Kerry Metlen

Metlen, Kerry

Position Type:
Faculty
Job Title:
Courtesy Faculty
Department:
Forest Engineering, Resources & Management
Email:
kmetlen@TNC.ORG
CV:
Metlen CV_2025_03.pdf
Website:
The Nature Conservancy’s dry forest initiatives
Bio
Appointment length: 4/1/2020 - 3/31/2030; Collaborators: Bailey, John; Dunn, Chris; Punches, John; Krawchuk, Meg. Kerry Metlen, Ph.D., is Senior Forest Scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. Kerry engages with diverse partners to provide scientific grounding for forest management decisions supported by robust monitoring and ongoing adaptation. He has the good fortune to work at state and regional scales in support of The Nature Conservancy’s dry forest initiatives. At more local scales he helps lead forest adaptation efforts as part of the Rogue Forest Partners (https://rogueforestpartners.org/), working together for resilient forests and communities.
Selected Publications:

  1. Davis, K. T., J. Peeler, J. Fargione, R. D. Haugo, K. L. Metlen, M. D. Robles, and T. Woolley. 2024. Tamm review: A meta-analysis of thinning, prescribed fire, and wildfire effects on subsequent wildfire severity in conifer dominated forests of the Western US. Forest Ecology and Management 561:121885.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121885

  2. Kurzweil, J. R., K. Metlen, R. Abdi, R. Strahan, and T. S. Hogue. 2021. Surface water runoff response to forest management: Low-intensity forest restoration does not increase surface water yields. Forest Ecology and Management 496:119387.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119387

  3. Metlen, K. L., T. Fairbanks, M. Bennett, J. Volpe, B. Kuhn, M. Thompson, J. Thrailkill, M. Schindel, D. Helmbrecht, J. Scott, and D. Borgias. 2021. Integrating forest restoration, adaptation, and proactive fire management: Rogue River Basin Case Study. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 51:1292-1306.https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2020-0480

  4. Metlen, K. L., and C. E. Fiedler. 2006. Restoration treatment effects on the understory of ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forests in western Montana, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 222:355-369

  5. Metlen, K. L., C. N. Skinner, D. R. Olson, C. Nichols, and D. Borgias. 2018. Regional and local controls on historical fire regimes of dry forests and woodlands in the Rogue River Basin, Oregon, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 430:43-58.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.07.010

  6. Peeler, J. L., L. McCauley, K. L. Metlen, T. Woolley, K. T. Davis, M. D. Robles, R. D. Haugo, K. L. Riley, P. E. Higuera, J. E. Fargione, R. N. Addington, S. Bassett, K. Blankenship, M. J. Case, T. B. Chapman, E. Smith, R. Swaty, and N. Welch. 2023. Identifying opportunity hot spots for reducing the risk of wildfire-caused carbon loss in western US conifer forests. Environmental Research Letters 18:094040.https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf05a