Ryan Emmett Tompkins

Forester & Natural Resource Advisor

Plumas Sierra
208 Fairground Road
Quincy, CA 95971
(530) 283-6125
retompkins@ucanr.edu

http://ucce-plumas-sierra.ucanr.edu/

Also in:
Lassen County

Biography

Ryan Tompkins is the UC Cooperative Extension Forester for Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen Counties. He is a California Registered Professional Forester and was a certified silviculturist during his 17 year tenure with the USDA Forest Service.  For over two decades, he’s worked on a myriad of landscape level forest and fire restoration efforts in the northern Sierra Nevada. He is a member of the Science Advisory Panel for the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force and also served on its reforestation working group. His research interests include silviculture for ecological restoration, post-fire reforestation to promote ecosystem resilience, community wildfire preparedness, and forest management policy and practice.  

Education

M.F. Forestry, University of California at Berkeley. 2001

B.S. Forestry, University of California at Berkeley. 1996

Areas of Expertise (click to see all ANR academics with this expertise)

• Forest / Range / Wildlife Commodities / Habitats - General
• Forest Trees and Products
• Forest and Range Resources
• Management and Control of Forest and Range Fires
• Management and Sustainability of Forest Resources
• Natural Resources, General
• Pest Management/Diseases
• Sustainable Natural Ecosystems
• Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases

Bibliography

Peer Reviewed

• Long, Jonathan W.; Walsh, Dana; Coppoletta, Michelle; Tompkins, Ryan E.; Meyer, Marc D.; Isbell, Clint; Bohlman, Gabrielle N.; North, Malcolm P. 2023. Interventions to restore wildfire-altered forests in California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-278. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 105 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/PSW-GTR-278

• Low, Kathryn E.; Battles, John J.; Tompkins, Ryan E.; Stephens, Scott L.; Collins, Brandon M. (2023). Shaded fuel breaks create wildfire-resilient forest stands: lessons from a long-term study in the Sierra Nevada. Fire Ecology. 19:29. May 5, 2023.

• Knight, Clarke A.; Tompkins, Ryan E., et al. (2022). Accurate tracking of forest activity key to multi-jurisdictional management goals: A case study in California. Journal of Environmental Management. 302, p. 114083. January 15, 2022. 

• North, M.P., Tompkins, R.E., Bernal, A.A., Collins, B.M., Stephens, S.L. and York, R.A., 2022. Operational resilience in western US frequent-fire forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 507, p.120004.

• North, M.P., York, R.A., Collins, B.M., Hurteau, M.D., Jones, G.M., Knapp, E.E., Kobziar, L., McCann, H., Meyer, M.D., Stephens, S.L. and Tompkins, R.E., 2021. Pyrosilviculture needed for landscape resilience of dry western United States forests. Journal of Forestry, 119(5), pp.520-544.

• Moore, I.B., Collins, B.M., Foster, D.E., Tompkins, R.E., Stevens, J.T. and Stephens, S.L., 2021. Variability in wildland fuel patches following high-severity fire and post-fire treatments in the northern Sierra Nevada. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 30(12), pp.921-932.

• North, M.P., Stevens, J.T., Greene, D.F., Coppoletta, M., Knapp, E.E., Latimer, A.M., Restaino, C.M., Tompkins, R.E., Welch, K.R., York, R.A. and Young, D.J., 2019. Tamm Review: Reforestation for resilience in dry western US forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 432, pp.209-224.

• Russell, Will; Tompkins, Ryan (2005). Estimating Biomass in Coastal Baccharis pilularis dominated shrub types. Fire Ecology. 1:1.

Non-Peer Reviewed

• Kocher, Susan; Tompkins, Ryan (2023). Assisting Private Forestland Owners with Reforestation after Wildfires. UC Center Sacramento Policy Brief. 06:02. April 19, 2023. 

• Tompkins, Ryan; Hepner, Hannah, et al. (2023). Where We Stand: Forest management needs to happen at much larger scales. Plumas News. July 14, 2023.

• Ingram, Kim; Kocher, Susie; Tompkins, Ryan; Jones, Michael. (2022). California's Small Forest Landowners: Goals and barriers of landowners motivated to manage their forests. A report to the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. November 2022. 

• Moore, I; Collins, B., and R. Tompkins (2022). Managing fuel profiles in high severity burns. California Fire Science Consortium: Research Brief for Managers.January 2022. 

• Tompkins, Ryan E.; Kocher, Susan (2022). New federal wildfire plan is ambitious – but the Forest Service needs more money and people to fight the growing risks. The Conversation. Jan 26, 2022. 

• Tompkins, Ryan; North, Malcolm, et al. (2022). Research Brief for Resource Managers: What is forest resilience and how do we measure it? California Fire Science Consortium. March 2022. 

• Tompkins, Ryan (2022). What is Forest Resilience in California's Future? Forestland Steward. California Forest Stewardship Program Newsletter. 4-6. Fall 2022. 

• McCann, H.; Butsic, V., et al. (2021). Building Capacity for Long-term Forest Stewardship. Public Policy Institute of California. July 6, 2021. 

• Knight, C.A; Tompkins, R.E., et al. (2021). California's 1-million-acre goal: tracking our progress. California Fire Science Consortium: Research Brief for Resource Managers. November 2021.

• McCann, H; Butsic, V., et al. (2021). How Water Agencies Could Catalyze Headwater Forest Management. Public Policy Institute of California. August 2, 2021. 

• McCann, H; Butsic, V., et al. (2021). How Wood Products Could Lower the Cost of Forest Management. Public Policy Institute of California. July 12, 2021. 

• Rosser, Annabelle; McCann, Henry, et al. (2021). Managing Family Forests Is Key to Managing Wildfire. Public Policy Institute of California. September 8, 2021. 

• Kocher, Susan; Tompkins, Ryan E. (2021). Moving beyond America’s war on wildfire: 4 ways to avoid future megafires. The Conversation. October 13, 2021. 

• Lennon, Amber; York, Robert; Tompkins, Ryan. (2021). Using pyrosilviculture to make forests inclusive of fire at larger scales. California Fire Science Consortium: Research Brief for Resource Managers. December 2021. 

• Tompkins, Ryan (2021). Wildfire Preparedness at Home & Other Vegetation Management Tools. Grazing For Change.T. Schohr. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. 15-16. May 2021. 

• Tompkins, Ryan; Stephens, Scott (2020). Brief on California Wildfires and Forest Restoration Challenges. Prepared for Congressional Staff. September 2020. https://ucanr.edu/sites/UCCE-Plumas-Sierra/files/343790.pdf

• York, R; Roughton, A., et al. (2020). Burn permits need to facilitate - not prevent - "good fire" in California. California Agriculture. 74:2, 62-66. May 25, 2020. 

• Tompkins, Ryan (2020). Post-Fire Considerations for Forest Landowners. Forest Landowner Fact Sheet for Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen Counties. September 2020. https://ucanr.edu/sites/UCCE-Plumas-Sierra/files/343145.pdf

• Tompkins, Ryan (2020). Reforestation in a burning climate. UCANR Green Blog. March 21, 2020.  

• Schohr, Tracy; Tompkins, Ryan, et al. (2019). Invasive Weed Management Post-Wildfire: Closer Look at Camp Fire Invasive Weeds in Right-of-ways. Grasslands: Published quarterly by the California Native Grasslands Association. 29:3, 10-14. 

• Gasser, Don; Hepner, Hannah; West, Matthew; McCourt, Sue; White, Chuck; Herrin, Becky; Tompkins, Ryan; Bauer, Ryan; Callaghan, Mike; Bowman, Chuck; Hollister, Zach; Martynn, Dan; Moghaddas, Jason; Graevs, Brad (2019). Plumas County Communities Wildfire Protection Plan. Plumas County Fire Safe Council. 18-20. July 2019.

• Tompkins, Ryan (2019). Thinning for defensible space: tree selection considerations. Plumas Underburn Cooperative Workshop: How to Prepare your Land for Fire. November 9, 2019. 

ANR Workgroup Associations

• Fire - Member
• Forest Ecosystems and Communities - Member
• Native American Community Partnerships - Member

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