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Graduate Student To Study Forest Regeneration At Shenandoah National Park

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By NPT Staff - December 30th, 2016

How oak and pine forests in Shenandoah National Park rebound from forest fires, such as this year's Rocky Mount fire, will be studied in 2017 by a graduate student from Bemidji State University/NPS

Funding from the Shenandoah National Park Trust is underwriting a graduate student's research into how oak and pine forests in Shenandoah National Park recover after fires.

The research grant is going to Ellen L. Frondorf, a graduate student at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, for her project: “Assessing Post-Fire Oak and Pine Regeneration Across a Burn Severity Gradient in Shenandoah National Park.” Her work will focus on oak and pine ecosystems that comprise approximately 40 percent of the park’s landscape. This ecosystem is fire-adapted, relying on periodic low-intensity fires for tree regeneration. Historic fire suppression policies implemented over much of the United States greatly reduced fire occurrence in these forests.

The proposed study will provide pine and oak regeneration data across several previous fires dating to 2002 that span a range of fire severities. Frondorf will look at regeneration in both prescribed (management-ignited) burn units and wildfire areas, with a focus on the conditions and fire intensities that are ideal for regeneration and continued growth of oak and pine. Her study will include the area of the Rocky Mount Fire, which burned more than 10,000 acres in 2016.

“Fire is a critical component to these forests, and this research will allow us to have Shenandoah-specific information on post-fire recovery and forest regeneration,” said Jeff Koenig, Shenandoah's fire management officer.

“For the last three years, the Shenandoah National Park Trust has enabled researchers to answer critical questions of our park staff. This project is especially timely, as we learn about the Rocky Mount Fire and its effect on plants, wildlife, and people,” said Shenandoah Superintendent Jim Northup.

Frondorf is advised by Dr. Mark Fulton, Ph.D., of the Department of Biology at Bemidji State University.

“The Shenandoah National Park Trust is pleased to support this necessary work to understand the role fire has on future forests of the park,” said Trust President Susan Sherman. “The Donors who contributed to this research grant support students, like Ellen, who are on their way to being our future scholars and land managers.”

To learn more about this project or how to apply for a grant in the future, go to this page.

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