2026 Duff in the Mountains Fire Science Workshop Presentation

2026 Duff in the Mountains Fire Science Workshop Presentation

2026 Duff in the Mountains Fire Science Workshop Presentation

Presentation from the 2026 Duff in the Mountains Fire Science Workshop in Hendersonville, NC.

anelists will critically examine the role of fire—past, present, and future—in shaping eastern United States mature and old-growth forest ecosystems: - Are current definitions and models of eastern ‘old growth’ forests outdated? - Can ‘old-growth’ communities develop under frequent, low-severity fire regimes? - What challenges and considerations arise when reintroducing prescribed fire to long fire-excluded forests with very old trees?

In this Fueling Collaboration panel discussion, we’ll dive into the complex relationship between hurricanes and wildland fire. Join scientists, land managers, and fire practitioners as they share insights on how storm events affect prescribed fire planning, post-storm fire behavior, and ecosystems. We’ll explore case studies from the coastal and southern Appalachians, and discuss strategies for adapting fire management in a dynamic region.

People usually focus on the visual aspects of fire, and the smell of smoke, but we rarely appreciate how we use, or should use, our other senses to describe or even identify fire effects. Sound is a fundamental part of our experience when interacting with the world around us and is so fundamental that we often forget to question what it is we are really hearing. Our long relationship with all aspects of fire, including the sounds of fire, are deeply intuitive and yet also elusive. What is creating the crackling sound we hear when vegetation burns? What is that sound really telling us about the exchange between vegetation and fire? What sounds are involved that lead to a safe or unsettling feeling when around wildland fire? In this Panel we will take a dive into the acoustical dance between vegetation and fire, where is this sound really coming from and what is it really telling us, and what else is going on besides what we hear.

Fueling Collaboration Season 6 Discussion 1: Fire, whether naturally ignited or culturally conveyed, did not spread across eastern North America frequently or evenly enough for fire-dependent grasslands to be as ubiquitous as the forested landscape. But in areas where it could, there were open grasslands and grassy savannas and woodlands composed of a rich diversity of unique species assemblages. This discussion will feature researchers and practitioners involved in protecting and maximizing the size and occurrence of these herbaceous upland ecosystems reflective of contemporary pressures and challenges with a focus on restoring ancient remnants (old growth grasslands) and reconstructing grasslands (where grassland vegetation was destroyed). Specifically highlighted will be the value of intergenerational knowledge as well as the regional networks that have emerged from and support specific grassland management prescriptions reflective of unique flora and distinct drivers. Understanding local variation is necessary to success – particularly in the context of fragmentation, seed sourcing, fire suppression, climate change, and other factors. Panelists will share their “mental maps” developed from navigating such complexities especially plant community composition, habitat needs of wildlife species, and components of the fire regime to address when planning fuel load reductions and reintroduction of fire to help maximize the protection and persistence of these heralded ecosystems.

Fueling Collaboration 5.3: Expanding the Fuels Planning Toolkit: Terrestrial Laser Scanning and 3D Fuels Characterization for Improved Wildland Fire Decision Support. Wildland fire managers require an expanded toolbox for decision support in the context of an increasingly novel fuel and fire environment complicated by a changing climate, invasive species encroachment, and rapid increase in wildland-urban interface in many areas within the U.S. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) offers an efficient, cost-effective, and powerful tool for characterizing high resolution, sub-canopy forest and fuel structural conditions with the simple press of a button. In this panel discussion, TLS subject matter experts from both research and operations will share their efforts and practical applications of TLS and other 3D wildland fuels characterization tools for improved wildland fire planning, fire effects monitoring, and decision support.

Fueling Collaboration 5.2: Wetlands are the forgotten sibling of the prescribed fire world. While upland ecosystems across the Eastern U.S. have received significant attention for their fire-dependency, wetlands—characterized by their more episodic encounters with fire—rarely receive equitable fire management investments. Fire managers face unique challenges in these environments, where hydric soils, muck, and dense vegetation can prolong smoke production, encourage smoldering, and hinder vehicle access. As a result, fire-dependent wetlands nationwide have suffered, leading to declines in numerous plant and animal species. In this Fueling Collaboration panel discussion, we will explore the role of fire in various wetland ecosystems and examine the challenges and opportunities associated with its use. Join us as we hear from scientists, land managers, and biologists working in pocosins, marshes, swamps, bogs, and isolated wetlands.

Fueling Collaboration 4.4 - Land management programs are frequently confronted with the imperative of incorporating the most advanced scientific knowledge into their decision-making processes along with filling voids in research needed to move along effective management. Nevertheless, the persistent disparities between the realms of science and management often impede effective collaboration. In this panel, we will draw inspiration from successful case studies in the eastern United States, where land managers and scientists have forged pioneering partnerships, yielding tangible advancements in the field

Changing climate is reshaping the balance of fire and water in eastern ecosystems. Drought alters soil structure and stability; combined with intense rainfall, this impacts hydrologic dynamics. This panel will explore the interconnections between fire, nutrient cycling, ecohydrology, and climate change.

Season of fire. Opening the burn window. Both of these focus on one of the elements that make up a fire regime – frequency, intensity/severity, extent/scale, and seasonality. Decades of spring-and/or autumn-centric fire can cause a site or landscape to respond very differently than when burned repeatedly across all flammable seasons. Summer burns can produce differing fire effects including increased species richness averages, biomass, and stem counts (especially forbs), and breaking up the plant species dominance resulting from dormant season burn windows. Our panelists will bring fresh voices to how we can learn from listening to our fire-dependent plants and animals and let the fire effects lead us toward desired outcomes.

With increasing wildfire activity due to changes in climate, smoke will likely become more prevalent and continue to have an effect on society. Earlier this year, smoke from Canada wildfires lowered air quality in the eastern U.S. to its worst levels in recorded history. As the climate heats up and creates drier conditions, smoky skies will grow increasingly common. Health concerns and prescribed burning actions needed to restore functioning ecosystems will be impacted by already smoky conditions across the country. Panelists include research meteorologists, air quality experts, and fire practitioners. Together, they will explore how we can address and adapt to a smoky future.

This panel discussion will explore how different types of fire history information (Indigenous Knowledge and physical archives), when considered together, provide improved context for understanding the ecologies and processes that are linked to the restoration and stewardship of fire-adapted communities. The panelists include Indigenous Knowledge holders and practitioners, and experts in tree-ring, sedimentary, and archeological fire history, who have collaboratively used fire history information to bridge cultures and knowledge systems. The discussion will use case studies in the Upper Great Lakes Region where a diverse set of partners wove these types of knowledge together to restore culture fire to the benefit of globally-rare pine barrens communities.

J. Morgan Varner (Tall Timbers Research Station) gives a plenary talk at the 7th Fire in eastern Oak Forests Conference in Tyler, Texas. This presentation was recorded on May 18, 2023.