoing support for the Six Rivers Range Program

32
• Created, in collaboration with the R5 Remote Sensing Lab, and presented a draft seral
stage layer to the Forest for review
• Initiated field assessment of collaborative effort with R5 Remote Sensing Lab to create a
seral stage geospatial interface tool for the Six Rivers
• Project support for the Trinity Summit High Country Grazing Project within the North
Trinity Mountain Research Natural Area
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Provided ongoing support to and participated in the Bluff Creek Watershed Analysis IDteam
• Provided support for the Smith River National Recreation Area Travel Management for
questions regarding the L.E. Horton Research Natural Area
• Researched and provided clarification for the Yurok Research Natural Area boundary
• Provided support to the Range Program for questions on grazing in the Ruth and Soldier
Research Natural Areas
• Provided support for the Six Rivers Watershed Condition Assessment
Inventory and Monitoring
Other
• Provided input for year-end WFRP monitoring report for Northern Province Ecology
Program budget in WFHF.
• Established fuels and vegetation plots for the Lamb Gap project, Mad River Ranger
District
• Modeled red tree vole habitat using ArcGIS for the Six Rivers Wildlife Biologists.
• Met with Six Rivers NF Natural Resources and Fire and Fuels staffs and Line Officers to
facilitate future coordination and build FY 2012 program of work.
• Participated in Six Rivers Program of Work meetings
• Provided support to SRF Fire Ecologist and Natural Resources staff
• Participated in three days of Natural Resources storage locker clean-out and
organization.
Klamath National Forest
Ecological Restoration
• Provided support for the Klamath Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program
(CFLRP) proposal

33
• Participated in meetings and field visits to Sugar Creek Research Natural Area with other
core team members and interested parties to begin writing a management strategy for
the RNA
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Reviewed a Joint Fire Science Program proposal written by the Klamath
• Provided ongoing support for the Klamath National Forest Range Program.
• Created, in collaboration with the R5 Remote Sensing Lab, and presented a draft seral
stage layer to the Forest for review.
• Performed as a Resource Advisor (READ) for the Fort Complex (Goff) Fire on Happy
Camp Ranger District.
• Drafted a response to comments from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on
climate change for the Johnny O’Neil Late-Successional Reserve Habitat Restoration and
Fuels Reduction Project
• Conducted field work to assess post-fire tree regeneration on the China-Back and Elk
Fire Complexes (2007)
Inventory and Monitoring
• Provided ecological monitoring section for the FY 2011 Monitoring and Evaluation Report
Other
• Met with Klamath NF staff to build FY 2012 program of work.
• Provided support to KNF Fire Ecologist and Natural Resources staff.
• Coordinated with KNF staff regarding transfer of Province Ecologist equipment, data,
and materials from Happy Camp Ranger District to the SRF
Mendocino National Forest
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Organized and led meeting on GIS vegetation layers; began to assist MRF staff with
transition from older, Forest-level vegetation layers to the current R5 vegetation layers
provided by RSL.
• Created, in collaboration with the R5 Remote Sensing Lab, and presented a draft seral
stage layer to the Forest for review.
• Provided literature search assistance on the effects of prescribed fires on small
mammals.
• Provided initial report of results of the regeneration surveys conducted by the Regional
Ecology Program for the 2004 Spanish Fire for review and comments.

34
• Facilitated a web meeting with the MNF and the Remote Sensing Lab on the mFASST
(Scheduler) and Network Analyst programs.
• Provided design support on the installation of HOBO remote data loggers for the Smokey
Timber Sale project.
• Facilitated a conference call with the Regional Ecologist, Remote Sensing Lab, GIS
Specialist from the Inyo NF, and MNF staffs to discuss ecologic unit mapping for the
MNF.
• Participated in a conference call with MNF staffs and the Portland Working Group on
amending the LSR Assessment language.
• Provided support for the Mill Fire with regard to allowing fire to burn in the Frenzel
Creek Research Natural Area.
Other
• Met with Mendocino NF natural resources and fire and fuels staffs to facilitate future
coordination and build FY 2012 program of work.
• Provided support to MNF Fire Ecologist and Natural Resources staff.
• Provided literature search assistance (grazing/fire risk) for NEPA scoping response to
comments on grazing allotments.
• Assisted with discussions regarding LiDAR acquisition and aerial photography use.
• Hired Assistant Regional Ecologist to provide additional ecological support to the
Mendocino NF
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Conducted a prescribed burn of the Silverthorne Neviusia population in December 2011
to assess population response to prescribed fire.
• Created, in collaboration with the R5 Remote Sensing Lab, and presented a draft seral
stage layer to the Forest for review.
• Participated in a field visit to Devils Hosselkuss Research Natural Area.
• Conducted a field visit of the 2004 Sims Fire with the Six Rivers Fire Ecologist and
Assistant Regional Ecologist in preparation for the Sims Fire restoration planning effort in
FY13.
Other
• Met with Shasta-Trinity NF acting natural resources staff officer to build FY 2012
program of work.
• Provided support to SHF Fire Ecologist and Natural Resources staff.

35
• Field meeting with Fire and Fuels staff from both the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers
National Forests to discuss fuel treatment planning in the South Fork Mountain area.
• Conducted a second year of field work to assess current conditions of seven Neviusia
populations around Shasta Lake and added an eighth monitoring site.
• Assisted with acquisition of LiDAR data for the Sims Fire restoration planning effort.
International
• Malawi – Instructed for a “Train the Trainers” fire management, fire ecology, and
restoration planning congress for fire managers at Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve –
April 2012.
• Malawi – Continued email and telephone support for fire management in Nyika National
Park.
• Malawi – Coordinated with the Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) for MODIS
fire support to Malawi fire managers.
Monitoring Baker Cypress
regeneration after fire, Mud Lake
RNA, Plumas NF
Sampling common stand exams in
the Freds Fire, Eldorado NF
Provincewide
Sierra Cascade Province
Climate Change
• Presented climate trend assessment to Plumas, Lassen and Modoc National Forests,
including data about long-term (i.e. 100-year) trends in climate at locations across the
province.

36
Ecological Restoration
• Worked with the Regional Ecology program to develop a template for post-fire ecological
restoration strategies across Region 5.
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Co-authored paper on fuel treatment effectiveness: Safford, H.D., J.T.Stevens, K.
Merriam, M.D. Meyer, and A.M. Latimer. 2012. Fuel treatment effectiveness in California
yellow pine and mixed conifer forests. Forest Ecology and Management 274: 17-28.
• Participated in the California Fire Science Consortium, a network of scientists and
managers funded by the Joint Fire Science Program to synthesize local fire science and
encourage collaboration between fire researchers, land managers, and stakeholders.
• Lead a field trip describing Forest Ecology and Wildlife Ecology for National Forestry for
Lawyers course, including attorneys for the Department of Justice from across the
United States.
• Worked with the Regional Silviculturist and Ecologist to develop a method for post-fire
certification of natural regeneration
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Reviewed and provided input on the LTBMU Biological Evaluation for the Forest Planning
EIS.
• Reviewed draft chapters of Forest Service Handbook 1909.12 describing new land
management planning directives for forest plan revision.
• Attended workshops describing upcoming forest plan revision process and deliverables
as part of bioregional assessment team. Participated in and completed internal review of
the PSW Science Synthesis.
Inventory and Monitoring
• Supported field crews conducting post-fire and fuel treatment effectiveness monitoring
in the Rich, Chips, Antelope, Peterson, and Cougar Fires.
• Developed a regional template for Wilderness Non-native Invasive Plant Species
Management Plans.
• Initiated a regional whitebark pine monitoring working group.
• Compiled and summarized information from the 2010 regional whitebark pine data call.
• Completed the Regional Sensitive Species evaluation form for whitebark pine and
developed a regional distribution map.
• Published findings from Joint Fire Science funded study of Baker cypress: Rentz. E. and
K. Merriam. 2011. Restoration and management of Baker Cypress in northern California
and southern Oregon. Pages 282-289 in J. W. Willoughby, B. K. Orr, K. A. Schierenbeck

37
and N. Jensen, editors. Proceedings of the CNPS Conservation Conference: Strategies
and Solutions, 17-19 January 2009. CNPS, Sacramento, California.
Partnerships & Outreach- USDA Strategic Goal 2. USFS Strategic Goals 1-3, 5, 7. R5
Priority 1
Other
• Served as member of the regional RNA committee – reviewed and approved research
permits and management plans for RNAs across the region.
• Received grant funding as part of the 10-year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge.
• Selected as an alternate for funding by the California Landscape Conservation
Cooperative to develop a Collaborative Fen Monitoring workshop including partners from
the National Park Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, California Native Plant
Society, California Department of Fish and Game, and UC Davis.
• Collaborated with the Remote Sensing Laboratory to develop a method for using LiDAR
and remote-sensing data to model long-term patterns of forest succession.
• Developed and presented A short introduction to LiDAR: What is it and how can we use
it? to Forest Leadership Teams and Districts in the Province.
• Developed Introduction to plant sampling and monitoring field exercises and
presentations for at-risk girls through the Women’s Mountain Passages Girls Rite
Program.
• Filled Associate Ecologist position to expand the Province Ecology Program.
• Generated an additional 70% of program funding through external and internal
partnerships.
HFQLG (Lassen and Plumas NFs)
Inventory and Monitoring
• Wrote the Annual HFQLG Botany Monitoring Report and summary section for the 2011
Report to Congress.
• Planned and coordinated the 2012 botany monitoring program for the HFQLG pilot
project area.
• Completed the final year of monitoring for Astragalus webberii, Lupinus dalesiae,
Penstemon personatus, and the invasive medusahead (Elymus caput-medusae).
• Compiled and analyzed HFQLG monitoring data for botanical resources; wrote speciesspecific
monitoring summaries for Astragalus webberi, Penstemon personatus, Lupinus
dalesiae, the federally listed Packera layneae, and medusahead. Reports will be
available online at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/hfqlg/monitoring/resource_reports/vegetation_and_botany/

38
• Presented findings of the effects of mastication on medusahead at the 2012 California
Invasive Plant Council Symposium: Coppoletta, M. and C. J. Rowe. 2012. Is mastication
+ prescribed fire an effective control technique for multi-acre medusahead (Elymus
caput-medusae) infestations? Poster presentation for the 2012 California Invasive Plant
Council Symposium. October 2012.
Lassen National Forest
Climate Change
• Coordinated with hydrologists and landscape ecologists at the University of Nevada,
Reno, to conduct climate change modeling for vernal pool ecosystems on the Modoc
Plateau.
Ecological Restoration
• Helped develop prescribed burning treatment prescriptions for low sage flats and
associated rare plant species for the Ebey Project.
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Analyzed three years of data on the effects of grazing and hydroperiod on Orcuttia
tenuis and Modoc Plateau vernal pool region plant communities.
• Presented poster describing the effects of hydroperiod on vernal pool plant comunities:
CA: Gosejohan, M.C., P.J. Weisberg, and K.E. Merriam. 2012. When being under water
is a good thing: Does inundation regime explain endemic plant community distribution in
vernal pools? Poster presentation given at at the California Native Plant Society
Conservation Conference, January 12-14, San Diego, California.
Inventory and Monitoring
• Assisted Forest Botanists to develop monitoring program for Baker cypress as part of the
Burney-Hat Creek Basins Collaborative Landscape Forest Restoration Project.
• Completed processing of 52 vernal pool seed cores to identify the distribution and
density of Orcuttia tenuis seeds throughout one vernal pool.
• Advised and assisted a BS student at UNR on Orcuttia tenuis seed bank collection and
analysis.
• Acted as the project manager for a Humboldt State University project investigating the
use of LiDAR to map serpentine soils within the Storrie Fire area. Reviewed reports,
provided logistical support for field work, and approved invoices.
• Assisted with rare plant monitoring on the Lassen National Forest.
Modoc National Forest

39
Climate Change
• Collaborated with the Pit River Watershed Alliance to describe projected climate change
effects to vegetation as part of the Upper Pit River Watershed Integrated Water
Resources Management Plan.
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Completed draft South Warner Wilderness Non-native Invasive Plant Species
Management Plan as part of the Ten-year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge grant.
• Developed an experimental design for whitebark pine treatments in the South Warner
Wilderness as part of the Homestead Project; as an IDT member, provided input to
proposed action and project design.
Inventory and Monitoring
• Wrote book chapter describing the distribution and status of vegetation types found
across the Modoc Plateau for a California Native Plant Society and California Department
of Fish and Game book about the vegetation of California.
• Administered final year of cost share agreement with the University of Nevada, Reno, to
evaluate the effect of grazing and hydrology on federally listed vernal pool plant species
with funding from the Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plant Fund, the Bureau of Land
Management, and the University of Nevada, Reno. Served as committee member for
graduate student completing project as part of a Master’s thesis.
Water Resources – USDA Strategic Goal 2.3. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 2, 4, 7. R5
Priority 1
• Submitted a proposal to evaluate the effect of forest health improvement treatments
implemented through the Homestead Project on water availability and quality to the
Upper Pit River Watershed Integrated Water Resources Management Plan.
Plumas National Forest
Climate Change
• Served on the Forest Climate Change team to complete the Forest Climate Change
Performance Scorecard and develop a strategy for improving Forest Performance
measures.
Ecological Restoration
• Conducted an analysis of Storrie Fire stand exam data to identify areas of natural
regeneration.

40
• Worked with District, Forest, and Regional staff to develop a rationale for using a
compensatory, or habitat equivalency approach, for restoration projects for the Storrie
Fire, and participated in the initial stages of development of the Storrie Fire restoration
strategy.
• Developed short summaries of Storrie fire research in the form of web-based research
briefs. These highlight the main research findings and provide the link, wherever
possible, for how these findings can be used in future planning efforts, management
activities, and restoration projects.
• Identified and developed two research-generated restoration projects that focused on
(a) improving remnant conifer stands for late-seral bird species in the Storrie fire and (b)
enhancing habitat for and experimentally reintroducing a rare Sensitive plant species
(Astragalus webberi) to sites within and adjacent to the Rich fire, including:
o Developing a GIS model using climatic and biophysical variables to predict areas of
suitable habitat for Astragalus webberi.
o Identifying thinning and experimental reintroduction treatment units and completed
the internal scoping and analysis for the CE, and
o Designing an experimental protocol for growing and out-planting individuals.
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Completed the following deliverables for the Plumas National Forest as part of the Tenyear
Wilderness Stewardship Challenge Grant:
o Worked with fire and fuels staff to develop a Fire Management Plan for the Bucks
Lake Wilderness area.
o Developed the Bucks Lake Wilderness Inventory and Monitoring Plan, which included
protocols to inventory and monitor visitor use and ecological resources within the
Bucks Lake Wilderness.
o Compiled and scanned inventory and monitoring data forms, conducted data
analyses, and entered data into an Access database.
o Tested the utility of the (draft) regional monitoring database for tracking research
and monitoring in the Bucks Lake Wilderness.
• Updated Mt Hough Ranger District Botany GIS data layers, including finalizing FY11
weed and TES layers and data inputs into NRIS, and finalizing the MT Hough FY11
Survey and Sensitive Plant Communities layers.
• Worked with Mountain Maidu tribal members to develop culturally appropriate
management practices for bear grass gathering area on the Mt. Hough Ranger District.
• Taught Fire Ecology class to Plumas Unified School District teachers as part of the
Learning Landscapes Program.
• Collaborated with the Sierra Institute and Plumas County representatives to develop
proposal for quantifying effects of vegetation and fuels treatments on water yield.
• Certified 50 acres of natural regeneration within the Rich Fire area in collaboration with
District Culturist and Vegetation Program manager.

41
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Provided technical support to ID team writing Range EA on the Beckwourth Ranger
District.
• Completed the draft Valley Creek Special Interest Area Management Strategy describing
management strategies for old-growth forests on the Feather River Ranger District.
• Completed the Biological Evaluation, Special Interest Species analysis, and Noxious
Weed Risk Assessment for the Bucks Lake Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project EA. Acted
as project IDT leader, which included:
o Coordination, preparation, facilitation, and management of IDT meetings;
o Development and maintenance of all project-related documents;
o Coordination with line officers and resource specialists to define project activities,
identify internal issues, and develop design criteria and mitigation measures; and
o Communication with members of the public, including attending meetings, giving
presentations, responding to public comments, and fielding inquiries.
Inventory and Monitoring
• Coordinated second year monitoring effort to evaluate post-fire recovery and succession
across the 2008 Rich Fire area. Data will be combined with those collected for the
Storrie fire to compare patterns of post-fire recovery on serpentine and non-serpentine
soils and to develop restoration projects for the Rich Fire Restoration effort.
• Assisted in the development of an experimental monitoring design for the rare species,
Clarkia mildrediae var. mildrediae.
• Conducted 5 th year of monitoring of fen wetlands on the Beckwourth Ranger District,
including an evaluation of grazing exclusion at four fens, and an evaluation of within
season grazing effects at eight fens.
• Conducted 1 st year of monitoring on fen wetlands on the Mt. Hough Ranger District.
• Conducted post-fire monitoring of Baker cypress in the Moonlight Fire area as part of
long-term post-fire succession study.
• Conducted post-fire monitoring of bear grass on the Mt. Hough Ranger District as part of
a collaborative project with the Greenville Rancheria with funding from the Plumas
County RAC and the California Indian Basket Weavers Association.
International
• Traveled to Baja California, Mexico as part of collaboration with Mexican National Park
staff and graduate students to develop a network of permanent monitoring plots in the
Sierra San Pedro Mártir National Park and the Constitución de 1857 National Park.

42
Provincewide
Southern California Province
Climate Change
• Developed knowledge base to complete climate trend assessments for Province Forests
• Attend Habitat Conservation Plan Workshop – Conservation Management and Climate
Change in Southern California, UCR Palm Desert Center, Palm Desert, CA, May 22, 2012
• Began work on climate change trend summaries for southern California National Forests
Ecological Restoration
• Compiled literature on the state of the science of chaparral restoration
• Provide support to wildfire restoration projects
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Coordinated with southern California region of the California Fire Science Consortium
• Obtained Red Card
Other
• Placed GS-12 Province Ecologist to support the Southern California Province
Angeles National Forest
Ecological Restoration
• Evaluated restoration/reforestation projects as member of Station Fire Restoration
Review Group
• Visited burned chaparral areas on Station Fire to observe shrub recovery progress to
inform restoration management
Cleveland National Forest
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Visited the Palomar District and met with District staff to review and discuss a number of
issues including: fuels management, forest restoration, fire recovery funding, ecological
strategy and exotics
Los Padres National Forest
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels

43
• RO-funded team conducted postfire tree regeneration inventory on the Zaca Fire
San Bernardino National Forest
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Evaluated fuel reduction project near the Bear Mtn. Ski Area
• Attended Santa Ana River Watershed 2012 Conference presented by the Santa Ana
Watershed Project Authority, San Bernardino , CA, April 25, 2012
Inventory and Monitoring
• Facilitated natural regeneration data collection on the Butler II/Slide Fire areas
• Assisted the NFGEL with a sample collection related to an ongoing rangewide genomics
study of ponderosa pine of ponderosa pine
• Assisted with baseline data collection on Climate Adaptation Study plots, Slide Fire area
And now the real work begins: keying
plants after a long week in the field
Vegetation and fuels monitoring,
Angora Fire, LTBMU
Southern Sierra Province
Provincewide
Climate Change
• Provided ongoing technical information in regards to current trends and probable future
trends in climate and climate-driven for Sequoia, Sierra, and Inyo National Forests
o Provided technical support and served as primary USFS representative in ongoing
Southern Sierra Ecoregional Fire and Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in

44
cooperation with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the University of
California Davis
o Participated in climate adaptation scenario planning for southern Sierra Nevada
ecoregion
o Provided technical review of Vulnerability of giant sequoia to moisture stress in a
changing climate prepared by UC Merced researchers evaluating current and future
moisture stress to giant sequoia groves in the Giant Sequoia National Monument and
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
• Provided technical input to the planning of a USFS Region 5 Vulnerability Assessment,
including the identification of key resources and stressors
• Drafted and submitted proposal to the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative
entitled “Developing coordinated regional monitoring and adaptation strategies for focal
tree species in response to climate-driven processes” (full proposal solicitation declined
for funding)
• Served as coauthor on “Climate change and relevance of historical forest conditions” in
Managing Sierra Nevada forests PSW-GTR-237 by M. North (editor).
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Served as co-chair of Interagency Southern Sierra Nevada Fire Science Integration
Working Group (SQF, SNF, INF, STF, NPS, USGS, BLM) to facilitate fire science and
management integration for ecoregional-scale planning in the Southern Sierra Bioregion
(SQF, SNF, INF, STF, NPS, USGS, BLM); involved in working group coordination,
development, and prioritization
• Assisted in drafting preliminary review of the Southern Sierra Nevada Fire Management
Plans General Technical Report by the working group
• Participated in California Fire Science Consortium meeting with UC Berkeley, USGS, and
USFS
• Provided two research briefs summarizing fire ecology publications pertaining to
managing forests with future fire and fire effects to California spotted owl
• Attended and provided support to Southern Sierra Prescribed Fire and Smoke
Management Conference in Clovis, CA (March 2012)
• Participated in Fire Ecology Field Trip and technical discussion of the Sugarloaf Basin in
Kings Canyon National Park with fire scientists and managers with NPS, USFS R5, PSW,
USGS, University of California, and University of Washington (July 2012)
• Coauthor of “Fuel treatment effectiveness in California yellow pine and mixed conifer
forests” published in Forest Ecology and Management (with Regional Ecologist and
Sierra-Cascade Province Ecologist)
• Participated in LiDAR project to develop silvicultural prescriptions for achieving forest
heterogeneity objectives in mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, in collaboration
with R5 Remote Sensing Lab, University of Washington, and University of Montana
• Ongoing participation in the Southern Sierra Nevada Fisher Working Group

45
• Participated in public outreach interview for Save the Redwoods League based on giant
sequoia research published in science journal Fire Ecology
• Assisted in organization and planning of Southern Sierra Science and Management
Symposium scheduled for winter of 2013 (with SSCC)
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Participated in and provided technical review and support for PSW Science Syntheses in
support of Forest Plan Revision for Region 5
o Reviewed six technical sections of the PSW Science Synthesis
• Provided summary of climate change and ecological restoration considerations for Forest
Plan Revision for southern Sierra Nevada national forests
• Provided initial technical input for Forest Planning Rule to Region 5, SNF, INF, and SQF
• Participated in the Forest Plan Revision Bioregional Assessment Workshops (Sept. 2012)
Inventory and Monitoring
• Coordinated ecological monitoring of fuel treatment effectiveness in the Cascadel Fire
(SNF) and Piute Fire (SQF)
• Served as the ongoing Point of Contact for the National Ecological Observatory Network
(NEON) for the Southern Sierra Nevada National Forests
Other
• Served as Associate Editor for Fire Ecology (peer-reviewed science journal) for 2011 to
2012
• Provided review of manuscript related to vegetation response to forest treatments in
national forests of the Sierra Nevada
• Served as editor for manuscript on the effects of fire on invasive species
• Provided logistic and technical support to USGS Yosemite Field Station research study
focused on the effects of wildland fire on California spotted owl in Yosemite National
Park
• Participated in Giant Sequoia Working Group focused on sequoia restoration, monitoring,
and public engagement opportunities in the Sierra Nevada
• Attended Region 5 Ecology Program annual meeting in Davis, CA
Sequoia National Forest
Climate Change
• Served as representative in the Southern Sierra Conservation Cooperative (SSCC) MOU
for SNF, INF, and SQF during biannual meetings; SSCC partners include NPS (Sequoia
and Kings Canyon NP), BLM, TNC, CBI, SNC, and other organizations

46
o
o
Served on Program Committee for SSCC Southern Sierra Change Adaptation
Workshop focused on climate change scheduled for February 2013
Coauthored Interagency Giant Sequoia Natural Resource Condition Assessment for
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Giant Sequoia National Monument in
support of climate adaptation planning
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Participation ongoing ecoregional fire management and climate change scenario
planning workshops with SQF, SNF, INF, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park,
Yosemite National Park, USGS Yosemite Field Station, and University of California Davis
• Presented technical summary of ‘Giant sequoia regeneration in response to wildfire and
retention harvest’ to the Sequoia National Forest Leadership Team
Forest Planning/NEPA
• Provided review, general response to public comments, and technical information on
climate change for the Giant Sequoia National Monument FEIS, including climate change
adaptation strategies, monitoring plan, and vegetation management sections
• Assisted with the incorporation of new information based on external Science Panel
Review recommendations
Sierra National Forest
Climate Change
• Presented ‘Managing for climate change in the Southern Sierra Nevada national forests”
to the SNF Ecosystem, Fire Management, and Planning staff
• Assisted forest climate change coordinator with climate change scorecard
Ecological Restoration
• Provided technical support to the Dinkey Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration
Project (CFLRP)
o Served as Monitoring Coordinator for the Dinkey CFLRP and co-leader in
development of Dinkey Collaborative Monitoring Plan and Strategy
o Facilitated use of technical information sharing website for Dinkey CFLRP (using
databasin.org)
o Provided support for implementation of CFLRP national monitoring indicators
• Participation in and provided technical support to the Willow Creek Watershed Ecological
Restoration Collaborative
o Presented restoration of structural heterogeneity in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer
forests using PSW-GTR-220 principles

47
o Provided science-based review of Collaborative landscape assessment
o Presented ecological restoration principles and concepts in PSW-GTR-237 in support
of the developing Whisky Ridge Ecological Restoration Project
• Provided technical assistance for achieving ecological restoration goals for the Grey’s
Mountain Restoration Project, including review of DEIS, Fire and Fuels Report, and
response to public comments
Inventory and Monitoring
• Coordinated ongoing LiDAR-based vegetation, fuels, and Pacific fisher monitoring of the
Dinkey Landscape Restoration Project with Regional Remote Sensing Lab Vegetation
Monitoring and Inventory Group Leader, Pacific Southwest Research Station Scientists
(Dinkey Fisher Project), academic researchers (University of Washington), and Sierra
National Forest ecosystem management, fire and fuels, GIS, and timber management
staffs
o Coordinated ecological monitoring prioritization workshop for the Dinkey
Collaborative
o Participated in Dinkey open house public engagement meeting
Research Natural Areas – USDA Strategic Goals 2.1, 2.4. USFS Strategic Goals 1, 3,
7. R5 Priority 1.
• Assisted in coordination (with PSW) of collaborative ecological research at Teakettle
Creek RNA
Inyo National Forest
Vegetation, Fire and Fuels
• Ongoing participation and facilitation of INF “Ecology Team” focused on identifying
priority ecological restoration; vegetation, fire, and fuels; and inventory, monitoring, and
assessment needs for the INF
Inventory and Monitoring
• Analyzed post-fire regeneration and vegetation monitoring in the Birch Fire (INF)
• Coordinated whitebark pine mortality monitoring on the INF
• Coordinated whitebark pine monitoring between Regional Ecology Program and Forest
Health Protection (FHP) for Region 5
• Drafted preliminary report of ecological monitoring of whitebark pine stands in areas of
experiencing elevated mountain pine beetle mortality (INF)
• Coordinated USFS California Whitebark Pine Monitoring Workgroup for Region 5
including four Ecology Program provinces and two FHP shared service areas

48
• Participated in research-management partnership with NASA Ames DEVELOP Program in
project entitled “Modeling the Effects of Climate Change on Whitebark Pine along the
Pacific Crest Trail”; Co-authored draft technical report focused on whitebark pine
populations on the Inyo and Sierra national forests
• Submitted proposal on behalf of FHP in support of coordinated monitoring of whitebark
pine populations in the southern and central Sierra Nevada (with FHP Entomologist and
Forest Pathologist, Central Sierra Province Ecologist, and LTBMU Ecologist)
R5 ECOLOGY PROGRAM EXTERNAL PARTNERS
• Bureau of Land Management (Aspen Delineation Project; Baker Cypress Study; OHV Monitoring,
Inyo NF-BLM fuels planning)
• California Department of Fish and Game (Rare plants monitoring, statewide vegetation
mapping and classification standards, State vegetation plots database, Aspen Delineation Project,
Black Backed Woodpecker working group)
• California Energy Commission (Fuel treatment effectiveness and ecological effects monitoring;
Interagency Forestry Working Group)
• California Native Plant Society (Statewide vegetation mapping standards, State vegetation plots
database, chapter presentations)
• California State Parks (LTBMU: meadow condition and trend monitoring and Emerald Point old
growth inventory)
• Chico State University Herbarium (serpentine geoecology and fire ecology field seminars)
• CONAFOR-Mexican Forest Service (Baja California fire management working group)
• CONANP-Mexican Park Service (Baja California fire management working group)
• Conservation Biology Institute (Sierra Nevada Forest Carnivores Conservation Assessment;
vegetation and fire modeling under future climate change scenarios)
• Herger-Feinstein/Quincy Library Group (LNF, PNF, and TNF Monitoring program)
• Humboldt State University (Rich Fire postfire inventory, Plumas NF)
• Institute for Bird Populations (Black Backed Woodpecker working group)
• Joint Fire Sciences Program (California Fire Science Delivery Consortium; fire-dependent cypress
species study, Plumas and Klamath NFs)
• Mule Deer Foundation (Aspen Delineation Project)
• National Forest Foundation (Treasured Landscapes Initiative; RNA forest restoration)
• National Park Service/Sequoia NP (Southern Sierra Parks resource planning; Golden Trout
Wilderness SCI and meadow inventory and monitoring)
• National Park Service/Western Pacific Region (California Fire Science Consortium; Southern
Sierra Nevada Fire Science Integration Working Group)
• Natural Resource Conservation Service/Soil survey (Ecosite development)
• Northern California Prescribed Fire Council
• Pennsylvania State University (Lassen NF workshop: spatial patterns and controls on severity of
recent wildfires in northern California)
• Point Reyes Bird Observatory (Science advisory committee; Black Backed Woodpecker working
group; various monitoring projects)
• PNW-Research Station (PNW) (NWFP: fuel treatment needs in eastside pine)

• PSW-Research Station (PSW) (Forest Planning science synthesis; GTR-220 implementation;
Regional Research Natural Area Program; California Fire Science Delivery Consortium; Black Backed
Woodpecker working group; Sierra Nevada Forests: Fire History Study and Fire Effects; Klamath
Mountains: fire severity study; GLORIA climate change monitoring; technical transfer for results of
QLG Admin Study; Storrie Fire monitoring projects)
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (Regional Aspen Delineation Project, Regional aspen initiative,
Project level: Klamath NF, Lassen NF, Shasta-Trinity NF)
• Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) (study of fire severity and relationship to postfire
avian fauna; Black Backed Woodpecker working group)
• San Dimas Technology and Development Center (flying squirrel habitat preference and
population inventory)
• San Francisco State University (Ecological Unit Inventory for Monterey District, Los Padres NF)
• Sierra Forest Legacy (Sierra Nevada forest management; southern Sierra Nevada prescribed fire
council; negotiations with EPA, Cal EPA, etc., re. smoke emissions from Rx fire; fuel treatment
effectiveness and ecological effects monitoring; RNA fuels management)
• Society for Range Management, Nevada (Aspen Delineation Project)
• Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (Healthy Vegetation and Hazardous Fuels desired conditions
and monitoring protocols; LTBMU meadow management plan; GLORIA climate change monitoring;
Threshold monitoring)
• TerraPeninsular (Baja California fire management working group)
• The Nature Conservancy (Northern and Southern Sierra Partnership climate change adaptation
planning; Baja California fire management working group)
• The Wilderness Society (Wildland Fire Use policies; Sierra Nevada management under climate
change)
• University of California- Berkeley/Department of Environmental Science, Policy and
Management (Comparative study of current fire regimes in Sierra Nevada and Sierra San Pedro
Martir, Mexico; California Fire Science Consortium)
• University of California- Berkeley, Center for Fire Research and Outreach (Advisory
committee)
• University of California-Davis/Department of Entomology (Sierra Nevada: fire regime and
fuel treatment impacts on forest floor invertebrates)
• University of California-Davis/Department of Environmental Science and Policy (Fire
ecology cost-share position; study of patterns of fire severity vs. FRID; study of grazing and
productivity effects on annual grassland composition)
• University of California-Davis/Department of Plant Pathology (Sudden Oak Death impacts
on fire severity and forest fuels)
• University of California-Davis/Department of Plant Sciences (study of fire and climate
change effects on Sierra Nevada oaks; fuel treatment ecological effects monitoring; postfire tree
regeneration inventory; subalpine forest response to climate change; fuels mapping for Sierra San
Pedro Mártir National Park, Mexico)
• University of California-Davis/Information Center for the Environment (International
Climate Change and Resource Management Seminar; FRID mapping; Regional EUI program;
Wieslander VTM map digitization; resampling of 1930s VTM vegetation plots; fire rotation mapping)
• University of California Extension (southern Sierra Nevada prescribed fire council; Sierra
Nevada Adaptive Management Project; Tahoe Wildfire Summit; forest and fire ecology outreach)
49

50
• University of California-Santa Cruz (comparative study of drought, beetle, and fire impacts on
forests in Baja and Alta California)
• University of Massachusetts (historical range of variation assessments, westslope Sierra Nevada)
• University of Montana (Angora Fire monitoring; Sierra Nevada postfire regeneration monitoring;
species habitat modeling of likely climate change effects; resampling of 1930s VTM vegetation plots;
TEUI mapping Mendocino NF)
• University of Nevada-Reno (Orcuttia monitoring and conservation assessment)
• US Fish and Wildlife Service (California fisher climate impact assessment; Black Backed
Woodpecker working group)
• US Forest Service International Programs (Baja California fire management working group;
International Climate Change and Resource Management Seminar; various international missions)
• US Geological Survey/Biological Resources Division (California Fire Science Consortium;
Sierra Nevada: climate change science program; S. California: multiple hazards mapping project; fire
severity in chaparral fires)
Ecology Program annual meeting, Davis, 3-2012