Speaker: Maria Loughran

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Bio: Maria Loughran is a master's student at SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, with a research focus in fire ecology. Specifically, her projects include monitoring the effects of fire on soil hydrology under various fuel conditions, as well as the survival of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) seedlings after prescribed fire. After earning her bachelor’s from the University of Virginia, Maria spent a decade working as an environmental educator and all-around biological science technician. She discovered fire lighting in 2019 and hasn't looked back. Most recently a fire effects monitor with the National Park Service, she now blends operational fire experience with ecological research to advance understanding of fire's role in northeastern forests.

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Webinar: Precipitation patterns across the northeastern U.S. are being affected by changing climatic conditions, which is leading to more intense rainfall events that overwhelm soil infiltration and cause flooding. Concurrently, increased drought frequency heightens wildland fire risk. While fire effects on soil hydrology are well studied in western forests, they remain poorly understood in the Northeast—particularly within the New York City watershed, where >70% forest cover maintains unfiltered drinking water quality for millions of people. This research explored how fire influences forest soil capacity to absorb high rainfall events in the Catskills. We collected soil cores from ridges, mid-slopes, and toe-slopes and conducted laboratory flow-through experiments to measure hydraulic conductivity. Cores were then burned under three fuel treatments: pyro-phobic-dominant litter (unmanaged conditions), pyro-phytic-dominant litter (fire-resilient management), and current mixed fuel compositions. This work assessed how fire altered soil hydrologic function under various fuel conditions, informing forest management strategies to minimize flooding and ecological damage from wildfires.