Projects
Browse present and past projects.
Displaying 126 - 150 of 158
2012-Present
Both firefighters and fire scientists have observed a period of peak crown fire activity in the Great Lakes area during spring when a dip in foliar moisture content occurs. For decades, the cause and timing of this ‘dip’ have been poorly understood… moreContact(s): Matt Jolly
2019-present
Wildland fires are a major source of pollutants resulting in both air quality impacts and climate interactions. Wildland fire smoke can trigger severe pollution episodes with substantial effects on public health and fire emissions can degrade air… moreContact(s): Shawn Urbanski
2011-2017
Designing fuel sampling methods that accurately and efficiently assesses fuel loads at relevant spatial scales requires knowledge of each sample method’s strengths and tradeoffs.
Few studies have evaluated sampling methods as to their effectiveness… moreContact(s): Sarah Flanary
2010-2014
There is a lack of high resolution measurements of wind speed and direction with which to test wind model accuracy. This project is directed at collecting needed data sets in mountainous terrain.
Wind predictions in complex terrain are important… moreContact(s): Natalie Wagenbrenner
2002 - ongoing
High resolution surface wind modeling in support of fire management
Wind can be the dominant environmental variable affecting wildland fire intensity and spread. When fire is burning in mountainous terrain, winds can vary widely in speed and… moreContact(s): Natalie Wagenbrenner
1996 - present
Monitoring wildland fuel characteristics on a 330 m grid across the entire TCEF.
Most ecological studies fail to account for ecosystem response and its variability over large space and long time scales. Impacts of many disturbances and management… moreContact(s): Helen Smith
1961-present
For a more indepth overview, see our TCEF Story Map.
The Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest (TCEF) encompasses the headwaters of Tenderfoot Creek in the Little Belt mountains of central Montana.TCEF is uniquely suited to study lodgepole pine… moreContact(s): Helen Smith, Russell Parsons
2020-present
Using destructive samplings methods and a Leica BLK360 terrestrial lidar scanner (TLS), we measured and scanned 20 small diameter trees. We then compare our lab-based results to the 3D quantitative structure model output retrieved from inputting our… moreContact(s): Russell Parsons
2019-present
Prioritizing forest and fuel management investments to reduce wildfire risk to developed areas
The Fireshed Registry is a geospatial dashboard and decision tool built in ArcGIS online. It provides an interactive system to view a wide array of… moreContact(s): Alan Ager, Michelle Day
2017-2021
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The impetus for the wildland fire meta-review were the fatalities that occurred in the 2015 Twisp River wildfire. The Twisp River Fire Fatalities and Entrapments Learning Review recommended that… moreContact(s): Jim Gumm
2014
Many native fish, such as bull trout and cutthroat trout, evolved with fire, and their populations are resilient to fire’s effects if their habitat is otherwise unaffected, or if fish from nearby, robust populations have freedom of movement. This… moreContact(s): Lisa Holsinger
2012-2020
Machine learning matched forest plot data with biophysical characteristics of the landscape to produce a seamless tree-level forest map.
A map of the location, size, and species of every tree in the forests of the United States would be useful for… moreContact(s): Karin Riley
2010-present
A Spatial Database of U.S. Wildfires
Wildfire occurrence records provide baseline information that is essential for wildfire management and research in the United States. However, there are multiple federal, state, and local entities with wildfire… moreContact(s): Karen Short
2002-2008
Fire regimes & forest structure of Utah & eastern Nevada: A multi-scale history from tree rings
Before this project, Utah and eastern Nevada lacked dendrochronologically crossdated, site-specific fire and vegetation histories that provide… moreContact(s): Emily Heyerdahl
2008-2020
Whitebark pine populations are declining across their entire range due to the combined effects of mountain pine beetle, whitebark pine blister rust, and changing fire regimes. This species is incredibly important for ecosystem diversity as well as… moreContact(s): Sarah Flanary
2014 - 2018
Documenting trends in growth, regeneration, and mortality of whitebark pine: a climate perspective
Upper subalpine whitebark pine forests are rapidly declining throughout western North America because of the interacting and cumulative effects of… moreContact(s): Sarah Flanary
2015-present
The U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) is used by all federal and most state fire management agencies for assessing seasonal fire severity across the nation. The application that hosts the NFDRS is the Washington Office Fire and… moreContact(s): Matt Jolly
2018-2019
Whitebark pine encroachment into lower elevation sagebrush grasslands in southwest Montana, USA
Projections for future whitebark pine habitat under changing climate conditions predominantly predict that the species will have a smaller ecological… moreContact(s): Sarah Flanary
2010-2014
Western spruce budworm outbreaks are often decades long in the interior West and defoliate extensive areas, which could give a visual impression that trees are dead and a serious fire hazard. However, their impact on fire behavior is poorly… moreContact(s): Russell Parsons
2016-2019
The Grizzly and Tower wildfires burned on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest during the summer of 2015. These fires burned in areas of mesic forests dominated by mixed conifer consisting primarily of western hemlock, grand fir. The area… moreContact(s): Sharon Hood
2008-present
Wildfire Hazard Potential* for the United States
The wildfire hazard potential (WHP) map is a raster geospatial product produced by the USDA Forest Service, Fire Modeling Institute that can help to inform evaluations of wildfire hazard or… moreContact(s): Greg Dillon
2008 - 2018
The wildfire hazard potential (WHP) map is a raster geospatial product produced by the USDA Forest Service, Fire Modeling Institute that can help to inform evaluations of wildfire hazard or prioritization of fuels management needs across very large… moreContact(s): Greg Dillon
2014-2019
The U.S. Forest Service has banned the use of exploding targets1 on land managed in much of the western U.S. because of reported association with wildfire ignitions2. Exploding targets are composed of two ingredients: ammonium nitrate (AN) and… moreContact(s): Mark Finney
2020-present
Wildfire Risk to Communities is a free, easy-to-use website with interactive maps, charts, and resources to help communities understand, explore, and reduce wildfire risk. The website was created by the USDA Forest Service under the direction of… moreContact(s): Greg Dillon
2015
The communities of Island Park, ID, and West Yellowstone, MT, are situated just outside the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park amid grasslands, sagebrush, and aspen and conifer forests. As part of the broader interagency Cohesive Wildfire… moreContact(s): LaWen Hollingsworth, Russell Parsons