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Knowledge Gaps Assessment Project

Overview
The purpose of the Lake States Fire Science Consortium “Gaps in Knowledge” analysis project is to identify the current status of fire science information in the Lake States region. This project includes identifying the type of information that exists (e.g., ecosystem type, what was measured, whether information was developed from field studies or simulation models, etc.), the quantity of information that exists (e.g., how many publications in each ecosystem type or topic), and the quality of information for each topic (e.g., whether the information provided was based on a limited number of observations versus a controlled and replicated scientific investigation). 

We hope that the results of this project will increase the awareness of existing regional fire science information, and as a result increase the ability of resource managers and planners to make the most appropriate land and fire management decisions. We also hope that our assessment of the current status of regional fire science information will help guide future research efforts to provide information on topics that remain poorly understood. Finally, we hope that identifying gaps in knowledge will facilitate new manager-scientist partnerships that provide rigorous scientific information relevant for regional management needs.

We will use the information we collected to develop region-specific research syntheses and meta-analyses.  We anticipate that these projects will include research briefs directed to the management community and peer-reviewed journal article that addresses the current status and future needs for fire science information in the Lake States.

Knowledge Gaps Analysis Project products to date:

• LSFSC Publication Database for peer-reviewed scientific literature and agency publications addressing fire science topics focused on the Lake States region
• Undergraduate research posters completed in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Presentations completed in Fall 2011
• Presentations completed in Spring 2012
• Presentations completed in Fall 2012
• LSFSC Webinar with panel discussion: Lake States Fire Science Consortium Knowledge Gaps Assessment: What we know (and don’t know) about fire science in the Lake States region
• Peer-reviewed publication: Jessica R. Miesel, P. Charles Goebel, R. Gregory Corace III, David M. Hix, Randall Kolka, Brian Palik and David Mladenoff. Review: Fire Effects on Soils in Lake States Forests: A Compilation of Published Research to Facilitate Long-Term Investigations. Forests 2012, 3(4), 1034-1070; doi:10.3390/f3041034Fire effects on soils