Jason Kreitler, Ph.D.
I am a research geographer for the Western Geographic Science Center (WGSC).
I work on the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the enhancement of natural resource and wildland fire management activities within socio-ecological or human-environment systems. I conduct interdisciplinary studies to understand the consequences of climate and land use change to determine priorities for conservation action or to inform natural resource management. I employ geographic information systems, passive and active remote sensing, environmental modeling, and high performance computing in my quantitative analyses. My area of interest and expertise is the western USA.
Professional Experience
Research geographer, (10/2011 - present), Western Geographic Science Center, USGS
Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), (3/2009 - 10/2011), Western Geographic Science Center, USGS
Graduate student researcher, (8/2005 - 8/2011), Biogeography Lab, UC Santa Barbara
Research assistant (7/2008 - 9/2009), Conservation International
Research assistant (7/2008 - 9/2009), Allen-Diaz Lab, UC Berkeley
Graduate student researcher, (1/2008 - 6/2008), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, UC Santa Barbara
Education and Certifications
2011, PhD in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California Santa Barbara. "Ecosystem services and cost-effective conservation planning".
2005, MS in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California Santa Barbara.
2001, BA in Biology from Colorado College
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Climate, wildfire, and erosion ensemble foretells more sediment in western USA watersheds
The area burned annually by wildfires is expected to increase worldwide due to climate change. Burned areas increase soil erosion rates within watersheds, which can increase sedimentation in downstream rivers and reservoirs. However, which watersheds will be impacted by future wildfires is largely unknown. Using an ensemble of climate, fire, and erosion models, we show that post-fire sedimentation
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Jason R. Kreitler, Todd Hawbaker, Jason L. McVay, Mary Ellen Miller, Erich R. Mueller, Nicole M. Vaillant, Scott E. Lowe, Temuulen T. Sankey
Landscape-scale quantification of fire-induced change in canopy cover following mountain pine beetle outbreak and timber harvest
Across the western United States, the three primary drivers of tree mortality and carbon balance are bark beetles, timber harvest, and wildfire. While these agents of forest change frequently overlap, uncertainty remains regarding their interactions and influence on specific subsequent fire effects such as change in canopy cover. Acquisition of pre- and post-fire Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR
Authors
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair M.S. Smith, Jason R. Kreitler
Multi-temporal LiDAR and Landsat quantification of fire-induced changes to forest structure
Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks validation with specific
Authors
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair M.S. Smith, Brian M. Wing, Bryce Kellogg, Jason R. Kreitler
Conservation planning for offsetting the impacts of development: a case study of biodiversity and renewable energy in the Mojave Desert
Balancing society’s competing needs of development and conservation requires careful consideration of tradeoffs. Renewable energy development and biodiversity conservation are often considered beneficial environmental goals. The direct footprint and disturbance of renewable energy, however, can displace species’ habitat and negatively impact populations and natural communities if sited without eco
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, Carrie A. Schloss, Oliver Soong, Lee Hannah, Frank W. Davis
Predicting watershed post-fire sediment yield with the InVEST sediment retention model: Accuracy and uncertainties
Increased sedimentation following wildland fire can negatively impact water supply and water quality. Understanding how changing fire frequency, extent, and location will affect watersheds and the ecosystem services they supply to communities is of great societal importance in the western USA and throughout the world. In this work we assess the utility of the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosys
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Jason McVay, Jason R. Kreitler, Todd Hawbaker, Nicole Vaillant, Scott Lowe
Targeting climate diversity in conservation planning to build resilience to climate change
Climate change is raising challenging concerns for systematic conservation planning. Are methods based on the current spatial patterns of biodiversity effective given long-term climate change? Some conservation scientists argue that planning should focus on protecting the abiotic diversity in the landscape, which drives patterns of biological diversity, rather than focusing on the distribution of
Authors
Nicole E. Heller, Jason R. Kreitler, David Ackerly, Stuart Weiss, Amanda Recinos, Ryan Branciforte, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Elisabeth Micheli
Optimization in the utility maximization framework for conservation planning: a comparison of solution procedures in a study of multifunctional agriculture
Quantitative methods of spatial conservation prioritization have traditionally been applied to issues in conservation biology and reserve design, though their use in other types of natural resource management is growing. The utility maximization problem is one form of a covering problem where multiple criteria can represent the expected social benefits of conservation action. This approach allows
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, David M. Stoms, Frank W. Davis
Interacting coastal based ecosystem services: recreation and water quality in Puget Sound, WA
Coastal recreation and water quality are major contributors to human well-being in coastal regions. They can also interact, creating opportunities for ecosystem based management, ecological restoration, and water quality improvement that can positively affect people and the environment. Yet the effect of environmental quality on human behavior is often poorly quantified, but commonly assumed in co
Authors
Jason Kreitler, Michael Papenfus, Kristin Byrd, William Labiosa
Cumulative biological impacts framework for solar energy projects in the California Desert
This project developed analytical approaches, tools and geospatial data to support conservation planning for renewable energy development in the California deserts. Research focused on geographical analysis to avoid, minimize and mitigate the cumulative biological effects of utility-scale solar energy development. A hierarchical logic model was created to map the compatibility of new solar energy
Authors
Frank W. Davis, Jason R. Kreitler, Oliver Soong, David M. Stoms, Stephanie Dashiell, Lee Hannah, Whitney Wilkinson, John Dingman
Tools and methods for evaluating and refining alternative futures for coastal ecosystem management—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
The U.S. Geological Survey Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model (PSEPM) is a decision-support tool that uses scenarios to evaluate where, when, and to what extent future population growth, urban growth, and shoreline development may threaten the Puget Sound nearshore environment. This tool was designed to be used iteratively in a workshop setting in which experts, stakeholders, and decisionmakers
Authors
Kristin B. Byrd, Jason R. Kreitler, William B. Labiosa
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Climate, wildfire, and erosion ensemble foretells more sediment in western USA watersheds
The area burned annually by wildfires is expected to increase worldwide due to climate change. Burned areas increase soil erosion rates within watersheds, which can increase sedimentation in downstream rivers and reservoirs. However, which watersheds will be impacted by future wildfires is largely unknown. Using an ensemble of climate, fire, and erosion models, we show that post-fire sedimentation
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Jason R. Kreitler, Todd Hawbaker, Jason L. McVay, Mary Ellen Miller, Erich R. Mueller, Nicole M. Vaillant, Scott E. Lowe, Temuulen T. Sankey
Landscape-scale quantification of fire-induced change in canopy cover following mountain pine beetle outbreak and timber harvest
Across the western United States, the three primary drivers of tree mortality and carbon balance are bark beetles, timber harvest, and wildfire. While these agents of forest change frequently overlap, uncertainty remains regarding their interactions and influence on specific subsequent fire effects such as change in canopy cover. Acquisition of pre- and post-fire Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR
Authors
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair M.S. Smith, Jason R. Kreitler
Multi-temporal LiDAR and Landsat quantification of fire-induced changes to forest structure
Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks validation with specific
Authors
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair M.S. Smith, Brian M. Wing, Bryce Kellogg, Jason R. Kreitler
Conservation planning for offsetting the impacts of development: a case study of biodiversity and renewable energy in the Mojave Desert
Balancing society’s competing needs of development and conservation requires careful consideration of tradeoffs. Renewable energy development and biodiversity conservation are often considered beneficial environmental goals. The direct footprint and disturbance of renewable energy, however, can displace species’ habitat and negatively impact populations and natural communities if sited without eco
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, Carrie A. Schloss, Oliver Soong, Lee Hannah, Frank W. Davis
Predicting watershed post-fire sediment yield with the InVEST sediment retention model: Accuracy and uncertainties
Increased sedimentation following wildland fire can negatively impact water supply and water quality. Understanding how changing fire frequency, extent, and location will affect watersheds and the ecosystem services they supply to communities is of great societal importance in the western USA and throughout the world. In this work we assess the utility of the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosys
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Jason McVay, Jason R. Kreitler, Todd Hawbaker, Nicole Vaillant, Scott Lowe
Targeting climate diversity in conservation planning to build resilience to climate change
Climate change is raising challenging concerns for systematic conservation planning. Are methods based on the current spatial patterns of biodiversity effective given long-term climate change? Some conservation scientists argue that planning should focus on protecting the abiotic diversity in the landscape, which drives patterns of biological diversity, rather than focusing on the distribution of
Authors
Nicole E. Heller, Jason R. Kreitler, David Ackerly, Stuart Weiss, Amanda Recinos, Ryan Branciforte, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Elisabeth Micheli
Optimization in the utility maximization framework for conservation planning: a comparison of solution procedures in a study of multifunctional agriculture
Quantitative methods of spatial conservation prioritization have traditionally been applied to issues in conservation biology and reserve design, though their use in other types of natural resource management is growing. The utility maximization problem is one form of a covering problem where multiple criteria can represent the expected social benefits of conservation action. This approach allows
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, David M. Stoms, Frank W. Davis
Interacting coastal based ecosystem services: recreation and water quality in Puget Sound, WA
Coastal recreation and water quality are major contributors to human well-being in coastal regions. They can also interact, creating opportunities for ecosystem based management, ecological restoration, and water quality improvement that can positively affect people and the environment. Yet the effect of environmental quality on human behavior is often poorly quantified, but commonly assumed in co
Authors
Jason Kreitler, Michael Papenfus, Kristin Byrd, William Labiosa
Cumulative biological impacts framework for solar energy projects in the California Desert
This project developed analytical approaches, tools and geospatial data to support conservation planning for renewable energy development in the California deserts. Research focused on geographical analysis to avoid, minimize and mitigate the cumulative biological effects of utility-scale solar energy development. A hierarchical logic model was created to map the compatibility of new solar energy
Authors
Frank W. Davis, Jason R. Kreitler, Oliver Soong, David M. Stoms, Stephanie Dashiell, Lee Hannah, Whitney Wilkinson, John Dingman
Tools and methods for evaluating and refining alternative futures for coastal ecosystem management—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
The U.S. Geological Survey Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model (PSEPM) is a decision-support tool that uses scenarios to evaluate where, when, and to what extent future population growth, urban growth, and shoreline development may threaten the Puget Sound nearshore environment. This tool was designed to be used iteratively in a workshop setting in which experts, stakeholders, and decisionmakers
Authors
Kristin B. Byrd, Jason R. Kreitler, William B. Labiosa