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
Landsat-derived fire history metrics to provide critical information for prioritizing prescribed fire across the Southeast
Developing a "fire-aware" stream gage network by integrating USGS enterprise databases
Drought and Disturbances as Drivers of Long-Term Ecological Transformation and Risk
Burned Area Essential Climate Variable
Mountain Pine Beetle Impacts on Carbon Cycling
Changes to Watershed Vulnerability under Future Climates, Fire Regimes, and Population Pressures
Science and Products
- Science
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 prDeveloping 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 wDrought 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 anBurned Area Essential Climate Variable
Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) track critical attributes of the atmosphere, oceanic, and terrestrial systems over time-scales appropriate for analyzing their relationships with climate change. As part of a larger Climate Data Record (CDR) and ECV project, scientists at GECSC are leading the development and validation of the Burned Area ECV algorithm. This algorithm automatically extracts...Mountain Pine Beetle Impacts on Carbon Cycling
In the Southern Rocky Mountains, an epidemic outbreak of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) has caused forest mortality on a scale unprecedented in recorded history. The impacts of insect-induced mortality have only recently received attention, although other disturbances such as fires and land-use change have a strong influence on carbon sequestration and can result in a net...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 - Data
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