The Effect of Wildland Fire on Aquatic Ecosystems in the Western USA

The workshop on the Effects of Wildland Fire on Aquatic Ecosystems in the Western USA was convened in Boise, Idaho, USA in April 2002 to synthesize the emerging science and discussion relevant to such solutions. The organizing committee invited the authors in this special issue of Forest Ecology and Management to present new work or synthesize the current understanding (or lack of it) regarding the role of disturbance, fire, or fire-related management for aquatic populations, communities, or habitats and the physical and biological processes that maintain them. Scientists and managers familiar with the issues were also invited to participate in the subsequent discussion. The final paper, by Bisson and others, provides a synthesis of the key points emerging from those papers and discussion in the context of the current ecological and management literature. The papers published here do not resolve the ongoing debate, but they provide a foundation for a more informed and constructive dialogue that may emerge.