Ellis Q Margolis, PhD
Ellis Margolis is a research ecologist with the Fort Collins Science Center, stationed at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station. His research focuses on land use and drought effects on fire regimes and forests in the southwestern U.S.
Research Highlights
Research Highlights
- New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: Fire Research
- New Mexico Tree-Ring Science
- New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: Forest Ecosystem Research
- Synthesis of the new North American tree-ring fire-scar network
- Publication: The North American tree-ring fire-scar network
- Publication: Pre-fire assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards in the Santa …
Learn more about the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station
Learn more about the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station
Ellis Margolis is a research ecologist at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, a Fort Collins Science Center facility in New Mexico. Ellis received a Ph.D. in Watershed Management from the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, Arizona. Since joining the USGS in 2015, he has continued his research on the interactions between fire, forests, and drought, and specializes in dendrochronology (the study of tree ring dating). Presently, his research focuses on land use and drought effects on fire regimes and forests in the southwestern U.S. to guide fire regime and forest restoration for watershed management.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 18
New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: Fire Research
Below are ongoing or completed research projects related to fire at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station.
New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: People
Staff associated with the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station.
Synthesis and Forecasts of Piñon-Juniper Woodland Die-off
Drought, hotter temperatures, and insect outbreaks are affecting dryland ecosystems across the globe. Pinon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a widespread vegetation type common to drylands of North America, which have been hit particularly hard by a warming climate. Specifically, mass tree die-off events are transforming PJ woodland structure, composition, and distributions. This project aims to...
Long-term, Place-based, Science and Ecological Monitoring
For over 30 years we have monitored the ecosystem dynamics of the mesas and mountains of northern New Mexico, co-located with mangers. We use a place-based science approach, defined as “science that is founded on long-term, repeated, field data and observations, as well as traditional knowledges, and regularly engages local managers and community members.” This approach enables us to provide land...
Synthesis of the new North American tree-ring fire-scar network: using past and present fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire
Increasing wildfire activity in much of North America is having severe impacts on society and ecosystems. Climate change is a key driver of changing fire regimes across North America, with varying expressions across the continent. Modern fire records, while useful, are too short to fully characterize the complex patterns and non-linear dynamics of fire-climate relationships that are...
Next Generation Fire Modeling to Inform the Management of Climate and Fire Driven Ecological Transformations in the Rio Grande Basin
The warming climate combined with a century of fuel build up (i.e. burnable plant materials found in the forest) due to fire suppression are driving megafires that threaten life and property and are severely altering ecosystems. Many of these fires are converting large areas of forest to shrub fields or grasslands, termed “ecological transformations.” Although uncharacteristically severe...
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 18
New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: Fire Research
Below are ongoing or completed research projects related to fire at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station.
New Mexico Landscapes Field Station: People
Staff associated with the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station.
Synthesis and Forecasts of Piñon-Juniper Woodland Die-off
Drought, hotter temperatures, and insect outbreaks are affecting dryland ecosystems across the globe. Pinon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a widespread vegetation type common to drylands of North America, which have been hit particularly hard by a warming climate. Specifically, mass tree die-off events are transforming PJ woodland structure, composition, and distributions. This project aims to...
Long-term, Place-based, Science and Ecological Monitoring
For over 30 years we have monitored the ecosystem dynamics of the mesas and mountains of northern New Mexico, co-located with mangers. We use a place-based science approach, defined as “science that is founded on long-term, repeated, field data and observations, as well as traditional knowledges, and regularly engages local managers and community members.” This approach enables us to provide land...
Synthesis of the new North American tree-ring fire-scar network: using past and present fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire
Increasing wildfire activity in much of North America is having severe impacts on society and ecosystems. Climate change is a key driver of changing fire regimes across North America, with varying expressions across the continent. Modern fire records, while useful, are too short to fully characterize the complex patterns and non-linear dynamics of fire-climate relationships that are...
Next Generation Fire Modeling to Inform the Management of Climate and Fire Driven Ecological Transformations in the Rio Grande Basin
The warming climate combined with a century of fuel build up (i.e. burnable plant materials found in the forest) due to fire suppression are driving megafires that threaten life and property and are severely altering ecosystems. Many of these fires are converting large areas of forest to shrub fields or grasslands, termed “ecological transformations.” Although uncharacteristically severe...