The University of Arizona

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Christopher "Kit" O'Connor

Day of environmental science discovery for ASD students from Tucson area

On Saturday February 7, 2015, a group of educators representing the University Of Arizona Laboratory Of Tree-Ring Research, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, College of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry hosted an environmental science camp for students with Autism. Dr. Kit O’Connor of SNRE and the LTRR led students through a day of hands-on learning with tree rings, geography, and environmental problem solving.

Post-fire forest dynamics and climate variability affect spatial and temporal properties of spruce beetle outbreaks on a Sky Island mountain range

O'Connor, C.D., Lynch, A.M., Falk, D.A., Swetnam, T.W., 2015. Post-fire forest dynamics and climate variability affect spatial and temporal properties of spruce beetle outbreaks on a Sky Island mountain range. For. Ecol. Manage. 336, 148-162.

Fire severity, size, and climate associations diverge from historical precedent along an ecological gradient in the Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona, U.S.A.

O’Connor, C.D., D.A. Falk, A.M. Lynch, T.W. Swetnam. In press. Fire severity, size, and climate associations diverge from historical precedent along an ecological gradient in the Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona, U.S.A. Forest Ecology and Management.

Kit O'Connor wins Outstanding Dissertation Award

Kit O'Connor won the Outstanding Dissertation Award at the 2014 SNRE Annual Awards Ceremony

Mountain pine beetle in Southwestern white pine in the Pinaleño Mountains

Lynch A.M., C.D. O’Connor.  2013.  Mountain pine beetle in Southwestern white pine in the Pinaleño Mountains.  Pp. 482-486 in Gottfried G.J., Ffolliott P.F., Gebow B.S. Eskew L.G., Collins L.C., compilers.  Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings. RMRS-P-67.  USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.  593 p.  Fort Collins CO.

Ecosystem Responses to Partial Harvesting in Eastern Boreal Mixedwood Stands

Brais, S., T. T. Work, É. Robert, C. D. O’Connor, M. Strukelj, A. Bose, D. Celentano, and B. D. Harvey. 2013. Ecosystem Responses to Partial Harvesting in Eastern Boreal Mixedwood Stands. Forests 4:364-385.

Human Pyrogeography: A New Synergy of Fire, Climate and People is Reshaping Ecosystems across the Globe

O’Connor, C. D., G. M. Garfin, D. A. Falk, and T. W. Swetnam. 2011. Human pyrogeography: a new synergy of fire, climate and people is reshaping ecosystems across the globe. Geography Compass 5:329-350

Forest Disturbances in Sky Island Systems

Description: 
Sky Island Mountains of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico are the most ecologically diverse forested systems in North America. We are studying how fire, insect outbreaks, climate and human land uses drive changes in these complex systems across scales of time and space.
People: 
Christopher "Kit" O'Connor
Alexis Arizpe
Donald Falk
Jesse Minor
Lauren Maghran
Tyson Swetnam
Laura Marshall
Collaborators: 
Craig Wilcox
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School of Natural Resources and the Environment
The University of Arizona
325 Biological Sciences East
Tucson, AZ 85721 USA