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Kane Russell

Forest Advisor

Master of Forestry, University of California, Berkeley
B.S. - Ecosystem Management and Forestry, University of California, Berkeley
Forest management, forest ecology, fire ecology, prescribed fire, forest monitoring, fuels management

As Forest Advisor for Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen Counties, Kane Russell works to advance sustainable forest stewardship practices, strengthen community wildfire resilience, and overcome barriers to project implementation. Kane is based at the UCCE Plumas-Sierra office in Quincy, where he leads an extension and applied research program in close collaboration with local partners to address critical forestry and fire issues in the region.

Kane earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry from UC Berkeley, where he studied the effects of prescribed burning and other fuels reduction treatments on young Sierra Nevada mixed conifer stands. Post-graduation, he continued his research on prescribed burning and forest management at Berkeley’s Blodgett Forest Research Station. Prior to joining UCCE, Kane worked as a forest ecologist at Yosemite National Park, where he helped plan and implement a mechanical fuels reduction program to protect the park’s iconic landscapes and at-risk communities from high-severity wildfire.

Recent Publications:

York, R.; Russell, K. (2025). Tradeoffs in growth and fuel reduction when using prescribed fire in young mixed conifer stands. Fire Ecology 21:7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00347-y.

York, R.; Russell, K.; Noble, H. (2022). Merging prescribed fires and timber harvests in the Sierra Nevada: Burn season and pruning influences in young mixed conifer stands. Trees, Forests, and People 9:100309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2022.100309.

York, R.; Levine, J.; Russell, K.; Restaino, J. (2021). Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada. Fire Ecology 17:33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-021-00120-5.