United States Department of Agriculture
My current research interests are the impacts of prescribed fires and wildfires on watersheds and soils. I am also keen on rejuvenating Forest Service watershed research in the Southwest. I am also active in promoting the sustainable and environmentally sound use of forest bioenergy as a means of dealing with excessive fuel loadings in forests.
Water is everything! National Forests in the western USA are sources of water supply for over 3500 municipalities in the western USA. Fire is and will continue to be a major disturbance factor in forests of the West. We need to understand the impacts of these disturbances on watersheds and document the tradeoffs of mitigation measures like fuels thinning and prescribed fires.
I have over 420 publications dealing with many water-related and ecological topics. A few key publications are:
1. DeBano, L.F.; Neary, D.G.; Ffolliott, P.F. 1998. Fire's Effects on Ecosystems. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 333 p.;
2. Neary, D.G.; Klopatek, C.C.; DeBano, L.F.; Ffolliott, P.F. 1999. Effects of fire on belowground sustainability: A review and synthesis. Forest Ecology and Management. 122: 51-71.; and
3. Neary, D.G.; Ryan, K.C.; DeBano, L.F. (Editors) 2005 (Revised 2008). Fire effects on soil and water. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-42, Volume 4: Fort Collins, CO. 250 p.
