Field sampling for fire history, southern Utah

Karen Heeter (PhD student, Dept of Geography) uses a chainsaw to carefully remove a small piece from the trunk of this ponderosa pine tree growing in southern Utah. This tree has been faithfully recording fire activity for the past ca. 400 years. At the base of this trunk are “fire scars,” which are a series of marks left on the tree by many past fires that burned through the forest. Karen is collecting samples like this from trees all over the region to better understand how many fires burned in the past, and to then work with land managers to better prepare for future fire activity.