pyroecophys
@profalistairsmith.bsky.social
Researches pyroecophysiology, fire ecology, remote sensing, fire social science, lidar, and anything else that interests me. Prof and Chair - Earth and Spatial Sciences - College of Science - University of Idaho
Use fires to assess how fires affect trees.
Perhaps obvious, but lots of studies assessing why fires kill trees, use heated water baths instead of fires on living plants - so we compared the two approaches.
Unsurprisingly, they produce different results.
connectsci.au/wf/article/d...
Perhaps obvious, but lots of studies assessing why fires kill trees, use heated water baths instead of fires on living plants - so we compared the two approaches.
Unsurprisingly, they produce different results.
connectsci.au/wf/article/d...
Methods to assess fire-induced tree mortality: comparing heated water baths to experimental laboratory fires
We compare experimental laboratory fires and heated water baths to assess fire-impacts on plants. Our results highlight concerns with the heated water bath
connectsci.au
November 28, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Use fires to assess how fires affect trees.
Perhaps obvious, but lots of studies assessing why fires kill trees, use heated water baths instead of fires on living plants - so we compared the two approaches.
Unsurprisingly, they produce different results.
connectsci.au/wf/article/d...
Perhaps obvious, but lots of studies assessing why fires kill trees, use heated water baths instead of fires on living plants - so we compared the two approaches.
Unsurprisingly, they produce different results.
connectsci.au/wf/article/d...
Proud father moment 😀
I am very excited to share my research group's newest paper - this study was jointly designed and carried out by my son, David Wilson (who was in high school at the time) and my doctoral student Alex.
#fire #severity #pyro-ecophysiology
doi.org/10.1071/WF25...
I am very excited to share my research group's newest paper - this study was jointly designed and carried out by my son, David Wilson (who was in high school at the time) and my doctoral student Alex.
#fire #severity #pyro-ecophysiology
doi.org/10.1071/WF25...
Predicting immediate and delayed fire-induced mortality of Pinus monticola and Pseudotsuga menziesii saplings using a pyro-ecophysiology fire severity approach
This study assessed whether the inclusion of both active fire metrics and plant traits led to improved predictive models of immediate and delayed fire-indu
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Proud father moment 😀
I am very excited to share my research group's newest paper - this study was jointly designed and carried out by my son, David Wilson (who was in high school at the time) and my doctoral student Alex.
#fire #severity #pyro-ecophysiology
doi.org/10.1071/WF25...
I am very excited to share my research group's newest paper - this study was jointly designed and carried out by my son, David Wilson (who was in high school at the time) and my doctoral student Alex.
#fire #severity #pyro-ecophysiology
doi.org/10.1071/WF25...
Delighted to be a part of this groundbreaking new paper in BioScience led by Sam Gilvarg at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with many others including Shirley Luckhart Martin Dovciak
doi.org/10.1093/bios...
doi.org/10.1093/bios...
Pyrohealth synchrony: integrating wildland fire into One Health to benefit plants, animals, ecosystems, and people
Abstract. One Health's interdisciplinary approach has been effective at the nexus of human and animal health but often overlooks environmental health, incl
doi.org
June 11, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Delighted to be a part of this groundbreaking new paper in BioScience led by Sam Gilvarg at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with many others including Shirley Luckhart Martin Dovciak
doi.org/10.1093/bios...
doi.org/10.1093/bios...
Excited to share our newest synthesis paper where we review studies that have used real fires and 'fire-proxies' to better understand fire-induced tree mortality. We also highlight recent advances in pyroecophysiology.
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF24136
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF24136
Methods to assess fire-induced tree mortality: review of fire behaviour proxy and real fire experiments
Background The increased interest in why and how trees die from fire has led to several syntheses of the potential mechanisms of fire-induced tree mortality. However, these generally neglect to consid...
www.publish.csiro.au
January 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Excited to share our newest synthesis paper where we review studies that have used real fires and 'fire-proxies' to better understand fire-induced tree mortality. We also highlight recent advances in pyroecophysiology.
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF24136
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF24136
Delighted to see yet another paper from my former doctoral student - Dr. Stephen Fillmore - we looked at decision factors relevant to the wildfire decision making in the USA since 2009:
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF23129
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF23129
January 13, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Delighted to see yet another paper from my former doctoral student - Dr. Stephen Fillmore - we looked at decision factors relevant to the wildfire decision making in the USA since 2009:
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF23129
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF23129
Welcome Stefan Doerr @sdoerr.bsky.social
🌲🔥🌳🔥🔥🔥🌳🔥🌴
🌲🔥🌳🔥🔥🔥🌳🔥🌴
November 17, 2023 at 1:49 AM
Welcome Stefan Doerr @sdoerr.bsky.social
🌲🔥🌳🔥🔥🔥🌳🔥🌴
🌲🔥🌳🔥🔥🔥🌳🔥🌴
Reposted by pyroecophys
A nice highlight of recent work by Professor Grant Harley and his team with colleagues from Indiana University.
www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
November 16, 2023 at 8:36 PM
A nice highlight of recent work by Professor Grant Harley and his team with colleagues from Indiana University.
www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
Welcome @dylanschwilk.bsky.social - I hope to continue helping you advance understanding of tree physiology one stressed tree at a time :) 🔥🌲🌳🌴🔥
September 5, 2023 at 1:57 PM
Welcome @dylanschwilk.bsky.social - I hope to continue helping you advance understanding of tree physiology one stressed tree at a time :) 🔥🌲🌳🌴🔥
Welcome treephysdj.bsky.social - I hope to continue helping you advance understanding of tree physiology one stressed tree at a time :) 🔥🌲🌳🌴🔥
September 5, 2023 at 1:00 PM
Welcome treephysdj.bsky.social - I hope to continue helping you advance understanding of tree physiology one stressed tree at a time :) 🔥🌲🌳🌴🔥
In our newest Quantitative Fire Severity paper we also show how saplings in 5 different tree species respond to fires of varying intensities - in terms of % mortality and impacts on net photosynthesis at 4 weeks after the experimental fires
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
August 16, 2023 at 12:27 AM
In our newest Quantitative Fire Severity paper we also show how saplings in 5 different tree species respond to fires of varying intensities - in terms of % mortality and impacts on net photosynthesis at 4 weeks after the experimental fires
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
In our newest Quantitative Fire Severity paper we show that the dNBR and dCSI spectral indices can be used to predict species mortality in saplings of two contrasting tree species - in fires over a range of intensities
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
August 16, 2023 at 12:23 AM
In our newest Quantitative Fire Severity paper we show that the dNBR and dCSI spectral indices can be used to predict species mortality in saplings of two contrasting tree species - in fires over a range of intensities
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad051
Delighted to be a CoPI on a new EPSCoR Track 2 NSF project to investigate how people in rural communities perceive the extent of climate change and how this perception affects their ability to adapt.
https://www.uidaho.edu/news/news-articles/news-releases/2023/080723-climatechangeperception
https://www.uidaho.edu/news/news-articles/news-releases/2023/080723-climatechangeperception
August 9, 2023 at 1:47 PM
Delighted to be a CoPI on a new EPSCoR Track 2 NSF project to investigate how people in rural communities perceive the extent of climate change and how this perception affects their ability to adapt.
https://www.uidaho.edu/news/news-articles/news-releases/2023/080723-climatechangeperception
https://www.uidaho.edu/news/news-articles/news-releases/2023/080723-climatechangeperception
Hey Everyone, my lab focuses on Quantitative Fire Severity. We do lab and #RxFire experiments focusing on how heat from fires impact trees and #PlantScience, #ecophysiology, fire-induced mortality, and when they live: long-term growth. We assess interactions of fire with stressors such as #drought.
August 3, 2023 at 2:30 PM
Hey Everyone, my lab focuses on Quantitative Fire Severity. We do lab and #RxFire experiments focusing on how heat from fires impact trees and #PlantScience, #ecophysiology, fire-induced mortality, and when they live: long-term growth. We assess interactions of fire with stressors such as #drought.