Todd Hawbaker
Todd J. Hawbaker is a Research Ecologist with the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center in Denver, Colorado.
Todd received his B.S. degree in animal ecology in 1998 from Iowa State University. After receiving his B.S., he worked for a couple of years burning and restoring tallgrass prairie in southwestern Minnesota and then pursued graduate school. He received his M.S. degree in forestry in 2003 and Ph.D. degree in forestry in 2009 from the University of Wisconsin. He joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a research ecologist in 2008. His current research with the USGS combines remote sensing with statistical and process-based ecosystem simulation models to understand the drivers behind ecosystem disturbances and quantify the impacts of disturbances on human and natural systems.
Science and Products
Science for Wildfire Risk
This project is a collaboration among USGS scientists and Department of the Interior (DOI) bureau managers to develop actionable science (data, analysis, projections, and tools) to support DOI efforts to reduce wildfire risk, enhance wildfire resilience, implement and monitor fuel management projects and postfire restoration and rehabilitation efforts, and ensure the success of congressional...
Reducing Wildfire Risk While Maintaining Critical Monarch Habitat Along the California Coast
The California Coast has hundreds of tree groves where dual management practices aim to reduce the risk of fire and to conserve habitat for overwintering monarch butterflies. As the climate changes, longer high-intensity droughts can increase mortality and/or limb loss in grove trees which causes an accumulation of fire-prone fuels. Moreover, these trees provide the critical habitat for overwinter
Landsat-derived fire history metrics to provide critical information for prioritizing prescribed fire across the Southeast
Detailed information about past fire history is critical for understanding fire impacts and risk, as well as prioritizing conservation and fire management actions. Yet, fire history information is neither consistently nor routinely tracked by many agencies and states, especially on private lands in the Southeast. Remote sensing data products offer opportunities to do so but require additional pr
Developing a "fire-aware" stream gage network by integrating USGS enterprise databases
Wildfires affect streams and rivers when they burn vegetation and scorch the ground. This makes floods more likely to happen and reduces water quality. Public managers, first responders, fire scientists, and hydrologists need timely information before and after a fire to plan for floods and water treatment. This project will create a method to combine national fire databases with the StreamStats w
Drought and Disturbances as Drivers of Long-Term Ecological Transformation and Risk
Forested areas in the Western U.S. that are impacted by disturbances such as fire and drought have increased in recent decades. This trend is likely to continue, with the increase in frequency and extent of wildfire activity being especially concerning. Resource managers need reliable scientific information to better understand wildfire occurrence, which can vary substantially across landscapes an
Changes to Watershed Vulnerability under Future Climates, Fire Regimes, and Population Pressures
The project aimed to use existing models and data to understand how wildfires (number, size, and location) and land-use change will affect watersheds, and therefore water supply, under current conditions and future climates (through 2050) in the western U.S. The projected changes in temperature and precipitation are expected to affect water supply in two major ways: 1) decreased water availability
Science and Products
Science for Wildfire Risk
This project is a collaboration among USGS scientists and Department of the Interior (DOI) bureau managers to develop actionable science (data, analysis, projections, and tools) to support DOI efforts to reduce wildfire risk, enhance wildfire resilience, implement and monitor fuel management projects and postfire restoration and rehabilitation efforts, and ensure the success of congressional...
Reducing Wildfire Risk While Maintaining Critical Monarch Habitat Along the California Coast
The California Coast has hundreds of tree groves where dual management practices aim to reduce the risk of fire and to conserve habitat for overwintering monarch butterflies. As the climate changes, longer high-intensity droughts can increase mortality and/or limb loss in grove trees which causes an accumulation of fire-prone fuels. Moreover, these trees provide the critical habitat for overwinter
Landsat-derived fire history metrics to provide critical information for prioritizing prescribed fire across the Southeast
Detailed information about past fire history is critical for understanding fire impacts and risk, as well as prioritizing conservation and fire management actions. Yet, fire history information is neither consistently nor routinely tracked by many agencies and states, especially on private lands in the Southeast. Remote sensing data products offer opportunities to do so but require additional pr
Developing a "fire-aware" stream gage network by integrating USGS enterprise databases
Wildfires affect streams and rivers when they burn vegetation and scorch the ground. This makes floods more likely to happen and reduces water quality. Public managers, first responders, fire scientists, and hydrologists need timely information before and after a fire to plan for floods and water treatment. This project will create a method to combine national fire databases with the StreamStats w
Drought and Disturbances as Drivers of Long-Term Ecological Transformation and Risk
Forested areas in the Western U.S. that are impacted by disturbances such as fire and drought have increased in recent decades. This trend is likely to continue, with the increase in frequency and extent of wildfire activity being especially concerning. Resource managers need reliable scientific information to better understand wildfire occurrence, which can vary substantially across landscapes an
Changes to Watershed Vulnerability under Future Climates, Fire Regimes, and Population Pressures
The project aimed to use existing models and data to understand how wildfires (number, size, and location) and land-use change will affect watersheds, and therefore water supply, under current conditions and future climates (through 2050) in the western U.S. The projected changes in temperature and precipitation are expected to affect water supply in two major ways: 1) decreased water availability