USGS fire science informs land, water, and emergency management decisions. Each year tens of thousands of wildfires cause billions of dollars of damage.
Rachel A Loehman, Ph.D.
My research focuses on understanding complex, multi-scale dynamics of natural and coupled human-natural systems, particularly focused on impacts of disturbance (climate changes, wildfires, insect outbreaks, erosion and sedimentation, invasive species) on landscapes, ecological communities, and natural and cultural resources.
Research summary
My projects integrate field studies, in-situ instrumentation and monitoring, ecosystem and fire models, geospatial and statistical modeling and analysis, and ecological theory to provide new insights into changing climates, disturbance regimes, and landscapes. Applications include development of strategies for restoration of forests and fire regimes, assessments of landscape resilience and vulnerability, reconstruction of long-term human-environment interactions, predictive models of climate-vegetation-disturbance interactions, quantification of fire impacts on above- and belowground cultural and natural resources, and development of new tools and techniques for quantifying and managing shifting environments. I work in coastal, boreal, and tundra ecosystems in Alaska as well as forest and woodland ecosystems in the interior west and southwestern U.S.
Professional Experience
2014 - Present Research Landscape Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2009-2014 Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire Sciences Lab, Missoula, Montana
2007-2009 Research Scientist, Systems for Environmental Management, Missoula, Montana
2007-2008 Climate Change Analyst, National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, The University of Montana
2006-2007 Post-doctoral Research Scientist, Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, The University of Montana
2004-2006 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, The University of Montana
2001-2004 NASA Earth Systems Science Fellow, Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, The University of Montana
1997-2000 GIS/Remote Sensing Specialist, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2006 The University of Montana Ecosystems Ecology
M.A. 1999 University of New Mexico Biogeography
B.A. 1995 University of New Mexico Anthropology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Association for Fire Ecology (Board member, 2017-present)
Alaska Fire Science Consortium (Board member, 2016-present)
Society for American Archaeology
USGS Fire Science Communities of Practice
Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) Wildfires Collaboration Team
Science and Products
Ecosystems on the Edge: Landscape and Fire Ecology of Forests, Deserts, and Tundra
Evaluating Cultural Resource Vulnerability To Fires And Post-Fire Impacts
Advancing Fire Behavior Modeling For Post-Fire Hazards Assessments
Post-Fire Hazards Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems (PHIRE): Support for Response, Recovery, and Mitigation
How Do Critical Life History Stages Limit Plant Adaptation to Changing Climate? The Role of Seedling and Sapling Survivorship in Ecosystem Resilience
Synthesis of the new North American tree-ring fire-scar network: using past and present fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire
Enhancing Climate Adaptation for Native Communities in Western Alaska: Linking Pollinator Diversity and Abundance to Berry Production in a Rapidly Changing Environment
From Refugia to Resilience: Wildfires, Changing Climate, and Landscape Transformation in the Southwestern U.S.
Science to Help Move From Mortality to Recovery in Western Forests and Woodlands
Modeling data for burn severity of the East Troublesome and Grizzly Creek for integration with post-fire debris flow in the upper Colorado River basin, USA
Land Cover Estimates for the Kenai Peninsula Lowlands; 1973, 2002, and 2017
USGS fire science informs land, water, and emergency management decisions. Each year tens of thousands of wildfires cause billions of dollars of damage.
MEET A FIRE SCIENTIST: Rachel A Loehman, Ph.D.
I study the complexities between people and nature, particularly the impacts of wildfires on landscapes, habitats, and natural resources
MEET A FIRE SCIENTIST: Rachel A Loehman, Ph.D.
I study the complexities between people and nature, particularly the impacts of wildfires on landscapes, habitats, and natural resources
Workflow for integrating fire behavior modeling into post-fire hazard risk models. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Workflow for integrating fire behavior modeling into post-fire hazard risk models. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Example of a three-dimensional QUIC-Fire simulation. The example site is located in the Dixie Fire, CA. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Example of a three-dimensional QUIC-Fire simulation. The example site is located in the Dixie Fire, CA. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Using terrestrial LiDAR to characterize fuels within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park site to understand potential future fire behavior and its effects on artifacts. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Using terrestrial LiDAR to characterize fuels within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park site to understand potential future fire behavior and its effects on artifacts. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Setting up fuel transects within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park to understand potential future fire behavior and how it could affect artifacts within the site. Pictured: Grant Snitker (foreground) and Alex Fetteroff (background), New Mexico Consortium. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Setting up fuel transects within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park to understand potential future fire behavior and how it could affect artifacts within the site. Pictured: Grant Snitker (foreground) and Alex Fetteroff (background), New Mexico Consortium. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
A precontact rockshelter and associated artifacts impacted by the combustion of heavy fuels during the KNP Complex Fire, California. Copyright: photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
A precontact rockshelter and associated artifacts impacted by the combustion of heavy fuels during the KNP Complex Fire, California. Copyright: photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Historic cans from a refuse pile that were scorched by the combustion of nearby fuels during the Caldor Fire, California. Copyright: photo taken by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Historic cans from a refuse pile that were scorched by the combustion of nearby fuels during the Caldor Fire, California. Copyright: photo taken by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
USGS ecologists map and monitor vegetation and landscape characteristics at long-term ecological monitoring sites on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
USGS ecologists map and monitor vegetation and landscape characteristics at long-term ecological monitoring sites on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
Fire ecologists discuss wildfire impacts at a repeat fire site in Wrangells-St. Elias National Park, AK
Fire ecologists discuss wildfire impacts at a repeat fire site in Wrangells-St. Elias National Park, AK
Installing tide gauges in rivers of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is dirty work.
Location: Tutakoke River, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
Installing tide gauges in rivers of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is dirty work.
Location: Tutakoke River, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
Large storm surges in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK lead to increased erosion and sedimentation of coastal waterways
Large storm surges in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK lead to increased erosion and sedimentation of coastal waterways
Field camp in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK, where USGS and other ecologists monitor impacts of climate changes, erosion, sedimentation, and flooding on coastal ecosystems
Field camp in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK, where USGS and other ecologists monitor impacts of climate changes, erosion, sedimentation, and flooding on coastal ecosystems
An Alaska Native village on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK
An Alaska Native village on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK
Fire ecologists record post-fire information on tree mortality, fuel consumption, and vegetation communities to better understand and predict fire impacts, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
Fire ecologists record post-fire information on tree mortality, fuel consumption, and vegetation communities to better understand and predict fire impacts, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
A smoke plume from a wildland fire rises above a spruce stand in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
A smoke plume from a wildland fire rises above a spruce stand in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services.
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services.
Reburns, or fires that burn more frequently than expected, are becoming more common in Alaska and can cause major changes in vegetation composition, wildlife habitat, and landscape resilience
Reburns, or fires that burn more frequently than expected, are becoming more common in Alaska and can cause major changes in vegetation composition, wildlife habitat, and landscape resilience
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services
A managed wildfire burns in a Ponderosa pine stand, New Mexico
A managed wildfire burns in a Ponderosa pine stand, New Mexico
Fuel treatments and prescribed fires can be used to reduce the likelihood that archaeological resources will be damaged by high severity fires
Fuel treatments and prescribed fires can be used to reduce the likelihood that archaeological resources will be damaged by high severity fires
Drought, fire, and archeology in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Mortality thresholds of juvenile trees to drought and heatwaves: Implications for forest regeneration across a landscape gradient
Predicting burn severity for integration with post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment: A case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Sexual dimorphism in endangered Jemez Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon neomexicanus)
Modeled interactions of mountain pine beetle and wildland fire under future climate and management scenarios for three western US landscapes
A collaborative agenda for archaeology and fire science
Climate and landscape controls on old-growth western juniper demography in the northern Great Basin, USA
Adaptation strategies and approaches for managing fire in a changing climate
Fire and forests in the 21st century: Managing resilience under changing climates and fire regimes in USA forests
Improved fire severity mapping in the North American boreal forest using a hybrid composite method
Impacts of climate changes and amplified natural disturbance on global ecosystems
Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
Science and Products
Ecosystems on the Edge: Landscape and Fire Ecology of Forests, Deserts, and Tundra
Evaluating Cultural Resource Vulnerability To Fires And Post-Fire Impacts
Advancing Fire Behavior Modeling For Post-Fire Hazards Assessments
Post-Fire Hazards Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems (PHIRE): Support for Response, Recovery, and Mitigation
How Do Critical Life History Stages Limit Plant Adaptation to Changing Climate? The Role of Seedling and Sapling Survivorship in Ecosystem Resilience
Synthesis of the new North American tree-ring fire-scar network: using past and present fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire
Enhancing Climate Adaptation for Native Communities in Western Alaska: Linking Pollinator Diversity and Abundance to Berry Production in a Rapidly Changing Environment
From Refugia to Resilience: Wildfires, Changing Climate, and Landscape Transformation in the Southwestern U.S.
Science to Help Move From Mortality to Recovery in Western Forests and Woodlands
Modeling data for burn severity of the East Troublesome and Grizzly Creek for integration with post-fire debris flow in the upper Colorado River basin, USA
Land Cover Estimates for the Kenai Peninsula Lowlands; 1973, 2002, and 2017
USGS fire science informs land, water, and emergency management decisions. Each year tens of thousands of wildfires cause billions of dollars of damage.
USGS fire science informs land, water, and emergency management decisions. Each year tens of thousands of wildfires cause billions of dollars of damage.
MEET A FIRE SCIENTIST: Rachel A Loehman, Ph.D.
I study the complexities between people and nature, particularly the impacts of wildfires on landscapes, habitats, and natural resources
MEET A FIRE SCIENTIST: Rachel A Loehman, Ph.D.
I study the complexities between people and nature, particularly the impacts of wildfires on landscapes, habitats, and natural resources
Workflow for integrating fire behavior modeling into post-fire hazard risk models. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Workflow for integrating fire behavior modeling into post-fire hazard risk models. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Example of a three-dimensional QUIC-Fire simulation. The example site is located in the Dixie Fire, CA. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Example of a three-dimensional QUIC-Fire simulation. The example site is located in the Dixie Fire, CA. QUIC-Fire is a fast, 3-D simulation tool for prescribed fire planning. It can help managers understand the complex and dynamic behavior of wildland fires.
Using terrestrial LiDAR to characterize fuels within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park site to understand potential future fire behavior and its effects on artifacts. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Using terrestrial LiDAR to characterize fuels within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park site to understand potential future fire behavior and its effects on artifacts. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Setting up fuel transects within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park to understand potential future fire behavior and how it could affect artifacts within the site. Pictured: Grant Snitker (foreground) and Alex Fetteroff (background), New Mexico Consortium. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Setting up fuel transects within an archaeological site at Sequoia National Park to understand potential future fire behavior and how it could affect artifacts within the site. Pictured: Grant Snitker (foreground) and Alex Fetteroff (background), New Mexico Consortium. Copyright: Photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
A precontact rockshelter and associated artifacts impacted by the combustion of heavy fuels during the KNP Complex Fire, California. Copyright: photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
A precontact rockshelter and associated artifacts impacted by the combustion of heavy fuels during the KNP Complex Fire, California. Copyright: photo by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Historic cans from a refuse pile that were scorched by the combustion of nearby fuels during the Caldor Fire, California. Copyright: photo taken by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
Historic cans from a refuse pile that were scorched by the combustion of nearby fuels during the Caldor Fire, California. Copyright: photo taken by Grant Snitker, New Mexico Consortium.
USGS ecologists map and monitor vegetation and landscape characteristics at long-term ecological monitoring sites on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
USGS ecologists map and monitor vegetation and landscape characteristics at long-term ecological monitoring sites on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
Fire ecologists discuss wildfire impacts at a repeat fire site in Wrangells-St. Elias National Park, AK
Fire ecologists discuss wildfire impacts at a repeat fire site in Wrangells-St. Elias National Park, AK
Installing tide gauges in rivers of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is dirty work.
Location: Tutakoke River, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
Installing tide gauges in rivers of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is dirty work.
Location: Tutakoke River, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK
Large storm surges in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK lead to increased erosion and sedimentation of coastal waterways
Large storm surges in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK lead to increased erosion and sedimentation of coastal waterways
Field camp in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK, where USGS and other ecologists monitor impacts of climate changes, erosion, sedimentation, and flooding on coastal ecosystems
Field camp in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK, where USGS and other ecologists monitor impacts of climate changes, erosion, sedimentation, and flooding on coastal ecosystems
An Alaska Native village on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK
An Alaska Native village on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, western AK
Fire ecologists record post-fire information on tree mortality, fuel consumption, and vegetation communities to better understand and predict fire impacts, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
Fire ecologists record post-fire information on tree mortality, fuel consumption, and vegetation communities to better understand and predict fire impacts, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
A smoke plume from a wildland fire rises above a spruce stand in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
A smoke plume from a wildland fire rises above a spruce stand in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services.
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services.
Reburns, or fires that burn more frequently than expected, are becoming more common in Alaska and can cause major changes in vegetation composition, wildlife habitat, and landscape resilience
Reburns, or fires that burn more frequently than expected, are becoming more common in Alaska and can cause major changes in vegetation composition, wildlife habitat, and landscape resilience
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists, and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat, and ecosystem services
A managed wildfire burns in a Ponderosa pine stand, New Mexico
A managed wildfire burns in a Ponderosa pine stand, New Mexico
Fuel treatments and prescribed fires can be used to reduce the likelihood that archaeological resources will be damaged by high severity fires
Fuel treatments and prescribed fires can be used to reduce the likelihood that archaeological resources will be damaged by high severity fires
Drought, fire, and archeology in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Mortality thresholds of juvenile trees to drought and heatwaves: Implications for forest regeneration across a landscape gradient
Predicting burn severity for integration with post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment: A case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Sexual dimorphism in endangered Jemez Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon neomexicanus)
Modeled interactions of mountain pine beetle and wildland fire under future climate and management scenarios for three western US landscapes
A collaborative agenda for archaeology and fire science
Climate and landscape controls on old-growth western juniper demography in the northern Great Basin, USA
Adaptation strategies and approaches for managing fire in a changing climate
Fire and forests in the 21st century: Managing resilience under changing climates and fire regimes in USA forests
Improved fire severity mapping in the North American boreal forest using a hybrid composite method
Impacts of climate changes and amplified natural disturbance on global ecosystems
Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government