Wildfire

WildFIRE PIRE Project WildFIRE PIRE is an international research and education partnership funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Partnerships in International Research and Education (PIRE) program. Led by Montana State University in collaboration with leading universities and research institutions in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, the project investigates the causes and consequences of wildfire in the past, present, and future. Project Goals Understand how wildfire has shaped ecosystems on Earth Reveal the complex relationships between climate change, human activity, and wildfire Provide scientific foundations for future wildfire management, ecological restoration, and disaster prevention Study Regions The project focuses on four representative wildfire-prone ecosystems: ...

WildFIRE PIRE Research in Australia Tasmania provides a unique Southern Hemisphere counterpart to the Western United States study region. Fire has shaped Tasmanian vegetation for thousands of years, and the island offers an exceptional opportunity to test fundamental theories of fire-vegetation-soil interactions. Why Tasmania? In 1968, W.D. Jackson proposed a comprehensive model of how Tasmanian vegetation types, fire frequency, and soil fertility interact in a complex system of feedback loops. This theory has profoundly influenced fire ecology worldwide. WildFIRE PIRE examines key aspects of Jackson’s model that are critical for predicting vegetation response to future climate-driven changes in fire activity. ...

WildFIRE PIRE Research in New Zealand New Zealand offers a unique opportunity to study wildfire in temperate rainforest and subalpine ecosystems that have experienced relatively low fire activity for much of the Holocene, but are now facing increasing fire risk due to climate change and human activity. Why New Zealand? The contrast between New Zealand’s historically low-fire landscapes and the more fire-prone regions of Australia, the Western United States, and Patagonia allows the project to test fundamental hypotheses about the controls on fire regimes across a wide range of climatic and vegetation conditions. ...

WildFIRE PIRE Research in Patagonia Patagonia represents the southernmost study region of WildFIRE PIRE and provides a critical high-latitude, Southern Hemisphere perspective on wildfire dynamics. The Patagonian Andes and adjacent steppe ecosystems have experienced dramatic changes in fire regimes over the past several millennia, driven by climate variability and human activity. Why Patagonia? Patagonia offers a unique opportunity to study fire in both forested and non-forested ecosystems under strong westerly wind influence. By comparing this region with the Northern Hemisphere sites (Western U.S.) and other Southern Hemisphere sites (Australia and New Zealand), the project achieves a truly global understanding of fire-climate-human interactions across hemispheres. ...

WildFIRE PIRE Research in the Western United States The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Colorado Rockies enhance the international component of WildFIRE PIRE. These regions extend the gradients of climate and land-use change, span a range of fire regimes, and utilize extensive ongoing research on climate-fire-human linkages. Why the Western U.S.? The western United States provides a critical contrast to the Southern Hemisphere study regions. Fire has been a dominant ecological process here for thousands of years, yet the region has experienced some of the most rapid climate and land-use changes on the planet. By studying this area alongside Australia, New Zealand, and Patagonia, the project gains a truly global perspective on wildfire dynamics. ...