Address:
Rocky Mountain Research Station
Southwest Forest
Science Complex
2500 South Pine Knoll Drive
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Current Research Projects
From 1910 to 1992, wildfires burned on average less than 40,000 acres/year in the Southwest. After 1992, wildfires consumed dramatically greater acreage, with five of these years (1993-1996 and 2000), averaging over 480,000 acres/year. Modeling studies have indicated that some fuel and silvicultural treatments can be effective in limiting the size and intensity of wildfires, but these predictions need to be validated with field xperiments. Furthermore, the extent to which alternative fuel and stand treatments restore ecosystem structure and function is largely unknown.
Research in our laboratory has concentrated on several studies funded under the Joint Fire Science Program. These studies include two sites: the Jemez Mountains Study Site, NM and the Southwest Plateau Study Site, AZ. In addition to these sites is the Lake Fork Wildfire Site, NM, within the
Fire/Fire Surrogate national study, along with the continuation of the Taylor Woods Study Site, AZ; a graduated stocking level study originally initiated in the 1960’s. My emphasis area on these projects are; the effects of forest restoration and fuels reduction treatments on soil microbial communities and belowground processes contrasted against wildfire in ponderosa pine ecosystems. The ultimate goal is to provide land managers with an understanding of the consequences of different forest restoration and fuels reductions treatments versus wildfire effects under current forest conditions.
Steve's Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae
Access the Flagstaff Analytical Laboratory. The laboratory operates under the Watersheds and Riparian Ecosystems project (RM-4302). Current projects in the lab focus on the effects of fire on soil biology and nutrient changes. Additionally, the laboratory provides chemical analyses of vegetation, forest floor, throughfall and water in support of research efforts.
The Flagstaff Analytical Laboratory's' mission is to develop and deliver consistent high quality science and technical support to assist researchers and resource managers sustain our forests, grasslands and rangelands. The laboratory is proficient and interdisciplinary, committed to providing superior sample analyses performed under strict quality controls utilizing an expert staff and the latest technologies.