Smoke in the Southwest

In the Southwest, most ecosystems are adapted to some form of wildland fire. Smoke, the major byproduct of fire, is a real health issue, and finding ways to deal with this reality is discussed by several federal employees who work in land management.

Click here to listen to our “Smoke in the Southwest” podcast by Caitlyn Burford.


May 30, 2019: Sonoran FireAdapt Project

Presenter: Clare Aslan, Northern Arizona University Date: May 30, 2019 1-3pm AZ  (2-4pm MDT) Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is home to unique species, sites of immense cultural and historical value, and more than 5 million people. This sensitive region is also threatened by a changing fire regime, spurred by climate change, long-term drought, and invasive plants. We used social …

May 22, 2019: Do trends in climate influence the increase in high-severity wildfire in the southwestern US from 1984 to 2015?

Presenter: Stephanie Mueller, Northern Arizona University Date: May 22, 2019 12pm Mountain Daylight Time (11am AZ time) Over the last 30 years, in woodland and forested ecosystems across the southwestern US, there has been an increasing trend in fire activity. Altered land use practices and more recent changes in precipitation patterns and warmer temperatures are …

2019 Cultivating Pyrodiversity- 8th AFE International Fire Ecology & Management Congress

The Association for Fire Ecology is excited to be hosting this event in Tucson, Arizona in cooperation with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium. Presentations will feature the latest in research results, applications, case studies, and lessons learned, and special sessions will be designed to unify science and application and to create opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. …

April 15, 2019: BALN Regen

We hosted a one day field trip to the 2017 Boundary Fire burned area. We made seven stops and discussed the effects of earlier fires such as the Pumpkin Fire (2002) and the Horseshoe-Hockdeffer Fire (1996) on reforestation. The topics discussed were natural reforestation, artificial reforestation, fire management in burned areas (a reburn), and assisted …

May 2, 2019: New reforestation practices for post-wildfire landscapes- building early resilience

Presenter: Jens Stevens, PhD, US Geological Survey Date: May 2, 2019 11am AZ/12pm MDT The increasing frequency and severity of fire and drought events have negatively impacted the capacity and success of reforestation efforts in many dry, western forests. Challenges to reforestation include the size, cost, and safety concerns of replanting large areas with standing …

April 9, 2019: Use of the Target Plant Concept to Promote Successful Post-Fire Forest Restoration

Presenters: Owen Burney, PhD, Associate Professor and Superintendent John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, New Mexico State University Date: April 9, 2019 11am AZ/12pm MDT Restoration of severely burned forest lands is limited in the southwestern US primarily due to a lack of research and resources. For those areas that have been reforested, there has been …

Success Stories

These Success Stories relate to fire research and/or fire management and have been directly or indirectly supported by the Southwest Fire Science Consortium. Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project Wildland Urban Interface Summits in NM and AZ Spreading innovation: Successful management case studies Fires of Change: A science and art collaborative

March 6, 2019: Building loss to wildfires in the wildland urban interface in the U.S.

Presenter: Patricia Alexandre, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Date: March 6, 2019 12pm Mountain Time Wildfires are a natural element of many ecosystems and have a great impact on society by destroying property and sometimes by taking lives. In the United States alone, thousands of individual fires occur every year and the number of both …

February 6, 2019: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones) For Measuring Canopy Fuels And Aerial Ignitions

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) for measuring canopy fuels and aerial ignitions Presenters: Patrick Shin, Northern Arizona University and Jim Higgins, Drone Amplified Date: February 6, 2019 12pm Mountain This webinar combines two expert views of using drones in fire management. First Patrick Shin of Northern Arizona University will briefly discuss his research on using drones to evaluate canopy …