Overview
- Researchers tracked three years of post-fire recovery after the 2019 Pole Creek megafire in Northern Utah, measuring tree density, height and browsing across 34 burned and unburned sites.
- By year three, every tree species studied showed positive recovery, with root-sprouting species such as aspen and oak growing faster, denser and with stronger chemical defenses than in unburned areas.
- The surge of seedlings and saplings in large mixed-severity burns exceeded consumption by deer, elk and livestock, overcoming early browsing pressure.
- Placing results in the context of prolonged drought and fuel buildup from fire suppression, the authors recommend reintroducing fire through large mixed-severity events and targeted prescribed burns in fire-adapted forests.
- The team notes tradeoffs for communities and air quality and plans longer-term monitoring; the findings are published in Fire (2025) by Tanner et al.