Research projects — Lucash Lab

Current Research projects

NSF LTER: Mapping and modeling vegetation in interior boreal Alaska

NSF Arctic: Climate change in Siberia

NSF GSS: Managing for carbon in coastal Alaska and British Columbia

USDA Forest Service: Model comparison of future forest carbon stocks

JFS: Fuel treatment durability in sagebrush ecosystems in current and future climates

Our current research is tied together by a suite of interconnected themes:

Carbon Dynamics: How and when do terrestrial ecosystems transition from carbon sinks to carbon sources? What strategies can be implemented to prevent or delay this shift?
Species Dynamics: Will ecosystems be able to keep pace with climate change or will biome boundaries shift? Which tree species will be “winners” and “losers” under different scenarios of climate change?
Post-Disturbance Management: Which management strategies are most effective at promoting ecosystem recovery following wildfires? Do these strategies remain effective under climate change?

NSF Arctic: Reburns in interior Alaska

OR Dept of State Lands: Managing Elliott State Forest

NSF CNH: Visualizing forest futures under climate uncertainty: Integrating indigenous knowledge into decision support tools

DoD: Ecosystem model comparison at multiple sites, 2017-2021

NSF DEB: Potential for regional-scale transition from mature conifer forests to shrub chapparal 2014-2019

USDA: Integrating climate science into forest management decision-making using a collaborative network approach, 2012-2016

EPA/BLM: Forest policy and climate change in the Coast Range of Oregon, 2013-2016

USDA: Wildfire, management and climate change on C and N cycling, 2013-2016

NSF HBEF LTER: Nutrient uptake by tree roots, 2000-2005