Jeff Lauder

Jeff is a lifelong Californian, having spent most of his early years exploring and recreating in the Sierra Nevada. He is a forest ecologist, with a focus on drought, tree physiology, tree carbon use, and disturbance ecology. He did his undergraduate education and master’s research at CSU Chico, where he studied the impacts of forest treatments on soil properties and forest growth, and did his thesis research on the impacts of disturbances such as volcanic eruption and flooding on forest structure in Papua New Guinea. He did his first stint with Sierra Streams Institute as an AmeriCorps member in the 2012-2013 term, and then stayed on as staff until 2015, when he left to pursue his PhD. After his dissertation research on physiological drivers of drought-induced mortality in Sierra Nevada conifers, he returned to Sierra Streams to work on projects integrating forest health into watershed management and restoration. He is excited to be back in Nevada County, where he spends his free time running, hiking, skiing, and farming on his off-grid homestead.