UPP In the News
PSU Geography professor and UPP affiliate Andrés Holz along with the Department of Environmental Science & Management Research Associate Cody Evers were interviewed by KPIC News out of Roseburg, OR. The interview focused on the upcoming wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest.
Holz warns that the continuing impacts of climate change will make dry, fire-prone conditions in the usually-wet PNW forests more common, and even this year’s increased rainfall is far from a guarantee against wildfires. Holz and Evers’s research suggests we can expect to see historically rare fires occur more often, even in places that have already burned.
As for solutions, Holz et al.’s article published in April 2022 posits that due to the context of the PNW, “treatments such as prescribed fires and fuel reduction are not a practical approach to preventing future conflagrations. Instead, the team argues that we should focus on promoting resilient forests, increasing community preparedness, early suppression response, and hardening infrastructure” (McGillis, 2022). Click here to read the KPIC News article and watch the interview, and click here for the original paper publication.
UPP Publications
Professor in PSU's Environmental Science & Management Department and UPP Affiliate Elise Granek and colleagues published a book chapter investigating the impacts of plastic microfibres on organisms exposed to contaminants that come from textile production and use. The investigation of plastic microfibres in multiple ecosystem types is an emerging field of important research, made critical because microfibres appear to deal greater harm compared to other microplastic shapes. We here at the UPP appreciate your continued efforts Elise! Check out the chapter description here, and you can find the complete book here.
USGS scientist and UPP affiliate Ian Waite participated in a team of researchers who created and tested a model to investigate the unintended consequences of ecosystem management. The team’s model identifies variables and characteristics which, if measured, can help “understand how natural and anthropogenic factors affect large river fishes.” The researchers pose a clear process in the application of their model to other managed ecosystems. Cheers to participating in such a large collaborative effort Ian! The complete article can be found in PLoS ONE.
USGS scientist and UPP affiliate Jim O’Connor was part of a collaborative research project investigating a nearly 16 km landslide which moved 1,000 meters in the Bonneville region during the Holocene. The history and story of this landslide have been carried by Indigenous stories for generations. Based on radiocarbon evidence, the team dated this landslide to between 1421-1455 AD, which they argue demonstrates the “tremendous physical, ecological, and cultural effects of the landslide,” for it to be the origin-story of such resilient narratives. This date range also has implications for research into the potential cause of the landslide, as it excludes the 1700 AD Cascadia Subduction Zone event. Excellent job co-creating knowledge alongside indigenous ways of knowing Jim! You can find the complete article in Cambridge’s Quaternary Research Journal.
PSU Geography Professor and UPP affiliate Alida Cantor worked alongside researchers from the University of Hawai’i, Hilo and the University of California, Los Angeles to provide a framework for water systems management to envision three possible ‘just water transitions’ for Maui Hawai’i. This research comes after the final vestiges of the sugar industry and plantations have left the islands after decades of resistance from the indigenous peoples as well as economic decline in the industry. Their framework, “shows how water-based economic transitions can address the tradeoffs and reconfigurations of infrastructure and power required for a more just future.” Thank you for this important contribution Alida and team. The entire article can be found in the SAGE Journal of Environment and Planning.
PSU Geography researchers Heejun Chang (UPP) and Arun Pallathadka worked alongside Jason Sauer and Nancy Grimm from Arizona State University to study the overlap of pluvial flood risk with Green Infrastructure development with community sociodemographics. Their results “indicated inequalities and potential discrimination in flood risk amanagement, but also some evidence of equitable and appropriate management.” The authors pose recommendations for the continued pursuit of equitable Green Infrastructure investments. Great work Heejun! You can find the complete article in the Landscape and Urban Planning journal.
In a double feature, UPP affiliate Heejun Chang was also a participant on a large research team who created a framework to better understand the complex interactions between “social, ecological, and technological dimensions of urban systems.” The team argues that the application of this framework can improve decision making related to nature-based solutions to urban water management within the context of climate change. Keep up the excellent work Heejun! The article is available in the One Earth Journal.