Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects can help archaeologists and fire scientists determine how wildfires and prescribed fires impact cultural resources, and how management actions may reduce likelihood 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
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects can help archaeologists and fire scientists determine how wildfires and prescribed fires impact cultural resources, and how management actions may reduce likelihood of damage
Fire behavior instruments are deployed during wildfires and prescribed fires to provide data on the types of fire environments that damage archaeological resources
Fire behavior instruments are deployed during wildfires and prescribed fires to provide data on the types of fire environments that damage archaeological resources
Archaeologists and fire scientists collaborate to assess impacts of wildfires on archaeological sites in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Archaeologists and fire scientists collaborate to assess impacts of wildfires on archaeological sites in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
A managed wildfire in New Mexico demonstrates application of wildland fire
science for forest restoration and risk reduction
A managed wildfire in New Mexico demonstrates application of wildland fire
science for forest restoration and risk reduction
A convective smoke plume from a managed wildfire rises above Ponderosa pine trees, New Mexico
A convective smoke plume from a managed wildfire rises above Ponderosa pine trees, New Mexico
Flames from a managed wildfire consume surface fuels, New Mexico
Flames from a managed wildfire consume surface fuels, New Mexico
Flames consume woody fuels in a managed wildfire, New Mexico
Flames consume woody fuels in a managed wildfire, New Mexico
Controlled experiments that simulate fire environments provide critical information for understanding how fire intensity and duration impact archaeological resources
Controlled experiments that simulate fire environments provide critical information for understanding how fire intensity and duration impact archaeological resources
Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science strategic plan, 2021–26
Native American fire management at an ancient wildland–urban interface in the Southwest United States
Drivers of wildfire carbon emissions
Four decades of land-cover change on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Detecting disturbance-influenced vegetation shifts using landsat legacy data
Bioclimatic modeling of potential vegetation types as an alternative to species distribution models for projecting plant species shifts under changing climates
Climate- and disturbance-driven changes in subsistence berries in coastal Alaska: Indigenous knowledge to inform ecological inference
Multi-decadal patterns of vegetation succession after tundra fire on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Simulation modeling of complex climate, wildfire, and vegetation dynamics to address wicked problems in land management
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Berry Outlook: Final Report
Historical range and variation (HRV)
User guide to the FireCLIME Vulnerability Assessment (VA) Tool: A rapid and flexible system for assessing ecosystem vulnerability to climate-fire interactions
Science and Products
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects can help archaeologists and fire scientists determine how wildfires and prescribed fires impact cultural resources, and how management actions may reduce likelihood of damage
Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects can help archaeologists and fire scientists determine how wildfires and prescribed fires impact cultural resources, and how management actions may reduce likelihood of damage
Fire behavior instruments are deployed during wildfires and prescribed fires to provide data on the types of fire environments that damage archaeological resources
Fire behavior instruments are deployed during wildfires and prescribed fires to provide data on the types of fire environments that damage archaeological resources
Archaeologists and fire scientists collaborate to assess impacts of wildfires on archaeological sites in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Archaeologists and fire scientists collaborate to assess impacts of wildfires on archaeological sites in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
A managed wildfire in New Mexico demonstrates application of wildland fire
science for forest restoration and risk reduction
A managed wildfire in New Mexico demonstrates application of wildland fire
science for forest restoration and risk reduction
A convective smoke plume from a managed wildfire rises above Ponderosa pine trees, New Mexico
A convective smoke plume from a managed wildfire rises above Ponderosa pine trees, New Mexico
Flames from a managed wildfire consume surface fuels, New Mexico
Flames from a managed wildfire consume surface fuels, New Mexico
Flames consume woody fuels in a managed wildfire, New Mexico
Flames consume woody fuels in a managed wildfire, New Mexico
Controlled experiments that simulate fire environments provide critical information for understanding how fire intensity and duration impact archaeological resources
Controlled experiments that simulate fire environments provide critical information for understanding how fire intensity and duration impact archaeological resources
Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science strategic plan, 2021–26
Native American fire management at an ancient wildland–urban interface in the Southwest United States
Drivers of wildfire carbon emissions
Four decades of land-cover change on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Detecting disturbance-influenced vegetation shifts using landsat legacy data
Bioclimatic modeling of potential vegetation types as an alternative to species distribution models for projecting plant species shifts under changing climates
Climate- and disturbance-driven changes in subsistence berries in coastal Alaska: Indigenous knowledge to inform ecological inference
Multi-decadal patterns of vegetation succession after tundra fire on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Simulation modeling of complex climate, wildfire, and vegetation dynamics to address wicked problems in land management
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Berry Outlook: Final Report
Historical range and variation (HRV)
User guide to the FireCLIME Vulnerability Assessment (VA) Tool: A rapid and flexible system for assessing ecosystem vulnerability to climate-fire interactions
*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