CAREER: 3DForests: Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning To Explore Forest Structure Changes Following Disturbance

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。虽然火灾是美国西部一个重要的生态过程，但近几十年来，由于气候变化、历史上的灭火和缺乏适当的燃料管理，野火有所增加。由于保护生命和财产的紧迫性，这项工作将使用最先进的技术(地面激光)来收集有关森林的信息，这将有助于为加州的森林健康管理和积极的火灾行动提供信息和支持。此外，与野火相关的研究成果将被用于创建基于虚拟现实的活动，这些活动将用于提高STEM专业中未被充分代表的少数族裔在一个主要是本科生的西班牙裔服务机构的保留率和毕业率。该项目的目标是：1)使用地面激光扫描(TLS)和手持移动激光扫描来估计林下森林结构参数，确定森林结构对过去野火强度的影响，并预测森林结构变化对未来野火风险的影响；以及2)通过用TLS收集的生物量、测量的树叶特征和气候数据参数化的尺度模型，将净初级生产力的时间变化与干扰联系起来。这项工作还旨在利用与野火相关的研究成果，为更多样化的学生群体扩大机会，他们中的许多人往往是代表不足的少数族裔或第一代大学生。这将通过以下方式实现：1)指导未被充分代表的少数族裔本科生和研究生，为以生态学课程为基础的本科生研究体验和国家科学基金会资助的“虚拟田野”平台创建一次以森林结构为重点的虚拟“实地考察”；2)将“实地考察”改编为在当地自然保护区的公共宣传，以及4-6年级学生在使用虚拟现实(VR)的西班牙语沉浸式学校。收集到的数据将有助于确定野火后生态系统变化的关键特征，评估森林对累积干扰的敏感性，并提高生态科学的可预测性。此外，VR活动将扩大实地学习的参与度，并为更多样化的学生群体提供更多机会，特别是在大流行时期。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).While fire is an important ecological process in the western United States, wildfire has increased over recent decades as a result of climate change, historical fire suppression, and lack of adequate fuels management. Due to the urgency to protect life and property, this work will use state-of-the-art technology (ground-based lasers) to collect information about forests that will help inform and support both forest health management and active fire operations in California. In addition, research findings related to wildfire will be used to create virtual reality-based activities that will be used to improve retention and graduation rates of underrepresented minorities in STEM majors at a primarily undergraduate, Hispanic Serving Institution. These novel data-driven and accessible educational products will also be presented at a local nature preserve and for 4th-6th graders at a Spanish-immersion school to allow broad audiences to better understand interactions between forests and wildfire.The goals of this project are to: 1) Use terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and handheld mobile laser scanning to estimate understory forest structure parameters, determine impacts of forest structure on past wildfire intensity, and predict how altered forest structure affects future wildfire risk; and 2) Link temporal changes in net primary productivity to disturbance via a scaling model parameterized with TLS-collected biomass, measured leaf traits and climate data. This work also aims to use research findings related to wildfire to expand opportunities for a more diverse group of students, many of whom are often underrepresented minorities or first-generation college students. This will be accomplished through: 1) Mentoring underrepresented minority undergraduate and graduate students to create a virtual "field trip" focused on forest structure for an ecology course-based undergraduate research experience and NSF-funded "The Virtual Field" platform; and 2) Adapting the “field trip” for public outreach at a local nature preserve and for 4th-6th graders at a Spanish-immersion school using virtual reality (VR). Data collected will enable crucial characterization of ecosystem changes post-wildfire and assessment of forest sensitivity to cumulative disturbances and advance the predictability of ecological science. In addition, VR activities will broaden participation in field learning and expand opportunities for a more diverse group of students, especially during pandemic times.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.