PIRE

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: ...

Contact WildFIRE PIRE For inquiries about the project, data access, collaborations, or educational opportunities, please contact the WildFIRE PIRE team. Principal Contact Cathy Whitlock Project Lead, Montana State University Email: [email protected] General Inquiries WildFIRE PIRE Administration Department of Earth Sciences Montana State University P.O. Box 173480 Bozeman, MT 59717-3480 USA Phone: +1 (406) 994-8452 (project office) International Partners Australia: University of Tasmania – David Bowman New Zealand: Landcare Research – Janet Wilmshurst Patagonia: University of Colorado – Thomas Veblen We welcome questions from researchers, students, land managers, and the public interested in long-term fire history, paleoecology, and climate-fire interactions. ...

WildFIRE PIRE Project Team WildFIRE PIRE is an international collaboration led by Montana State University and involving leading researchers from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. Our multidisciplinary team brings together expertise in paleoecology, fire ecology, climate science, and ecosystem modeling. Principal Investigators & Key Collaborators United States Cathy Whitlock – Montana State University (Project Lead) Jerry Marlon – Yale University Ryan Kelly – University of Illinois Australia ...

WildFIRE PIRE Publications The following is a list of peer-reviewed publications resulting from the WildFIRE PIRE project. All papers are freely available through the links below where possible. Selected Publications Marlon, J. R., et al. (2015) “Climate and human influences on global biomass burning over the past 2,000 years.” Nature Geoscience. Read PDF (restored from original project archive) Kelly, R. F., et al. (2014) “Vegetation-fire-soil feedbacks in the Tasmanian wilderness.” Journal of Ecology. ...

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. ...

WildFIRE PIRE Science Plan The WildFIRE PIRE Science Plan outlines the research framework for this international 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, the project integrates paleoecological records, modern fire ecology, and future climate modeling to understand how wildfire has shaped ecosystems across space and time and how it will respond to ongoing climate change. ...

WildFIRE PIRE Videos The WildFIRE PIRE project produced a series of educational and scientific videos to share our research with the public, students, and fellow scientists. These videos highlight the causes and consequences of wildfire in the past, present, and future. Featured Videos Wildfire and Climate Change in the Past, Present, and Future A 5-year National Science Foundation project focused on understanding fire, climate, and people globally. Watch on YouTube NSF Science360 Video Series Short documentaries highlighting international research in the Western United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Patagonia. View NSF Videos ...