How do we know whether our meadow restoration, forest thinning or other projects to restore forest and watershed health actually result in the desired outcome?
Dr. Becky Estes, the USDA Forest Service Central Sierra Province Ecologist, will be making a presentation on ecological restoration to promote resiliency in California’s forests and waterways as an important tool that managers use. Restoration is challenged today by the ecological implications of climate change and increased frequency of fire. In order to understand if restoration is successful it is important to monitor and report results to managers and to the community. The USFS Region 5 Ecology group works with managers on the forests, collaborative groups, and other agency and University scientists to monitor both ecological and social effectiveness of numerous restoration treatments.
Dr. Estes has lived in Placerville, California and served as the USDA Forest Service Central Sierra Province Ecologist for over five years working with the Eldorado, Tahoe and Stanislaus National Forests and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Prior to working in the Sierra Nevada, she worked as a postdoc with the Pacific Southwest Research Station in Redding, CA where she was able to work with a number of research scientists studying relevant questions throughout Mediterranean climates. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and continued her education at Auburn University in Alabama where she completed her Master’s and Ph.D. in Forestry in 2006. She now assists forests with a number of complex management needs in the province and the region, including the importance of managing post-fire landscapes to ensure future resilience in the face of a changing climate.
We will also be discussing the advisability of forming a 501c(3) (non-profit) entity to make it easier to attract funding and complete projects.
The October meeting is scheduled for Tuesday October 6th at 6:00 pm at Turtle Rock Park.
Alpine Biomass Collaborative 