Future Forests Webinar: Small Bugs with Large-scale Impacts: Ecosystem & Watershed-level Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak
The fifth in the Future Forests Webinar series, held on October 30, 2012, dealt with responses to the mountain pine beetle outbreak. Polly Hays (Region 2 Water Program Manager), Bruce Sims (Region 1 Regional Hydrologist), and RMRS scientists Rob Hubbard, Kelly Elder, and Chuck Rhoades explored questions such as:
- How might these forested ecosystems change in the coming decades?
- What are potential impacts to water quality and quantity in mountain watersheds?
Presentations
Managing Watersheds in the Context of Beetle OutbreaksVideo
Transcript
Polly Hays, Water Program Manager, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region
Bruce Sims, Regional Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region
Beetles and Water
Video
Transcript
Kelly Elder, Supervisory Research Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Changes in Forest Water Use and Carbon Balance after MPB
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Rob Hubbard, Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Watershed Biogeochemistry after MPB and Management
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Chuck Rhoades, Economist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Question and Answer Session
Video
Transcript
Speaker Bios
Kelly Elder
Supervisory Research Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526. 970-498-1233. Email
Kelly has worked as a Research Hydrologist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station since 2000. He received his PhD in physical geography and hydrology statistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Kelly’s research examines consequences of bark beetle outbreaks and management on watershed processes, with a particular focus on water balance of subalpine forest systems.
Polly Hays
Water Program Manager, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, 740 Simms Street, Golden, CO, 80401. 303-275-5096. Email
Polly has worked since 2000 as the Water Program Manager for the 5 state Rocky Mountain Region of the Forest Service. She has regional level responsibilities for a broad set of programs including watershed management and restoration, water quality, and water rights. She has a master’s in Geosciences from the University of Arizona.
Rob Hubbard
Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526. 970-498-1260. Email
Rob is celebrating his 7th year as a Research Ecologist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station. He previously worked as a Research Ecologist for the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab in North Carolina after graduating with his PhD in forest ecology from Colorado State University. Rob’s research explores how forests respond to disturbances and the role that plants play in regulating hydrologic processes.
Chuck Rhoades
Research Biogeochemist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526. 970-498-1250. Email
Chuck has been a Research Biogeochemist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station since 2003. He received his PhD in forest biogeochemistry and soil ecology from the University of Georgia. Chuck’s research examines the atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic processes that regulate soil and water quality and that sustain forest productivity.
Bruce Sims
Regional Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, 200 East Broadway Street, Missoula, MT, 59802. 406-329-3447. Email
Bruce has worked as the Regional Hydrologist for the Northern Region of the Forest Service since 2000. He received his master’s of education in geography and master’s of science in watershed management from the University of Arizona. Bruce has done research on the effects of prescribed fire on water quality, and he was a co-authors for a General Technical Report looking at the effectiveness of post-fire hillslope treatments.