Graduation Date
Spring 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Environmental Systems, option Energy, Technology, and Policy
Committee Chair Name
Kevin Fingerman
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Erin Kelly
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
James Graham
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Forestry, California, Geospatial analysis, Wildfire, Fuels reduction, Forest thinning, Biomass, Bioenergy, Emissions modeling, Climate policy, Remote sensing, Environmental monitoring, California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, Silviculture, Forest policy
Subject Categories
Environmental Systems
Abstract
Can forest thinning activities be quantitatively described using public data? This study evaluates the feasibility of doing so using geospatial datasets and project-level documentation associated with forest operations tracked under the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force’s Million Acre Strategy (2020–2023). As fuels reduction efforts expand to address increasing wildfire risk, there is growing demand for detailed information on thinning activity characteristics and associated biomass generation to support management evaluation, biomass utilization, and life-cycle emissions modeling. However, the extent to which existing public data provide sufficient detail to support such analyses remains unclear.
This thesis analyzes forest thinning activities recorded in the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force’s Interagency Tracking System (ITS) between 2020 and 2023. Using a stratified random sample of 200 projects across ownership groups and ecoregions, spatial data and environmental planning documents were used to compile activity attributes, including activity extent, activity type, ecological setting, and silvicultural prescription variables such as diameter limits, basal area, and stand density.
Results show that mechanical thinning dominated statewide efforts, particularly on federal lands, and that total thinning acreage increased substantially over the study period. Silvicultural prescriptions varied across ownerships and ecological contexts, with commercial thinning typically permitting removal and commercial sale of larger-diameter trees, while manual thinning targeted smaller diameter shrubs and vegetation to reduce fire transfer to the canopy. However, the availability of quantitative prescription data was limited and inconsistent: while maximum diameter limits were frequently reported, key variables such as post-activity basal area and stand density targets were often absent. These limitations constrain the ability to estimate biomass residues and evaluate outcomes at scale.
The findings indicate that the publicly available data examined in this study can support broad characterization of thinning activity patterns but are insufficient for consistent, detailed quantification of silvicultural prescriptions and biomass outcomes. As regulatory changes reduce the availability of environmental planning documentation, expanding to include alternative data sources, particularly remote sensing, will be increasingly important for maintaining transparency, improving biomass modeling, and supporting adaptive forest management.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Rowan, Selena, "Can forest thinning activities be characterized with public data?: Evidence from California’s Million Acre Strategy (2020-2023)" (2026). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2580.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2580