Fire | Soils | Forests | Ecosystem Ecology
The Miesel Fire and Ecosystem Ecology Research Group in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University investigates forest ecosystem response to fire and forest management treatments. Our work uses field and laboratory studies to understand disturbance effects on forest carbon, and the biogeochemical factors that regulate carbon and nitrogen dynamics in forest soil. Characterizing the ecological role of pyrogenic carbon is a major focus of our current work.
Ecosystem ecology focuses on the interactions among living and non-living components of an ecosystem. It includes study of the structure and function of an ecosystem, their relationships, and their responses to natural and human-induced change. Ecosystem ecology is inherently an interdisciplinary field of study, and interdisciplinary approaches are essential for accurate understanding of specific ecosystem types, and for designing human land-use strategies that support ecosystem processes.
We work closely with fire and forest managers and with researchers from diverse disciplines to advance ecological knowledge about fire-prone forest ecosystems. We welcome new collaborations as we seek to understand fire effects and forest recovery across contrasting ecosystem types.
Photo credit from top to bottom: Header- Jack pine barrens TNC (Jessica Miesel), Surface fire in red pine (Jack McGowan-Stinski), Plot sample (Jessica Miesel), Team photo (Jessica Miesel), Past research technician Ellie Domer presenting her research project (Kathleen Quigley)