CHRIS HEIDER
Forest, Riparian & Rangeland Ecologist

Chris Heider is a vegetation and disturbance ecologist specializing in watershed analysis, riparian and stream restoration, stand- and landscape-level silvicultural prescriptions, fire ecology, and the assessment of fire risk to local communities. He is particularly focused on ecosystem dynamics and quantifying the changes in vegetation patterns through time, as it relates to disturbance events (water diversions, livestock grazing, timber harvest, forest insects and diseases, noxious weeds, mining, fire). Chris has had over 10 years and extensive experience developing land management plans in the Pacific Northwest, implementing all stages of planning: project design, inventory and analysis, interpretation, and communication.

 
Education Professional Affiliations

M.S. Ecology, 2000
Oregon State University
B.S. Environmental Chemistry (Analytical), 1994
Oregon State University

American Fisheries Society
American Water Resources Association
Ecological Society of America
Oregon Winegrowers Association

Additional Training

NEPA Training & Writing, 2003
The Shipley Group
Creating Fire-Resilient Landscapes, 2004
OSU Forestry, Forest Service, BLM, OFRI
Building Ecological Assets, 2005
EPRI Solutions




Specific Expertise:

Vegetation Mapping, Inventory and Assessment

  • Vegetation classification (structure, composition, functions) at multiple spatial scales
  • Aerial photo interpretation
  • Ground-truth analysis
  • Riparian community mapping and function assessment
  • Classification of fire regimes and fuels structures
  • Assessment of potential fire behavior
  • Noxious weeds assessments and trajectories of likely spread
  • Development of treatment prescriptions to achieve desired future conditions

Watershed Analysis

  • Assessment of current and historic/ reference vegetation conditions
  • Development of preferred/ desired future conditions
  • Assessments and treatment prescriptions for enhancing forest health (insects/ disease)
  • Forest stand modeling for treatment alternatives
  • Non-forest/ range condition analysis
  • Riparian interactions with the stream channel, and their influence on fisheries habitats
  • Stream shade and LWD recruitment prediction analysis
  • Effects modeling for vegetation treatments on stream system dynamics
  • GIS analysis

Restoration, Enhancement, and Sustainable Resource Management

  • Development of stand-level silvicultural prescriptions to meet desired objectives
  • Silvicultural and prescribed fire treatments to restore stand structure and minimize catastrophic fire risk to urban/ rural communities
  • NEPA documentation and compliance
  • Passive and active restoration prescriptions for riparian zone enhancement (forested and floodplain meadows)
  • Integrated solutions for stream enhancement/ restoration through use of riparian vegetation
  • Effectiveness and compliance monitoring

Example Project Experience:

  • Watershed Analysis: Canyon Creek (John Day, OR), Drews Creek (Lakeview, OR), Wilson River (Forest Grove/ Tillamook, OR)
  • NEPA Planning (US Forest Service): Conger Fire/ Fuels (Newport, WA), Pinchot Partners Plantation Restoration (Packwood, WA), Upper Sycan Grazing Allotments Fisheries BA/BE (Lakeview, OR), Silvicultural Treatments on Wildlife BA/BE (Newport/ Sullivan Lake, WA)
  • Stream Habitat Assessments: US Forest Service (Multiple locations, OR), Klamath Assessment Group (Klamath Falls, OR)
  • Vegetation Assessments (Current/ Desired Future Conditions): Pacific Greenways Assessment (Forest Park, Portland, OR), North Fork Cour d'Alene (Kootenai & Shoshone Counties, ID), Multiple locations (Pacific Northwest).

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