This panel took place on Dec. 17, 2020.
Using Fire Seasonality to Open the Burn Window
How can we use science-based reasoning to support burning outside of the dormant season?
Our panel
 Amanda MahaffeyAmanda Mahaffey is a co-founder of the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange and serves as Deputy Director for the Forest Stewards Guild. She collaborates with partners on place-based projects on themes such as Foresters for the Birds, Women and Our Woods, the Rhode Island Woodland Partnership, and climate change adaptation. Amanda is a licensed forester and holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Southern Maine. |  Mike GallagherMike is a Research Ecologist for the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station at the Silas Little Experimental Forest. He researches the drivers of fire behavior and fire regimes using a mix of prescribed fire experiments and remote sensing techniques. This work aims at a better understanding of complex fire behavior and how it leads to spatial heterogeneity in fire effects. Mike is also a wildland firefighter and has worked with state, federal, and non-profit crews in over a dozen states. |  Don HaganDon is an Assistant Professor in the forestry program at Clemson University, where he teaches courses and conducts applied research. His research program addresses how fires influence population, community, and ecosystem-level processes in southern Appalachian forests. Current research projects are supported by the Joint Fire Science Program, the US Forest Service, and the National Park Service. He also serves on the advisory board for the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers & Scientists. |
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 Jack McGowan-StinskiJack is the Program Manager for the Lake States Fire Science Consortium funded by the Joint Fire Science Program and administered through The Ohio State University. Jack recevied a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from UW-Stevens Point, and a M.S. in Conservation Biology from Central Michigan University. Jack's other professional experiences include Fire Manager and Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy, Consultant/ Contractor Burn Boss, and multiple seasonal positions with USFS and State DNR's. |  Neil GiffordNeil is the Conservation Director for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission in Albany, NY. As lead scientist, he directs management and research activities, within the 3,300 acre, globally-rare, pitch pine-scrub oak barrens preserve. Neil has been with the Commission for 24 years, using wildland fire and studying how it can help conserve rare wildlife and ecological communities. He is a NAFSE Community Representative and a graduate of Paul Smith’s College, and Plattsburgh State University. |
Moderator
Resources and publications
Edgar, B.E.; Griscom, H.P. 2017. The Effect of Controlled Burns on Abundance of Woody Species in Appalachian Pine-Oak Forests at Buck Mountain, West Virginia. Natural Areas Journal. 37(1): 30–38 https://doi.org/10.3375/043.037.0106
Limb, R.F.; Fuhlendorf, S.D.; Engle, D.M.; Kerby, J.D. 2011. Growing-Season Disturbance in Tallgrass Prairie: Evaluating Fire and Grazing on Schizachyrium scoparium. Rangeland Ecology & Management. 64(1): 28–36 https://doi.org/10.2111/rem-d-10-00022.1
Weir, John R.; Elmore, Dwayne; Limb, Ryan F.; Engle, David M.; Allred, Brady W.; Bidwell, Terrence G.; Fuhlendorf, Samuel D. 2017. Burning in the Growing Season. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University. E-1025.
Knapp, Eric E.; Estes, Becky L.; Skinner, Carl N. 2009. Ecological effects of prescribed fire season: a literature review and synthesis for managers. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-224. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 80 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/PSW-GTR-224
The Prairie Ecologist Blog
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What’s the Best Time to Burn? April 22, 2015 by Chris Helzer
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Difficult Decisions – Growing Season Fires and Other Prairie Management Choices. June 11, 2013 by Chris Helzer
Weyenberg, S.A.; Pavlovic, N.B. 2014. Vegetation Dynamics After Spring and Summer Fires in Red and White Pine Stands at Voyageurs National Park. Natural Areas Journal. 34(4): 443–458 https://doi.org/10.3375/043.034.0406
Brooke, Jarred. 2018. Results of Prescribed Fire Survey. Indiana Prescribed Fire Council Annual Meeting, Indiana DNR Fire Headquarters, Morgan-Monroe State Forest. May 30, 2018.
Weir, J.R.; Scasta, J.D. 2017. Vegetation Responses to Season of Fire in Tallgrass Prairie: A 13-Year Case Study. Fire Ecology. 13(2): 137–142 https://doi.org/10.4996/fireecology.130290241