Students gain research and firefighting experience through Mitchell Center’s prescribed burn project
Rose Abramoff, an assistant professor in 91±¬ÁÏ’s School of Forest Resources, is spearheading efforts to address a critical lack of research on how wild and prescribed fires impact Northeastern temperate forests through a Mitchell Center funded project. Abramoff explains that the region faces an increasing risk of wildfires due to rising droughts and an accumulation of dead wood caused by invasive tree pests. To study these dynamics, she connects students with agencies like the Maine Forest Service, transforming prescribed burns into living laboratories. Under her guidance, student researchers analyze how fire affects forest recovery, plant regeneration, and soil chemistry—particularly carbon levels—while applying concepts from statistics, chemistry, and physics to real-world forest management challenges.
The complete article is available at 91±¬ÁÏ News