Articles

Hot droughts are of increasing concern for forests of the south. When temperatures are high and moisture is low, trees become vulnerable quickly. Meteorologists sometimes refer to these events as flash droughts, and one for the record books happened in Mississippi and Louisiana in 2023, emerging in late summer as the rains diminished, and the persistent heat shattered records.The consequences f...

Warm-season bioenergy grasses are ecologically and economically important species whose responses to weather variability will shape the future bioeconomy.

Biochar offers a promising alternative to slash pile burning, with several options for in-woods production to suit diverse forest management activities, wood volume, available equipment, and a variety of crew sizes.

New research explores the relationship between detrimental soil disturbance and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to create a model and decision-making tool for land managers planning, evaluating, and monitoring disturbance from post-fire salvage logging.

Benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCAs) may serve as tracers for wildfire impacts in postfire ash runoff and streamwater. Surface runoff transports these compounds from burned hillslopes into aquatic environments where they can enter water supplies.

In 2021, lightning struck on a ridge top in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in California and ignited the Tamarack Fire. The area is rocky, rugged, and buffered by natural barriers, but about a week later, the fire changed course. Strong winds drove the fire downslope, causing it to spread rapidly toward several communities and highways. This threat prompted over 2,000 people from several ...

The Fire Program Analysis Fire Occurrence Database (the best source of fire ignition data in the U.S.) has been updated. RMRS researchers have augmented the database with 267 additional attributes ranging from fire danger, land cover, infrastructure, and weather.

The obsolete Lake George diversion dam on the South Platte River has been removed, and restoration and monitoring efforts are underway. Removal of the dam restores a popular sport fishing segment on the river to a more natural condition and improves local aquatic habitat and water quality of approximately 45 river miles of the South Platte River from Eleven Mile Reservoir to Cheesman Reservoir.

Dr. Erin Belval, a research forester at the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, was awarded the Early Career Scientist Award in Fire Science from the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF). She received the honor last month at the 2024 International Wildland Fire Conference in Boise, Idaho.

Uncovering and addressing the challenges in biochar production from forest residues for improved forest health, fuels mitigation, and carbon sequestration.

Plants from habitats with longer growing seasons produce stronger leaves.

On a cold, overcast day on the Umpqua National Forest, dozens of individuals gathered in the forest around the CharBoss® to watch a slash pile transform into biochar.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are difficult at large scales, due in part to the challenge of developing species-specific lab tests. Now, machine learning is enabling scientists to build broadly applicable tests more quickly, cheaply, and thoroughly.

A collaborative group of scientists investigated the effects of stand-replacing fire and other fire regimes consistent with prescribed and managed fire on Mexican spotted owls in Arizona and New Mexico.

The ForSys spatial planning system was developed by USDA Forest Service Research and Development to modernize agency tools to prioritize forest and fuel management investments and understand tradeoffs among alternative scenarios.

New meta-analysis summarizes how fuel treatments and previous wildfire affect subsequent wildfire severity across different forest types and fire weather conditions.

Research on Interagency Hotshot Crews using workforce data from 2012 to 2018 found that the more additional days Hot Shots were assigned on fires during the year, the more likely they were to stay on the job.

Invasive-dominated grasslands in Hawaiʻi are resilient to disturbance and will take large management inputs to shift to different species assemblages.

Major barriers to biochar production limit its application across the United States. Further research and consistent policies, regulations, and directives at all jurisdictional government levels may be needed to promote innovation and decrease pollution with respect to production.

Saving money and time: a new technology improves species and sex identification and furthers conservation effectiveness.