Fire Ecology Archives - Southwest Fire Science Consortium

Demonstration of a lesson from our Fire Ecology Learning Lab in a classroom

The Fire Ecology Learning Lab: Preparing the next generation for wildfire challenges

by swfscSuccess Stories April 15, 2025April 15, 2025No Comments

The Southwest Fire Science and others have partnered over the last five years to create and grow the Fire Ecology Learning Lab (FELL), a placed-based and standards-aligned K-12 curricula. FELL is a success story, especially over the last two years, when, with additional funding and resources, FELL reached 16,000+ students in the Southwest. Read more …

Building Ecosystem Resilience & Adaptive Capacity: Aspen Ecology and Management in the Southwest

by swfscWebinars December 19, 2024February 21, 2025No Comments

In a nutshell: Dr. Connor Crouch presents on three threats facing quaking aspen in the Southwest – climate, pests and disease, and livestock browse – and three management objectives and strategies that can be implemented to improve aspen resilience and adaptive capacity, leaving attendees with actionable suggestions for resource management. Recorded on: Wednesday, January 22, …

Fire in the Sonoran Desert

by swfscFactsheet November 5, 2024February 5, 2025No Comments

The expansion of the grass-fire cycle in the deserts of North America is driving ecosystem level transformation from patchy desert scrub to invasive grassland. A novel fire regime in the Sonoran Desert is forcing a new approach to land management. Unprecedented large-scale fires in recent years, especially in 2005 and 2020, have been driven by …

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Fire in the Southwest Series Ep. 4: The Shifting Role of the Forest Stewards Guild in an Era of Megafires, with Zander Evans

by swfscPodcasts July 1, 2024August 23, 2024One Comment

EPISODE SUMMARY Welcome to episode four of our Fire in the Southwest Series, supported by the Southwest Fire Science Consortium as well as the Arizona Wildfire Initiative! Today’s guest, Zander Evans, is the executive director of the Forest Stewards Guild, which has a mission of promoting ecologically-, economically-, and socially-responsible forestry as a means of sustaining the integrity of …

Fire in the Southwest Series Ep. 1: Southwest Fire Regimes and Post-Fire Community Support with Mary Stuever

by swfscPodcasts May 31, 2024August 23, 2024No Comments

EPISODE SUMMARY Welcome to the first part of our six-episode series all about the Southwest, sponsored by the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Arizona Wildfire Initiative! In our introductory episode for the series, we spoke with Mary Stuever, who is the Cimarron District Forester for New Mexico State Forestry. Mary has a breadth of …

Fire in the Sonoran Desert

by swfscScience Synthesis May 22, 2024November 5, 20242 Comments

An overview of a changing landscape. The expansion of the grass-fire cycle in the deserts of North America is driving ecosystem level transformation from patchy desertscrub to invasive grassland. A novel fire regime in the Sonoran Desert is forcing a new approach to land management, where there are currently more questions than answers. What is …

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Diné Forest and Climate Teach-In

by swfscWorkshops May 16, 2024August 23, 2024No Comments

Join us on May 28th and 29th for a free teach-in event at the Ft. Defiance Chapter House aimed at expanding perspectives on forests and climate change! Our goal is to foster dialogue on forest health, reconnection, and explore solutions to environmental challenges. Priority topics will include climate change, fire ecology, cultural revitalization, plant conservation, …

Sonoran desert post-fire with charred saguaro

Sonoran Fuel Breaks Field Trip – February 2024

by swfscField Trips January 24, 2024August 23, 2024No Comments

This field trip will delve into the critical issues of wildfire risk and invasive species management in the Sonoran Desert near Phoenix, AZ. We will hear from public, state, and private land managers who have been conducting wildfire operations, prescribed burns, thinning, and invasive plant removal to protect the Sonoran Desert. Field Trip Objectives: Who …

Fire Ecology

by swfscLearn November 13, 2023November 13, 2023No Comments

A group of people stands at a lookout point gazing into the fire footprint. They see many burned trees and the vegetation greening up.

Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Fire: One Year Later

by swfscField Trips, Story Maps October 15, 2023February 12, 2024No Comments

The Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Fire was a devastating event for New Mexico. Many communities were affected, and while this fire was unique, it will not be for long. Climate change and the effects of a century of fire exclusion mean that fires like this one are increasingly likely. We must understand what happened in …