Afire: Fire Effects Above and Belowground
Forestcast
Fire affects forests above and belowground. Travel along on a multiscale journey from forest-wide influences to molecular-level changes, unraveling the knowns and unknowns of fire effects on soil, vegetation, and carbon. explains how fire affects tree mortality, tracing the pivotal role of carbohydrates in a tree's post-fire survival. investigates the production and persistence of black carbon in soils, shedding light on its potential climate implications. shares innovative techniques for measuring belowground heat transfer during fires, and unveils the intricate effects on soil...
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Afire: Fire Weather, Wind & Smoke
Forestcast
From whipping winds that fan flames to swirling smoke that obscures visibility, fire weather is a complex phenomenon. In Episode 4 of "Afire," hear from three meteorologists at the intersection of the intricate relationships between fire weather, wind, and smoke. explains how large-scale atmospheric patterns, like extended dry periods before a wildfire, may contribute to the development of extreme fire events. discusses WindNinja, a high-resolution wind model that simulates local winds in complex terrain. And investigates the turbulent dynamics of small‑scale surface fires, as...
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Afire: Understanding Different Fire
Forestcast
Prescribed fire plays a vital role in creating healthy landscapes that better survive natural and human-caused disturbances, while reducing wildfire risk to communities, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources. Episode 3 of "Afire" highlights three scientists and partnerships that are attempting to better understand and utilize prescribed fire. From Georgia, ecologist explains how researchers and forest managers are forming unique meetings that spark fresh ideas and advancements in prescribed burning across the South. In California, forester begins research into the processes...
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Afire: Understanding Fire Differently
Forestcast
Indigenous tribes gained their unique understanding of fire, and the role of fire on the landscape, long before European settlers came to what is now called North America. Since then, the relationship between federal fire management and indigenous perspectives has often been one of misunderstanding and mistrust. On Episode 2 of "Afire," join Forest Service scientists, , a tribal descendant, and , a tribal member, as they explain the ways in which Forest Service fire research is collaborating with tribes to jointly strive to better understand and manage fire. Related Research: (2023) ...
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Afire: Understanding Fire
Forestcast
Fire is a form all of its own, but a simple way to understand fire is as a swarm. A swarm of bees. Or starlings. Or mosquitos. A spreading fire is a swarm of ignitions, a series of small fires over and over. Season 4 of Forestcast is a series of fires, a series of voices. It’s a 360-degree introduction to fire from a scientific standpoint. The story of how fire research shapes our landscapes, and our lives. Through kaleidoscoping voices from across the country, listeners will be taken inside the largest forest research organization in the world to hear from seventeen scientists on what...
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Flying the Nuthatch Home
Forestcast
Once spanning nearly 6 million acres in Missouri's Ozarks, the shortleaf pine and oak woodland ecosystem has dwindled to 100,000 acres today. Along with the loss of this habitat, a bird—the brown-headed nuthatch—disappeared as well. However, after decades of woodland restoration, the brown-headed nuthatch has returned to Missouri—by plane. Over two summers in 2020 and 2021, a team of scientists successfully captured and flew 102 birds from Arkansas to Missouri, marking the bird’s return to the state after being locally extinct since 1907. Weighing in at a mere one-third of an ounce,...
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Women of Research: Our Sustainable Future with Cindi West
Forestcast
has over 30 years of experience working across private industry, academia, and federal government in a variety of jobs to ensure sustainability of natural resources. In February 2021 she assumed the position of Director of the and the . She has served in various leadership roles in the Forest Service, including as the Director of the Office of Sustainability & Climate Change, Associate Deputy Chief for R&D, Director for Resource Use Sciences, and Deputy Station Director for Pacific Northwest Research Station. Cindi holds a BS degree in Forestry Management, an MBA in Marketing and...
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Women of Research: Scientific & Ethical Integrity with Maggie Hardy
Forestcast
is the program manager of the Rocky Mountain Research Station , a group of scientists that develops and delivers scientific knowledge and management tools for sustaining and restoring the health, biodiversity, productivity, and ecosystem processes of forest and woodland landscapes. Before joining the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Maggie served as Chief Regulatory Scientist and as an Executive Director with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. In these roles, Maggie managed areas of policy; regulation and budget; provided strategic stakeholder engagement; and led...
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Women of Research: Changing the World Through Soil with Deb Page-Dumroese
Forestcast
Research soil scientist research interests center around maintaining soil productivity during and after land management activities. As site principal investigator for several plots, Deb is well-versed in the pre- and post-treatment sampling necessary to determine changes in above- and below-ground nutrient properties associated with harvesting, organic matter removal, and biochar additions. In partnership with the Missoula Technology Development Center (Keith Windell) and Dr. Nate Anderson (RMRS) she developed a to easily distribute biochar on forest sites. Related Research: (2022) ...
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Women of Research: A Life of Healthy Forests with Jenny Juzwik
Forestcast
Research plant pathologist, , conducts studies on diseases of trees that impact forest health and productivity. Her career-long interest and passion has been the study of interactions among microorganisms and insects associated with disease occurrence and development. One particular focus has been on the insects responsible for transmission of the oak wilt fungus, Bretziella fagacearum. In 2014 she completed research that involved elucidation of the major biotic determinants of hickory decline and investigation of the role(s) putative pathogens play in the complex. In 2010, she initiated 13...
info_outlineA biological invasion is an enormous increase in population of some kind of living organism. It happens when an organism — like an insect — arrives somewhere beyond its previous range, when it breaks out past its natural barrier, unbalancing the biological order. More than 450 non-native insects have invaded our forests and urban trees since European settlement. In this series, we'll explore four of these insects, and the scientists studying and combating these pests.
In 1957, a British ecologist, Charles S. Elton, gave three radio presentations entitled “Balance and Barrier.” Within a year, he had expanded these ideas into what was to become a bible for practitioners of a burgeoning new science: invasion biology. In a tribute to those broadcasts, this six-part series will explore biological invasions — and their repercussions — in the Midwest and the Northeast.
Related Research:
- “Ecology of Forest Insect Invasions” (2017)
- “A Highly Aggregated Geographical Distribution of Forest Pest Invasions in the USA” (2013)
- “Historical Accumulation of Nonindigenous Forest Pests in the Continental United States” (2011)
- “Economic Impacts of Non-Native Forest Insects in the Continental United States” (2011)
- “The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants” (1958)
Scientists:
- Therese Poland, Project Leader/Research Entomologist, Northern Research Station, Lansing, Michigan
- Sandy Liebhold, Research Entomologist, Northern Research Station, Morgantown, West Virginia
- Robert Haight, Research Forester, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, Minnesota
Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.
Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts/forestcast-season-1-balance-and-barrier-episode-1-slow-explosion
Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at: [email protected]