Rachael Nolan

Rachael Nolan is a research fellow at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University. Rachael’s research focus is twofold: 1) quantifying changes in forest flammability through space and time, to predict bushfire risk and plan hazard reduction burns; and 2) quantifying how ecosystems respond to disturbances including fire, and the impact on ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, habitat values and water resources. Her PhD awarded in 2013 studied the 2009 Black Saturday bushfire effects on water catchments. Rachael is part of the NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, where she is developing models of forest flammability due to dynamics in fuel loads and moisture content.