Current Research Projects
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Redwoods Resiliency Project
The coast redwood belt is actively managed to promote growth and yield, but the contributions of management to coast redwood resiliency in the presence of forest disturbances (e.g., fire and drought), particularly under warmer and drier climates, is still uncertain. Second-growth coast redwood forests that are unthinned often have high tree densities with compact canopies, and thinning can lead to higher fuel accumulations than in other forest types. Thus, these stands may be more susceptible to high severity wildfire versus late seral redwoods. Additionally, dense, unthinned stands may have increased competition for limited water resources, making them less resilient during drought events. The impacts of thinning are subject to interactions from climate during drought, which may enhance the effectiveness of treatments. Forest resilience is a tradeoff between resource limitations and availability — understanding the interactions of forest management and climate will help sustain resilient redwood forests, which are already experiencing increasing temperatures and drought risk. This research leverages long-term experiments and datasets from the Jackson Demonstration State Forest to better understand interactions and feedbacks between forest stand structure, management, and climate on coast redwood forest resiliency. We propose three related components of research that are complimentary to the existing studies at and adjacent to the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds within the JDSF. The first component will investigate the role of forest stand density and structure on watershed dynamics in coast redwood forests. The second component will quantify fuel characteristics in the watersheds, including feedbacks between microclimate, soil moisture, and fuel moisture. The final component will to use dendroecological techniques to understand the combined effects of thinning and drought on redwood growth and resilience. The three components will integrate to support our larger goal of providing forest managers with scientific knowledge about watershed processes and the resiliency of coast redwood forests. Project Location: Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds, CA, USA Graduate Students: Mairead Brogan (PhD) Undergraduate Students: CJ Hyatt Funding Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection |
Southwestern Mountains Climate Resilience Center
The SMCRC´s objectives are to:
Project Location: Northern Arizona, USA
Funding Source: Department of Energy
The SMCRC´s objectives are to:
- Integrate research tools in dynamics of forests, disturbances, climate, carbon, and hydrology that provide informative practical examples for climate-resilient management of public and Tribal lands. Described in the Proposed Research and Methods section.
- Develop an outreach program for science translation reaching K-12 and adult populations through online materials and a network of Native-serving teachers. This and subsequent objectives are described in the Community Engagement section.
- Foster training and science translation of multidisciplinary climate scientists by building on links with a community college, Tribal college, the national-scale Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, and the Southwest Fire Science Consortium.
- Partner with DOE scientists on developing and communicating relevant science in two-way interactions with southwestern communities.
Project Location: Northern Arizona, USA
Funding Source: Department of Energy
Ecohydrological Monitoring of Upper Verde Thinning Impacts
The Upper Verde ecosystem is undergoing landscape-scale changes including long-term recovery from the Dude Fire and near-term thinning treatments. The region is also experiencing severe droughts that are becoming more frequent, hotter, and drier. Together, climate change and forest management will have important impacts on water availability for watershed health and downstream supplies. We propose to comprehensively assess the long-term ecohydrological impacts of the thinning treatments implemented in 2022-2025 across the Upper Verde watershed via measurements of precipitation, snowpack, soil moisture, evapotranspiration (ET), vegetation dynamics, streamflow, and water quality. Our proposed experimental designs, measurements, datasets, and equipment installation will provide a framework for long-term monitoring of future treatments.
Project Location: Upper Verde River Watershed, Arizona, USA
Graduate Students: Jaime Ortega Melendez; Logan Osment (Sankey Lab)
Funding Source: Salt River Project
The Upper Verde ecosystem is undergoing landscape-scale changes including long-term recovery from the Dude Fire and near-term thinning treatments. The region is also experiencing severe droughts that are becoming more frequent, hotter, and drier. Together, climate change and forest management will have important impacts on water availability for watershed health and downstream supplies. We propose to comprehensively assess the long-term ecohydrological impacts of the thinning treatments implemented in 2022-2025 across the Upper Verde watershed via measurements of precipitation, snowpack, soil moisture, evapotranspiration (ET), vegetation dynamics, streamflow, and water quality. Our proposed experimental designs, measurements, datasets, and equipment installation will provide a framework for long-term monitoring of future treatments.
Project Location: Upper Verde River Watershed, Arizona, USA
Graduate Students: Jaime Ortega Melendez; Logan Osment (Sankey Lab)
Funding Source: Salt River Project
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Ecohydrological Resilience and Resistance of Disturbed Forested Watersheds in the Arid Southwest
Climate change is rapidly altering Earth’s hydrologic cycle, with cascading impacts on ecosystems and human populations. In the Southwestern United States, climate change is increasing the intensity and duration of droughts, leaving forests vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire, drought-induced mortality, and insect outbreaks. Such disturbance events are coming in rapid succession, leaving managers with little time and options for handling a multitude of threats. This project aims to investigate ecohydrological resilience and resistance of forested watersheds across a range of disturbances in the arid Southwest (SW). Results from this study will inform land management and restoration efforts in the region, particularly in watersheds that are facing a multitude of disturbance threats. Project Location: Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest, Arizona, USA Graduate Students: Emory Ellis Undergraduate Students: Taite Stotts, Marc Gomez, Charles Hasler Funding Source: USDA Mission Research; USDA NRCS |
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fire-Fuel Mitigation
This collaborative project between NAU, U of A, and USGS team will improve fine-scale fuels mapping capabilities by 1) engaging managers to identify critical fuels information needs; 2) designing and collecting targeted local fuels data in past and ongoing fuels reduction treatment areas and other critical areas using field and terrestrial lidar scanning data; 3) assimilating local, regional and national datasets into a comprehensive fuels modeling framework to produce new fuels maps; which can then be used to 4) analyze potential wildfire behavior and subsequent flood risks; and 5) simulate strategic fuels reduction (surface and ladder fuels) treatments that marry effective fire risk mitigation and improvement of watershed integrity and ecosystem resilience.
Project Location: State of Arizona, USA
Funding Source: Arizona Board of Regents
This collaborative project between NAU, U of A, and USGS team will improve fine-scale fuels mapping capabilities by 1) engaging managers to identify critical fuels information needs; 2) designing and collecting targeted local fuels data in past and ongoing fuels reduction treatment areas and other critical areas using field and terrestrial lidar scanning data; 3) assimilating local, regional and national datasets into a comprehensive fuels modeling framework to produce new fuels maps; which can then be used to 4) analyze potential wildfire behavior and subsequent flood risks; and 5) simulate strategic fuels reduction (surface and ladder fuels) treatments that marry effective fire risk mitigation and improvement of watershed integrity and ecosystem resilience.
Project Location: State of Arizona, USA
Funding Source: Arizona Board of Regents
Salli, Xue, and graduate student Mariel doing field reconnaissance during the very buggy 2022 summer seaon.
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Forest, Frost, and Flow: Snow Hydrology of spatially Heterogeneous and Hydrologically Connected Peatland Catchments
Northern peatland landscapes consist of a mix of upland and peatland forests, bogs, and open water, which complicates their hydrology. This is especially the case during the winter-spring transition period when the landscape is the most hydrologically active, with high recharge and streamflow rates. This project will investigate the feedbacks between forests, snowpack, and soil frost as they influence snow accumulation, snowmelt generation, and recharge of shallow groundwater in complex peatland systems. Specifically, new field data will be collected to (1) examine the role of forest cover in controlling snowpack size and duration; (2) study the role of soil frost in controlling the infiltration of snow into soils or over the soil surface; and (3) monitor the movement of water between forests and peatland bogs. The project team will use the new data and existing long-term data from the Marcell Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota to model the hydrology of low-relief, peatland systems. With the field site situated at the southern edge of peatland distributions, this study has the potential to provide a “window into the future” for other northern peatlands across the globe. These efforts are especially timely as the climate system approaches tipping points that may be further accelerated by carbon-water feedbacks within peatlands. Project Location: Marcell Experimental Forest, Northern MN, USA Graduate Students: Sara Mohandes Samani, Mariel Jones Funding Source: National Science Foundation - EAR - 2153802 |
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A Holistic Approach to Monitoring Abrupt Environmental Shifts in the Kluane Lake Region
The Kluane Lake Region in the Yukon Territory has recently experienced many abrupt environmental shifts. In 2016, the retreating Kaskawulsh Glacier cut off flow from Lhù’ààn Mân (Kluane Lake), effectively removing one of the largest water inputs to the lake. Additionally, recent insect outbreaks have harmed nearby forests, and warming climate regimes have shifted winter ice formation and snowpack development. While these compounding environmental changes will have drastic impacts to the ecosystem for decades to come, their impacts on the local communities will be more rapid. While these ecological impacts have been observed by formal research communities, it is also critical to work closely with local communities to understand their perspectives on critical research questions and natural resource concerns. This convergence research team is co-creating research questions, seeking questions that are relevant and generalizable to the Kluane Lake region specifically, the Yukon generally, and broadly at a pan-Arctic scale. Specifically, planning activities center around a community liaison employed by the project with credibility in the communities around the lake, with two kick-off scoping trips (research team), and then a community-driven workshop to identify gaps in current understanding and existing methodologies to develop: 1) a citizen-science monitoring program to generate reliable and consistent data for climate and lake conditions; 2) compilations of datasets, databases, and tools for accessibility and integration into educational offerings; and 3) knowledge of community acceptance and perspectives on new technologies and data tools. Researchers are employing a mixed methods triangulation approach during the co-production process, via assembly of existing quantitative data, key informant interviews, and structured and unstructured qualitative data collection during the workshop. Project Location: Kluane Lake Region, Yukon Territory, Canada Funding Source: National Science Foundation - NNA - 2127221 |
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Disturbance Impacts on Forest Ecohydrological Processes
This large-scale harvesting experiment is investigating how disturbance severity (in the form of forest harvesting) impacts a range of ecohydrological processes. In particular, we are looking at how opening the forest canopy impacts 1) the partitioning of water to different pools, 2) subsurface water movement, and 3) patterns and volumes of water-use in residual trees. This project was established while Dr. Dymond was a postdoc at the USFS and involves collaborators from a variety of institutions. More information can be found here. Project Location: Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds, Fort Bragg, CA Funding Sources: USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) National Science Foundation - EAR-1807165 Graduate Students: Shelby Kassuelke (nee Hammerschmidt; MS - 2020); Julia Petreshen (MS - 2021); Erika Winner; Elise Miller Citations: Kassuelke et al. 2022. Understory evapotranspiration rates in a coast redwood forest. Ecohydrology. doi: 10.1002/eco.2404. Dymond et al. 2021. Dynamic hillslope soil moisture in a Mediterranean montane watershed. Water Resources Research. doi: 10.1029/2020WR029170. Dymond et al. 2021. A field-based experiment on the influence of stand density on watershed processes in the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in Northern California. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2021.691732 |
Past Research Projects
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Impacts of Beaver Dams on Low Flow Hydrology and Hydraulics
Limiting factors for coldwater fish along the North Shore of Lake Superior include summer high temperatures and low baseflows, with potadromous fish further limited by barrier falls. Rivers lacking barrier falls are actively managed by the Minnesota DNR for fish passage through beaver dam removal, however the impact of this practice on low summer baseflows is unknown. The objectives of this study are to 1) quantify the impact of beaver dams on low-flow hydraulics; (2) analyze stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen for use in determining water source and evaporative loss in each of four paired basins; and (3) develop a reduced complexity hydraulics model at the channel reach scale before and after beaver dam removal. Project Location: Knife River Watershed, MN Funding: Minnesota Sea Grant Graduate Students: Hannah Behar (MS - 2020); Emma Burgeson (MS - 2022) Citations: Behar, Hannah. (2020). Modeling Stream Thermal Dynamics: The Influence of Beaver Dams in a Minnesota Watershed. Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/216777. |
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Water Availability and Forest Productivity Dynamics in N. MN
Using a long-term soil moisture dataset from the USFS Marcell Experimental Forest, this project examined how soil moisture in the past 50 years has varied across time, topographic position, cover type, and depth in Northern Minnesota, as well as the relationship between water availability and forest productivity. Project Location: Marcell Experimental Forest, Northern MN, USA Funding Provided By: USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources Citations: Dymond et al. 2019. Climatic controls on peatland black spruce in relation to water table variation and precipitation. Ecohydrology. doi: 10.1002/eco.2137 Dymond et al. 2017. Topographic, edaphic, and vegetative controls on plant-available water. Ecohydrology doi: 10.1002/eco.1897 Dymond et al. 2016. Growth-climate relationships across topographic gradients in the Northern Great Lakes. Ecohydrology doi: 10.1002/eco.1700 Dymond et al. 2014. Long-term soil moisture patterns in a northern Minnesota forest. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 78: 208-216. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2013.08.0322nafsc |
