Sunday, September 25, 2022. 8:30 am-3:30 pm PDT,
Fire and Pines
Leaders: Penny Morgan, Eva Strand, Steve Bunting, professors, University of Idaho
Location: Meet at the Moscow Rosauer’s parking lot (SE corner) at 8:30 am and end at Phillips Farm (3:30pm) just north of Moscow, Idaho on Hwy 95. The field trip should end at Phillips Farm just before the 4:00 event.
Plan to carpool from Rosauer’s

We learned from dating fire scars on old tree stumps that fires burned every 5 to 8 years in the forests on the edge of the Palouse prairie 1650-1900. From land surveyors’ field notes made in the late 1870s, we know the adjacent prairie was extensive. Today, agriculture, towns and rural homes have replaced both prairie and what once were open ponderosa pine forests, while forest patches once had more ponderosa pine than they do now. What are the conservation implications? How can we restore open pine forests? Currently we have lightning but few wildfires. What will the future hold?
Walk in the woods with local landowners and land managers. This field trip includes some walking on and off trails. Bring lunch and water, a hat, sunscreen (hopefully you’ll need it!), and layers of clothing for the day.