Fire and Fuels Science Information Specialist
pamela.sikkink@usda.gov
(406) 829-7343
Pamela Sikkink
Research Topics
Works with Northern Rockies Fire Science Network, RMRS - Human Dimensions program, RMRS - Fire, Fuel, Smoke Science Program
Personal Summary
Pam is currently working in technology transfer for the Northern Rockies Fire Science Network (NRFSN) and the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. Her work with the Northern Rockies involves adding new publications, media, and websites to the NRFSN database; organizing publications and media within database into subtopics to make on-line searches easier; writing articles for the NRFSN newsletter; and interacting with scientists and managers to explain how NRFSN benefits fire science. Technology transfer for the Missoula Fire lab involves keeping their library and archives up-to-date, maintaining their Halls of Science, cleaning and filing data, and helping scientists and the public find articles and data pertinent to their needs.
Pam’s past work for RMRS has included research on masticated fuels, fire severity, grass curing, and fuel sampling methods of forests and grasslands. She has also worked with Yellowstone National Park under a RMRS/NPS joint research venture cooperative agreement to recommend ways to monitor for future vegetation changes in the park and been active in research on climate change and remote sensing of burn severity. Her interests include forest fuels, grassland ecosystems, landscape connections, and the effects of fire on vegetation and fuels.
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Selected Publications & Products
Sikkink, Pamela G.; Jain, Theresa B.; Reardon, James; Heinsch, Faith Ann; Butler, Bret; Keane, Robert E., and Baggett, L. Scott. 2017. Effect of particle aging on chemical characteristics, smoldering, and fire behavior in mixed-conifer masticated fuel. Forest ecology and management 405: 150-165.
Heinsch, Faith Ann; Sikkink, Pamela G.; Smith, Helen Y.; Retzlaff, Molly L., 2018, Characterizing fire behavior from laboratory burns of multi-aged, mixed-conifer masticated fuels in the western United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire Sciences Laboratory Research Note 107, 29 p.
Jain, Theresa B.; Sikkink, Pamela G.; Keefe, Robert; Byrne, John. 2018. To Masticate or not: Useful tips for treating forest, woodland and shrubland vegetation. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-381. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 61 p.
Sikkink, Pamela G., Keane, Robert E. 2012. Predicting fire severity using surface fuels and moisture. Paper RMRS-RP-96. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Research. 37 p.
Sikkink, Pamela G.; Lutes, Duncan C.; Keane, Robert E. 2009. Field guide for identifying fuel loading models. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-225. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 33 p.