USGS - science for a changing world

Biology - Ecosystems

Wildland Fire

The U.S. Geological Survey conducts fire ecology research to understand the effects of wildland fire on ecosystem structure and function, and on other ecological attributes such as wildlife habitat. Research is also directed as understanding fire history and fire regimes; interactions of fire with invasive species (e.g. cheatgrass) and climate variability; fire relations with vegetation structure and effectiveness of fuel treatments; and development of guidelines for restoring and rehabilitating fire-impacted ecosystems and watersheds.

Listed below are examples of research projects available online and general information from USGS about fire, its effects, and fire treatments.

http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/research/ckey_burn.jpgFire History & Climate Change

 

Fuel break in Mendocino National Forest, Lake County, CAFuel & Fuel Treatment

 

image of fire burning (from the http://landfire.cr.usgs.gov/updating_products.php website) Incident Management Decision Support

 

http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/research/ckey_burn.jpgLandscape Restoration & Monitoring

 

Picture of burned sagebrush community in southern Idaho Post-Fire Restoration & Rehabilitation

  • Managing Fire in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert: A Review and Analysis of the Literature. Open-File Report. Download the File. (6,151 KB, PDF) (Arizona, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Texas) (SBSC) (also related to Arid Lands)
  • Use of Fire as a Tool for Controlling Invasive Plants. Download the File. (2,648 KB, PDF) (WERC) (also related to Invasive Species)

 

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  More Research Samples from:

Alaska Science Center (ASC)
Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC)
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)
Fort Collins Science Center (FORT)
National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC)
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC)
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NRMSC)
Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC)
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC)
Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC)
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

 
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In the Spotlight


cover, USFS General Technical Report PNW-GTR-779 Ecological Foundations for Fire Management - In a recent USFS publication (General Technical Report PNW-GTR-779), USGS scientist Jon Keeley led a team of scientists from various agencies and academic institutions in developing a framework that will inform fire management of ecosystems. This review uses a scientific synthesis to provide an ecological foundation for management of diverse ecosystems. Ecosystem-based management requires different strategies on different landscapes, necessitating a regional approach to fire management. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170) Citation: Keeley, J.E., G. Aplet, N.L. Christensen, S.G. Conard, E.A. Johnson, P.N. Omi, D.L. Peterson, and T.W. Swetnam. 2009. Ecological foundations for fire management in North American forest and shrubland ecosystems. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-779. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 92 p.

Featured Publication

Image of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)USGS scientist Jason Dunham co-authored a new publication that examined stream temperatures in central Idaho to understand how changes following fire affected the distribution of sensitive species. Learn more from the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) website.

Wildland Fire Publications

Visit the Wildland Fire Publications page for a complete list of resources related to Fire

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Page Last Modified: Tuesday, 11-Aug-2009 13:59:10 MDT