Step by step: Forests of the future
Forests in the West used to be a lot more open, so wildfires were much less severe. How do we know? By looking at tree rings! We can actually see scars from old wildfires in cross-sections like this one. By cross-dating fire scars from multiple trees, scientists can reconstruct what past forests looked like including how dense forests were. (Forest Service video by Erika Reiter)Near the community…
#PrescribedFire, #Dendrochronology, #Fire, #FireScience, #Thinning, #WildfirePrevention, #FirePrevention, #Planning, #Wildfire
Safer wood for safer buildings
Fire testing is expensive and complex, which is why industry leaders look to the Forest Service for expertise. The Fire Lab at the USDA Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory conducts research that influences building codes and furthers fire science knowledge to ensure the safety of buildings that include wood components. (Forest Service video)Wood is in most buildings you enter. But how do…
#ForestProducts, #ForestProductsLaboratory, #FireLab, #FireScience, #Science, #ResearchAndDevelopment, #Research
Webinar series: Fire science you can use
The Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station is pleased to announce the second webinar series in its 2026 lineup: Fire Science You Can Use. This series includes five webinar events that will explore science and decision support tools for safe wildfire operations, fuels management and pre-fire planning, and navigating trade-offs…
#FireScience, #RockyMountainResearchStation
Wildlife and Fire: From Borders to Biota, Monitoring at Multiple Scales
COLORADO—The USDA Forest Service, Southwest Fire Science Consortium, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, and partners hosted a two-day workshop on the intersection of wildlife and fire. Based on the needs identified in the workshop, this collaborative group is hosting a year-long series of…
#FireScience, #Training, #RockyMountainResearchStation
Forest fires: From research to resilience
NEW JERSEY—Amidst escalating risks posed by wildfires in the eastern United States, fire researchers at Silas Little Experimental Forest are making significant contributions to better understand the relationship between fuels and the way fires spread across the landscape. With over a century of data for reference and a mature culture of wildland fire management that spans federal and state…
#FireScience, #ExperimentalForests
Science shows that demographics and funding impact wildfire resilience
Damage after the Woolsey Fire in California. Economists recognize that the vulnerable populations who are less able to invest in risk mitigation activities may depend more heavily upon federal disaster assistance to help them recover after wildfire events. (USDA Forest Service photo by Peter…