NREM Seminar Series, Lisa Ellsworth

Title of Presentation:
Predicting and Managing Fire in Oahu's Nonnative Grasslands
Abstract of Presentation - one paragraph:
Hawaii has a significant problem with wildland fires in landscapes where native woody communities have been replaced by nonnative invasive grasses. Wildfires burning in systems dominated by invasive grasses such as guinea grass (Urochloa maxima) often have negative effects on remnant native plant and animal populations, water quality, and human life and property. Many wildfires on military lands on Oahu are ignited by training activities, with subsequent negative impacts on training opportunities and military preparedness. In order to simultaneously train on military lands and protect remnant native species and communities, the grass/wildfire cycle must be managed and ultimately eliminated. A better understanding of the fuel, climatic, and fire behavior components of the grass/wildfire cycle on military lands is needed. In particular, models that accurately predict the probability of ignition, rates of spread, and fire intensity are urgently needed. Finally, to break the grass/fire cycle, restoration of native plant communities is needed to reduce the likelihood of fire occurrence and spread and to eliminate further conversion of remnant native plant communities to nonnative grasslands.
Bio data for speaker introduction:
Lisa is a second semester PhD student in NREM. She received a B.S. in Biology and M.S. in fire ecology from Oregon State University where she did plant community work following prescribed fire. She has previously worked on fire and fuels issues in the Great Basin, the Mojave Desert, Pacific Northwest, Guam, and Costa Rica.