Ashley Grupenhoff
Assistant Professor | Wildland Fire Management, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Areas of Expertise
Fire Ecology
Prescribed Fire
Fuel treatment impacts and effectiveness
Post-fire recovery
Contact Information
Biography
Ashley Grupenhoff’s love of ecology and desire to understand the natural world ultimately led her to the issue of wildfire in the Western U.S. As a dedicated student of fire, one of her key interests is using prescribed fire to effectively and proactively reduce wildfire risks across California’s dry conifer forests. The use of intentional burns set by experts during safe weather conditions can clear brush and dead wood, improve wildlife habitats and restore fire-adapted ecosystems, such as forests and grasslands. Since joining Cal Poly and the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department in January 2024, she has secured a $500,000 grant in partnership with UC Davis to study delayed forest reestablishment in areas that have experienced high-burn intensity. Working with the USDA Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has given her valuable research and industry experience in addition to publishing her research in numerous journals and earning certifications as a USDA Forest Service firefighter. In 2025, she organized and led the first prescribed burn on the Cal Poly campus — giving students a hands-on lesson in ecology and land stewardship.
Education
- Ph.D., University of California, Davis, Ecology
- B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, Biology
Research Interests
Grupenhoff’s research is aimed at understanding the impacts of fire on wildland ecosystems, as well as informing management strategies to mitigate wildfire effects. To do so, she combines field research with computer modeling techniques to better understand the consequences of altered fire regimes on species composition and ecosystem resilience in forest and shrubland systems.
In the News
- “This class is on fire." Cal Poly Magazine. Winter 2026.
- “Fighting Fire with Fire: Students Take Part in First-Ever Prescribed Burn on Campus." Cal Poly News. Nov.12, 2025.
- “Fire ecologist breaks down the Madre Fire and how it could be beneficial to the land." KSBY-TV. July 10, 2025.
Books and Publications
- Grupenhoff AR, Young D, Barbato M, and Latimer, AL. 2025. "Evaluating short-term effects of fuel treatments on fuel loading in western US dry conifer forests: A meta-analysis." Forest Ecology & Management 590:15.
- Grupenhoff AR and Safford HD. 2024. "High fire frequency in California chaparral reduces postfire shrub regeneration and native plant diversity." Ecosphere 15:12.
- JN Williams, Quinn-Davidson L, Safford HD, Grupenhoff AR, et al. 2023. "Overcoming obstacles to prescribed fire in the North American Mediterranean Climate Zone." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.