Wildland Fuel Science

Most wildland fuel science research has been done in the context of fire behavior, ignoring the complex ecological interactions that dead and live biomass have with their environment. Only recently have we started recognizing the important role of fuels to other management issues, such as smoke, carbon, wildlife habitat, and site productivity. Rocky Mountain Research Station scientist Bob Keane is working to usher in a new era of wildland fuel science that integrates ecology with fire behavior for more comprehensive fuel applications.