dedication point - season 4, episode 3: What the Soda Fire Taught Us About Post-Fire Restoration with Cara Applestein
cara applestein, ecologist with the usgs forest and rangeland ecosystem science center, has been conducting research on the effectiveness of post-fire restoration efforts since the historic soda fire in 2015.
episode summary:
This week’s interview is focused on the Soda Fire. This megafire burned nearly 280,000 acres in Southwest Idaho and Southeast Oregon - just adjacent to the the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA - in 2015. This wildfire generated a historic response, with more resources put into restoration, emergency stabilization, and research than ever before. We’re most interested in the research that has been conducted in an effort to test the effectiveness of a variety of different restoration strategies, and our guest is USGS ecologist Cara Applestein. Cara has been conducting research on post-fire restoration at the Soda Fire site since 2015, and shares a wealth of knowledge on this topic in today’s interview.
Our interview with Cara Applestein was recorded in front of a live audience as Snake River Raptor Fest in June of 2024, so you’ll hear a bit of background noise, as well as a few questions from members of the audience.
relevant links:
Photos from Cara’s restoration work
