Post-fire seedling recruitment in the 2008 Siskiyou complex fire

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The spate of recent high intensity (stand-replacing) fires in California has led some to wonder whether our tree species are adapted to such large burns. Many assume that regeneration will typically be so poor that many of these burns will be dominated by shrubs and herbs instead of forests. This study examines seedling recruitment of conifers as a function of distance across a 1 km-wide burn near Hoopa. Six transects, each 50 m x 4 m, were spaced along the 1 km transects, and seedlings and burnt cones were counted. Douglas-fir and white fir averaged 2903 ha-1 and 1996 ha-1 seedlings, respectively, and 75% of the km had >490 recruits/ha (the minimal acceptable density in California).

Post-Wildland Fire Prescribed Burning: Regeneration of Ponderosa Pine and Changes in Fuel Loads Following the Jasper Fire

Cristina Winters, Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

As high-intensity wildland fires occur more frequently and increase in size, the occurrence of reburn in burn scars is also increasing; however, the ecological effects of such reburn in Western coniferous forests are not well understood. Post-prescribed fire, we investigate the changes in woody fuel loads in high and moderately burned areas of the 2000 Jasper Fire and the patterns of ponderosa pine regeneration survival in those areas. Our findings can inform a management plan to restore historic heterogeneity in the Black Hills, a culturally and economically important region of the U.S., and increase resistance and resilience to climate change.

Potawot Community Garden: Moving Beyond Land Acknowledgements

Chrys Furrer, Other Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Potawot Community Garden serves as an exemplary model of the environmental and social health impacts of returning Indigenous land to Indigenous hands. The College Corps program, with Potawot as a community partner, gives student fellows the opportunities to serve in support of Potawot's mission of enhancing Indigenous food sovereignty while mitigating food insecurity, restoring the land, and supporting the cultural healing of Indigenous community members as well as the broader community. This project invites readers to take action through volunteer involvement with organizations such as Potawot, making monetary donations to the Wiyot tribe, and advocating for Indigenous land rematriation.

Potter Valley Project Relicensing: The Fate of Two Watersheds

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

At the headwaters of the Eel River stand two large dams. Not far from the Eel River is the Russian River, which has become hydrologically connected across a natural divide by a mile long diversion tunnel transporting water from the dammed Van Arsdale Reservoir in the Eel River into the Russian River. The dams will be up for relicensing in 2022, and as such stakeholders have come together to begin the political process. An interdisciplinary analysis of the current dialogue and data provides a critical tool in understanding the complexity of the relicensing process that will ultimately decide the fate of the two watersheds and the human and non-human communities that share the water.

Pre Counseling for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery

Ana Lilia Alaniz, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Following the plan for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has many benefits for the post-operative patient. Pre-surgery counseling helps overcome some barriers that can prevent the ERAS pathway from being implemented. Addressing and including the patient in their post-operative care will increase the likelihood that patients will be compliant with the pathway. The ERAS pathway is designed to standardize and optimize post-operative care. Education during the preoperative period is essential to increasing the success and implementation of the protocols.

Predicting Phosphorus Retention in Two Volcanic-Derived Forest Soils of Northern California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Plant available phosphorus (P) occurs in anionic forms which become plant-unavailable ("fixed" or "retained") when iron and aluminum oxides form insoluble phosphate complexes. P-retention is especially likely to occur under acid conditions in soils containing short range order (SRO; poorly crystalline) materials, namely allophane and imogolite. This set of characteristics is common in volcanic-derived forest soils in Pacific Northwest timber regions. We built upon 25 years of research by investigating phosphorus retention on two well-studied sites, Whitmore and Feather Falls. Simple soil assays were used in a mixed-effects model to predict P-retention on these soils.

Predicting Renewable Energy Usage with Linear Regression and Time-Series Analysis

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

For California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, increasing renewable energy production and consumption is important in the face of climate change. We develop a model to analyze these states’ current renewable energy production and future projection. Findings from the model could lead to policy changes in favor of renewable energy.

Predicting Support for Atypical Leaders Under Conditions of Uncertainty

College of Professional Studies

People support leaders who embody the traits of their group (Hogg, 2001). However, previous research suggests that non-prototypical political leaders can also gain support when constituents are uncertain about their identity (Gaffney, Rast, Hogg, 2018; Rast, Gaffney, Hogg, & Crisp, 2011; Hogg, 2001). This can be problematic as identity uncertainty predicts support for autocratic leaders (Rast, Hogg, Giessner, 2013). Therefore, further understanding of the factors involved in support for leaders under conditions of uncertainty is important. The present study attempts to extend previous research by examining support for leaders under conditions of uncertainty.

Predictors of School Connectedness, Self-Esteem, and GPA

College of Professional Studies

Students should experience feelings of belonging and safety on their university campus. We ran multiple regression analyses to identify factors that predict school connectedness, well-being, and GPA among students (n=127, 72% women, 41% white). Overall stress is a risk factor for school connectedness (p<.01) and self-esteem (p<.01). Acculturative stress may be a risk factor for school connectedness (p=.069) and ethnic identity may be a protective factor for self-esteem (p=.059). Marginal significance may be due to the lack of diversity in the sample. Programs that help students manage stress and promote multiculturalism can foster positive school connectedness and self-esteem.

Preparation and Evaluation of Polylactic Acid-Quinoa Composite films

David Schmitz, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild.) was evaluated as a starting material for the preparation of biodegradable composites with polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-renewable polymer. Incorporation of natural plant fibers into composite material has been shown to generate active packaging materials with a variety of benefits as well as increasing the rate at which these materials degrade back into the environment. Films with varying amounts of quinoa combined with PLA were prepared and studied in a variety of methods to evaluate their usefulness as bio-renewable materials.