Achievements

Justin Luong

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Dr. Justin Luong received CSU Agricultural Research Institute funding to assess how solar micro grids affect coastal prairie plant communities and soil properties. The study aims to determine land use strategies that maximize ecosystem services for native plant biodiversity, sheep forage, and solar energy. The project involves mentorship and training for undergraduate (Gabriel Abundis, Claudia Alfaro-Hernandez, Logan Holey) students and a graduate student (Angelina Garcia) to improve retention of diverse natural resource managers and scientists in rangeland sciences. Results of this study will inform California policy related to rangeland management and solar energy, as well as natural resource management. 

Logan Holey, Angelina Garcia

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Angelina Garcia and Logan Holey received competitive research grants from the California Native Grassland Association (CNGA) to conduct research with Dr. Justin Luong. Logan will examine how local solar microgrid energy developments influence physical rangeland characteristics that result in microhabitats for plant communities, and Angelina will explore how targeted invasive species removal on affects rangeland soil health.

Justin Luong

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Led by a previous undergraduate student mentee, Dr. Justin Luong co-published a paper in American Journal of Botany. The paper uses eDNA to explore microbial communities in the rhizosphere of an endangered species, Lupinus nipomensis, and characterizes differences in different field microhabitats. The study also looks at how microbial communities differ in field and greenhouse conditions.

Nguyen PV, Luong JC, Wishingrad V, Stratton LC, Loik ME, Meyer RS. 2024. Soil Biome Variation of Lupinus nipomensis Eastw. in Wet-Cool vs. Dry-Warm Microhabitats and Greenhouse Conditions. American Journal of Botany. e70020. doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70020

Jeff Kane and Pascal Berrill

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Drs. Jeff Kane and Pascal Berrill received a $144,000 grant from the USDA Forest Service to support a study that will examine the effectiveness of variable tree thinning and prescribed burn treatments to promote fire and forest resilience in mixed-conifer forests of California. Research has consistently shown thinned tree stands to be more resilient to drought and wildfires, however, much remains to be learned about tree regeneration and growth in landscapes experiencing frequent low-to-moderate severity fires. This work will help to fill information gaps on interrelationships between prescribed fire dynamics, forest structural diversity, fuels, and vegetation response.

Tommy Dachauer, Derek Tremaine, Carter Daniel, and Nicholas Verhey

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Four Soil Science students from Cal Poly Humboldt—Tommy Dachauer, Derek Tremaine, Carter Daniel, and Nicholas Verhey—demonstrated their skills at the Region 6 Soil Judging Competition held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Competing against teams from across the region, the Cal Poly Humboldt team achieved an impressive third-place finish in the team category. Individually, Nick Verhey stood out, securing 7th place among 40 competitors. Their success highlights the dedication and expertise of Cal Poly Humboldt's Soil Science program in preparing students for the field.

Kai Zhu, Yiluan Song, Josephine Lesage, Justin Luong, James Bartolome, et al.

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Justin Luong (FFRM) and colleagues recently published in Nature Ecology and Evolution on the how California grasslands are experiencing rapid shifts in response to climate change, resulting in plant communities that are more thermophillic, or adapted to warmer conditions. Understanding these plant community shifts to climate tolerances can help inform invasive species and conservation management.  A link to the manuscript is here.  

Dino Santia, Kerry Byrne

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

RRS undergraduate Dino Santia was awarded a $3,750 research award over this past summer to support his ongoing independent research project in Kerry Byrne's lab, entitled "Seed Bank Emergence Study."

Dino Santia, Kerry Byrne

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

RRS undergraduate Dino Santia has been awarded an $8,000 NEXTGEN research fellowship from the Agricultural Research Institute to support his independent research project in the Byrne Lab (ESM Dept), entitled "Seed bank Emergence Study." 

Wendy Kornberg, Claudia Alfaro Hernandez

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Undergraduate students Wendy Kornberg and Claudia Alfaro Hernandez were each awarded an $11,000 California State University Agriculture Research Initiative-NEXTGEN in a systemwide competition to conduct independent research related to agricultural resources with Dr. Justin Luong. Wendy Kornberg will evaluate how indigenous microorganisms (IMO) inoculation can be used to benefit regenerative tomato production in south county. Claudia Alfaro Hernandez will evaluate how microhabitats created by solar microgrids shape plant communities and soil properties on local rangelands. The data will be used to inform ecological restoration plant selection for future management goals related to native plant diversity, pollinator habitat, and sheep grazing.   

Rosemary Sherriff and Andrew Stubblefield

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Drs. Andrew Stubblefield and Rosemary Sherriff are Coordinating Leads on California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment’s Regional Synthesis Report for the North Coast, focusing on how climate change is impacting six counties in northwestern California. The assessment is supported through the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and aims to inform on-the-ground implementation and decision-making at the local, regional, tribal, and state levels, focusing on communities most vulnerable to climate change. Lead authors include Dr. Daniel Lipe, Dr. David Narum, Dr. Keith Parker, and Jennifer Marlow.

Learn more about the assessment here.