A message of hope rooted in action, collaboration, and the fact that the technical solutions we need already exist

Dr. Erica Smithwick, a distinguished professor of geography at Penn State University and director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, joins us to explore the rapidly changing fire landscape in the eastern United States. For decades, fire was largely considered a western phenomenon, but shifting climate conditions and changing forest composition are transforming fire regimes across eastern ecosystems in ways that don’t match historical patterns.

In this conversation, we examine why eastern forests are burning in new and unexpected ways, what the Eastern Fire Network is doing to address these challenges, and how communities can work together to manage fire in an era of climate change. Dr. Smithwick brings both scientific expertise and personal conviction to the discussion, sharing her perspective as both a researcher watching these changes unfold in real time and a parent concerned about what we’re leaving future generations.

The conversation also touches on the importance of science communication and community engagement through initiatives like Science Moms, which aims to empower parents and educators with accurate climate science knowledge. Throughout, Dr. Smithwick emphasizes a message of hope rooted in action, collaboration, and the fact that the technical solutions we need already exist; what’s required now is the political will and coordination to implement them at the scales that matter.

In this episode:

• Fire regimes shifting in the eastern United States Why forests from Minnesota to Long Island are burning in new ways, and how climate change is rewriting historical fire patterns. 
• The Eastern Fire Network A newly formed consortium bringing together researchers, land managers, and communities to understand and address eastern wildfire challenges collaboratively. 
• Fire-dependent ecosystems of the Southeast A discussion of wiregrass longleaf pine and other ecosystems that depend on fire, and how to balance fire stewardship with ecosystem recovery. 
• Managing fire in human-dominated landscapes The complexity of prescribed burning and fire management when communities and infrastructure are intermixed with forests. 
• Data, monitoring, and case studies How the Eastern Fire Network is identifying case studies from systems like wiregrass longleaf pine restoration and recent extreme fire events to learn what’s working. 
• Science Moms and science communication Why communicating climate science to parents and the public matters, and how scientists can amplify their impact beyond academic circles.
• Hope in the face of complex challenges Dr. Smithwick’s perspective on finding hope through engagement, collaboration, and recognizing that solutions already exist.

Links & Resources

Connect with Dr. Smithwick

• Penn State Website
• Penn State Climate Consortium
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Organizations & Initiatives:

• Eastern Fire Network: A collaborative network of researchers, land managers, and fire professionals working to understand and address wildfire in eastern forests and develop regionally relevant management and policy solutions.
• Science Moms: An initiative bringing together scientists who are also parents to communicate climate science and ecosystem change to families and communities.
• Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Penn State University: An interdisciplinary research center where Dr. Smithwick serves as director and conducts research on ecosystem dynamics and environmental change.

Places & Landscapes:

• Wiregrass Longleaf Pine Ecosystems: Fire-dependent ecosystem of the southeastern coastal plain where approximately 90% has been lost, serving as an important case study for ecosystem restoration and fire stewardship.
• Yellowstone National Park: Referenced as an example of a cherished landscape experiencing novel ecological changes tied to climate shifts

People Mentioned:

• Rob Scheller, North Carolina State University: A colleague working on wiregrass longleaf pine ecosystems and fire management in the Southeast.

Dr. Erica Smithwick is a Distinguished Professor of Geography and Director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State University. She is also an Associate Director of the Institute of Energy and the Environment. Smithwick leads the Penn State Climate Consortium that aims to bring together interdisciplinary researchers in partnership with society to innovate climate solutions. As a landscape and ecosystem ecologist, her work aims to support sustainable land management decision-making under climate change, with particular focus on forest resilience to wildfire and natural carbon sequestration strategies. She has worked extensively across the U.S. and Africa, combining both field, modeling, and geospatial methods. An overarching goal of this research is seeking transdisciplinary partnerships to identify solutions to complex social-environmental challenges. Dr. Smithwick is currently on sabbatical as a Bullard Fellow at Harvard Forest Research Station.

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