Concern over the social, economic, and ecological consequences of increasingly frequent "megafires" in California's Sierra Nevada have led some to propose large-scale forest restoration to increase ecosystem resilience. However, restoration efforts (e.g., forest thinning) may have collateral impacts on declining old-forest species. Is it possible to find balance between these two seemingly competing objectives? In this hour, I explore this question using the California spotted owl as a model old-forest species, and share new insights from ongoing research as part of my PhD dissertation.
Gavin Jones is broadly interested in developing ecological models that inform management decisions and improve conservation outcomes. He is currently a PhD student at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology. You can follow Gavin on twitter (@EcologyOfGavin), or visit his page at the Peery Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Lab to learn more.
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