Afire: Understanding Fire

Fire is a form all of its own, but a simple way to understand fire is as a swarm. A swarm of bees. Or starlings. Or mosquitos. A spreading fire is a swarm of ignitions, a series of small fires over and over. 

Season 4 of Forestcast is a series of fires, a series of voices. It’s a 360-degree introduction to fire from a scientific standpoint. The story of how fire research shapes our landscapes, and our lives.

Through kaleidoscoping voices from across the country, listeners will be taken inside the largest forest research organization in the world to hear from seventeen scientists on what they know, and don’t know, about one of the most complex elements in nature—fire.

In episode one, hear from research mechanical engineer, Sara McAllister, on the process of ignition; spatial fire analyst, Greg Dillon, on the timeline of fire management and research in the Forest Service; and research forester, Dan Dey, on the history of fire: where it was, where it’s been, and what can be done knowing its history?

Related Research:

• Understanding Wildfire as a Dynamic System: A New Comprehensive Book on Wildland Fire Behavior (2023)
• New In-flame Flammability Testing Method Applied to Monitor Seasonal Changes in Live Fuel(2023)
• The Wildfire Crisis Strategy: How it Started, How it’s Going, and How RMRS Science Contributes (2023)
• Prescribed Fire for Upland Oaks (2023)
• Fire in Eastern Oak Forests—A Primer (2022)
• The North American Tree-Ring Fire-Scar Network (2022)

Scientists:

• Sara McAllister, Research Mech. Engineer, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, Montana
• Greg Dillon, Spatial Fire Analyst, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, Montana
• Dan Dey, Research Forester, Northern Research Station, Columbia, Missouri

Forestcast is an official USDA Forest Service podcast, and is produced by USDA Forest Service Research and Development.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/products/multimedia/forestcast

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at jonathan.yales@usda.gov

This episode, we used the following archival recordings:

• The Fires of 1910 [National Wildfire Coordinating Group]
• Forest Service Officials Testify on Wildfire Management [C-SPAN]
• The Greatest Good: A Forest Service Centennial Film [USDA Forest Service]
• 1950s Smokey the Bear P.S.A.s [USDA Forest Service]
• Suppression of Fires in Natl. Parks & Forests [C-SPAN]
• The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (1988-07-27) [AAPB]
• The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (1988-09-13) [AAPB]
• Harry Gisborne Oral History Project [U of Montana]
• Up In Flames: A History of Fire Fighting in the Forest [Forest History Society]
• Higgins Ridge [Montana PBS]
• Learning from the Experts: Richard Rothermel [Wildland Fire LLC]
• U.S. House of Representatives House Session (2009-03-26) [C-SPAN]
• The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (2000-08-07) [AAPB]
• Wildfire Crisis Strategy 2022 [USDA Forest Service]
• President Biden Signs Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill [C-SPAN]