Summary
Hunter Noble is a forester and researcher who began his forestry career at Blodgett Forest Research Station, a UC Berkeley research forest. For three years, Hunter worked with the forest managers, Dr. Rob York, and later Ariel Roughton, on a variety of applied forest research, public outreach and education activities, forest management and timber harvests, as well as fuels reduction projects with both prescribed fire and mechanical treatments. He continued his work in the applied forest research world as a research associate in the Bisbing Lab and technical staff on the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project, where he supervised field crews and facilitated on the ground experimental treatments. As forest manager of Whittell Forest & Wildllife Area, he aims to use the area as a living laboratory in the Sierras, that acts as a center for research, education and outreach for both the University of Nevada, Reno community and the public.
Research interests
I am interested in how forest management can be used to replicate and reintroduce historic disturbance regimes of the Sierra Nevada that promote resistance and resilience to climate change and its associated disturbances, while also meeting the diverse needs of stakeholders and society. Because natural disturbances such as wildfire, insect outbreaks, and droughts are becoming more severe and more frequent as a result of climate change, identifying methods to sustain forests and their services will be critical in the near future. Additionally, I am interested in how prescribed fire can be used as a management tool to achieve specific forest management objectives (i.e. Pyrosilviculture). Fire played a large role in shaping Sierra Nevada forests, and while it cannot be reintroduced widely, when used properly and in the right context, it can be a valuable tool in a forester's management toolbox.
Education
B.S., Forestry and Natural Resources, UC Berkeley, 2018
Master of Forestry, UC Berkeley, 2019