Carl grew up in the small desert town of Bishop, CA, moved to Green Bank, WV as a teenager, and graduated from Pocahontas County High School, WV in 1986. He attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1990, and received an M.A. in Geography from the University of Georgia in 1994. At Georgia, he studied post-glacial fire/vegetation/human dynamics through analysis of fossil pollen, charcoal, and sediments. Carl received a Ph.D. in Forestry from the University of Montana in 2003, utilizing airborne laser altimetry to map surface fuels in forested landscapes. His fire career spans 17 seasons, including time as an engine crewman, hotshot, and smokejumper.

Research Interests:

Carl's research interests are in forest & range management in wildfire and prescribed fire settings. His research integrates innovative fuels inventory methods, fire monitoring, fire weather, and technology development and transfer. Current projects include measurement of fuel bed properties beneath close-canopies using laser altimetry, development of cost-effective, low power, ad hoc wireless weather sensor networks with fault tolerance, and exploration of new, real-time fire intelligence gathering/delivery capacity. His technical expertise is concentrated in the geospatial technologies of remote sensing and geographic information systems. Carl remains active in operational fire in an effort to link academic activities and fire management.