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.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist (Oct. 2012 - present), U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver, CO
Research Ecologist (Aug. 2008 - Oct. 2012), U.S. Geological Survey, Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center, Denver, CO
Graduate Research Assistant (Sep. 2004 - July 2008), University of Wisconsin, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Madison, WI
Research Intern (Sep. 2003 - Aug. 2004), University of Wisconsin, Department of Forest Ecology & Management, Madison, WI
Graduate Research Assistant (Jan. 2001 - Aug. 2003), University of Wisconsin, Department of Forest Ecology & Management, Madison, WI
Restoration Ecologist (May 1998 - Dec. 2000), Salix Ecological Resources, Windom, MN
Software Engineer & UNIX Systems Administrator (May 1993 - Oct. 1997), Engineering Animation Inc., Ames, IA
Education and Certifications
2009, PhD Forestry, University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dissertation title: Fire in the wildland-urban interface, a national comparison of patterns of fire occurrence and fire risk to homes.
2003, M.S. Forestry, University of Wisconsin – Madison. Thesis title: Road density and landscape pattern in Northern Wisconsin, USA; present and past perspectives on environmental constraints and...
1998, B.S. Animal Ecology, Iowa State University.
Science and Products
Colorado Landcarbon: Accounting for Wildfire
The Landsat Burned Area algorithm and products for the conterminous United States
Critical land change information enhances the understanding of carbon balance in the United States
Cost-effective fuel treatment planning: A theoretical justification and case-study
Evaluating k-nearest neighbor (kNN) imputation models for species-level aboveground forest biomass mapping in northeast China
Historical background and current developments for mapping burned area from satellite Earth observation
Estimating soil respiration in a subalpine landscape using point, terrain, climate and greenness data
It matters when you measure it: Using snow-cover Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to isolate post-fire conifer regeneration
Time series of high-resolution images enhances efforts to monitor post-fire condition and recovery, Waldo Canyon fire, Colorado, USA
Long-term effects of fire and harvest on carbon stocks of boreal forests in northeastern China
Integrating forest inventory data and MODIS data to map species-level biomass in Chinese boreal forests
Effects of contemporary land-use and land-cover change on the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in the United States
Rapid growth of the US wildland-urban interface raises wildfire risk
Science and Products
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Colorado Landcarbon: Accounting for Wildfire
Disturbance disrupts the balance between gross primary productivity and respiration, resulting in a net C loss for some time after a stand-replacing fire. However, our understanding of this process is based on a limited number of studies. Ecosystem C recovery post-fire must be explicitly and carefully examined in order to generate accurate predictions of C cycle impacts of future wildfires and cha - Publications
Filter Total Items: 61
The Landsat Burned Area algorithm and products for the conterminous United States
Complete and accurate burned area map data are needed to document spatial and temporal patterns of fires, to quantify their drivers, and to assess the impacts on human and natural systems. In this study, we developed the Landsat Burned Area (BA) algorithm, an update from the Landsat Burned Area Essential Climate Variable (BAECV) algorithm. Here, we present the BA algorithm and products, changes reAuthorsTodd Hawbaker, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Gail L. Schmidt, Yen-Ju G. Beal, Joshua J. Picotte, Joshua Takacs, Jeff T. Falgout, John L. DwyerCritical land change information enhances the understanding of carbon balance in the United States
Large-scale terrestrial carbon (C) estimating studies using methods such as atmospheric inversion, biogeochemical modeling, and field inventories have produced different results. The goal of this study was to integrate fine-scale processes including land use and land cover change into a large-scale ecosystem framework. We analyzed the terrestrial C budget of the conterminous United States from 197AuthorsJinxun Liu, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Zhiliang Zhu, Thomas Loveland, Terry L. Sohl, Stephen M. Howard, Carl H. Key, Todd Hawbaker, Shuguang Liu, Bradley C. Reed, Mark A. Cochrane, Linda S. Heath, Hong Jiang, David T. Price, Jing M. Chen, Decheng Zhou, Norman B. Bliss, Tamara S. Wilson, Jason T. Sherba, Qiuan Zhu, Yiqi Luo, Benjiamin PaulterCost-effective fuel treatment planning: A theoretical justification and case-study
Modelling the spatial prioritisation of fuel treatments and their net effect on values at risk is an important area for applied work as economic damages from wildfire continue to grow. We model and demonstrate a cost-effective fuel treatment planning algorithm using two ecosystem services as benefits for which fuel treatments are prioritised. We create a surface of expected fuel treatment costs toAuthorsJason R. Kreitler, Matthew Thompson, Nicole Vaillant, Todd HawbakerEvaluating k-nearest neighbor (kNN) imputation models for species-level aboveground forest biomass mapping in northeast China
Quantifying spatially explicit or pixel-level aboveground forest biomass (AFB) across large regions is critical for measuring forest carbon sequestration capacity, assessing forest carbon balance, and revealing changes in the structure and function of forest ecosystems. When AFB is measured at the species level using widely available remote sensing data, regional changes in forest composition canAuthorsYuanyuan Fu, Hong S He, Todd Hawbaker, Paul D. Henne, Zhiliang Zhu, David R. LarsenHistorical background and current developments for mapping burned area from satellite Earth observation
Fire has a diverse range of impacts on Earth's physical and social systems. Accurate and up to date information on areas affected by fire is critical to better understand drivers of fire activity, as well as its relevance for biogeochemical cycles, climate, air quality, and to aid fire management. Mapping burned areas was traditionally done from field sketches. With the launch of the first Earth oAuthorsEmilio Chuvieco, Flourent Mouillot, Guido R. van der Werf, Jesús San Miguel, Mihai Tanasse, Nikos Koutsias, Mariano García, Marta Yebra, Marc Padilla, Angelika Heil, Todd Hawbaker, Louis GiglioEstimating soil respiration in a subalpine landscape using point, terrain, climate and greenness data
Landscape carbon (C) flux estimates are necessary for assessing the ability of terrestrial ecosystems to buffer further increases in anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Advances in remote sensing have allowed for coarse-scale estimates of gross primary productivity (GPP) (e.g., MODIS 17), yet efforts to assess spatial patterns in respiration lag behind those of GPP. Here, we demonstrateAuthorsErin Michele Berryman, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, John B. Bradford, Todd Hawbaker, Paul D. Henne, Sean P. Burns, John M. Frank, Richard A. Birdsey, Michael G. RyanIt matters when you measure it: Using snow-cover Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to isolate post-fire conifer regeneration
Landsat Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is commonly used to monitor post-fire green-up; however, most studies do not distinguish new growth of conifer from deciduous or herbaceous species, despite potential consequences for local climate, carbon and wildlife. We found that dual season (growing and snow cover) NDVI improved our ability to distinguish conifer tree presence and density.AuthorsMelanie K. Vanderhoof, Todd HawbakerTime series of high-resolution images enhances efforts to monitor post-fire condition and recovery, Waldo Canyon fire, Colorado, USA
Interpretations of post-fire condition and rates of vegetation recovery can influence management priorities, actions and perception of latent risks from landslides and floods. In this study, we used the Waldo Canyon fire (2012, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA) as a case study to explore how a time series (2011–2016) of high-resolution images can be used to delineate burn extent and severity, as weAuthorsMelanie K. Vanderhoof, Clifton Burt, Todd HawbakerLong-term effects of fire and harvest on carbon stocks of boreal forests in northeastern China
ContextBoreal forests represent about one third of forest area and one third of forest carbon stocks on the Earth. Carbon stocks of boreal forests are sensitive to climate change, natural disturbances, and human activities.AimsThe objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of fire, harvest, and their spatial interactions on boreal forest carbon stocks of northeastern China.MethodsWe useAuthorsChao Huang, Hong S. He, Yu Liang, Zhiwei Wu, Todd Hawbaker, Peng Gong, Zhiliang ZhuIntegrating forest inventory data and MODIS data to map species-level biomass in Chinese boreal forests
Timely and accurate knowledge of species-level biomass is essential for forest managers to sustain forest resources and respond to various forest disturbance regimes. In this study, maps of species-level biomass in Chinese boreal forests were generated by integrating Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images with forest inventory data using k nearest neighbor (kNN) methods and eAuthorsQinglong Zhang, Hong S. He, Yu Liang, Todd Hawbaker, Paul D. Henne, Jinxun Liu, Shengli Huang, Zhiwei Wu, Chao HuangEffects of contemporary land-use and land-cover change on the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in the United States
Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) can have profound effects on terrestrial carbon dynamics, yet their effects on the global carbon budget remain uncertain. While land change impacts on ecosystem carbon dynamics have been the focus of numerous studies, few efforts have been based on observational data incorporating multiple ecosystem types spanning large geographic areas over long time horiAuthorsBenjamin M. Sleeter, Jinxun Liu, Colin Daniel, Bronwyn Rayfield, Jason T. Sherba, Todd Hawbaker, Zhiliang Zhu, Paul Selmants, Thomas R. LovelandRapid growth of the US wildland-urban interface raises wildfire risk
The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where houses and wildland vegetation meet or intermingle, and where wildfire problems are most pronounced. Here we report that the WUI in the United States grew rapidly from 1990 to 2010 in terms of both number of new houses (from 30.8 to 43.4 million; 41% growth) and land area (from 581,000 to 770,000 km2; 33% growth), making it the fastest-growing lAuthorsVolker C. Radeloff, David P. Helmers, H. Anu Kramer, Miranda H. Mockrin, Patricia M. Alexandre, Avi Bar-Massada, Van Butsic, Todd Hawbaker, Sebastián Martinuzzi, Alexandra D. Syphard, Susan I. Stewart - Web Tools
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