The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a grant of $1.1m to Rohnert Park’s Sonoma State University (SSU) to study how wildfires effect the health of California forests and develop virtual relatable education activities.
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Lisa Patrick Bentley was the specifically named recipient. She is a biology department associate professor who, along with her students, will capture detailed 3D images using a terrestrial LiDAR scanner of local forests. Bentley will utilize tree size data, along with climate data and measured leaf traits, to ascertain the amount of carbon the forest study sites have stored.
The research is expected to provide information on forest structure and how timber harvests and wildfires affect the risk of wildfires in the future.
Bentley is SSU’s first Faculty Early Career Development grant recipient, which offers the NSF’s most prestigious awards. Her team will be using Sonoma County’s Pepperwood Preserve and three state forests used as Cal Fire demonstration sites: Jackson in Mendocino County, Latour in Shasta County, and Mountain Home in Tulare County.
In addition to the Foundation grant, Bentley and her team will be provided with another $1m from the Joint Fire Science Program, CSU Agriculture Research Institute, and Cal Fire’s Forest Health Program.
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538 Martin Ave
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Rohnert Park, CA 94928
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