Old-growth tree stumps tell the story of fire in the upper Midwest
Monday, March 14, 2011 - 11:32
in Earth & Climate
Researchers have constructed a 226-year history of fire in southern Illinois by looking at fire scars in tree stumps. Their study, the most in-depth fire history reported for the upper Midwest, reveals that changes in the frequency of fires dating back to the time of early European settlement permanently altered the ecology of the region.