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Michele S. Buonanduci

Postdoctoral Researcher

The Nature Conservancy in Washington

Biography

Hello! I am a Postdoctoral Researcher working with The Nature Conservancy in Washington. I recently completed my PhD in the Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management program at the University of Washington, working with Dr. Brian J. Harvey. Broadly, I am interested in harnessing quantitative methods to address questions in the field of landscape ecology. My graduate research focused on understanding the causes and consequences of forest disturbances (primarily bark beetle outbreaks and wildfires) across multiple spatial scales.

Interests

  • Spatial analysis
  • Landscape ecology
  • Forest ecology

Education

  • PhD in Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, 2023

    University of Washington

  • MS in Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, 2019

    University of Washington

  • BA in Environmental Science, 2012

    Boston University

Projects

Burn severity spatial scaling

West of the Cascade Crest in Washington and Oregon (“Northwestern Cascadia”), wildfire has historically been infrequent yet …

Biotic disturbance hotspots

Globally, biotic forest disturbances caused by herbivorous insects and pathogens have increased, a trend that has been linked to …

Growth releases following bark beetle outbreak

Bark beetle outbreaks structure forests not only directly via mortality of overstory trees but also indirectly by releasing the growth …

Host tree mortality from bark beetle outbreak

While drivers of bark beetle outbreaks have been studied extensively at spatial scales ranging from stands to continents, within-stand …

Publications

Consistent spatial scaling of high-severity wildfire can inform expected future patterns of burn severity

Increasing wildfire activity in forests worldwide has driven urgency in understanding current and future fire regimes. Spatial patterns …

Fine‑scale spatial heterogeneity shapes compensatory responses of a subalpine forest to severe bark beetle outbreak

Context
Growth releases of individuals that survive disturbances are important compensatory response mechanisms that contribute to …

Neighborhood context mediates probability of host tree mortality in a severe bark beetle outbreak

Understanding drivers of disturbances across scales is critical as environmental constraints change in a warming climate. Outbreaks of …