Paleoecology of the Sierra Nevada
R. Scott Anderson's work on Sierra Nevada paleoecology spans
sites from relatively low elevation in the Lower Montane forests of Yosemite
National Park to sites near treeline in the Subalpine forest.
He and his colleagues and students are interested in the
development of forest communities since the last glacial, including the present
interglacial (the Holocene), as well as the history of the dominant agent of
disturbance—fire.
Below are a few of the locations for which they presently
have data on both forest and fire history.
siesta lakeSiesta Lake
Siesta Lake, located at the transition between the Upper Montane & Subalpine forests, provided the first long-term history of fire from this vegetation type (Brunelle & Anderson 2003*).
gaylor lakeLower Gaylor Lake
Lower Gaylor Lake, Yosemite National Park, is located close to upper treeline.
woski pondWoski Pond
Woski Pond is located in Yosemite Valley, and is the lowest elevation site in the transect.
barrett lakeBarrett Lake
Barrett Lake, located in the Subalpine forest, is one of the few lakes that Scott and his colleagues have studied on the east side of the Sierran Crest.
* Brunelle, A.R. and R.S. Anderson. 2003. Sedimentary
charcoal as an indicator of Late-Holocene drought in the Sierra Nevada,
California and its relevance to the future. The Holocene 13(1), 21-28.