Science You Can Use

Rocky Mountain Research Station
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Science You Can Use is a product of USDA Forest Service Research & Development that summarizes and synthesizes current scientific research. In each episode, we read aloud the latest Science You Can Use publication. Each episode delivers key science findings and management implications to people who make and influence decisions about managing land and natural resources in the Intermountain West and beyond.

  1. MAR 3

    A big fire with low fire severity: Lessons from the Black Fire

    When the Black Fire ignited in southwestern New Mexico in 2022, it had all the ingredients for disaster: record-high winds, extremely low humidity, and over 131,000 hectares (323,708 acres) of forest fuels to feed on. But something unexpected happened. Instead of becoming another catastrophic megafire, it burned mostly at low to moderate severity. The secret? The landscape had already experienced dozens of previous fires, both planned and natural, that helped tame the beast.   Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread.   Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    5 min

  2. FEB 17

    Raster Tools: Leveraging spatial analysis and AI towards a fire-resilient future, in minutes

    To effectively manage fire, land and fire managers need detailed, current local information - for example, the amount of burnable material present, fuel moisture levels, winds, temperatures, and terrain changes across time and space. Managers also need these data to decide where, when, and how to treat a landscape while balancing costs and benefits, projected wildfire risk, and potential impacts. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    6 min

  3. FEB 10

    Selecting a focal species under the 2012 Planning Rule? A new focal species toolkit streamlines the process

    The USDA Forest Service is required to develop "land management plans," which serve as roadmaps for maintaining the health and productivity of national forests and grasslands. These plans are designed to support ecological integrity, or an ecosystem's ability to withstand environmental disturbance. One way that national forests and grasslands, or "planning units", measure ecological integrity is by looking at the way that focal species respond to the effects of management activities and environmental changes. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    4 min

  4. JAN 20

    It's Alive! "Living Maps" offer a state-of-the-art wildlife habitat monitoring system

    Until recently, wildlife habitat maps were static documents that can quickly become outdated anytime landscape conditions changed due to disturbances like wildfire, drought, and timber harvest. But now, researchers at the Rocky Mountain Research Station and their collaborators have developed an approach for producing near-real-time wildlife habitat maps using Google Earth Engine. These products are called Living Maps because of their ability to stay up to date - incorporating new input data and remaining accurate over time - thus functioning like an automated wildlife habitat monitoring system. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    5 min

  5. JAN 6

    Quantifying danger: New data on wildland firefighter injuries

    When wildland firefighters head into the field, they know the work is dangerous; but until now, agencies lacked detailed data on exactly which activities and hazards posed the greatest threats. A recent analysis of five years of serious firefighter injuries offers new insights. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    5 min

  6. 11/18/2025

    Trees in distress: Prefire drought increases postfire mortality

    It's no secret that wildland fires kill trees, but are more trees killed by fire when they are already stressed from drought? New research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service indicates that prefire drought can increase tree mortality after fire, even with the same level of tree damage. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    5 min

  7. 11/18/2025

    Birds of a feather benefit from fire together: How prescribed burning can benefit ground-nesting birds

    Like Goldilocks, ground-nesting birds in the southeastern U.S. need habitat conditions that are "just right." They need just the right food and just enough protective cover, all in close proximity - talk about high maintenance! Recently published research syntheses in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) about ground-nesting bird species of management concern describe how prescribed fire can help meet these needs for chuck-will's-widows, eastern whip-poor-wills, and northern bobwhites. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    5 min

  8. 10/13/2025

    Clearing the air: The truth about smoldering duff

    When smoke from a prescribed fire pops up on an otherwise clear day, people may question the rationale behind the haze. After all, smoke from wildland fires can be a major health hazard due to fine particulates (PM2.5) and gaseous pollutants. At the same time, prescribed fires are one of our best tools to reduce hazardous fuels and restore fire-prone forests and grasslands. In recent years, land managers have been asked to expand the use of prescribed fire, but smoke is consistently cited as a barrier. New research by USDA Forest Service scientists sheds light on one key smoke challenge - long-term smoldering of decomposed organic matter, also known as duff. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access related content on Treesearch.

    5 min
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About

Science You Can Use is a product of USDA Forest Service Research & Development that summarizes and synthesizes current scientific research. In each episode, we read aloud the latest Science You Can Use publication. Each episode delivers key science findings and management implications to people who make and influence decisions about managing land and natural resources in the Intermountain West and beyond.

Information

  • Creator
    Rocky Mountain Research Station
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Science You Can Use