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School of Environment and Natural Resources

CFAES

SENR Special Seminar

Aug 2, 2013, 10:30am - 11:30am

Dr. Matt Davies, SENR Visiting Scholar and Lecturer in Environmental Stewardship, University of Glasgow (Crichton University, Dumfries, Scotland), will present Wildfire Severity and Carbon Dynamics of Heather Moorlands in the British Uplands at 10:30 a.m. from 123 Williams Hall with a video link to 333C Kottman Hall.

Fire severity is known to vary with burning conditions but currently little data exists for heather moorlands. We adapted the Composite Burn Index to assess the severity of wildfires that burnt in spring 2011 and 2012. Fire severity varied substantially within and between wildfires whilst above-ground fuel consumption, and thus carbon emissions, appear to be greater than for prescribed burns. Our results have substantial implications for how carbon emissions following wildfire should be accounted for in national greenhouse gas inventories and when making land-management decisions. On-going monitoring of gaseous carbon fluxes and vegetation regeneration in burnt and unburnt plots will provide further information about the longer term effects of variation in wildfire severity.

Refreshments will be provided and interns and assistants are encouraged to attend.

To learn more about Dr. Davies research please see http://www.fireregimes.org.uk/.