Email: jessika.mcfarland@berkeley.edu

Hometown: Austin, TX

Education:
M.S. Ecology, Western Colorado University
Master in Environmental Management, Western Colorado University
B.S. Biology, University of Texas at Austin

My research interests include fire ecology, forest resilience, extreme fire spread events, and adaptive management. My master’s thesis investigated how extreme wildfire spread events in the southwestern US jeopardize forest resilience by creating large, homogeneous high-severity patches. As a recipient of the Joint Fire Science Program’s Graduate Research Innovation (JFSP-GRIN) award, I have also researched relationships between fuel treatments, prior burns, and fire spread. My overarching mission is to enhance the scientific understanding and management of wildfire events in the western US.