Texas A&M Experts Available For Comment On US Wildfires

Twenty subject matter experts from Texas A&M University are available to discuss wildfires and wildfire risk factors across the United States. Texas A&M faculty members can provide insight on various aspects of wildfire formation and response, from weather conditions to community planning and disaster mitigation strategies.

Weather, Climate And Wildfire Formation

John Nielsen-Gammon is the State Climatologist and Regents Professor of atmospheric sciences at the Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences. He can discuss how weather conditions affect wildfires, how droughts affect wildfires and how climate change might affect wildfires. Contact: n-g@tamu.edu, 979-862-2248

Luke Kanclerz is the Predictive Services Department Head at Texas A&M Forest Service. He can discuss fire weather, fuels conditions, how weather and drought impact wildfires. Contact: lkanclerz@tfs.tamu.edu, 903-918-9073

Wildfires And Power Lines

B. Don Russell is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering studying the role of power lines in igniting wildfires. As part of Texas A&M’s Texas Wildfire Mitigation Project, he works with utility providers to detect threats and enhance the safety of the state’s power grid. Contact: bdrussell@tamu.edu, 979-229-8963

Economic Impacts Of Wildfires

David Anderson is a professor and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist for livestock and food product marketing. He can discuss the economic implications of wildfire on farms, ranches and beef cattle markets. Contact: david.anderson@ag.tamu.edu, 979-845-4351

Human And Animal Health

So-Min Cheong is a professor in the Department of Public Service and Administration at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. She has conducted research on the unique health risks faced by wildfire responders, with a focus on monitoring the physical and mental health of wildland firefighters. Contact: somin@tamu.edu

Miquela Smith is a health specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Disaster Assessment and Recovery unit. She can discuss the mental health aspects of wildfires on individuals, families and impact on farms and ranches, as well as disaster resiliency and recovery. Contact: miquela.smith@ag.tamu.edu , 806-746-6101

Jacob Dykes is a wildlife specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Corpus Christi. Dykes can discuss the implications of wildfire and impacts on wildlife, some of the ecological responses following a fire that benefits wildlife. Contact: Jacob.dykes@ag.tamu.edu, 361-265-9201

Wildland Firefighting

Jacob Donellan is the Field Operations Department Head at Texas A&M Forest Service. He can discuss response operations and firefighter mobilization. Contact: jdonellan@tfs.tamu.edu, 936-546-1383

Jason Keiningham is the Capacity Building Department Head at Texas A&M Forest Service. He can discuss fire department assistance and grant funding opportunities. Contact: jkeiningham@tfs.tamu.edu, 979-985-4477

Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery And Community Planning

Monty Dozier is program director for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Disaster Assessment and Recovery unit. He can discuss the impact of wildfires and effects to farms, ranches and infrastructure. Dozier led response Texas Panhandle wildfire response efforts establishing three animal supply point operations that provided hay, feed and other assistance to producers in the region. Contact: monty.dozier@ag.tamu.edu, 979-458-9271

Bruce Woods is the Mitigation and Prevention Department Head at Texas A&M Forest Service. He can discuss mitigation and prevention programs, Community Wildfire Defense Grant funds and additional grant opportunities, defensible space, and community risk reduction. Contact: bwoods@tfs.tamu.edu, 936-546-1485

Andy McCrady is a Program Coordinator with Texas A&M Forest Service. He can discuss prescribed fire, prescribed fire training to landowners and cooperators, and hazardous fuel reduction. Contact: amccrady@tfs.tamu.edu, 936-689-9393

James Tate is an assistant professor of architecture at the Texas A&M College of Architecture. He is a co-principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN, a National Science Foundation-funded project assessing wildfire impacts and mitigation strategies in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) of the Southern U.S. Contact: jtate@arch.tamu.edu

Siyu Yu is an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at the Texas A&M College of Architecture. She is the principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN and a faculty fellow with the College of Architecture’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center (HRRC). Her experience spans land use, plan integration and resilience issues in the United States and internationally. Contact: syu@arch.tamu.edu

Tara Goddard is an associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning studying transportation safety and justice in the context of wildfire evacuation. She is a co-principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN and an HRRC faculty fellow. Contact: goddard@tamu.edu

Michelle Meyer is the director of HRRC and an associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. Her research interests include disaster recovery and mitigation, environmental sociology and community sustainability, and the interplay between environmental conditions and social vulnerability. Contact: mmeyer@arch.tamu.edu

Walter Gillis Peacock is a professor of urban planning and an HRRC faculty fellow. His research has focused on evacuation, restoration and long-term recovery from disasters, disaster mitigation and resilience. Contact: peacock@tamu.edu, 979-845-7835

Matt Malecha is an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, an HRRC faculty fellow and co-principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN. His research focuses on community resilience to natural hazards — especially the roles of plans, policies and regulations, and their interactions with underlying population and geographic characteristics of communities. Contact: mmalecha@arch.tamu.edu

Galen Newman, professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, focuses on topics such as urban regeneration, land use science, spatial analytics and community/urban scaled design. He is an HRRC faculty fellow. Contact: gnewman@arch.tamu.edu