I am the T. W. Daniel Associate Professor of Forestry at the S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. I study the ecosystems of western North America to contribute to science-based conservation and management of our natural resources in the face of changing climate and demography. My interests include the demography and spatial patterns of primary forests, especially the causes of tree death, and how fire shapes old-growth forest communities.