Tania Schoennagel

Tania Schoennagel is an ecologist who specializes in wildfires and insect outbreaks. She is a research scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder and has been involved with INSTAAR (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research) since 2011.

Early life and education[]

Schoennagel was raised in New Jersey.

After earning a degree in History from Dartmouth College in 1990, Schoennagel found herself intrigued by wildfires. This interest was sparked by two separate occasions. First, Schoennagel watched as her neighbor's house went up in flames near Boulder, Colorado. This moment made her realize the great impact fires can have on people's lives. Schoennagel also credits her interest in fires to an experience she had in the Scapegoat Wilderness in Montana. She was working as a part of a trail crew in an area that had been burned by wildfires three years earlier and was fascinated to see the plants recovering from the traumatic event.^[1]

Her newfound interest in fires led Schoennagel to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned three degrees. In 1995 she earned a master's degree in Geography. She continued to earn a second master's degree in Conservation Biology in 1997, and then a Ph.D. in Ecology in 2002.^[2] Schoennagel was given the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000 at the University of Wisconsin Graduate School for her outstanding work as a Teacher's Assistant. Schoennagel studied with Monica Turner during her time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Career and awards[]

In 2003, just after earning her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Schoennagel was given a fellowship through the National Science Foundation.^[3]

Then, in 2006, Tania Schoennagel received the David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship through the Society for Conservation Biology and the Cedar Tree Foundation. This fellowship is awarded only to post-doctoral researchers whose work is centered around the issues of conservation in the United States. This position is highly revered in the field of conservation since there are limited opportunities for scientists to receive funding for conservation research.^[4]

Schoennagel now works as a Research Scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder where she has been since 2003. In 2011, Schoennagel began her position as Research Scientist of INSTAAR, where she continues to work. Schoennagel's research is focussed primarily on wildfires and insect outbreaks. While she conducts her studies around answering fundamental ecological questions, her research correlates to forest management, land-use policy, and climate change.

Publications[]

• Tania Schoennagel, Thomas T. Veblen, William H. Romme, “The Interaction of Fire, Fuels, and Climate across Rocky Mountain Forests," BioSphere^[5]
• Tania Schoennagel, Jennifer K. Balch, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Philip E. Dennison, Brian J. Harvey, Meg A. Krawchuk, Nathan Mietkiewicz, Penelope Morgan, Max A. Moritz, Ray Rasker, Monica G. Turner, Cathy Whitlock, “Adapt to More Wildlife in Western North American Forests as Climate Changes,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences^[6]
• Tania Schoennagel, Thomas T. Veblen, W. H. Romme, J. S. Sibold, E. R. Cook, “ENSO and PDO Variability Affect Drought- Induced Fire Occurrence in Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests,” Ecological Applications^[7]
• Tania Schoennagel, Cara R. Nelson, David M. Theobald, Gunnar C. Carnwath, Teresa B. Chapman, “Implementation of National Fire Plan Treatments Near the Wildland-Urban Interface in the Western United States,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences^[8]

• Tania Schoennagel publications indexed by Google Scholar

Features[]

Schoennagel's work has been cited in major publications such as The New York Times, The LA Times, The Huffington Post, and NASA Earth Observatory.^[9] To see the full list of publications where Schoennagel's work has been featured click here.

Schoennagel was featured in the publication, “Recognizing Women Leaders in Fire Science,” where she is celebrated for her work in the field of fire science.^[10] Schoennagel was also featured in James Balog's film, “The Human Element,” where she offered her expertise on fire.^[11]

References[]

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