News
2024
August 8, 2024
Research Engineer Dan Jimenez describes the connections between the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire tragedy, wildfire research, and the development of the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory.
Watch the interview: Unique Missoula Fire Lab born from the Mann… more
August 8, 2024
Research Ecologist Dr. Matt Jolly describes the history and intent of the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory and highlights how the research and tools developed at the Fire Lab are used on the ground.
KPAX news station, Missoula, MT: Missoula fire… more
February 27, 2024
Newsweek features a recent study that used FSim to simulate wildfires under future climate change in the PNW.
"A new study has found that the wildfire risk in the Pacific Northwest is set to double by 2035. A new study published in the journal JGR… more
2023
October 6, 2023
The new mobile app Fire Weather Alert System (FWAS) has just been released. FWAS is designed to alert on-the-ground firefighters to dangerous weather conditions approaching their area and allow easy access to fire weather information on your mobile… more
September 18, 2023
Jason Forthofer, RMRS Research Mechanical Engineer, joins The Hotshot Wake Up crew to dive into new tools and tech coming out of the Fire Lab, how AI can be used and its shortcomings, as well as how to find a career in this field.
Listen to the… more
August 4, 2023
Melanie Brown discovers how experts study the physics of fire behavior on a tour at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. Listen to interviews with Thomas Dzomba and Mark Finney (RMRS Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program Deputy Program Manager and… more
July 18, 2023
A century of fire suppression is worsening wildfires and hurting forests. CBS News recently posted the latest video in their “On the Dot” series about climate change. This video features Kim Davis, FFS, and Sean Parks, ALWRI, talking about the… more
July 7, 2023
Experts from the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru, or SENAMHI, recently spent two weeks at the Missoula Fire Science Laboratory where they pored over fire forecasting models and looked for ways to improve Peru’s fire forecasting… more
May 26, 2023
Groundbreaking research: Scientists generate fire whirls in Twizel to safeguard firefighters from future wildfire devastation
For immediate release
22 May 2023
In a world first, scientists from Scion, US Forest Service, University of Canterbury’s… more
May 18, 2023
Dr. Gilad Ostrovsky, Chief Forester of JNF-KKL - Jewish National Fund / Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and Dr. Shani Rohatyn-Blitz, Coordinator for Research and Foreign Relations toured the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab as part of an extended visit that… more
April 19, 2023
The Conversation featured Research Ecologist Kimberley Davis and team in the article “The West’s iconic forests are increasingly struggling to recover from wildfires – altering how fires burn could boost their chances.” The study, published March 6… more
April 19, 2023
“A National Map of Snag Hazard to Reduce Risk to Wildland Fire Responders,” led by RMRS research ecologist Karin Riley, was selected as 2022 Editor’s Choice article in the journal Forests. Congrats to Karin and her colleagues! Check out the… more
April 18, 2023
The Association for Fire Ecology hosts the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program as part of the student online discussion series presented April 18, 2023. Learn about the Missoula Fire Science Lab history (www.… more
April 12, 2023
Mark Finney speaks on prescribed fires and their importance by highlighting the Polhemus Rx Burn and the Hayman Fire of 2002.
View the highlight of the Turkey Tracks Prescribed Fire in Colorado where fire prevention teams perform a prescribe burn… more
March 30, 2023
Inside the FS news highlights Dan Jimenez, Bret Butler and Matt Thompson's work with the Safe Separation Distance Evaluator (SSDE). This new tool is designed to help improve firefighter safety by helping to identify and evaluate potential safety… more
March 17, 2023
Sara Brown is program manager for the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program at the Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Inside the FS features Sara Brown as part of their series "HerStory: An oral history highlighting the contributions of women in the… more
March 3, 2023
In 1972, Richard C. Rothermel published his pioneering modeling work. Fifty years later in 2022, it was commemorated as the most widely used tool for wildfire behavior modeling, not only in the US but throughout the world. The development of his… more
February 27, 2023
How can you determine if a safety zone is large enough to protect wildland firefighters? Research Mechanical Engineer Dan Jimenez has created an online platform for the Safe Separation Distance Evaluator to make it easier for firefighters and… more
January 17, 2023
WIRED recently profiled the Fire Lab for their YouTube Field Trip series. This film features a tour of the Fire Lab and speaks with several scientists to learn how scientists develop a greater understanding of wildfires.
2022
November 7, 2022
FFS Supervisory Ecologist Ilana Abrahamson, Technical Information Specialist Olga Helmy, and BLM Fuels Specialist Michael Albritton led hands-on FireWorks activities with about 90 5th grade students at Rattlesnake Elementary School in Missoula,… more
August 25, 2022
Wildfire Smoke in the United States, released in August 2022 by Springer Publications, is an open access book which provides an assessment of current science surrounding wildfire smoke in the United States. The book summarizes current understanding… more
July 1, 2022
Join USFS Fire Spatial Analyst, Chuck McHugh as he takes users on a spin through the new LANDFIRE Data Distribution Map Viewer, talks projections, GeoTIFFs (and more) and imports data into FlamMap.
April 25, 2022
Dan Jimenez is interviewed for The Salt Lake Tribune article on "If winter wildfire hits Utah, these communities are at risk"
Dan Jimenez, a mechanical engineer and researcher for the U.S. Forest Service who grew up in Utah, said he was shocked a… more
April 25, 2022
Freethink* interviews the Fire Behavior Team including Mark Finney, Sara McAllister, Jason Forthofer and Faith Ann Heinsch.
We still don’t understand the ancient mysteries of fire. How is that possible? See the interview at Can scientists finally… more
April 25, 2022
Greg Dillon, is interviewed on tracking wildfire risk by 9NEWS.
At the U.S. Forest Service's Missoula Fire Sciences Lab, a team put together an interactive map to help show the wildfire risk to communities.
"We have a collection of research… more
April 6, 2022
NEWSY interviews Mark Finney on Understanding The Fire Paradox: Fighting Fire With Fire (VIDEO) (newsy.com).
For all that we don’t know, what we do know is that the model we use to determine how quickly a fire will spread is over 50 years old. That… more
March 24, 2022
Biologist Serra Hoagland bridges Indigenous traditions and modern methods.
“I LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS!” Serra Hoagland declares, interrupting herself as she explains the purpose of the small box she’s holding. At first glance, the featureless,… more
March 22, 2022
In recent decades, increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall have left their mark on the health of forests in the western United States. Emerging research reveals potential early warning signs for drought-related mortality in the ponderosa… more
March 22, 2022
Once typically constrained to summer months, wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later each year. HD Research Forester Erin Belval led a new study to visualize resource use during late-season fire response. Co-authored by FFS Research… more
March 1, 2022
The Fire, Fuels, and Smoke Science (FFS) program recently published a new StoryMap profiling Dr. Sharon Hood’s research on post-fire tree mortality. Sharon collaborated with Audrey Peterson, FFS Visual Information Specialist, to produce a Web… more
February 17, 2022
ESRI ArcWatch Features Article on Fighting Fire with WindNinja Mobile.
February, 2022
The WindNinja Mobile app, powered by GIS, provides firefighters with wind speed and direction forecasts in potentially dangerous conditions.
February 8, 2022
Each year the Chief’s Honor Awards celebrates the impactful and outstanding service and contributions of Forest Service employees. Several of the 2021 award winners are from RMRS. Their contributions are helping to shape the work, future course, and… more
February 8, 2022
FFS Supervisory Ecologist Ilana Abrahamson is the recipient of the 2021 Regional and National Gifford Pinchot Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Conservation Education. This award recognizes accomplishments in developing interpretive and… more
2021
November 30, 2021
ESRI User Story: Missoula Fire Sciences Lab Launches New Wind Modeling Mobile App to Help Firefighters in the Field The threat of wildfires is growing across the nation—in 2020, more than 50,000 fires in the US burned over 10 million acres. Wildfire… more
October 20, 2021
Mark Finney (RMRS FFS), Colin Hardy (retired RMRS), and Jack Cohen (retired RMRS) speak at a National Forest Foundation webinar.
"Science has clear evidence but a muddled message about how to treat forests and protect homes from wildfire, local… more
May 27, 2021
US Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT) visited the RMRS Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory Monday May 24. The Congressman was given a tour of the facilities, including live fire demonstrations. As part of the tour, RMRS scientists discussed the 60+-year… more
May 6, 2021
A Facilitated Learning Analysis (FLA) on the Cameron Peak Fire was released. The FLA focused on several COVID-19 events that occurred on that fire and how the incident management teams and local leadership managed the COVID exposure events and the… more
May 6, 2021
Sharon Hood interviewed with a local news outlet in Vancouver WA. The article was on the State of Washington’s recently passed wildfire bill but featured Sharon talking about different ways to manage forests in the WUI and mitigating fire risk. … more
May 6, 2021
Greg Dillon was a guest on a podcast with KOIN, the CBS affiliate in Portland OR. Greg also talked about mitigating wildfire risk in the WUI and the Wildfire Risk to Communities Project. You can listen to the podcast here: https://www.koin.com/… more
May 6, 2021
Greg Dillon, Director of the Fire Modeling Institute gives an overview of the work FMI does in wildland fire.
This presentation was hosted by the National Weather Service's Fire Weather Program.
April 29, 2021
A Plus Upside's online article on "The U.S. Forest Service Says It Knows How to Stop Wildfires" interviews Sara Brown which highlights the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program and its research.
April 29, 2021
Matt Jolly is highlighted in Q13 Fox Seattle news article on Washington's extreme wildfires.
April 29, 2021
Serra Hoagland is featured in Native Science Report, Listen First article "Salish Kootenai College’s new Indigenous Research Center draws on the expertise of Native scholars nationwide".
April 29, 2021
Bret Butler interviewed by LAist's online newsletter.
1. FIND A SAFE SPOT A safe spot is a place that will not burn, meaning it's free of flammable material such as tall dried grass, trees, shrubs or chaparral. Think a rock slide, a green meadow, a… more
April 29, 2021
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) announced the recipients of their Professional Awards for 2020. The 2020 Most Promising Engineer or Scientist is Dr. Serra Hoagland (Laguna Pueblo). She serves as the Liaison Officer/… more
April 28, 2021
As a member of the Ozone Monitoring Methods Team, FFS Research Physical Scientist Shawn Urbanski, Missoula, has been nominated for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Achievement Award for Accurate Ozone Measurements near Wildland… more
April 28, 2021
Forest Service scientists developed TreeMap to understand the risks wildfire poses to carbon stored in forests. Current wildfire simulation models addressed the fire component of their question, but to tackle the carbon side, they needed information… more
2020
August 12, 2020
Are you a firefighter looking for a safety zone while battling a fire? Or a resident or city leader searching for real-time information on an approaching wildfire?The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory rolled out some new tools packed with critical… more
January 22, 2020
IAWF is proud to announce that the 2019 recipient of the IAWF Early Career in Fire Science Award is Dr. Sara McAllister. Sara has been a Research Scientist for the US Forest Service at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory since 2009. She graduated… more
January 22, 2020
FFS Research Ecologist Bob Keane recently received the 2019 Harold Biswell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) for his significant contribution to fire ecology and management in the western United States and for… more
January 15, 2020
Established in 1961, Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest (TCEF) encompasses 9,125 acres at the headwaters of Tenderfoot Creek in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest is the site of diverse research on the… more
2019
December 23, 2019
Atlas Obscura's Jessica Leigh Hester submits an artcile on experiments performed at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. The Yule Log video—set to a carefully chosen soundtrack—shows various kinds of experiments conducted at the lab (approx 23 minutes).… more
December 20, 2019
MIT Technology Review's Alissa Greenberg writes about a few of the analysts, biologists, computer programmers, and engineers at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab in Montana. This review highlights Jason Forthofer, Matt Jolly, Chuck McHugh, and Dick… more
December 4, 2019
This is the U.S. Forest Service Fire Lab in Missoula, Montana. Here, researchers have spent 5 decades studying fire science — literally playing with it — to develop new models for predicting fire behavior, which helps them understand how to put put… more
November 25, 2019
Scientific American article written by Jason Forthofer, USFS, RMRS, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab
"As the plane began its descent into Medford, we dropped into the blanket of smoke that covered southwestern Oregon and northern California. It was late… more
November 21, 2019
Wildfire Today's Wildfire online News and Opinion article highlights the recently published Missoula Fire Sciences Lab Facility Tour. This online tour walks through the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory complex and highlights some of the research… more
November 6, 2019
The Bite-Sized Science Series provides an informal platform for peer-to-peer engagement at RMRS.
August 22, 2019
VICE News highlight Dan Jimenez and researchers in their Watch The Forest Service Burn Down a Forest for Science news piece.
"Dan Jimenez doesn’t get to do this very often. It’s almost unheard-of for researchers to get this close to such a massive… more
August 16, 2019
As part of their "Protectors of the Forest" series, Filson highlights the work done at the Missoula Fire Lab in the article "Inside the Fire Lab."
"Jason Forthofer watches the small circle of flames swirl upward into a vortex twelve feet tall, a… more
August 12, 2019
Mark Finney, Bret Butler, and Matt Jolly are featured in the local Missoulian newspaper
"Most Montanans are familiar with the “what” portion of the 1949 Mann Gulch tragedy — 13 men who lost the uphill race with a deadly wall of flames. But since… more
July 19, 2019
TracPlus highlights Jason Forthofer and the Fire Weather Alert System (FWAS).
Jason Forthofer, a Mechanical Engineer who oversees a number of projects at U.S. Forest Service’s Missoula, Montana, Fire Lab, is working on something which could act as… more
July 11, 2019
The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory complex includes numerouse research resources: a wind tunnel, combustion chamber and emissions lab, ecophysiology, tree ring and fuels lab as well as soils, metals, welding, electronics and instrumentation… more
July 11, 2019
Developing partnerships and creating cross-disciplinary research teams are critical in addressing the growing number of increasingly complex questions related to wildland fire. The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program, has a long history of… more
July 8, 2019
Crowdsourcing is a popular way to raise funds for projects, events, and so on. It is also a great tool for collecting data. In this case, scientists are using crowdsourced data to inform an app they are developing to help firefighters identify the… more
July 8, 2019
The June edition of Wildfire Magazine is out, and with it, a feature on Turkey: WILDFIRE IN TURKEY: Fire management challenges at an ancient crossroads of nature & culture.
The article explores Turkey’s history of fire management and its… more
Cross-Boundary Wildfire and Community Exposure in the Western US (RMRS General Technical Report 392)
June 24, 2019
RMRS General Technical Report-392 is now available online.
The publication describes the development and application of a framework to assess cross-boundary wildfire exposure for the Western U.S. with the purpose of mapping potential fire… more
June 7, 2019
FFS Research Forester Mark Finney, Missoula, is one of three recipients of the 2019 Ember Award presented by the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF). IAWF presents this award annually to recognize sustained achievement in wildland fire… more
May 31, 2019
The WindNinja tool, developed by FFS Mechanical Engineer Jason Forthofer and Research Mechanical Engineer Bret Butler, is featured in a recent blog on the TracPlus website. Over the years, wind shifts have caused untold damage to communities and… more
May 31, 2019
In mid-April, the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory hosted three fire specialists from Morocco’s High Commission on Water, Forests, and Combating Desertification for a one-week study tour. The Fire Modeling Institute (FMI) and the Wildland Fire… more
May 28, 2019
Last year’s Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history and destroyed the town of Paradise within the first 6 hours of the fire. To better understand how fires like these spread and how to prevent them in the… more
May 24, 2019
Bret Butler and team are highlighted in the High Country News article "Wildfire escape routes? There’s (almost) an app for that".
Scientists are using crowdsourced data to help firefighters flee dangerous flames.
In 2013, when a wildfire changed… more
May 21, 2019
Mark Finney, Karen Short and Greg Dillon are featured in Michael Archer's TracPlus article on FSim.
Excerpt:
To understand FSim, it’s important to visualize the wildfire risk triangle, whose three sides represent likelihood, intensity and… more
May 10, 2019
From the front line of the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history, NOVA tells the stories of residents who had to flee for their lives during the 2018 fire season. Scientists race to understand what’s behind the rise of record-… more
May 10, 2019
Sharon Hood is featured in KUNC online news (Community Radio for Northern Colorado).
Originally published on April 30, 2019 11:37 am See online article
Wildfire season is around the corner in the Mountain West. Prescribed burns are just one way to… more
April 29, 2019
We are please to announce a newly published Ecosphere article co-authored by Alina Canserl. The missing fire: quantifying human exclusion of wildfire in Pacific Northwest forests, USA and the associated TNC blog titled “in need of fire” came out… more
April 29, 2019
"In a laboratory in Montana, Jason Forthofer lights one of the most unusual fires you'll ever see.
A fiery vortex more than three metres high spins inside a narrow human-sized glass tube, swirling like water down a drain.
Using only alcohol and… more
March 28, 2019
Michael Archer highlights the U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and Matt Jolly in his blog on TracPlus. See the full article at https://www.tracplus.com/blog/us-national-fire-danger-rating-system/
NFDRS
The U.S. National Fire Danger… more
2018
November 30, 2018
Researchers with the Southwest Anatolia Forest Research Institute, General Directorate of Forestry recently hosted two fire researchers from the Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Fire, Fuel and Smoke program. FFS Research Ecologist Sharon Hood and… more
November 20, 2018
"Mark Finney at the US Forest Service and his colleagues sometimes do the unthinkable. They go out into the bush and start a fire. But they’re not arsonists and these fires aren’t sprawling or highly destructive. They’re controlled burns of real… more
November 14, 2018
Sharon Hood is featured on PBS News Hour's "The science behind California's surging wildfires" article November 13, 2018.
As three major fires blaze in California, we consider some of their causes, both human and meteorological. Science… more
October 30, 2018
Previous reviews of wildfires where a fatal firefighter burnover occurred have found that the incidents usually share similar characteristics in terms of the fire environment, such as steep slopes and complex topography (e.g. box canyons). Despite… more
October 18, 2018
At the end of September and beginning of October, FFS Ecologist Ilana Abrahamson, Biological Science Technician Eva Masin, and WFM RD&A Fire Application Specialist Erin Noonan-Wright teamed up with the Blackfoot Challenge to lead three separate… more
September 24, 2018
CBS This Morning interviews Mark Finney, Jason Forthofer, and team.
Scientists at a U.S. Forest Service lab in Montana are fighting fires by lighting fires, reports CBS News' Carter Evans. Research forester Mark Finney and his team have spent… more
September 5, 2018
KUOW News features Mark Finney in "Efforts To Reduce Wildfire Risk Fall Short, Buck Science" posted July 23, 2018
“Politically, we’ve heard this — that we’re going to log our way out of the fire problem. That’s popular with some elected officials… more
September 5, 2018
Mark Finney is featured in KSL.com News "Exploding targets ignite wildfire debate" article by Mike Price, EastIdahoNews.com | Posted - Jul 29th, 2018
The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana began studying exploding targets and how they… more
September 5, 2018
Mark Finney is featured in WIRED's "The Only Thing Fire Scientists Are Sure of: This Will Get Worse" article by Adam Rogers, Aug 1, 2018.
“Some of the fires are unusual, but the reason it seems more unusual is that there are people around to see it… more
September 5, 2018
U.S. News features Matt Jolly in "Wildfires Are Getting Worse, And More Costly, Every Year" article by Gabrielle Levy, Political Reporter, Aug. 1, 2018.
Instead, fires occur year-round and in more places. A 2015 analysis led by Forest Service… more
September 5, 2018
NBC Montana features Matt Jolly in "USFS Fire Sciences Lab provides data on wildfire front" article by McKayla Haack, Tuesday, August 7th 2018.
Research ecologist William Matt Jolly says the moisture content of the fuel directly tells them how… more
September 5, 2018
Planet Jackson Hole News features Matt Jolly in "Where There's Smoke", By Robert Galbreath on July 25, 2018.
Dwindling Resources
As rising temperatures fuel more and more devastating fires across the Rocky Mountains, firefighters are finding their… more
August 15, 2018
Jim Robbins with the New York Times interviews Mark Finney for the "Fierce and Unpredictable: How Wildfires Became Infernos" article.
Printable version
May 21, 2018
The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory hosted a group of journalists from the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources (IJNR) as part of their 2-day “The Future of Wildfire” workshop. Those attending this preseason primer on wildland fire… more
May 16, 2018
The May 2018 LANDFIRE Postcard, a newsletter of the LANDFIRE program, features an interview with FMI Spatial Fire Analyst Greg Dillon. The interview discusses his history with the LANDFIRE program from 2004 to 2009, and how he uses LANDFIRE data in… more
May 4, 2018
The 1971-1974 White Cap Wilderness Fire Study initiated a change in the Forest Service approach to wildfires from fire control to fire management. This is the story about the study as told by some of the researchers, technicians, and managers during… more
April 24, 2018
FFS Biologist and Tribal Liaison Serra Hoagland makes her base at the Salish Kootenai College (SKC) in Pablo, Montana. SKC is the only tribal college and university in the United States that offers a four-year forestry program. In a pilot program… more
March 12, 2018
FFS Research Ecologist Matt Jolly (right) and Meteorologist Larry Bradshaw recently received the most prestigious award offered by the wildland fire community, the Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award, for their efforts to modernize and improve the… more
February 22, 2018
Harbingers of Change: Owls of Mescalero
For the Mescalero Apache, the owl is a messenger. Often misconstrued as a bad omen, the owls provide a warning that it’s time to pay attention, and that “when the world is changing, we need to listen.” For… more
January 30, 2018
Sharon Hood's research is used by the Forest Service Northern Region to determine tree mortality after the 2017 wildfire season. This work is outlined in the Post-Fire Forest Management in the Northern Region storymap.
2017
December 8, 2017
Congratulations to FFS Wildlife Biologist and Tribal Liaison Serra Hoagland for receiving The Wildlife Society’s (TWS) Diversity Award. Per TWS, “The Diversity Award recognizes an individual or organization for outstanding efforts in promoting… more
October 26, 2017
In 1970, Forester Dave Aldrich and Fire Researcher Bob Mutch, working with Bitterroot National Forest supervisor Orville Daniels, initiated work on a revolutionary fire management plan for the White Cap drainage of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.… more
September 12, 2017
LaWen Hollingsworth, Spatial Fire Analyst, highlighted with her work on the Lolo Peak.
Fire Science on the Lolo Peak Fire: A look at how the team managing the Lolo Peak Fire in Montana, uses a group of fire and weather scientists, to predict short… more
July 26, 2017
Mark Finney's research on Bullet Ignition is highlighted through KCRA3 News Wildfire Coverage - Fire Danger Restrictions
May 11, 2017
Reno, Nev. – Jack Cohen, USDA Forest Service retiree, has received the 2017 Wildfire Mitigation Legacy Award for being instrumental in developing the science behind many effective wildland-fire mitigation concepts used today across North America. -… more
March 13, 2017
Since mid-October (2016), the Fire Modeling Institute at the Missoula Fire Lab has been hosting two student interns from Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich, Germany. FMI Spatial Fire Analyst Greg Dillon arranged for Luzie Scheinpflug and… more
2016
December 30, 2016
Montana Public Radio interview on FIREX experiments that took place in November/December 2016.
Audio Interview
Transcript:
December 28, 20164:06 PM ET
Nathan Rott
The Science Of Wildfires May Be Up In Smoke
With wildfire becoming more… more
December 23, 2016
FFS Research Forester Dr. Emily Heyerdahl, Missoula, presented invited seminars on her research on climatic and topographic drivers of fire history in the Inland Northwest at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Malmo, Sweden and at… more
November 1, 2016
The RMRS Fire, Fuel, and Smoke science program is currently hosting the NOAA-led Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environments Experiment (FIREX). FIREX is a multi-year campaign to understand the atmospheric impacts of fire, including wildfire… more
October 25, 2016
Understanding evolved traits will aid conservation of high-elevation pine species
LOGAN, Utah, October 17, 2016 – Scientists have discovered that Great Basin bristlecone pine, which has the longest lifespan of any non-clonal organism worldwide, is… more
October 20, 2016
Every four years, fire managers from New Zealand and Australia visit Canada, the U.S., and Mexico as part of the North American Forestry Commission Fire Management Working Group’s (NAFC-FMWG) International Study Tour. This year, Australian and New… more
August 31, 2016
Colin Hardy, FFS Program Director, accepted a great opportunity to tell the United Kingdom via BBC radio’s show Up All Night about the significance of the Missoula Fire Lab and the important research conducted here.
August 23, 2016
Mark Finney, Research is featured on the CBS newsclip "Inside the search for a better way to fight wildfires" which aired in August '16.
Missoula, Montana -- Hundreds of square miles in California have been overcome by wildfires this summer, in… more
August 18, 2016
FFS Program Manager Colin Hardy, Missoula, recently received a letter of appreciation for Research Ecologist Matt Jolly from NASA. NASA praised Matt for his excellent contributions to the project TOPOFIRE: Prototype System for Predicting Insect and… more
August 18, 2016
In May 2016, FFS Research Ecologists Bob Keane and Russ Parsons, Missoula, visited Manchuria, in northeastern China (. Hosted by Dr. Zhiwei Wu, who spent eight months at the Missoula Fire Lab in 2015, Bob and Russ presented talks on disturbance… more
July 18, 2016
Ecologists and staff from the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab taught the annual FireWorks workshop to 20 educators and fire prevention/education specialists from Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Participants used hands-on activities to learn how to teach… more
June 27, 2016
Exploring the Wind Limit: A Collaborative Project with the Institute for Building and Home Safety
Wind is a dominant environmental variable in wildland fire spread and intensity. The fire model used to support wildland fire management in the U.S.… more
June 27, 2016
Ecologists from the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab led activities about fire science for over 200 fourth grade students from the greater Missoula area. FFS Ecologist Ilana Abrahamson, Biological Science Technician Eva Masin, cooperator Shannon Murphy,… more
May 2, 2016
FFS Physical Scientist Paul Sopko, Missoula, recently presented his paper, “Spatial Products Available for Identifying Areas of Likely Wildfire Ignitions using Lightning Location Data: Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS),” at the 2016… more
April 5, 2016
The Missoula Fire Sciences Lab recently hosted a tour of students and staff from Trapper Creek Job Corps Center. The Trapper Creek center is one of 125 Job Corps Centers throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and is located in northwestern Montana.… more
March 18, 2016
Dr. Sharon Hood is featured in University of Montana STEM Stories (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education grouping).
For additional information see Sharon's project - Fire and Tree Defense: The Impact of Frequent, Low-Intensity… more
February 24, 2016
Discover magazine's January/February 2016 edition highlights W. Matt Jolly and his recent publication in Nature: Climate-induced variations in global wildfire danger from 1979 to 2013.
Read the Discover article: Fiery 2015 May Become ‘The New… more
February 10, 2016
FFS Research Mechanical Engineer Bret Butler, Missoula, recently presented on the micro and macro aspects of fire dynamics to 37 fire investigators from the San Francisco Bay area and throughout Southern California in San Diego, California.… more
2015
August 10, 2015
ABC News TONIGHT made a trip out to the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab in June with the intent of integrating segments from their interviews into broadcast coverage of extreme wildfire activity over the summer. ABC World News Tonight featured a story on… more
April 6, 2015
The Science Application & Communication (SA&C) staff is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 RMRS Science You Can Use Bulletin award call. The Bulletin is a science synthesis publication created by RMRS with a current circulation of… more
March 9, 2015
The Missoula Fire Lab Quilters won the 2014 USDA Arts and Agriculture Competition Grand Prize from over 300 entries submitted from across the USDA. The winning quilt, made in 2010, commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab… more
2014
December 23, 2014
Scientists and professionals from RMRS made significant and highly visible contributions to the success of the seventh International Conference on Forest Fire Research (ICFFR) held November 14-21 in Coimbra, Portugal. The conference, focusing on… more
November 3, 2014
In October, FFS Research Ecologist Russ Parsons, Missoula, hosted a group of visitors from west and central Africa via the USFS International Program. This group of forestry and natural resource project managers is currently touring various… more
October 21, 2014
The Missoula Fire Lab recently hosted a two-day workshop for an expert panel on combustion and fire science. The five panelists from universities across the U.S. reviewed the latest finding on fire behavior fundamentals. Panelists included Professor… more
October 7, 2014
FFS Research Ecologist Rachel Loehman, Missoula, has accepted a Research Landscape Ecologist position with the USGS in Anchorage, Alaska, starting mid-October 2014. Rachel worked on a variety of research projects while with RMRS including spatial… more
August 18, 2014
The latest edition of the ESRI Map Book, Volume 29, features the Wildland Fire Potential map, produced by RMRS Spatial Fire Analyst Greg Dillon with the Fire Modeling Institute at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. Each summer, the Environmental… more
August 18, 2014
The Flagship Program, developed by the RMRS Human Dimensions Program in 2013, provides after school and summer programs for at-risk students in grades K-12 throughout the Missoula County Public Schools District 1, Montana. Often these students do… more
July 15, 2014
Soil heating and fire effects resulting from in situ oil spill burning
FFS Staff: James Reardon, Forester
Courtesy of: Fire, Fuels and Smoke Science ProgramDuration: 00:04:12
July 14, 2014
Physical Scientist Paul Sopko and Meteorologist Larry Bradshaw, Missoula, recently developed a new product for the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS). Their new daily map, called Dry Lightning on Dryness Levels, went live June 10. The map shows… more
May 21, 2014
Courtesy of The AtlanticDate: May 21, 2014 | Katherine Wells, Sam Price-WaldmanDuration: 00:08:55
FFS Staff: Jack Cohen, Mark Finney, Sara McAllister
Massive wildfires cost billions of dollars and burn millions of acres in the U.S. every year, but… more
May 20, 2014
During the week of May 19 2014, the two largest professional associations in wildland fire science, the Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) and the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF), cooperatively held a highly successful conference… more
May 5, 2014
The Washington, D.C National Building Museum’s new exhibition, Designing for Disaster, features Research Physical Scientist Jack Cohen, Missoula, in an online video about his research focused on reducing homeowner risk in the wildland-urban… more
April 24, 2014
The interactive online game, Living with Fire, developed by Ecologist, Jane Kapler Smith, is featured in the new Idea Lab, at the Koshland Science Museum, part of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. The Lab is a two-year exhibit… more
2013
December 4, 2013
On December 4, 2013 RMRS Research Forester Mark Finney, Missoula, received the Region 1 Regional Forester’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology for his science leadership in fire research and development. The award recognizes an… more
September 22, 2013
The New York Times Sunday Magazine’s September 22 issue prominently featured Research Forester Mark Finney and Research Physical Scientist Jack Cohen, Missoula. The cover story titled Into the Wildfire focuses on their studies and experiments to… more