Our research examines the effects of changing climate and disturbance regimes on ecological communities and landscapes in western North America, with a focus on forests of the southern Rockies. Key research themes are presented on this page. A more complete accounting of Coop lab publications can be found here.
Ecological Transformation
Fire, insects, and drought -- all under the influence of a changing climate -- can drive major changes to ecosystems. Under altered post-disturbance conditions (e.g., a warmer and drier post-fire environment) ecosystems may not return toward their prior state. For example, western North American forests are increasingly at risk of conversion to non-forest vegetation types. Much of our research focuses on the ecological consequences of changing climate and disturbance, and how management and societies may respond as these changes unfold.
Coop, J. D., Parks, S. A., Stevens-Rumann, C. S., Crausbay, S. D., Higuera, P. E., Hurteau, M. D., ... & Rodman, K. C. (2020). Wildfire-driven forest conversion in western North American landscapes. BioScience, 70(8), 659-673.
Batllori, E., Lloret, F., Aakala, T., Anderegg, W. R., Aynekulu, E., Bendixsen, D. P., ... & Zeeman, B. (2020). Forest and woodland replacement patterns following drought-related mortality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(47), 29720-29729.
Coop, J. D., Parks, S. A., Stevens-Rumann, C. S., Crausbay, S. D., Higuera, P. E., Hurteau, M. D., ... & Rodman, K. C. (2020). Wildfire-driven forest conversion in western North American landscapes. BioScience, 70(8), 659-673.
Batllori, E., Lloret, F., Aakala, T., Anderegg, W. R., Aynekulu, E., Bendixsen, D. P., ... & Zeeman, B. (2020). Forest and woodland replacement patterns following drought-related mortality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(47), 29720-29729.
REFUGIA
Refugia are landscape locations that are less affected by changing environmental conditions, and where species and communities have a higher likelihood of persistence. We are particularly interested in understanding fire refugia, including their role in the persistence and recovery of forest species and ecological processes. We anticipate that these locations will become increasingly critical as wildfire activity and climate change erode forest landscape resilience across fire-prone temperate ecosystems.
Krawchuk, M. A., Meigs, G. W., Cartwright, J. M., Coop, J. D., Davis, R., Holz, A., ... & Meddens, A. J. (2020). Disturbance refugia within mosaics of forest fire, drought, and insect outbreaks. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 18(5), 235-244.
Coop, J. D., DeLory, T. J., Downing, W. M., Haire, S. L., Krawchuk, M. A., Miller, C., ... & Walker, R. B. (2019). Contributions of fire refugia to resilient ponderosa pine and dry mixed‐conifer forest landscapes. Ecosphere, 10(7), e02809.
Walker, R. B., Coop, J.D., Downing, W. M., Krawchuk, M. A., Malone, S. L., & Meigs, G. W. (2019). How much forest persists through fire? High-resolution mapping of tree cover to characterize the abundance and spatial pattern of fire refugia across mosaics of burn severity. Forests, 10(9), 782.
Krawchuk, M. A., Meigs, G. W., Cartwright, J. M., Coop, J. D., Davis, R., Holz, A., ... & Meddens, A. J. (2020). Disturbance refugia within mosaics of forest fire, drought, and insect outbreaks. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 18(5), 235-244.
Coop, J. D., DeLory, T. J., Downing, W. M., Haire, S. L., Krawchuk, M. A., Miller, C., ... & Walker, R. B. (2019). Contributions of fire refugia to resilient ponderosa pine and dry mixed‐conifer forest landscapes. Ecosphere, 10(7), e02809.
Walker, R. B., Coop, J.D., Downing, W. M., Krawchuk, M. A., Malone, S. L., & Meigs, G. W. (2019). How much forest persists through fire? High-resolution mapping of tree cover to characterize the abundance and spatial pattern of fire refugia across mosaics of burn severity. Forests, 10(9), 782.
Changing Fire Regimes
Recent focus of our lab is improved quantification of fire regime change over a range of temporal scales. Understanding how fire operated in the past shed light on keystone processes and patterns, facilitating comparisons with contemporary dynamics and future projects. As examples of these projects, grad students in the lab are collaborating with researchers from USGS and the USFS, bringing together field data, fire-scar networks, and remote sensing to characterize historical fire regimes in the Upper Gunnison Basin from fire scars, contrast historical and contemporary fire frequency and severity in the SW US, and assess recent fire affects. We are also using satellite detections of modern fires to gain insight into fire-climate relationships, and model changes under future climate.
Coop, J. D., Parks, S.A., Stevens-Rumann, C.S., Ritter, S.M., & Hoffman, C.M. (2022). Extreme fire spread events and area burned in the western USA under recent and future climate. Global Ecology and Biogeography. doi: 10.1111/geb.13496
Coop, J. D., Parks, S.A., Stevens-Rumann, C.S., Ritter, S.M., & Hoffman, C.M. (2022). Extreme fire spread events and area burned in the western USA under recent and future climate. Global Ecology and Biogeography. doi: 10.1111/geb.13496