Our mission: To advance the scientific understanding of the roles of genetics, environment, and their interactions toprovide guidelines and tools for improving the sustainable productivity of southern forest ecosystems.
Research at the Southern Institute of Forest Genetics (SIFG) focuses on developing procedures to improve the health, productivity and genetic diversity of southern forests through better understanding of the genetics, ecology and evolutionary relationships in forest ecosystems. Learn more about us →
News & Events
Prescribed Fire Effects on Soil Fertility
USDA Forest Service researcher John Butnor wondered how dormant-season prescribed fire affects forest soil fertility in the months after a burn. Do nutrients from burned pine straw, grasses, and woody debris remain in the forest? Others have studied soil a year or more after a prescribed burn. Butnor’s research compares soil chemistry before burning and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after.
Latest Publications
- Limited increases in savanna carbon stocks over decades of fire suppression
Zhou, Yong; Singh, Jenia; Butnor, John R.; Coetsee, Corli; Boucher, Peter B.; Case, Madelon F.; Hockridge, Evan G.; Davies, Andrew B.; Staver, A. Carla. - Genotypic variation and plasticity in climate-adaptive traits after range expansion and fragmentation of red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.)
Prakash, Anoob; DeYoung, Sonia; Lachmuth, Susanne; Adams, Jacquelyne L.; Johnsen, Kurt; Butnor, John R.; Nelson, David M.; Fitzpatrick, Matthew C.; Keller, Stephen R. - An automatic processing framework for in situ determination of ecohydrological root water content by ground-penetrating radar
Liu, Xinbo; Guo, Li; Cui, Xihong; Butnor, John R.; Boyer, Elizabeth W.; Yang, Dedi; Chen, Jin; Fan, Bihang. - Progression of sugarberry ( Celtis laevigata ) dieback and mortality in the southeastern United States.
Poole, Emilee M; Ulyshen, Michael D; Horn, Scott; Anderson, Patrick; Bates, Chip; Barnes, Chris. - The response of coarse root biomass to long‐term CO 2 enrichment and nitrogen application in a maturing Pinus taeda stand with a large broadleaved component
Maier, Chris A.; Johnsen, Kurt H.; Anderson, Pete H.; Palmroth, Sari; Kim, Dohyoung; McCarthy, Heather R.; Oren, Ram.