Dr. Ben Sikes, Associate Professor of Microbial Ecology at the University of Kansas, joins us to shed light on the fascinating relationships between fungi and fire. Learn of the interconnection between plants created by mycorrhizal networks (AKA the “wood wide web”), how fire regimes drive changes in fungal communities, the mechanisms of carrying out fungal research, and much more.

• Bond, W. J., & Keeley, J. E. (2005). Fire as a global ‘herbivore’: the ecology and evolution of flammable ecosystems. Trends in ecology & evolution, 20(7), 387-394.

• Hopkins, J. R., et al. (2021). Fungal community structure and seasonal trajectories respond similarly to fire across pyrophilic ecosystems. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 97(1), fiaa219.

• Hopkins, J. R., et al. (2020). Frequent fire slows microbial decomposition of newly deposited fine fuels in a pyrophilic ecosystem. Oecologia, 193, 631-643.

• Hansen, P. M., et al. (2019). Recurrent fires do not affect the abundance of soil fungi in a frequently burned pine savanna. Fungal ecology, 42, 100852.

• Fox, S., et al. (2022). Fire as a driver of fungal diversity—A synthesis of current knowledge. Mycologia, 114(2), 215-241.

• Dao, V. Q., et al. (2022). Substrate and low intensity fires influence bacterial communities in longleaf pine savanna. Scientific reports, 12(1), 20904.

Dr. Ben Sikes Contact/Website, Academic Profile

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi wildlandmgmt, Academic Profile

Dr. Marcus Lashley DrDisturbance, Academic Profile

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Music by Dr. David Mason and Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

Carolina and Marcus sit down with Ciera Rhodes of Quail Forever to discuss the importance of using fire when managing for gamebirds, programs and agencies available to assist landowners with management practices and funding, and best fire practices for maximizing quail on your property.

Resources:

• NRCS

• EQIP

• Quail Forever

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi (wildlandmgmt) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Have suggestions for future episodes? Send us your feedback! (here)

Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Music by Dr. David Mason and Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

Dr. Anthony Taylor, Associate Professor of Forest Management at the University of New Brunswick, joins Carolina to discuss the Canadian wildfires, the implications of climate change on our ecological and human communities, and what tools can help mitigate these effects moving forward.

Resources:

• Wang, J., Taylor, A. R., & D’Orangeville, L. (2023). Warming-induced tree growth may help offset increasing disturbance across the Canadian boreal forest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(2), e2212780120.

Dr. Anthony Taylor (website) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi (wildlandmgmt) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Have suggestions for future episodes? Send us your feedback! (here)

Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Music by Dr. David Mason and Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

Dr. Istvan Kereszy joins Marcus and Carolina to discuss his company: Fire Neural Network. Learn how artificial intelligence is used to detect high-risk lightning, how it is currently being applied to fight wildfires across the globe, and how we can continue to benefit from this technology moving forward.

Dr. Istvan Kereszy  (info@fireneuralnetwork.com)

Fire Neural Network (https://www.fireneuralnetwork.com/)

UF Article (https://news.ufl.edu/2023/04/fire-neural-network/)

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi (wildlandmgmt) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Have suggestions for future episodes? Send us your feedback! (here)

Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Music by Dr. David Mason and Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

We welcome Dr. Carolina Baruzzi, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology & Management at the University of Florida, who joins Marcus as our new co-host of Fire University! Hear about their previous work together, Dr. Baruzzi’s research interests, and their ideas for the series moving forward. 

Resources from the episode:

• Baruzzi, C., et al. "The pyrogenic bunchgrass Aristida beyrichiana is negatively affected by soil biota when planted outside of its home soil." Plant and Soil (2022): 1-10.

• Nichols, Rainer A., et al. "Alter fire timing to recouple forage nutrients with herbivore nutrient demands." Forest Ecology and Management 500 (2021): 119646.

Dr. Carolina Baruzzi (wildlandmgmt) (Academic Profile)

Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) (Academic Profile)

Have suggestions for future episodes? Send us your feedback! (here)

Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Music by Artlist.io

Produced and edited by Charlotte Nowak

Marcus is joined by Jenn Fawcett, Extension Associate & SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Work Group Coordinator for NC State University. Join as they discuss the various avenues of education and coordination available to landowners across the southeast wanting to get fire on their land. 

Resources from the episode:

• https://kstate.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3eacaaf1a3514d3da2e5215b5dd55f9b

• https://sites.cnr.ncsu.edu/southeast-fire-update/prescribed-burn-associations//

• https://www.frames.gov/catalog/21218 

Dr. Marcus Lashley- @DrDisturbance 

Check out our newest podcast, Wild Turkey Science!

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Marcus is joined by Laurel Kays, Fire Learning Network Manager of The Nature Conservancy. Learn of the programs and networking support in which fire professionals are helping landowners to understand and navigate getting fire on their lands.

Resources from the episode:

• Fire Learning Network
• Project Firehawk: Decolonizing Prescribed Fire
• A Pessimist’s Guide to Optimal Hope 
• Dr. Sarah McCaffrey on Effective Communication about Wildfire Management: Observations from 20 years of fire social science research

Laurel Kays

Dr. Marcus Lashley- @DrDisturbance 

Enroll now in our free, online fire course. Available to all.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Dr. Marcus Lashley is joined by Dr. Kevin Robertson, Fire Ecology Research Scientist at Tall Timbers Research Station. Listen as they discuss Dr. Robertson’s recent research assessing how fire affects the restoration of pine savannas over a 100 year period. Research study discussed: Pine savanna restoration on agricultural landscapes: The path back to native savanna ecosystem services

Dr. Kevin Robertson

Dr. Marcus Lashley- @DrDisturbance 

Enroll now in our free fire course.

This podcast is supported by listener donations - thank you for being a part of this effort.

For more information, follow UF DEER Lab on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.