Directors
Dr. Jeff Kane: I am a Professor of Fire Ecology and Fuels Management at Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Forestry, Fire, and Rangeland Management. I am generally interested in a broad array of topics related to the ecology and management of fire-prone ecosystems. The purpose of my research is to better understand the impacts of fire and other distrubances on wildlands and to provide information that will improve the management, restoration, and conservation of these ecosytems. Additionally, I use my research to actively involve undergraduate students both inside and outside of the classroom. I use a combination of field and laboratory techniques for my research including standard forest and fire measurements, dendroecological (tree rings) approaches, and laboratory burns.
Dr. David Greene: I am presently chair of the Department of Forestry, Fire, and Rangeland Management. I have studied post-fire regeneration since 1981 when I worked in my first burn for the master's thesis at arctic treeline in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Since then I have studied fires all over Canada as well as, more recently, northern California. Specific research interests include any aspect of the reproductive process in trees, from pollination to germination. My standard approach to science is to first develop a model and then field test it, and this means I expect graduate students to be willing to engage with math, using physics-based models whenever possible.
Graduate Students
The Fire Lab supports 5-7 graduate students each semester. Prospective students interested in studying fire ecology and fuels management-related research questions should read the Grad School and Current Opportunities pages for more information.
Current Graduate Students and Projects
Trevor Haltermann (BS Cal Poly Humboldt)- Evaluation of the CalFire methodology for determining the origin point of a wildfire (Advisor: D.F. Greene)
Joe Nicholas (BS Cal Poly Humboldt)- Post-fire fuel recovery and availability in low elevation forests of the Klamath Mountains (Advisor: J.M. Kane)
Kaily Fineran (BS University of Idaho)- Longevity of prescribed fire effectiveness in mixed evergreen forests of the Klamath Mountains (Advisor: J.M. Kane)
Kelsey Fletterick (BS Cal Poly Humboldt)- The brief window for early post-fire regeneration (Advisor: D.F. Greene)
Jackson Carrasco (BS Cal Poly Humboldt)- Post-fire mortality rates and regeneration within second-growth redwood stands (Advisor: J.M. Kane)
Past Graduate Students and Projects
Heather Rickard (BS University of California, Berkeley)- Factors contributing to legacy hardwood mortality following prescribed fire in the Klamath Mountains (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Pìrish Plants Division Coordinator, Karuk Dept. of Natural Resources
Sean Linley- (BS University of Oklahoma) Invasion of chaparral by a serotinous conifer following stand-replacing wildfire (Advisor: D.F. Greene)
Madeleine Lopez (BS Cal Poly Humboldt)- Seed maturation rates of five California conifers and their implications for facultative serotiny (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Associate Faculty, College of the Redwoods
Katherine Marlin (BS University of California, Santa Barbara)- Post-fire regeneration of the serotinous knobcone pine (Advisor: D.F. Greene)
Abigail Jones (BS State University of New York)- Fuel treatment effectiveness to wildfire in chaparral stands of northern California (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Forestry Technician (permanent), Bureau of Land Management
Alexis Bernal (BS University of California, Berkeley)- Effectiveness of variable density thinning and prescribed fire for promoting resistance to drought-induced bark beetle-caused tree mortality (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Ph.D. Student, University of California, Berkeley
Caroline Martorano (BS University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)- Long-term vegetation response to mechanical mastication in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Restoration Senior Coordinator, California Native Plant Society
Bret A. McNamara (BSc Natural Resources, Evergreen State College) Post-fire regeneration and fuel succession patterns in Baker cypress (Hesperocyparis bakeri) forests (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Silviculture Forester, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA
Andrew Slack (BS University Colorado, Boulder) - Old-growth sugar pine resiliency and mortality in a fire-excluded mixed-conifer forest Fall 2016 (Advisor: J.M. Kane). Current Position: Research Associate, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Fort Collins, CO.
Undergraduate Research
The Fire Lab supports motivated undergraduate students to conduct independent research for academic credit and as paid assistants on funded research projects.