This collection includes theses, dissertations, and professional papers from the University of Montana W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. Theses, dissertations, and professional papers from all University of Montana departments and programs may be searched here.
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Shuttles in Wonderland: Assessing the Perceived Impact to Residents’ Quality of Life Based on the Proposed Implementation of a Voluntary Shuttle System in West Yellowstone, MT, Carter Wyatt Bermingham
Influence of Livestock and Electrified Fences on Livestock Depredation and Habitat Selection by Grizzly Bears in the Mission Valley, Montana, Kari Lynn Eneas
Resource Selection and Calving Success of Moose in Colorado, Forest P. Hayes
BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC DRIVERS OF ACYCLIC SNOWSHOE HARE POPULATION DYNAMICS IN A SPATIOTEMPORALLY COMPLEX SYSTEM, Alexander Vishvamitra Kumar
Understanding and Measuring Net Positive Business Strategies, Luke Ruffner Robinson
REMOTE SENSING APPROACHES TO PREDICT FOREST CHARACTERISTICS IN NORTHWEST MONTANA, Ryan P. Rock
QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF NON-NATIVE RAINBOW TROUT (ONCOHYNCHUS MYKISS) HYBRIDIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON FITNESSRELATED TRAITS OF WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT TROUT (ONCORHYNCHUS CLARKII LEWISI), Jeffrey Thomas Strait
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
PRAGMATIST ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS: FOCUSING ON HUMAN-NATURE RELATIONSHIPS AND SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, Christopher Aden Armatas
DEFINING, MEASURING AND REFINING AN IDENTITY OF PEACE IN THE U.S. SECTION OF WATERTON-GLACIER INTERNATIONAL PEACE PARK, Elena A. Bigart
Tiger Monitoring in Bhutan Using Non-invasive Genetic Tools, Tashi Dhendup
UNCONFINED WILDERNESS EXPERIENCES: WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO FEELING UNCONFINED WHILE VISITING THE SELWAY-BITTERROOT WILDERNESS?, Jonathan Daniel Dorman
SPATIOTEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF NITROGEN AND CARBON BIOGEOCHEMISTRY IN A WETLAND-STREAM SEQUENCE, Patrick E. Hurley
THE PUBLIC TRUST IN WILDLIFE: IMPLEMENTATION IN 13 WESTERN STATES, Nyssa Landres
Understanding Tourism Within a Social-Ecological System: Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, Chelsea Leigh Leven
SOIL MOISTURE DRIVES CANOPY WATER CONTENT DYNAMICS IN THE WESTERN U.S., Drew S. Lyons
METHODS FOR ESTIMATING MOUNTAIN GOAT OCCUPANCY AND ABUNDANCE, Molly McDevitt
Adaptation Under the Canopy: Coffee Cooperative and Certification Contributions to Smallholder Livelihood Sustainability in Santa Lucía Teotepec, Oaxaca, Meghan C. Montgomery
NEW, MULTI-SCALE APPROACHES TO CHARACTERIZE PATTERNS IN VEGETATION, FUELS, AND WILDFIRE, Christopher Jacob Moran
PATTERNS OF WILDFIRE RISK IN THE UNITED STATES FROM SYSTEMATIC OPERATIONAL RISK ASSESSMENTS – HOW RISK IS CHARACTERIZED BY LAND MANAGERS, Erin Kathleen Noonan-Wright
An Exploration: How Voluntourism Conservation Projects Coordinate with and Contribute to Conservation Efforts in Madre de Dios, Peru, Alejandrina R. Ocanas
An assessment of fecal water contamination in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Daniel Paul Pendergraph 5024527
Population and Breeding Ecology of Sagebrush Steppe Songbirds, Kayla Ann Ruth
COMMUNITY-CENTERED SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION AND ECOTOURISM PLANNING IN THE BOSSOU FOREST RESERVE, GUINEA, WEST AFRICA, DESTINA SAMANI
PATTERN-PROCESS LINKAGES IN FORESTED ECOSYSTEMS, Eryn Elizabeth Schneider
MECHANISMS DRIVING TERRITORIAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN A COOPERATIVE CARNIVORE, Sarah Nelson Sells
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND CLIMATE INFORMATION: THE ROLE OF TRUST AND RISK IN AGRICULTURAL DECISIONS ABOUT DROUGHT, Adam J. Snitker
Colloidal and truly dissolved metal(loid)s in wastewater lagoons and their removal with floating treatment wetlands, Lauren Sullivan
Whitewater Ecotourism Development In Bhutan: Opportunities And Challenges for Local Communities, Kira E. Tenney
Investigation of the Tribal Park Concept and Opportunities for the Blackfeet Nation, Iree Schmautz Wheeler
Genomic Inference of Inbreeding in Alexander Archipelago Wolves (Canis lupus ligoni) on Prince of Wales Island, Southeast Alaska, Katherine Emily Zarn
ADAPTIVE POTENTIAL TO CAMOUFLAGE MISMATCH: PLASTIC AND EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES TO A CLIMATE CHANGE STRESSOR, Marketa Zimova
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Home Is Where the Food Is: Causes and Consequences of Partial Migration in Elk, Kristin Jennifer Barker
A DECADE OF GOVERNING THE BLACKFOOT COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREA (BCCA): COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND LANDSCAPE CONNECTIVITY THROUGH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, Alexander A. Barton
LEAVING MORE THAN FOOTPRINTS: IMPACTS OF TOURISM AND PERCEPTIONS OF CHANGE IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA, Heidi Blair
LEWIS’S WOODPECKER NEST SUCCESS AND HABITAT SELECTION IN COTTONWOOD FLOODPLAIN VERSUS BURNED CONIFER FORESTS, William M. Blake
BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC INFLUENCES ON THE EVOLUTION OF ELEVATIONAL RANGE LIMTS AND LIFE-HISTORY STRATEGIES OF TROPICAL BIRDS, Andrew James Boyce
INVESTIGATING THE THRU-HIKING EXPERIENCE: A STUDY ON THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL, Taylor Rose Cole
THE BIOPHYSICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL IMPACTS OF FOREST DISTURBANCES ACROSS ECOSYSTEMS, Leila Ann Cooper
Knowledge Processes and the Potential for Adaptive Governance of Inshore Fisheries in the Solomon Islands, Amber W. Datta
Avian Community Responses to Bison Grazing in North American Intermountain Grasslands, Danielle A. Fagre
Demographics and Growth History of Whitebark Pine on Undisturbed Sites Across the Northern US Rocky Mountains, Sarah Flanary
Integrating Fire and Forest Planning: A Review of National Forest Plan Revisions, Hailey Graf
Confronting the challenges of whale avoidance by large vessels to reduce collision risk: A quantitative approach, Jennifer E. Helm
LANDSCAPE HETEROGENEITY MODULATES ECOSYSTEM SENSITIVITY TO CLIMATE, Zachary Harwood Hoylman
EVALUATING POPULATION TRENDS & SPECIES RICHNESS-DISTURBANCE RELATIONSHIPS USING AVIAN MONITORING DATA, William Michael Janousek
THE ENDURING IMPORTANCE OF WILDNESS: SHEPHERDING WILDERNESS THROUGH THE ANTHROPOCENE, Patrick Ram Kelly
Wilderness Solitude in the 21st Century, Thomas C. Lang
AN INTER-WATERSHED COMPARISON STUDY OF BEDROCK CONTROLS ON SHALLOW SUBSURFACE FLOW AND STREAMFLOW RESPONSE, Robert Livesay
GLOBAL CHANGE AND WHITEBARK PINE: RESTORATION, REFUGIA, AND ALPINE TREELINES, Colin Taylor Maher
Large-Scale Photovoltaic Solar Implementation: Montanan Stakeholder Opportunities and Challenges, Erika Mickelson
MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE INDUCED CHANGES TO LODGEPOLE PINE FOREST STAND DYNAMICS AT LUBRECHT EXPERIMENTAL FOREST, Ben G. O'Connor
IMPLICATIONS OF MODULATING GLACIERS AND SNOW COVER IN MONGOLIA, Caleb Gikai Pan
Predictive spatial modeling of wildfire occurrence and poaching events related to Siberian tiger conservation in Southwest Primorye, Russian Far East, Conor N. Phelan
INTERPRETATION AND IMPLEMENATION OF DIRECTOR’S ORDER #41, SECTION 7.2: DETERMINING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR WILDERNESS CLIMBING IN THE NATIONAL PARKS, Kerry E. Sullivan
ECOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS OF CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS SPILLOVER IN AFRICAN LIONS, Julie Kay Weckworth
Impacts of Elephant Crop-Raiding on Subsistence Farmers and Approaches to Reduce Human-Elephant Farming Conflict in Sagalla, Kenya, Sophia Weinmann
Survival, movements, and resource selection of female white-tailed deer in Missouri, Chloe A. Wright
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
FIRE MANAGEMENT PROVISIONS IN FEDERAL WILDERNESS LAW, Erik D. Alnes
Ponderosa Pine Responses to Biochar, Fertilizer, or Mastication on the Bitterroot National Forest, USA, Haley C. Anderson
FACTORS INFLUENCING CLADOPHORA BIOMASS ABUNDANCE IN THE UPPER CLARK FORK RIVER, MONTANA., Nicholas J. Banish
Harvest and Persistence of Wolf Populations: Variable Effects of Harvest on Wolf Packs in the Rocky Mountains, Sarah B. Bassing
SPATIOTEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF HUMIDITY ACROSS THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES AND SOUTHERN CANADA USING REGIONAL NETWORKS, Ruben John Behnke
LONGEVITY OF PONDEROSA PINE FUEL REDUCTION TREATMENTS: A LEGACY OF RESEARCH AT LICK CREEK DEMONSTRATION/RESEARCH FOREST IN WESTERN MONTANA, Katelynn J. Bowen
Integrated Stress and Community Perceptions: Toward an Understanding of Human-Cougar Tolerance, Lara Brenner
Stream restoration effects on hydraulic exchange, storage and alluvial aquifer discharge, Christine M. Brissette
DISPERSAL, GENETIC STRUCTURE, NETWORK CONNECTIVITY AND CONSERVATION OF AN AT-RISK, LARGE-LANDSCAPE SPECIES, Todd Bartholomew Cross
FOREST VEGETATION, FUEL, AND FIRE HAZARD DEVELOPMENT IN STANDS TREATED TO RESIST CROWN FIRE, Justin Seth Crotteau
COUPLING BIOPHYSICAL COMPLEXITY AND FOREST METABOLISM IN A FLOODPLAIN LANDSCAPE, Peter Davis
Assessing Stream Channel Restoration: The Phased Recovery Framework, Jacob M. Dyste
BREEDING HABITAT USE AND FITNESS CONSEQUENCES IN GROUNDNESTING SONGBIRDS, Karolina Fierro-Calderon
HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPPING OF HIERARCHICAL GREATER SAGE-GROUSE NESTING HABITAT: A GRAIN-SPECTRUM APPROACH IN NORTHWESTERN WYOMING, Robert T. Haynam III
Understanding patterns and drivers of Alaskan fire-regime variability across spatial and temporal scales, Tyler J. Hoecker
IMPLICATIONS OF RANCHER DECISION-MAKING PATTERNS IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON FOR INCENTIVE-BASED CONSERVATION OF SAGE-GROUSE, Clancy Jandreau
Estimating the Effects of Overstory Retention, Vegetative Competition, and Site Quality on the Height Growth of Small Ponderosa Pine Trees Using Regression Quantiles, Colin P. Kirkmire
Social Justice in Social-Ecological Systems: Resilience Through Stakeholder Engagement, Frederick I. Lauer
WHAT THE GRINGOS BROUGHT: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF A PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREA IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA, Elena Louder
QUANTIFYING GLOBAL ANNUAL GROSS PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY: APPLICATION OF AN IMPROVED LIGHT USE EFFICIENCY MODEL, Nima Madani
DOES TIMING OF HERBICIDE USE INFLUENCE RATES OF GERMINATION OR SEEDLING BIOMASS OF NATIVE PLANTS USED FOR RESTORATION?, Christine McManamen
DAY HIKERS AND BEAR SAFETY: AN ELABORATION PERSPECTIVE ON COMMUNICATION IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Zachary David Miller
New Methods to Estimate Abundance from Unmarked Populations Using Remote Camera Trap Data, Anna K. Moeller
NUTRIENT ACQUISITION STRATEGIES IN TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS: NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS INTERACTIONS THROUGH PLANTMICROBIAL MUTUALISMS, Megan Kelly Nasto
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PONDEROSA PINE OVER TIME AFTER DEATH BETWEEN VECTORS OF MORTALITY, Edward J. O'Donnell
DRIVERS AND FEEDBACKS OF THE FIRE-GRAZING INTERACTION IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS, Jacob E. Powell
ASSESSING RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM CONDITION AND MONITORING RECOVERY FROM NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC DISTURBANCE, Rachel Powers
GROWTH RESPONSE OF WHITEBARK PINE (PINUS ALBICAULIS) REGENERATION TO THINNING AND PRESCRIBED BURN RELEASE TREATMENTS, Molly L. McClintock Retzlaff
ENHANCING CONSERVATION WITH HIGH RESOLUTION PRODUCTIVITY DATASETS FOR THE CONTERMINOUS UNITED STATES, Nathaniel Paul Robinson
VIRTUALIZATION OF FUELBEDS: BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FUELS DATA FOR MULTIPLE –SCALE FIRE MODELING AND ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS, Eric Martin Rowell
LINKING LANDSCAPE PATTERN TO POPULATION PROCESSES FOR A CARNIVOROUS MAMMAL, Keith Michael Slauson
Coffee Certifications as Potential Pathways to Women’s Empowerment in Costa Rica, Laura N. Stein
EXPLAINING AND MONITORING POPULATION PERFORMANCE IN GRIZZLY AND AMERICAN BLACK BEARS, Jeffrey Brian Stetz
Response of Amphibian and Invertebrate Communities to Wetland Mitigation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Leah K. Swartz
THE ECOLOGY OF MONTANE BENGAL TIGERS (Panthera tigris tigris) IN THE HIMALAYAN KINGDOM OF BHUTAN, Tshering Tempa
Assessing the Character of Place to Guide Geotourism in Montana: A Case Study of Whitefish and White Sulphur Springs, Montana, Michael E. Tipton