Dr. Lauren Howard, associate professor of Biology, spoke to The Allegheny Front for the article “Pittsburgh Botanic Garden to use prescribed fire in its meadow, a first for Allegheny County.”

In the article, Dr. Howard discusses wildfires throughout the history of Pennsylvania. Here is an excerpt:

According to Lauren Howard, a plant community ecologist at Arcadia University who specializes in the fire ecology of central Appalachia, fire would have come through the oak and pine forests of western Pennsylvania every ten years or so.

“The forest was burning at least that often,” Howard said. “And I’m not talking about a canopy fire like you see on TV from California, this would be like burning along the surface of the ground.”

Dr. Howard’s research explores connections between fire history and present day forest composition and diversity. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Prescribed Fire Council, the Central Appalachian Fire Learning Network, the Ecological Society of America, and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.

Read the full article here.