Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
Time: 2:00 to 3:30 pm
Location: Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy (L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, Suite W1204)

Larissa Yocom, Executive Director,  Utah Forest Restoration Institute

Abstract: Wildfire in the western US is an ecological phenomenon and a societal problem. Ecologically, many fires burn in areas where countless fires have burned in the past. Fires reset ecosystems, and plants and animals are often able to take advantage of recently burned areas. However, some fires are now burning in atypical ways, causing more lasting changes on our landscapes. In addition, some wildfires are causing air quality issues and damaging homes, infrastructure and watersheds. What can science tell us about how to better manage fire and our landscapes? This presentation will address what we know (and what we still don't know) about fire's role in our ecosystems and how we can prepare our landscapes, communities, and society for the fires of the future.

Biography: Larissa Yocom is an assistant professor of Fire Ecology in the Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center at Utah State University. She is interested in advancing research about the ecological role of fire, how climate, fire and vegetation influence each other over time and space, and how forest management can promote the beneficial aspects of fire and minimize the negative consequences. Her current research projects include assessing fuel treatment effectiveness in meeting management objectives in Utah, evaluating the climatic and environmental factors influencing tree regeneration after wildfire, and investigating to what degree forest species composition affects fire behavior and effects.