The Society for Ecological Restoration, University of Washington Student Chapter (SER-UW), has for the past several years been restoring a forested site near the North Campus Residence Halls. After years of hard work clearing the area of invasive species, SER-UW has begun an effort to share the site and their ideas of habitat and biodiversity revitalization with the community at the University of Washington. The big question for the group now is, can we turn the restored forest into a community space for use and recreation? As the Design Intern for the group, I am utilizing my background as a Landscape Architecture student to create a design that will activate "new" space, as it was inaccessible prior to invasive species removal, and allow for an exciting interaction with, and interpretation of, a Northwest Forest experience. I have performed as a mediator for SER UW, to turn their ideas and desires for the site into design. I set to work discovering how to establish the site as an interpreted and useable site for the community. I developed drawings, diagrams, a prototype sign, and a site plan, then held a work shop with SER UW to discuss the preliminary design. From there, and through a meeting with the Campus Landscape Architect, I created a fourteen page report including details and guidelines of the site design. The design focuses on programs of community gathering and art, as well as elements implemented to influence interaction with the site. Through our design, SER UW will create a legacy at the Whitman Walk Restoration Site. The site will be sustainable from the active involvement and care of the Whitman Walk through students who grow to appreciate the site and find a sense of belonging there. Whitman Walk will grow a greater understanding of the significance of ecology in its visitors for many years to come.

Wildfires that affect homes on the edge of the wildland urban interface (WUI) are becoming of increasing interest to homeowners, government agencies, and scientists. Some of the reasons for this elevated attention include: the substantial growth of home development of these areas in recent years, the buildup of fuels due to fire exclusion over the past 100 years, and the lack of fuel treatments in forested lands that transition to these at-risk home developments. The state of Washington has one of the fastest growing WUI in the nation. The Chumstick watershed near Leavenworth, WA is one such example of a wildland urban interface in fire-prone forests of Eastern Washington. This research project is investigating the 2013 Eagle Fire, which occurred in the Chumstick watershed and is seeking to determine how residents perceive the risk of fire to their homes and property, have taken any steps taken to prepare for wildfire, and view of current federal land management in areas adjacent to these residents. Fifty surveys will be sent to two groups of residents in order to compare and contrast differences in the readiness and opinions. One group will entail those whose property was directly affected by the Eagle Fire this past summer and the other will be landowners adjacent to current fuel treatments on Federal lands. This research has been aided by a partnership with the Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition; a local NGO whose goal is to promote a fire adapted community in the region by working directly with landowners and local politicians. The results from the questionnaire will aid in increasing the knowledge of how people manage their land in the WUI, perceptions of risk, and how they view current federal natural resources management in the area.

The Navajo Nation Department of Forestry (NDF) manages 596,728 acres of commercial forests and 4,818,815 acres of woodlands located along the Defiance Plateau and Chuska Mountains in northeastern Arizona. In previous years, the NDF managed the forest under an uneven-age forest plan, but today the NDF combines even- and uneven-age silvicultural treatments. Since 1991, there have been no commercial harvests and the amount of timber removed has been reduced from 15.9 million board feet to 4 million board feet. Concurrently, wildfires across the west have been increasing in frequency, severity and size over the last several decades. My research asks how changes in forest management have modified the composition of the forest as well as fire severity and occurrence. To answer this question, I am evaluating data from multiple sources including primary literature, forest inventory, maps and data sets from Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project and the Navajo Forestry Department. I am comparing the growth/density of the forest over the past twenty years to that during previous management regime, and analyzing the potential impact on species composition, regeneration, mortality and the frequency and severity of fire (adding fuelwood, medicinal plants, food, wildlife, etc). I anticipate the reduced timber harvesting has resulted in increased tree density in the forest stand, changing the forest type from Ponderosa pine to mixed conifer forest and resulting in increased fuels and fire hazard. This project will deepen our understanding of the impacts of forest management decisions in this region, thus aiding the Navajo Nation and setting the groundwork for developing better strategies to sustain its natural resources and livelihood.