Ecologist Sara Brown takes us through eight chapters of her career and the 10 mentors that made her, from wildland firefighting, to smokejumping, to teaching in New Mexico, to directing the Missoula Fire Science Lab.

Sara is a classically trained ecologist, with a focus on fire ecology. Before her return to the Forest Service in 2015, she was an Assistant Professor of Forestry at New Mexico Highlands University. She taught wildfire science and ecology courses, and enjoyed working on research problems in the field with students. Her applied research program provided graduate and undergraduate students with opportunities to work on questions relating to fire effects, fire intensity, fuel treatment effects and understanding fire history as it applies to reintroducing appropriate fire return intervals to a variety of ecosystems. Today, she is the Fire, Fuel & Smoke Program Manager at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana.

Related Research:

• On the Need for Inclusivity and Diversity in the Wildland Fire Professions (2020)
• Diversity: Just Gender and Race... or a Diversity of Perspectives (2018)
• Bridging the Divide Between Fire Safety Research and Fighting Fire Safely (2017)

Scientist:

• Sara Brown, Fire, Fuel & Smoke Program Manager, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, Montana

If you're interested in hearing more women in the Forest Service, visit the National Forest Service Library and their HerStory oral history project.

Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts/forestcast-season-3-women-research-episode-2-ode-mentors-sara

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at: jonathan.yales@usda.gov