The educational website ScienceNewsForStudents.org published an article with comments from NMT professor Dr. Daniel Cadol (pictured at right). With the headline: "Surprise! Fire can help some forests keep more of their water," the article explores the importance of fire to forest ecosystems.

Here is an excerpt of the article: 

"In forests, abundant trees are good and fire is bad, right? Actually, the reverse can be true — especially in some regions of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. That conclusion comes from a new study.

Trees don’t use all the water they absorb. They release some into the air through tiny pores in their leaves. The process is known as evapotranspiration. It’s a big word for how plants shed excess moisture as water vapor. Scientists can measure this released vapor. In forests, they sometimes put sensors on tall towers to get closer to the leaves.

Jim Roche works for the U.S. National Park Service in California at Yosemite (Yo-SEM-ih-tee) National Park. As a hydrologist, he measures the movement of water (in its many forms) on or near Earth’s surface. He is interested in how fires affect water in forests ... "

To continue reading and see what Dr. Cadol had to say, click here.