Introduction to Fire Ecology of the Northeast: Restoring Native and Cultural Ecosystems

This special issue is composed of papers presented at a conference hosted jointly by the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (New Haven, Connecticut) and Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy (Tallahassee, Florida) to address the history, ecology, and current need for prescribed fire in native and cultural ecosystems in the Northeast region of the United States and eastern Canada. The conference was held at the Yale University campus on February 20-22, 2014 and involved participants from universities, government agencies, nongovernment organizations, and private business. This special issue presents evidence that the fire history and ecology of the Northeast are strongly context-dependent and result from complex interactions of climate, human land use, and physiography, that certain species within the region are truly fire-adapted, and that synergies between fire management for ecological restoration and public welfare can and should be pursued on the modern landscape. A summary of all conference presentations and syntheses of panel discussions has been published as a Yale Forest Forum Review.