SIHA Summer Series: Lodgepole Forests after Fire

presented by Jane Kapler Smith

Fires in lodgepole pine forests are often fast-moving and severe, killing most of the trees across large areas. Then what happens? Is the soil destroyed? Will anything thrive in the burn? Is that deep green forest gone forever? Jane will share the wonder and worries that draw her to visit burned lodgepole pine forests year after year as they respond to fire.

Jane Kapler Smith has an M.S. in Forest Ecology from Colorado State University and a B.A. in English and Theatre from Alverno College, Milwaukee. She worked in fire control and management in Glacier National Park during the 1970s. In the 1980s, she completed research on fire effects in quaking aspen stands. From 1992-2015, she worked at the Fire Science Laboratory in Missoula, MT, developing literature reviews on fire effects ( https://www.feis-crs.org/feis/) and an educational curriculum on wildland fire ( https://www.frames.gov/fireworks/home). She has been VERY happily retired for 10 years.

Find details about the whole series here: https://discoversawtooth.org/sawtooth-series