Presenter: Kathleen Stutzman (University of Vermont) https://youtu.be/0zM36MbR_8Q April 11, 2024 - For northeastern pitch pine barrens, fire suppression and the range expansion of Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) present substantial and imminent challenges to the restoration and maintenance of these rare, endemic communities. This study examines and evaluates the response of tree regeneration to a range of different restoration scenarios in pitch pine barrens across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York. Restoration scenarios examined included thinning, spring prescr ..read more

Presenter: Samuel Stockton (West Virginia University) https://youtu.be/uCmPELnHLYY April 4, 2024 - Current methods of assessing fire impacts are typically either time-intensive or subjective, necessitating the implementation of faster, more precise measurement methods. Terrestrial LiDAR scanners are one possible solution to this problem. Single-scan surveys, done year after year, quickly and accurately retrieve plant measurements in a fraction of the time needed for traditional measurements.  Our work utilizes this technology to assess regeneration over four years following a prescribed ..read more

By Amanda Mahaffey In April, I’ll be transitioning from the Forest Stewards Guild and North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange leadership team to a position as a forest ecologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I will remain a part of the NAFSE community, and you’ll still see me on the occasional prescribed burn. For those of you who are aware of my work outside of fire, you may like to read this piece I wrote on ,,reflections on 12 years at the Guild. For the NAFSE community, I want to capture a special reflection on NAFSE evolution and on my own learning journey in fire. I am deeply thank ..read more

Long-term research at the USDA Forest Service Silas Little Experimental Forest is addressing two questions: 1) How does prescribed burning affect the carbon balance of mid-Atlantic forests? and 2) Can prescribed burning be used to enhance forest resilience following other disturbances? TO READ THE BRIEF, CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD IT This research brief covers: Kenneth L. Clark, Nicholas S. Skowronski, and Michael R. Gallagher (2024) Carbon dynamics of prescribed fire in pine- and oak-dominated forests on the mid-Atlantic coastal plain, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 553 https ..read more

February 28th, 2024 https://youtu.be/fU5aB7xztXU The NAFSE Fire & Fire History Working Group held its first mini-symposium on Wednesday, February 28th at 12:00 PM EST to bring together fire researchers from the region to share their work, knowledge, and passion.   Our speakers covered a range of historical fire regime topics from the New Jersey pine barrens to the woods of Maine, including:   - Mary Ellen Lepionka on Indigenous fire use in the coastal Northeast. - Inga La Puma on the role of fires in the barrens and more broadly. - Michael Stambaugh on some new tree-ring fire his ..read more

Fueling Collaboration is a series of interactive panel discussions designed to connect fire managers and researchers. Each discussion is built on questions from registered attendees. We're working to bring people together to discuss, explore, and address the latest fire science and fire management issues across the eastern United States. ​ Season 4 of the Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion Series has come to a close (October 2023 - February 2024). We had a wonderful time putting the series together and engaging with you during the four episodes. If you missed any of the series, we have re ..read more

Presenter: Peter Breigenzer (University of Maine) https://youtu.be/igzFNZw58Tk November 2, 2023 - Monitoring and predicting conditions that contribute to fire spread are central to both the national fire danger rating system and prescribed fire efforts. In forests, fine scale variation in stand structure and composition can influence microclimate conditions (i.e. understory temperature and relative humidity) and dead fuel moisture. However, these dynamic drivers of fire behavior are difficult to parameterize in predictive models due to their high spatial and temporal variability. In this study ..read more

Presenter: Sonya Kaufman (University of Vermont) https://youtu.be/7L_DGA3WrZ0 October 26th, 2023 - The Southern pine beetle is expanding its range north, putting globally rare, fire-dependent pitch pine ecosystems at risk of being lost completely. As part of a regional assessment of pitch pine barrens across the northeast, Sonya conducted vegetative surveys of two preserves that are actively managed by The Nature Conservancy: the Ossipee Pine Barrens in New Hampshire and Waterboro Barrens in Maine. Plots were established in stands that were categorized into four restoration and stewardship opt ..read more

Presenter: Benjamin Brower (Penn State University) https://youtu.be/PXoToV0E9R4 September 14th, 2023 - As the kickoff presentation of the NAFSE Student Webinar Series (Fall 2023) Benjamin shared details of his capstone project, which involves the creation of a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) within the Pinelands National Reserve. Located within Southern New Jersey, the reserve is the largest open space along the Northeast corridor of the United States between Boston and Richmond. Urban development has increased around the Pinelands, but the area is also prone to wildfires. To ascertain the risk ..read more

My name is Eric Evenson and I am excited to be joining the incredible team at the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange. I have known Erin, Amanda, and Nick for quite some time and serving the fire and forest communities the way they do is exactly what I am all about. Some of you may know me, but for others here is my “electrifying” story. (Let me quickly clarify that it is only electrifying in the sense that lightning played a big part of it.) I observed a very close lightning strike at age seven in my home state of Wisconsin and I knew right then and there I wanted to be a meteorologist. Tha ..read more