Ecosystem management requires understanding how the ecological effects of forest fire interact with slower, more subtle processes such as succession and soil development to generate landscape-scale vegetation patterns. A long time perspective is required to study these interactions because the results manifest themselves over centuries, and are affected by climate variability. The primary objective of this project is to refine paleoecological methods to document changes in spatial patterns of fire and vegetation over the last 1000 years in a network of sites across a 450,000 ha sand plain in northwestern Wisconsin. The project will provide perspective for ecological studies and management goals and will involve students at two state universities and one liberal arts college in an interdisciplinary educational experience. Results will be shared with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, who are restoring ecosystem processes and structure to protect rare species and communities on the sand plain.
