UW wildfire research helps guide forest management | UW College of the Environment

October 1, 2026

As a wildfire researcher, Angie Liotta has been to some of Washington’s most rugged areas. She and her crew often rely on animal trails and bushwhacking to reach target locations to collect data.

This year they are returning to places across the state that burned at least a decade ago to gather new information about the trees and plants that either survived or established after our region’s most catastrophic wildfires. Sometimes the work is a slog, requiring long treks through remote areas. But often they find surprises that inspire awe and hope — like a massive ponderosa pine, alive and thriving despite half of its trunk being burned.

Read the full article published by the UW’s College of the Environment