Cross-Boundary Information Sharing Networks
To better understand the needs of land management organizations and how they manage post-fire landscapes, we established the Blue Mountains Post-fire Recovery Partnership. Although this partnership is still in its early stages, bi-monthly meetings have enhanced cross-talk between academic researchers at WSU and individuals at various land management organizations (see Partners).
Ecology of Post-fire Forest Recovery
Along with investigating decision support tools for post-fire forest management with a socioecological lens, we have conducted ecological research investigating drivers of post-fire forest recovery and assessing relationships between spectral recovery, climate, topography, and field-measured forest recovery. Along with the Andrus et. al. (2022) publication, a manuscript is in development: Celebrezze et. al. (in prep). Assessing the difference between post-fire spectral recovery and forest recovery using multispectral, topographical, climate, and field data.
Post-fire Management Decision Support Platform
Post-fire Management Tool Guide
Results forthcoming/manuscript in-development: Steen-Adams et. al. (in prep) Decision Support Tools for Post-fire Natural Resource Management in Dry Mixed Conifer Forests in the USA
The above post-fire management tool guide provides a baseline understanding of how we are working towards assessing various decision support tools. Although this is far from and end-product, it takes an ecologically-informed approach to a guide for land managers to select decision support tools that best fit their needs. Future work will draw from insights gained from a collaborative effort with land management organizations (PFP) to develop a user-friendly decision support platform which will recommend a specific tool or set of tools to land managers based on their needs (e.g., post-fire management phase, desired outcomes, available time and resources, and the project’s spatial extent).
Relevant Publications
- Andrus, R., Droske, C.A., Franz, M., Hudak, A., Lentile, L., Lewis-Scholes, S., Morgan, P., Robichaud, P.R., & Meddens, A.J.H. (2022). Spatial and temporal drivers of post-fire tree establishment and height growth in a managed forest landscape. Fire Ecology
- Meddens, A.J., Steen-Adams, M.M., Hudak, A.T., Mauro, F., Byassee, P.M., & Strunk, J. (2022). Specifying geospatial data product characteristics for forest and fuel management applications. Environmental Research Letters, 17, 045025, https://doi.org/045010.041088/041748-049326/ac045025ee045020.
- Meddens, A.J.H., Hudak, A.T., & Kolden, C.A. (2021). Identifying and protecting wildfire refugia in a warmer, drier Pacific Northwest – Final Report to the Joint Fire Science Program. JFSP Project No. 16-1-01-1. Pullman, WA: Washington State University. 32 p.
- Andrus, R.A., Martinez, A.J., Jones, G.M., & Meddens, A.J. (2021). Assessing the quality of fire refugia for wildlife habitat. Forest Ecology and Management, 482, 118868.
- Krawchuk, M.A., Meigs, G.W., Cartwright, J.M., Coop, J.D., Davis, R., Holz, A., Kolden, C., & Meddens, A.J. (2020). Disturbance refugia within mosaics of forest fire, drought, and insect outbreaks. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 18, 235-244.