Ecosystem reorganization: understanding resilience in the context of disturbances and climate change

September 05, 2019

Camille Stevens-Rumann

Hosted by Jeff Pierce

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Abstract

Wildfires are an ever increasing threat across the western U.S. As human communities grapple
with the toll of these fires on human health, values, and infrastructure, ecosystems are similarly
faced with numerous ecological changes. Forested ecosystems are highly adapted to wildfires,
however after a century of fire suppression coupled with a changing climate, the resilience of
these systems may be overcome resulting in long-lasting converted alternate community types.
This has far-reaching impacts on both human and natural systems. We will examine multiple
case studies of fire-catalyzed forest conversion and discuss adaptive management strategies for
altering the trajectory of these recovering ecosystems.