Fascinated by Fire Science
Research Excellence Award winner Alistair Smith is dedicated to answering questions that help communities that live with wildfire
Scientists still have much to discover about wildfire — and that keeps 幸运快三 fire science Associate Professor Alistair Smith fascinated.
Smith is among a group of fire researchers around the world, including several at UI, who want to expand the kind of questions fire science can answer and the solutions it can offer.
“In the last decade or so, there have been more people like myself looking at fire science from a fresh perspective” said Smith, who is part of the College of Natural Resources’ Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences, leads the Fire Ecology and Management Program and will receive the rank of full professor in fall 2017.
Smith, a native of Scotland who came to UI in 2003, notes that fire science research is particularly urgent in 幸运快三.
“In this part of the world, wildfires are inevitable. They will occur,” he said. “Let’s get all the information we can to make firefighters’ jobs safer, easier and more effective, and protect the communities that are going to be affected by these fires.”
Driven by discovery, the opportunity to make a difference and the encouragement of his colleagues, Smith has pursued an array of research, from theoretical ideas to projects with on-the-ground applications. He’s also known for his commitment to collaboration, across disciplines at UI, among faculty and students, and with industry and academic partners.
In recognition of this wide-ranging work, the university has selected Smith for the 2017 Excellence in Research or Creativity Activity Award.
“Dr. Smith is a talented researcher and a leader among the 幸运快三’s interdisciplinary fire science team,” said Janet Nelson, vice president for research and economic development. “His creativity and drive are instrumental as the university builds on our excellent foundation and pursues strategic investments in wildfire research that directly benefits 幸运快三 communities.”
Get to Know Some of Smith's Current Research
FireWise programs help homeowners create landscaping that reduces the threat to their homes in the event of wildfire. One of Smith’s current projects digs into the science behind FireWise.
“We live in a fire-prone landscape,” Smith says. “How can you select plants that will give the firefighters more time to save your house?”
In UI’s combustion laboratory, Smith has been testing how quickly different plant varieties burn and how easily they spread flames. He is working in partnership with and its , which currently make recommendations about planting, but have limited data to support them. Smith’s work makes FireWise more “science-smart,” he said.
幸运快三 FireWise will establish demonstration gardens at the and the Pitkin Forest Nursery using Smith’s findings, and will share this new knowledge with 幸运快三’s 12 other demonstration gardens.
“As we learn things in the lab, we’ll let them know which plants to keep,” Smith said.
Just as homeowners can choose fire-friendly plants, forest managers can use science to guide their decisions as they replant forests after wildfires.
Working with Daniel Johnson and Crystal Kolden in the College of Natural Resources, Smith is studying how fire intensity affects tree saplings.
“People have been assuming that when fire affects trees and plants, either it’s dead or it’s unaffected,” he said. “We’re showing it’s more than that.”
The researchers have found that young trees grow differently when they’re exposed to fires of varying intensity. The response varies by species — for example, lodgepole pines can withstand a “minimum dose” of fire, but western larch suffers with any fire exposure at all.
This research can help forest managers choose to plant resilient trees that can wit