SUMMARY OF DOI SCIENCE NEEDS RELATED TO FIRE MANAGEMENT PROJECTS
Major DOI Responsibilities and Interests	Major Unanswered Questions	Needed Science	Timeline
Manage fire to support natural ecosystem recovery on DOI lands	DOI Lands Fire Management Plan
	What is the prehistoric and predrainage fire history of the Everglades? How will restoration of hydrology in the Everglades affect the fire ecology of various ecosystems and how will fire and its natural role in the Everglades affect the restoration program? What is the relationship of fire to ecosystems now overrun with invasive exotics species, with special emphasis on fire and Lygodium? How will fire affect water quality? How does fire affect the various threatened and endangered species, with special emphasis on all threatened and endangered plant species and the Cape Sable seaside sparrow?	Research to determine prehistoric and predrainage fire frequencies and occurrences Research to understand the links between hydrology and fire ecology Predictive models simulating ecological changes due to hydrologic restoration activities Research on the tolerance of exotic species to fire and hydrologic change Monitoring and research to track and explain the relationships between fire and water quality. Research to understand the link between the seasonal occurrence of fire and the life cycles of threatened and endangered species	ENP, LNWR, FPNWR, Florida Keys NWR, J.N. Ding Darling Fire Management Plans Endangered Species Act, Section 7 Consultation: As needed Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report: As needed
Assess the responses of ecological communities and species as a basis for adaptive management	DOI Lands Fire Management Plans
	What are the long-term effects of fire in various vegetative ecosystems of Everglades National Park?	Identification and monitoring of indicator species	Post-implementation monitoring and assessment