Upekala Wijayratne, a member of the NW CASC Advisory Committee, is an ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, in the Northwest Oregon Area Ecology Program. She is based at the Mt. Hood National Forest, where she also serves as climate change coordinator. Her team, consisting of two other ecologists, works in the Mt. Hood, Siuslaw and Willamette National Forests, as well as the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Upekala has been been working professionally in the field of plant ecology since 2003, starting with the U.S. Geological Survey and then moving over to the U.S. Forest Service, where she has been for the past 11 years. Her work has brought her to the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, Sierras, Oregon Cascades, Oregon Blue Mountains, Tanzania and Portugal. Upekala holds a master’s in ecology and evolutionary biology from University of Michigan and a doctorate in botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University.
What led you to work in the field of climate adaptation?
Thinking about climate adaptation is an important part of managing our forests sustainably in the face of climate change. Some key issues facing forests now are prolonged drought and increased disturbances like insect and disease outbreaks and wildfire.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
My day-to-day work involves a variety of tasks including keeping up with the latest relevant scientific publications, producing landscape analyses and data products, monitoring effectiveness of management actions and working with district planning teams to integrate climate adaptation into management actions.
How does your work support climate resilience in the Northwest?
The National Forests have recently produced several climate vulnerability assessments which are used by planning teams to identify climate adaptation strategies and actions at the local level as well as climate action plans at the national level. Each national forest also has a climate change coordinator, such as myself, to assist with integrating climate adaptation into management projects.
What is your favorite thing about your work?
My favorite thing is the varied nature of my work, from data analysis to fieldwork to working with stakeholders and partners.