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David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, PhD

I am a Biologist with the US Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center. I research forest population dynamics within the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. More recently, my attention has included understanding the effects of high severity fire and prolonged drought on mortality and regeneration among Sierra Nevada conifers, specifically, giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum).

My career started in the Sierra mixed conifer forests of the UC Berkeley Forestry Field School – “forestry camp”. This was supposed to be a fun summer interlude, but it ended up being a turning point. Afterwards I immersed myself in the world of forest ecology working for various universities, US Forest Service, National Park Service, and the US Geological Survey. During my graduate studies, I honed in on unexplored research niches of a very small insect, the mountain pine beetle, and very old trees, the bristlecone pines. I earned my PhD in Ecology (2021) from Utah State University and along the way acquired quantitative skills in study design, math, and modeling. Currently I work for the USGS Western Ecological Research Center – where I first cut my teeth as a seasonal field tech (!) – and partner with Utah State University as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for the College of Natural Resources. Voilà!

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Ecology, Utah State University 2021

    Quinney Doctoral Research Fellow                             

  • B.S., Molecular Environmental Biology, U.C. Berkeley 2011

    Minor: Forestry and Natural Resources

Science and Products

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A photo of Dinkey Creek showing a small waterfall along a bedrock slope

The Effects of Catastrophic Wildfires on Vegetation and Fuel Loads in the Sierra Nevada of California

In recent years, a number of catastrophic wildfires have fundamentally changed species composition and structure across a large area of the Sierra Nevada of California. These fires leave behind many large, severely burned patches of land where the majority of trees have died. To make informed management decisions, forest managers need to understand the long-term effects of these fires on vegetatio
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

The Effects of Catastrophic Wildfires on Vegetation and Fuel Loads in the Sierra Nevada of California

In recent years, a number of catastrophic wildfires have fundamentally changed species composition and structure across a large area of the Sierra Nevada of California. These fires leave behind many large, severely burned patches of land where the majority of trees have died. To make informed management decisions, forest managers need to understand the long-term effects of these fires on vegetatio
Learn More

Post-fire reference densities for giant sequoia seedlings in a new era of high-severity wildfires

Many forests globally are experiencing increases in large, high-severity wildfires, often with increasingly inadequate post-fire tree regeneration. To identify areas that might need post-fire planting, forest managers have a growing need for seedling reference densities – the natural seedling densities expected to be adequate to regenerate a forest – to compare with observed post-fire seedling den
Authors
Nathan L. Stephenson, Anthony C. Caprio, David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Adrian Das, Eva Louisa Lopez, A. Park Williams
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Assessing giant sequoia mortality and regeneration following high-severity wildfire

Fire is a critical driver of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum [Lindl.] Buchholz) regeneration. However, fire suppression combined with the effects of increased temperature and severe drought has resulted in fires of an intensity and size outside of the historical norm. As a result, recent mega-fires have killed a significant portion of the world's sequoia population (13%–19%), and uncertain
Authors
David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Adrian Das, Nathan L. Stephenson, Marc D. Meyer, Christy A. Brigham, Joshua Flickinger
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Non-USGS Publications**

Soderberg, D.N., 2021. Susceptibility of High-Elevation Forests to Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) Under Climate Change (Doctoral dissertation, Utah State University).

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

link
A photo of Dinkey Creek showing a small waterfall along a bedrock slope

The Effects of Catastrophic Wildfires on Vegetation and Fuel Loads in the Sierra Nevada of California

In recent years, a number of catastrophic wildfires have fundamentally changed species composition and structure across a large area of the Sierra Nevada of California. These fires leave behind many large, severely burned patches of land where the majority of trees have died. To make informed management decisions, forest managers need to understand the long-term effects of these fires on vegetatio
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

The Effects of Catastrophic Wildfires on Vegetation and Fuel Loads in the Sierra Nevada of California

In recent years, a number of catastrophic wildfires have fundamentally changed species composition and structure across a large area of the Sierra Nevada of California. These fires leave behind many large, severely burned patches of land where the majority of trees have died. To make informed management decisions, forest managers need to understand the long-term effects of these fires on vegetatio
Learn More

Post-fire reference densities for giant sequoia seedlings in a new era of high-severity wildfires

Many forests globally are experiencing increases in large, high-severity wildfires, often with increasingly inadequate post-fire tree regeneration. To identify areas that might need post-fire planting, forest managers have a growing need for seedling reference densities – the natural seedling densities expected to be adequate to regenerate a forest – to compare with observed post-fire seedling den
Authors
Nathan L. Stephenson, Anthony C. Caprio, David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Adrian Das, Eva Louisa Lopez, A. Park Williams
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Assessing giant sequoia mortality and regeneration following high-severity wildfire

Fire is a critical driver of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum [Lindl.] Buchholz) regeneration. However, fire suppression combined with the effects of increased temperature and severe drought has resulted in fires of an intensity and size outside of the historical norm. As a result, recent mega-fires have killed a significant portion of the world's sequoia population (13%–19%), and uncertain
Authors
David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Adrian Das, Nathan L. Stephenson, Marc D. Meyer, Christy A. Brigham, Joshua Flickinger
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Non-USGS Publications**

Soderberg, D.N., 2021. Susceptibility of High-Elevation Forests to Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) Under Climate Change (Doctoral dissertation, Utah State University).

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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