Tom is a forest scientist whose work with FLARE focuses on future fire risks. Broadly, his research interests relate to the role of fire in landscapes with a focus on compounding disturbances and shifting fire regimes, and the consequences that this has for ecosystem health and resilience and the options available to land and fire managers to manage and plan in such landscapes now and in the future.
He completed his PhD in forest and fire ecology in 2019, focusing on the impact of short-interval severe wildfires on the structure and demography of temperate forests. He has previously undertaken research on the carbon dynamics of forests and the ecosystem services of urban forests. Outside of research, he has worked as an ecological consultant and across forest policy in state government. He likes to portray himself as a well-rounded ecologist but is heavily biased to trees – particularly eucalypts (the unparalleled best genus on the planet).
Tom is an avid bike rider and bushwalker, and in his spare time enjoys growing trees in South Gippsland.