Our project addresses the escalating wildfire threat in the Cross Timbers, USA – a region with historically fire-resilient ancient forests now increasingly compromised by encroaching eastern redcedars, vegetation shifts, fragmented land ownership, and climate change.

As part of a scientific mission in Stillwater, we will conduct an intensive field campaign to collect detailed physiological information on trees and ultra-high-resolution remote sensing data. This effort will yield precise, tree-level 3D biomass information, forming the basis for a novel methodology to spatially estimate forest attributes using advanced digital forest models.

By integrating the resulting dataset into a suitable fire model, we aim to enhance fire prediction capabilities to support the management and conservation of ancient forests. Our work will lay a crucial foundation for small-scale fire modeling and provide a high-precision fire risk assessment tool tailored to fragmented, privately owned landscapes.