Fire science research solves problems and improves natural resource management outcomes. The Southern Fire Exchange and the Joint Fire Science Program actively foster opportunities for fire researchers and fire mangers to collaborate on projects, share information, and communicate across boundaries. Numerous examples have demonstrated that when fire scientists and fire managers work together, the fruits of investments in research and collaboration can be readily apparent. The following Fire Science Success Stories showcase a selection of collaborative projects in the Southeast that have solved problems, advanced knowledge, saved money, and improved fire management programs.
Interested in more examples of fire science making a difference on the ground? Our partners across the country at the Southwest Fire Science Consortium have also developed a series of success story publications and ArcGIS StoryMaps documenting fire science and management collaborations in the Southwestern US.
Duff Fire Science Success Story
Duff fires are a problem for fire managers across the country. In the South, the Joint Fire Science Program, Southern Fire Exchange, Tall Timbers Research Station and others have collaborated to tackle this problem through research, workshops, and new tools. In 2020 the Southern Fire Exchange worked with the Joint Fire Science Program and the University of Florida IFAS to develop a video and short publication highlighting regional duff fire science successes.
Duff Fire Science Success Story Video (YouTube)
Duff Fire Science Success Story Publication (pdf)
Fire Mapping Success Story
A regional focus on improving fire mapping efforts have facilitated advances in mapping fire across the Southeast. A series of projects with funding from the Joint Fire Science Program have led to new methods and technologies for mapping wildland fire in the South. Read more in Advancing Regional Fire Management with Satellite Technology (pdf).
RxCADRE Fire Science Success Story
The Joint Fire Science Program funded RxCADRE collaborative prescribed fire research events at Eglin Air Force Base in North Florida were catalysts for the formation of productive and enduring fire research and management partnerships. RxCADRE led to FASMEE and the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium, which continue to bring fire researchers and fire managers together to accelerate applied fire science. Read more in RxCADRE to FASMEE: Advancing Fire Science Collaboration (pdf).
Florida Bonneted Bat Fire Science Success Story
Recent Joint Fire Science Program funded research led by the University of Florida has produced to new information on how prescribed fire management programs at Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida can support populations of the federally endangered Florida bonneted bat. Read more in our Florida bonneted bat fire science success story (pdf).
Southern Fire Science Video Stories
Fire scientists in the Southeast continue to collaborate on multidisciplinary research projects that are addressing important fundamental and applied questions. The Southern Fire Exchange produced a series of short videos that highlight some of these projects and the researchers involved. Many of these projects involve fire scientists from Tall Timbers Research Station and the interagency Prescribed Fire Science Consortium.
