Cody Evers

Research Associate · Portland State University
7317 SE 18th Ave · Portland, OR 97202 · (435) 714-1416 · cevers@pdx.edu

I am a landscape social scientist in the Department of Environmental Science and Management at Portland State University. My research examines wildfire risk management from a coupled human-natural systems perspective and is focused on where, how, and with whom fire-prone regions in the Western US are collaborating to address wildfire risks. I employ a variety of quantitative techniques in my work including network analysis, social surveys, spatial statistics, data visualization, and participatory mapping. I pride myself on collaborative, interdisciplinary research and varied approaches to applied research. My research has shaped national policy on wildfire risk including the 2019 Shared Stewardship Strategy and the 2022 Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

Research

Wildfire risk transmission

Wildfire risk is more likely to spans social boundaries as wildfires grow in size. Looking at hundreds of thousands of wildfires helps to understand who owns the risk, where the risk comes from, and who needs to collaborate with who. We analyzed wildfire transmitted from western US national forests into communities and matched community exposure archetypes to national wildfire policy.

Example 1a

Example 1b

Example 1c

Ecosystem services

Ecosystems services describe the relationship between ecosystems and society by estimating the value of certain ecological goods and services. I authored several papers examining the field of ecosystem services in practice. In Ecosystem Services as a Boundary Object, we argue on the one hand the role of ecosystem services as a social boundary objects that facilitates transdisciplinary collaboration. In the Ecosystem Services of Novel Ecosystems, we find that studies of novel ecosystems find enhanced services far than typically assumed.

Example 2a

Example 2b

Social-ecological system networks

Advances in social network analysis has opened up ways of understanding landscape processes. Combining social and ecological networks, network science provides a means for quantifying fit (or scale-mismatch). I combine social surveys of wildfire management networks with simulated wildfire transmission networks to understand what factors enable or inhibit cross-boundary fire management and how those factors vary among wildfire risk hotspots in the western US.

Example 3a

Example 3b

Decision support and public engagement tools

Changes in landscapes are difficult to grasp. Geospatial tools make these changes discernable. Participatory geospatial tools have a long history in public engagement, and growing map literacy increases the potential use of these tools. I co-developed an interactive agent-based-model of landscape change in the southern Willamette Valley, Oregon, which included tools to compare future landscapes across thousands of potential futures. I also use technology to better involve the public in research.

Example 4a

Example 4b

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  1. Johnson B, A Ager, C Evers, D Hulse, M Nielsen-Pincus, T Sheehan, and J Bolte. 2023. Exploring and Testing Wildfire Risk Decision-Making in the Face of Deep Uncertainty. Fire 6(7), 276.
  2. Hamilton, M, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers. 2023. Wildfire risk governance from the bottom up: linking local planning processes in fragmented landscapes. Ecology & Society 28(3):3.
  3. Evers, C, A Holz, S Busby, M Nielsen-Pincus. 2022. Extreme Winds Flip Local Controls on Burn Severity in Mesic Conifer Forests during Periods of Record Aridity. Fire, 5(2), 41;
  4. Palsa, E, M Bauer, C Evers, M Hamilton, M Nielsen-Pincus. 2022. Engagement in local and collaborative wildfire risk mitigation planning across the western US Evaluating participation and diversity in Community Wildfire Protection Plans. PLoS one, 17(2), e0263757.
  5. Ager, A, C Evers, M Day, F Alcasena, R Houtman. 2021. Planning for future fire: Scenario analysis of an accelerated fuel reduction plan for the western United States. Landscape and Urban Planning, 215, p.104212.
  6. Ager, A, M Day, F Alcasena, C Evers, K Short, and I Grenfell. 2021. Predicting Paradise: Modeling future wildfire disasters in the western US. Science of The Total Environment, 784, p.147057.
  7. Guedes, B, K Massi, C Evers, M Nielsen-Pincus. 2020. Vulnerability of small forest patches to fire in the Paraiba do Sul River Valley, southeast Brazil: Implications for restoration of the Atlantic Forest biome. Forest Ecology and Management. 465(1).
  8. Nielsen-Pincus, M, C Evers, A Ager. 2019. Exposure Complexity and Community Capacity to Manage Wildfire Risk: A Coupled Biophysical and Social Analysis of 60 Communities in the Western United States. Fire. 2(4), 59
  9. Ager, A, P Palaiologou, C Evers, M Day, C Ringo and K Short. 2019. Wildfire exposure to the wildland urban interface in the western US. Applied Geography. 111: 102059.
  10. Palaiologou, P, A Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers, and M Day. 2019. Social vulnerability to large wildfires in the western US. Landscape and urban planning, 189, pp.99-116.
  11. Palaiologou, P., A Ager, C Evers, M Nielsen-Pincus, M Day and H Preisler. 2019. Fine-scale assessment of cross-boundary wildfire events in the western United States. Natural Hazards Earth Systems Science. 19, 1755-1777
  12. Ager, A, R Lasko, V Myroniuk, S Zibtsev, M Day, V Usenya, V Bogomolov, I Kovalets, C Evers. 2019. The wildfire problem in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster. Science of the Total Environment 696: 133954.
  13. Evers, C, A Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, P Paliologou, K Bunzel. 2019. Archetypes of community wildfire exposure from national forests in the Western US. Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning.
  14. Palaiologos, P, A Alan, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers, K Kalabokidis. 2018. Using transboundary wildfire exposure assessments to improve fire management programs: a case study in Greece. International Journal of Wildland Fire.
  15. Ager, A, P Palaiologou, C Evers, M Day, A Barros. 2018. Assessing Transboundary Wildfire Exposure in the Southwestern United States. Risk Analysis.
  16. Nielsen-Pincus, M, C Evers, C Moseley, H Huber-Stearns, R Bixler. 2018. Local capacity to engage in federal wildfire suppression efforts: An explanation of variability in local capture of suppression contracts. Forest Science.
  17. Evers, C, C Wardropper, B Branoff, E Granek, S Hirsch, T Link, S Olivero-Lora, C Wilson. 2018. The Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity of Novel Ecosystems: A Literature Review. Global Ecology and Conservation.
  18. Steger, C, S Hirsch, C Evers, B Branoff, M Petrova, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Wardropper and CJ van Riper. 2018. Ecosystem Services as Boundary Objects for Transdisciplinary Collaboration. Ecological Economics, 143, pp.153-160.
  19. Ager, A, C Evers, M Day, H Preisler, A Barros, M Nielsen-Pincus. 2017. Network analysis of wildfire transmission and implications for risk governance. PloS one, 12(3).
  20. Ager, A, M Day, K Short, C Evers. 2016. Assessing the impacts of federal forest planning on wildfire risk mitigation in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Landscape and Urban Planning, 147, 1-17.
  21. Hulse, D, A Branscomb, C Enright, B Johnson, C Evers, J Bolte, A Ager. 2016. Anticipating surprise: Using agent-based alternative futures simulation modeling to identify and map surprising fires in the Willamette Valley, Oregon USA. Landscape and Urban Planning, 156, 26-43.
  22. Moreno-Black, G, S Boles, D Johnson‐Shelton, C Evers. 2016. Exploring Categorical Body Mass Index Trajectories in Elementary School Children. Journal of School Health, 86(7), 495-506.
  23. Johnson-Shelton, D, G Moreno-Black, C Evers, N Zwink. 2015. A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach for Preventing Childhood Obesity: The Communities and Schools Together Progress in Community Health Partnerships
  24. Yospin, G, S Bridgham, R Neilson, J Bolte, D Bachelet, P Gould, C Harrington, J Kertis, C Evers and Johnson, B. 2015. A new model to simulate climate change impacts on forest succession for local land management. Ecological Applications.
  25. Schlossberg, M, D Johnson-Shelton, C Evers, G Moreno-Black. 2015. Refining The Grain: Using Resident-Based Walkability Audits To Create Better Street Connectivity for Child Pedestrians. Journal of Urban Design.
  26. Evers C, S Boles, D Johnson-Shelton, D Richey, J Blair. 2014. Parent Safety Perceptions of Child Walking Safety. Journal of Transport and Health.
  27. Schlossberg, M, C Evers, K Kato, D Mayer, C Brehm. 2011. Active Transportation, Citizen Engagement, and Livability: Coupling Citizens and Smart Phones to Make the Change. Special Issue on PPGIS URISA Journal.

Publications In-Review

  1. Palaiologou, P, AA Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers, and M Day. In review. Social vulnerability to large wildfires in the western US. Ecology and Society.
  2. Ager, AA, P Palaiologos, C Evers, M Day, C Ringo and K Short. In review. Wildfire exposure to the wildland urban interface in the western US. Journal of Applied Geography.
  3. Nielsen-Pincus, M, AA Ager, C Evers. In review. Wildfire exposure and community capacity to manage wildfire risk in the western US. Risk Analysis.
  4. Johnson B, AA Ager, C Evers, T Sheehan, J Bolte. In review. A modeling framework for simulating landowner decisions and wildfire consequences in the WUI under climate change: linking an agent-based model of landowner decision making to a mechanistic wildfire model. Anthropocene.

Publications In-Preparation

  1. Evers C, M Nielsen-Pincus, D Jacobs, AA Ager. In prep. The Organizational Geography of Wildfire Risk Management: A Case Study in North Central Washington Target Journal: Frontiers of Ecoology and the Environment.
  2. Jacobs D, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers. In prep. Networks of Wildland Risk Management. Target Journal: Social Networks
  3. Hamlin, S, C Evers, H Chang, D Ervin, In prep. Drivers of residential land value: A case study of spatial hedonic analysis in Northwest Oregon, USA. Journal of Applied Geography.
  4. Nielsen-Pincus, M, AA Ager, C Evers, and others. In prep. Assessment of 300 at-risk communitiesTarget journal: TBD.
  5. Gwynne, Jun. Cody, Bart. Impacts of land cover change dynamics on disperal-limited and vasile species. Target journal: TBD.

Presentations

  1. Evers, C, M Nielsen-Pincus, D Jacobs. 2018. International Sympossium of Society and Natural Resources. Fireshed management networks: Hotspots of innovation?. Snowbird, UT. June, 2018.
  2. Evers, C, AA Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, P Paleologos, K Bunzel. 2018. International Association of Wildland Fire Wildfire Continuum Conference. A Typology of Community Wildfire Exposure from US National Forests. Missoula, MT May 21, 2018
  3. Evers, C, D Jacobs, M Nielsen-Pincus. 2018. International Association of Wildland Fire Wildfire Continuum Conference. Wildfire Management Collaboration Networks: An empirical study on the network governance of wildfire risk in North Central Washington. Missoula, MT May 20, 2018
  4. Evers, C, AA Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, P Paliologou. 2017. RISCOS International Conference on Risk. Archetypes of community wildfire exposure from national forests in the Western US. RISCOS International Conference on Risk. Coimbra, Portugal. May 23-25, 2017.
  5. Evers, C, AA Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, P Paliologou, K Bunzel. 2016. Archetypes of community wildfire exposure from national forests in the Western US. National Cohesive Strategy Workshop. Reno, NV, April 28-30, 2017.
  6. Evers, C, AA Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, Z Chaudry, 2016. New Approaches for Mapping the Wicked Problem of Wildfire. 5th International Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference. Portland, OR., April 11-15, 2016.
  7. Evers, C, GA Mhuireach, BR Johnson. (2015). Modeled impacts of land use decisions on highly fragmented and dispersal-limited species in the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon. 9th Annual Congress of the International Association of Landscape Ecology. July 5-10 2015.
  8. Evers, C, AA Ager, M Nielsen-Pincus, 2015. Impact of federal fuels treatments on community firesheds in the Deschutes National Forest. International Association of WIldland Fire 4th Human Dimensions of Wildlfire Conference, At Boise, ID
  9. Johnson, BR, M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers, DW Hulse, AA Ager, R Ribe and JP Bolte. 2014, June. Anticipating surprise: Exploring climate adaptation in coupled human and natural systems. Future Infinite Academic Conference. Helsinki, Finland.
  10. Johnson, BR, DW Hulse, M Neilsen-Pincus, C Evers, and AA Ager and JP Bolte. 2013. Climate Change, Oak Savannas, Urbanization and Wildfire: Dilemmas, Tradeoffs and Approaches for Adaptation Planning. Northwest Scientific Association. Portland OR.
  11. Evers C, S Boles, D Johnson-Shelton, M Schlossberg, D Richey. 2013. Parent Perceptions of Walking Safety. Session for Social and Environmental Determinants of Health. Society of Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
  12. Johnson-Shelton, D, G Moreno-Black, C Evers. 2013. Community-Based Participatory Research in Childhood Obesity Prevention: The Community and Schools Together Program. Session for community-based participatory research and prevention. Society of Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
  13. Johnson, BR., M Nielsen-Pincus, C Evers, R Ribe, C Bone, DW Hulse, AA Ager, JP Bolte. 2013. September.Spatial and temporal partitioning of WUI fire regimes under future climate, development and management scenarios.Pacific Northwest Climate Science Conference, Portland, OR.
  14. Ager, AA, BR Johnson, C Evers, J Bolte, T Spies, MA Day. 2013, July.Integrating wildfire into an agent based landscape model for studying coupled natural and human systems.At the Crossroads: Looking Toward the Future in a Changing Environment, 4th Behavior and Fuels Conference, International Association of Wildland Fire, St. Petersburg, Russia.
  15. Mosely, C, C Evers, M Nielsen-Pincus. 2012.Federal Land Managment and Suppression Contracting Capacity. 3rd Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference. Seatle, WA.
  16. Yospin, GI, SD Bridgham, RP Neilson, JP Bolte, DM Bachelet, PJ Gould, CA Harrington, JA Kertis, CR Evers and Johnson, BR. 2012, August. Projections of climate change impacts on forest succession for local land management using a new vegetation model, CV-STM. Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR.
  17. Schlossberg M, C Evers, K Kato, D Maher, C Brehm. 2011.Public Involvement in Transportation.Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium. Oregon Transportation Summit.
  18. Schlossberg M, C Evers, K Kato, D Maher, and C Brehm. 2010. Active Transportation, Citizen Engagement, and Livability: Coupling Citizens and Smart Phones to Make the Change.Transportation Research Board, 93rd Annual Meeting.
  19. Johnson-Shelton, D, J Blair, C Brehm, D Richey, C Evers. 2010. The CAST Walkability Audits. A Citizen-Powered Neighborhood Assessment of Walking and Bicycling Safety. Transportation Systems. Transportation Research Board, 93rd Annual Meeting.
  20. Evers, C and S Fertig. 2009. Evaluating Residential Development Impacts to Drinking Water Quality in the McKenzie River Watershed: Assessing the Intent, Applicability and Outcomes of Lane County Code and Establishing Partnerships with Universities. Conference on Water and Land Use in the Pacific Northwest. Stevenson, WA.