Research

Understanding and predicting the consequences of climate change on ecosystems is emerging as one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time, and examining how trees and forests respond to environmental change is of particular importance due to the central role they play in supporting biodiversity, regulating global carbon, water, and nutrient cycles, and providing a multitude of vital ecosystem and social services.

Climate-related impacts have already been observed in diverse forests around the world, and are expected to become more widespread and intense in the coming decades. Projected future climate changes, including higher temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide, altered precipitation patterns, greater frequency of extreme events such as heat waves and drought, and shifts in growing seasons, will have profound physical and biological effects on trees and associated forest ecosystems globally.

The overarching goal of my research is to advance our knowledge of the physiological mechanisms controlling tree performance and forest ecosystem responses to climate change. I study how uptake, transport and usage of water and carbon by trees are coordinated, and how they are affected by tree structural properties and by variability in soil and atmospheric conditions. I seek to answer broad questions such as:

• How does physiological performance vary within and among trees of different size and age?
• What structural and functional traits determine the sensitivity of different tree species to climate change and how do these traits influence species distributions?
• How do tree physiological processes scale from leaf to landscape scales?
• What are the ecosystem consequences of climate impacts and how can management actions mitigate these impacts and improve tree and forest health?

My research in collaboration with other scientists combines diverse methods and tools from the fields of plant physiology, forest ecosystem ecology, stable isotope biogeochemistry, dendrochronology, remote sensing, and micrometeorology. I also utilize advanced canopy access techniques in order to directly study tree and forest structure, function, and biological diversity.

Here are some of my current research projects:

Giant sequoia drought response

Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is among the most iconic species on Earth. However, their continued health may be threatened by climate change, particularly severe drought. Since 2015 I have been working with an interdisciplinary team from UC Berkeley, National Park Service, US Geological Survey, and Carnegie Airborne Observatory to understand mechanisms and spatial patterns of giant sequoia tree and forest drought responses in the Sierra Nevada, California.

Tree water use strategies

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