Kennedy Korkola

PhD Candidate

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Biography

Kennedy completed her BSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Human Biology at the University of Toronto. She has experience as a Fire Ranger in Northwestern Ontario which provides her with practical knowledge on fire behaviour and management in Ontario. Her PhD investigates the structural fuel changes following a spruce budworm outbreak and how these changes affect wildfire behaviour.

Role in the lab

Kennedy uses various machine learning and statistical modelling techniques to better understand how insect-altered fuels affect initial attack success and area burned in Ontario. She also leads field work in Northern Ontario in SBW and JPBW affected stands to better quantify these structural fuel changes with terrestrial LiDAR.

Education

  • University of Toronto
    B.Sc. 2016-2020
  • University of Toronto
    Ph.D. 2020-present

Publications

Korkola, K., Wheatley, M., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (2024). A comparative analysis of wildfire initial attack objectives and modelling strategies in Ontario, Canada. International Journal of Wildland Fire.

Conferences

  • Korkola, K., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (April 16, 2024). Quantifying the influence of spruce budworm on fuel structure through time using terrestrial LiDAR. Oral presentation at the Fuels and Fire Behaviour Conference (International). Boise, Idaho. Presented as part of doctoral thesis.

  • Korkola, K., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (February 28, 2024). The effects of eastern spruce budworm defoliation on models of forest fire containment in Ontario. Oral presentation for CIFFC Students of Fire National Conversations. Presented as part of doctoral thesis.

  • Korkola, K., James, P. M. A. (October 25, 2023) The impacts of spruce budworm defoliation on wildfire behaviour. Oral presentation at Forest Health Review. Orillia, ON. Presented as part of doctoral thesis.

  • Korkola, K., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (November 1, 2022) The effects of eastern spruce budworm on initial attack success in Ontario. Poster presentation at the Wildland Fire Canada Conference (WFCC; National). Edmonton, Alberta. Presented as part of doctoral thesis.

  • Korkola, K., Wheatley, M., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (November 1, 2022) Wildfire containment objectives and modelling strategies: a case study in Ontario, Canada. Poster presentation at the Wildland Fire Canada Conference (WFCC; National). Edmonton, Alberta.

  • Korkola, K., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (June 23, 2022) Disturbance interactions in the boreal forest: the impacts of spruce budworm defoliation on fire suppression effectiveness. Oral presentation to the North American Forest Ecology Workshop (NAFEW; International). Sault St. Marie, ON. Presented as part of doctoral thesis.

  • Korkola, K., Beverly, J., James, P. M. A. (November 24, 2021) Influence of spruce budworm defoliation on fire escape probability in Ontario. Oral presentation to the Canada Wildfire NSERC Strategic Network (National). Presented as part of doctoral thesis.