Background, Research Interests, and Current Projects:
Zach received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Western Washington University and then went on to work on a variety of field studies in the Mojave, Hawaii, Yucatan, Channel Islands, and Edward's Plateau. He then went on to get his M.S. in wildlife at Humboldt State University and afterwards worked on field studies in Congaree National Park and the Snake River Plain of Idaho before coming to Reno to pursue his Ph.D. in landscape ecology.
In collaboration with Stan Kitchen from the Provo Shrub Sciences Laboratory-Rocky Mountain Research Station, Zach is investigating the historical range of fire regime in mountain big sagebrush communities in the eastern Great Basin, upper Colorado Plateau and intervening mountains and highlands. Using fire chronologies generated from proximal fire-scarred trees we first generate estimates of historical fire frequency in mountain big sagebrush stands adjacent to woodland. Next we compare these estimates to postfire recovery rates of mountain big sagebrush stands. These results are used to calibrate a simulation model that investigates the long-term response of woody species to various fire regime scenarios and the relative importance of spatial attributes of fire (size, shape, patchiness) on post-fire recovery of mountain big sagebrush-dominated landscapes.
Project website |
