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Jane Kapler Smith is an Ecologist working for the Fire Modeling Institute at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. She is Leader of the Information Team for the Fire Modeling Institute. Jane has degrees in English and Speech (B.A., Alverno College) and Forest Ecology (M.S., Colorado State University). She is Education Committee Chair for the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation.
Jane’s M.S. research was on fire behavior and fire effects in aspen groves in Colorado’s Front Range. With colleagues at the University of Montana and Colorado State University, Jane has conducted research on the effectiveness of educational tools and presentation techniques for increasing public understanding of wildland fire. Jane’s work focuses mainly on synthesis of scientific knowledge for managers and effective communication with the public. She manages the Fire Effects Information System, an on-line collection of literature reviews covering fire effects on more than 1,100 plants and animals; the Fire Effects Literature collection, more than 50,000 documents on fire ecology and related biological and ecological literature; and the Citation Retrieval System, the database of keyworded citations that catalogues the Fire Effects Literature Collection.
Jane has edited and contributed to three volumes of the “Wildland Fire in Ecosystems” (Rainbow) series:
She co-developed the FireWorks educational program, which provides hands-on learning activities for students in grades 1-10 and has reached hundreds of teachers and thousands of students nation-wide. Jane has developed innovative methods for summarizing and presenting results of the FVS-FFE (Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator) model to the public.
Research:
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)
FireWorks
Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FFE-FVS)
Selected Publications:
Zimmerman, Donald E.; Akerelrea, Carol; Smith, Jane Kapler; O’Keefe, Garrett J. 2006. Communicating forest management science and practices through visualized and animated media approaches to community presentations. Science Communication. 27(4): 514-539.
Smith, Jane Kapler; McMurray, Nancy E. 2004. FireWorks educational program and its effectiveness. In: Engstrom, R. T.; Galley, K. E. M.; de Groot, W. J., eds. Proceedings of the 22nd Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference: fire in temperate, boreal, and montane ecosystems; 2001 October 15-18; Kananaskis Village, Alberta, Canada. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 231-235.
Parkinson, Tamara M.; Force, Jo Ellen; Smith, Jane Kapler. 2003. Hands-on learning: its effectiveness in teaching the public about wildland fire. Journal of Forestry. 101(7):21-26.
Smith, Jane Kapler; McMurray, Nancy E. 2000. FireWorks curriculum featuring ponderosa, lodgepole, and whitebark pine forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-65. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 270 p.
Brown, James K.; Smith, Jane Kapler, eds. 2000. Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on flora. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 2. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 257 p.
Thomas, Linda R.; Walsh, James A.; Smith, Jane Kapler. 2000. Behavioral and Cognitive Evaluation of FireWorks Education Trunk. In: Smith, H. Y., ed. The Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project--what we have learned: symposium proceedings; 1999 May 18-20; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-17. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 71-73.
Smith, Jane Kapler, editor. 2000. Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on fauna. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 1. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 83 p.
Smith, Jane Kapler; Fischer, William C. 1997. Fire ecology of the forest habitat types of northern Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-363. Ogden, UT: U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 142 p.
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