CNR Presents at the Inaugural National Symposium on Wildfires & Their Impact on the Environment and Health
Our researchers shared poster presentations, and CNR Director Michel Boufadel served as panel chair
On May 6, 2026, the Center for Natural Resources participated in the inaugural National Symposium on Wildfires & Their Impact on the Environment and Health.
The symposium focused on topics such as the effects of wildfires on humans, impacts on air quality and health, wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, and the consequences of wildfire-emitted carbonaceous aerosols on climate.
Dr. Michel Boufadel, Director of CNR, served as chair of the panel discussion “Research Needs and the Way Forward,” which covered work at the CNR-affiliated Resilience Excellence and Capacity Hub (REACH) involving physically based, stochastic, and machine learning numerical modeling methods.
CNR researchers also presented a poster on the transport of particulate matter in soils, which is a heterogeneous mixture of fine solid particles, such as ash and mineral fragments, generated during biomass combustion.
They shared how these particulates can be mobilized by rainfall or wind, altering soil hydraulic behavior, influencing post-fire erosion, and facilitating the movement of organic contaminants.
By evaluating surrogate particle transport, CNR plans to assess how soil depth, packing density, and pore structure influence mobility, retention, and breakthrough.
Through these events, CNR helps foster cross-institutional collaboration, cultivate innovative solutions, and ultimately form safer, more resilient communities against environmental hazards.
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