Monday, March 21, 2022
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT / 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MDT

Native grasslands require periodic disturbance to maintain ecological integrity. Typical disturbances are from fire and grazing, both of which have been removed or suppressed from many grasslands, particularly near cities. Grasslands are resilient to fire and normally do not sustain long-term damage, however there are a range of short-term fire effects that will affect both grassland productivity and species diversity. These short-term effects include 1) enhancement of diversity by thatch reduction, suppression of competitive species, and fire-induced germination. My research program examines the role of fire in grasslands, including the reintroduction of fire to conservation grasslands. In this webinar I will discuss fire impacts on grasslands and my experiences working with conservation agencies to safely reintroduce fire.

Speaker: Dr. Eric Lamb – Associate Professor, Department of Plant Science at University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Eric Lamb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Science, University of Saskatchewan. He is a plant ecologist with expertise and research interests in rangeland ecology and management, the development of complex forage mixtures, statistical ecology, and plant-soil interactions. He holds a BSc. from UBC, and MSc. from Lakehead University, and a PhD. in grassland ecology from the University of Alberta. He has successfully supervised or co-supervised more than 10 graduate students and has published more than 70 peer reviewed papers including papers in leading journals such as Ecology, Journal of Ecology, and Rangeland Ecology and Management. Dr. Lamb’s research is currently focussed on plant-soil interactions and grassland fire ecology. Current projects include a collaboration with the Nature Conservancy on the reintroduction of fire at Old Man on His Back, and a project examining the recovery of rangeland productivity after the 2017 Hilda – Bursta fires.