Science You Can Use is a product of USDA Forest Service Research & Development that summarizes and synthesizes current scientific research. In each episode, we read aloud the latest Science You Can Use publication. Each episode delivers key science findings and management implications to people who make and influence decisions about managing land and natural resources in the Intermountain West and beyond.
Lost and Found: What historical records reveal about forest management
Historical records show that over a century ago, fire-tolerant oaks dominated more than half of the forests across Kentucky and the southern Appalachian Mountains. Today, they account for barely a fifth. Species that historically occupied the margins, including red maple, eastern redcedar, and yellow poplar, have moved to the center. Ecologically, the shift happened relatively fast. Understanding why, and what it means for management, is aided by going back to the forest composition assessments produced by the U.S. Geological Survey and Forest Service surveyors in the early 1900s, before fire exclusion and industrial timber harvesting transformed the landscape. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access the related content on Treesearch.
21 Sept 2026
Wildfire Speed Bumps: The latest science on fuel breaks
What do fuel breaks do? Fuel breaks are linear strips of land along which vegetation is cleared or thinned—constructed along ridgelines, roads, and other strategic places—to give firefighters a safer, higher chance to slow or steer a fire. Often described as "speed bumps" for wildfires, fuel breaks rarely stop fire spread on their own, but they do give crews critical anchor points for building fireline, setting backfires, or safely applying water and retardant. They have been used since the 1960s across many landscapes. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread. Read the Science You Can Use and access the related content on Treesearch.
4 Sept 2026
Bucking the trend: Understanding women's growing participation in hunting in the Mountain-Prairie region
For decades, national participation in hunting has been on the decline. One population of hunters, however, is bucking the trend: Women. Studies on women in hunting often focus on barriers to participation, such as lack of leisure time, lack of experience, and lack of role models. But despite those barriers, women's participation has been increasing. In 2022 an estimated 3 million women represented 22 percent of all hunters, more than double the number from 2016. Given this upward trend, there are still many unanswered questions about what motivates women to participate in hunting. Music courtesy of Souvenir Thread
Read the Science You Can Use and access the related content on Treesearch. (https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/80707)
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