5 minute read
Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences
By Kassandra Tuten
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES GRAD READY TO ‘TACKLE ALMOST ANYTHING’
Dillon Alexander spent his childhood exploring the juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests near his home in northern New Mexico. After graduating with a degree in fire management from the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, he is building on a fascination that began in 2000. That year, the Cerro Grande Fire burned 43,000 acres of the forest surrounding Los Alamos, New Mexico. In 2011, the Las Conchas Fire burned 156,000 acres of the forest near that area. It set the record for the largest wildfire in the state’s history at the time. It was the magnitude of these events, as well as the fire suppression response, that made a lasting impression on Alexander. Combined with his love for the outdoors, an interest in a career in natural resources was sparked. “I was searching for wildfire programs that offered a bachelor’s degree in fire management and quickly stumbled upon the Fire Ecology and Management program at the University of Idaho,” he said. “I immediately knew that I had found the right place to pursue my higher education.” Alexander relocated to northern Idaho and accepted an entry-level wildland firefighting position with the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association (C-PTPA) in the rugged backcountry of Clearwater County, near Headquarters. The mission of C-PTPA is wildfire attack on the more than 900,000 acres of industrial timberlands they protect. After working for a year, Alexander became an Idaho resident and began courses at U of I and his pursuit of a double major in the Fire Ecology and Management and Forestry programs. “I wanted to further understand the ecological role of fire and the management actions that can be effective in restoring the ecological health of the wildlands across North America, especially in Idaho,” said Alexander. “The University of Idaho offered me that opportunity.” Alexander became involved in forestry-related clubs and organizations at U of I, including the Student Association for Fire Ecology (SAFE) and the Society of American Foresters. He also worked at the U of I Experimental Forest as the fire program leader and, through SAFE, participated in prescribed burning trips to the long-leaf pine and palmetto forests near Orlando, Florida. “It was valuable for me to experience ignition patterns and witness fire behavior in a fuel type that is much different than I am used to working in,” he said, adding that becoming involved in clubs and organizations was one of the best decisions he ever made. When Alexander first arrived at U of I as a prospective student, Heather Heward, SAFE faculty advisor, said she knew he would make an impact on the program. “His willingness to participate in the experiences offered and to take on leadership positions to make those experiences happen has been a tremendous asset,” said Heward. “Dillon brings people together and makes it fun.”
After graduation, Alexander accepted a job as the assistant fire warden with C-PTPA where he assists in fire and hazard management, administration and supervision of seasonal employees. Alexander said his Vandal experience prepared him well for his future career.
“My University of Idaho education has prepared me to be successful and be able to tackle almost anything,” he said.
Visit uidaho.edu/cnr/departments/forest-rangeland-and-fire-sciences
NEWS BRIEFS
Cai’s Forestry and Sustainable Products Lab Finds New Ways to Preserve Wood
When Lili Cai talks about preserving wood, she isn’t referring to trees.
Cai is an assistant professor of the newly named Forest and Sustainable Products program in CNR’s Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences. She and her graduate students are developing new ways to prevent lumber from rotting. In her lab at the University of Idaho, Cai and her students are extracting toxins from potato peels to treat wood products such as posts and decking used in outdoor construction. Peelings from potatoes that have sprouted or turned green contain glycoalkaloids, natural toxins that appear to kill wood-degrading fungi. Preliminary tests have shown that wood products treated with extracted potato toxins last much longer than untreated wood. In fact, the glycoalkaloids, which are biodegradable, protect lumber almost as long as wood treated with a copper and arsenic solution — the industry’s go-to preservative. “From a long-term perspective, those copper and arsenic solutions are not safe for the environment,” said Cai. “They leach into the soil and water table.”
Glycoalkaloid alternatives show promise. “We may increase the concentration or purify the component,” she said. “That could increase protection.” Finding sustainable solutions to wood preservation is the goal of Cai’s lab, which is also exploring if natural food preservatives can act as a wood-treating option. “We are looking for alternatives to protect wood,” Cai said. “We are trying to find the next generation of wood preservation.”
Range Professor Makes Cow-Tracking Collars Affordable
Tracking cattle over an expansive range using GPS collars that cost $400 apiece is not feasible for ranchers or researchers who want to know where their cows forage, and for how long. Enter Jason Karl.
As part of his research to determine how herds use their range, Karl, an associate professor of rangeland ecology at the University of Idaho, knew commercial GPS collars could bust a budget. That’s why he began building his own collars for around $40 each. With some tinkering the price may drop further, Karl said. Karl’s collars log locations of individual cattle, allowing scientists to track cow movements in relation to topography and habitat. Last summer, 320 cows were outfitted with collars in herds in Idaho and eastern Oregon, a feat that would have been financially impossible in the past. Although people have been using GPS trackers on cows for a long time, Karl said their high cost allowed only a few animals to be tracked, not an entire herd. “We wanted to know where the herd was going and how it interacts with other factors such as forage and sage grouse populations,” Karl said.
Researchers and ranchers once spent a lot of time on horseback following cattle to learn grazing patterns and prevent overgrazing, said Karen Launchbaugh, professor of Rangeland Ecology and director of U of I’s Rangeland Center. “Since the beginning of time, we’d go out on horses and mark where the herds have been on a map,” Launchbaugh said. “Now, we can do it with these, and it’s been a revelation.”
Karl’s collars have caught on in range research circles and his lab is providing collars to other universities.
