I manage the fuels program at the forest level, which includes coordinating prescribed fire and fuels reduction treatments across our 2.3-million-acre forest. During fire season, I provide expertise in fire behavior and fire growth modeling. I also provide fire management leadership and expertise for the forest fire program as a whole.
Critical thinking and interpersonal skills are extremely important in my job. I interact with many people and large volumes of information. It is important to be able to clearly summarize and communicate the most applicable information for each situation.
Climate change and past land management actions greatly impact how fires behave and the impacts of fires. Understanding how fires burned in the past and the historical role of fire in the ecosystem is not a great guide for how to manage fires in the future.
I use fire growth modeling programs to make predictions about the direction a fire is likely to move, how fast, and what the likely effects on the vegetation will be.
There is nothing simple about wildland fires. They can be both hugely beneficial and very destructive, sometimes at the same time. Trying to reduce future destruction from wildfires with fuels treatments is expensive, and there are varying degrees of success.
I grew up surrounded by people who work in fire, and I wanted to be a firefighter when I was a little kid. Although I have thought about other career paths, I never found anything else that seemed as exciting or interesting.
