Treesearch

Current fire policy to restore ecosystem function and resiliency and reduce buildup of hazardous fuels implies a larger future role for fire (both natural and human ignitions) (USDA and USDOI 2000). Yet some fire management (such as building fire line, spike camps, or heli-spots) potentially causes both short- and long-term impacts to forest health. In the short run, these practices may increase soil disturbance, thereby promoting post-fire weed establishment (e.g., Keeley 2005; Merriam and others 2006). Fire management practices also may initiate long-term changes to aspects of landscape...

The U.S. wildland fire community has developed a number of innovative methods for conducting a review following escape of a prescribed fire (expanding on the typical regional or local reviews, to include more of a learning focus - expanded After Action Reviews, reviews that incorporate High Reliability Organizing, Facilitated Learning Analyses, etc). The stated purpose of these reviews has been to identify methods that not only meet policy requirements, but also reduce future escapes. Implicit in this is the assumption that a review leads to learning. Yet, as organizational learning expert...

Wildland fire management policy and practices have long been driven by the occurrence of significant events. The Howling Prescribed Natural Fire in Glacier National Park in 1994 is a prime example of a significant historical fire event that provided the impetus for program changes and modifications that modernized wildland fire management at the local, regional, and national levels. During the management of this fire in the midst of numerous wildfire suppression complexes, factors such as resource availability, internal and external concerns, and long-term situational awareness became...

Wildland fire management in the United States has historically been a challenging and complex program governed by a multitude of factors including situational status, objectives, operational capability, science and technology, and changes and advances in all these factors. The improvement and advancement of risk-informed decision making has the potential to improve natural and community resource protection, reduce firefighter exposure, and potentially, decrease suppression costs. Developing new and improved processes and integrating them in support of risk-informed decision making is an...

The Joint Fire Science Program is developing a national network of knowledge exchange consortia comprised of interested management and science stakeholders working together to tailor and actively demonstrate existing fire science information to benefit management.

The Northern Rocky Mountain region is one of the most fire-prone regions in the United States. With a history of large fires that have shaped national policy, including the fires of 1910 and 2000 in Idaho and Montana and the Yellowstone fires of 1988, this region is projected to have many large severe fires in the future. Communication about fire science needs and science products is critical to effective, science-informed management. Despite the concentration of fire scientists and fire research in this region, land managers struggle to sort through available scientific information; find...

The postmodern world is still struggling to blossom and flower. Organizations and their leaders often seem to be locked into Newtonian-Cartesian mechanistic worldviews, first wave behaviorism, and positivism. The theory and practice of servant-leadership, resilient leadership and adaptive leadership informed by psychology provide a way to address increasing levels of complexity in a postmodern world.

Recent advances in the science of psychology are rapidly mending the Cartesian mind-body rift. The U.S. Military has recognized the importance of mental fitness to compliment physical fitness. Health-of- the-Force was a strategic priority of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2009-2010. Wellness enhancement and training is one of the four focus areas of a Department of Defense task force report, The Challenge and the Promise: Strengthening the Force, Preventing Suicide, and Saving Lives; issued in August of 2010.

Phenotypic plasticity in thermally-regulated traits enables close tracking of changing environmental conditions, and can thereby enhance the potential for rapid population increase, a hallmark of outbreak insect species. In a changing climate, exposure to conditions that exceed the capacity of existing phenotypic plasticity may occur. Combining information on genetic architecture and trait plasticity among populations that are distributed along a latitudinal cline can provide insight into how thermally-regulated traits evolve in divergent environments and the potential for adaptation....

Rehabilitation of downy brome-infested shrublands is challenging once this invasive grass dominates native communities. The effectiveness of imazapic herbicide in reducing downy brome cover has been variable, and there is uncertainty about the impacts of imazapic on native species. We used a before-after-control-impact (BACI) field experiment and greenhouse studies to (1) determine if imazapic herbicide applied at 132 g ai ha-1 (8 oz/ac-1) and seeding with two native shrub species (Wyoming big sagebrush [Artemisia tridentata] and Mexican cliffrose [Purshia mexicana]) reduced downy brome...