Kevin 'KG' Willson

Postdoctoral researcher studying big heavies (ponderosa pine) & historical forests in Colorado. Fascinated in the intersection of science, politics, & history

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

Managers can use our findings to predict the historical range of variability in Front Range dry conifer stands, inform management plans and prescriptions based on that historical range, and select a specific condition within that range to achieve desired treatment outcomes (7/7).

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

*New publication alert* Very coarse sand & broad-scale topography predict historical dry conifer structure in the Front Range! My team (including @TinkhamWade & @chengt714) published our findings with @usfs_rmrs & @ELSenviron and is accessible here (1/n):

https://t.co/BPLsbaMy77

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

Very coarse sand may have influenced historical structure by increasing water percolation deeper into the soil. If so, sites with more very coarse sand had more water for deep-rooted trees but less water for shallow-rooted grasses and forbs, which can reduce fire frequency (6/n).

[Global Change Biology @GlobalChangeBio]

Trees in Fire‐Maintained Forests Have Similar Growth Responses to Drought, but Greater Stomatal Conductance Than Trees in Fire‐Excluded Forests

🔗 https://t.co/OuPnWvVzUC
@Lil_Heavy383

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

Our findings indicate that reintroducing frequent fire reduces tree water stress without inhibiting growth response to prolonged aridity. This suggests that frequent-fire regimes may help forests better withstand increasingly hot and dry conditions expected under climate change.

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

That's a wrap, my last chapter has been published in @GlobalChangeBio! Another (massive) thank you to Matt Hurteau for helping assess #PonderosaPine stomatal and growth responses to #drought while growing in fire-maintained and fire-excluded forests 1/n

https://t.co/TDJEs3d4c3

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

Growth responses varied with climate and topography while water use efficiency varied with climate, topography, and competition. Trees were more water-efficient in stands with more small trees, which helped explain greater water stress in the denser, fire-excluded forests. 4/n

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

@MatthewHurteau Thank you so much, Matt! Couldn’t have done it without all your support over the years

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

Our results show that trees have consistent short-term growth responses to frequent, low-severity fires, indicating retained vigor. This suggests that managing fires for resource benefit can reduce the risk of high-severity fire without negative long-term effects on tree growth.

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

And my 2nd chapter is out! Thank you to @MatthewHurteau and Ellis Margolis for their help in comparing tree growth responses to first-entry fires and #reburns in southwestern #PonderosaPine forests that experienced 3-5 fires over the past 75 years. 1/n

https://t.co/Y06Gd8u86g

[Kevin 'KG' Willson @Lil_Heavy383]

Drier conditions may have contributed to larger-than-expected tree growth reductions after reburns by either 1) reducing fuel moisture that increased fire intensity or 2) predisposing trees to have lower growth after fire. 5/n