Fire history mapping in Riverside State Park, Spokane, Washington
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geosciences
Abstract
Fire is an important phenomena in the mixed-conifer dry forests of the Inland Northwest. Recent research has shown that most of the West is in a fire-deficeit, even with the large-scale, high-severity fires that burn each year. The purpose of this project is to create an ongoing geodatabase of the fire-scarred trees in Riverside State Park to preserve the fire history data stored within the tree rings. These GPS-located trees are used in a variety of GIS models to reconstruct past fire activity, and can provide support for a robust intentional burning program throughout the park. These data can be used to show the past spatiotemporal activity of fire by which we can compare contemporary regimes, and by extension provide the social credit necessary to put more fire on the ground. The data were collected via the ESRI FieldMaps application and stored in a map on the EWU ArcGIS Online content page. The map is open to anyone at EWU and can be continually added to with successive field trips, which not only makes the park a living laboratory for fire history research, but also provides avenues for community engagement through data collection possibilities by anyone enjoying the park with a smartphone. Future steps focus on building materials the park can use for visitors and those wanting a more interactive experience while enjoying the woods.
Recommended Citation
Close, Chris; Lund, Basil; and Becker, Mari, "Fire history mapping in Riverside State Park, Spokane, Washington" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 26.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/ps_2025/p1_2025/26
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Fire history mapping in Riverside State Park, Spokane, Washington
PUB NCR
Fire is an important phenomena in the mixed-conifer dry forests of the Inland Northwest. Recent research has shown that most of the West is in a fire-deficeit, even with the large-scale, high-severity fires that burn each year. The purpose of this project is to create an ongoing geodatabase of the fire-scarred trees in Riverside State Park to preserve the fire history data stored within the tree rings. These GPS-located trees are used in a variety of GIS models to reconstruct past fire activity, and can provide support for a robust intentional burning program throughout the park. These data can be used to show the past spatiotemporal activity of fire by which we can compare contemporary regimes, and by extension provide the social credit necessary to put more fire on the ground. The data were collected via the ESRI FieldMaps application and stored in a map on the EWU ArcGIS Online content page. The map is open to anyone at EWU and can be continually added to with successive field trips, which not only makes the park a living laboratory for fire history research, but also provides avenues for community engagement through data collection possibilities by anyone enjoying the park with a smartphone. Future steps focus on building materials the park can use for visitors and those wanting a more interactive experience while enjoying the woods.
