Kaily grew up in Central Oregon - on the indigenous territories of Paiute, Wasco, and Warm Springs. Her interest in studying fire-prone ecosystems came naturally as she grew up playing in sagebrush/juniper and ponderosa pine forests. To date, she has spent the last six years in fire operations and fire effects, including acquiring her undergraduate degrees at the University of Idaho in Forestry and Fire Ecology and Management with a certificate in Remote Sensing. As she worked on record-breaking fire incidents across the Western United States, she grew more interested in studying the efficacy of forest management practices coupled with the complex issues we face today. Her research focuses on prescribed fire treatment longevity in legacy hardwood stands of the Klamath Mountains. This research is urgent for the biodiverse Klamath ecoregion, as indigenous depopulation during the settlement-era and 20th century fire suppression has caused significant increases in biomass accumulation and conifer encroachment in oak-woodland ecosystems.