The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) welcomes applicants for the esteemed position of Editor-In-Chief (EIC) for the society’s international scientific journal, Fire Ecology. The journal publishes peerreviewed, impactful articles on all ecological and management aspects relating to wildland fire. The EIC has primary responsibility for determining which submitted manuscripts should be published in the journal and works closely with the AFE Publications Committee to grow the journal and ensure high standards of scientific integrity and quality. Fire Ecology annually receives 150-200 submissions, publishes 70-100 articles, and has a rejection rate of approximately 45%. The journal’s 2023 Impact Factor is 3.6, and it ranks in Quartile 1 for Forestry and Ecology journals. The journal is published by Springer Nature as an open access scientific journal. It has an editorial board of 83 Associate Editors representing the diversity of global research in fire ecology.
Selection criteria:
PhD with expertise in relevant subject areas within the journal’s scope and at least 15 years of research experience
Strong publication record
Broad range of experiences reviewing, editing, and refereeing scientific publications, including experience on at least one editorial board and as a productive associate editorial of an ecology or forestry journal
Commitment to growing the journal, handling manuscripts promptly, and maintaining scientific integrity of published content
Key responsibilities:
Making initial decisions regarding the suitability of manuscripts
Assigning appropriate Associate Editors to invite reviewers and process manuscript reviews
Making final decisions about manuscripts based on the input of Associate Editors and reviewers
Communicating directly with authors as needed
Coordinating with editorial team to identify papers for further promotion via video, podcast development, and social media
Soliciting and managing Special Collections
Inviting manuscripts on topics of high interest to journal readers
Acting as an ambassador for the journal
Engaging with the Publications Committee and AFE Board on journal decisions
Coordinating with Springer-Nature on technical issues and management of the journal
The Editor-In-Chief of Fire Ecology receives an annual stipend of up to $15,000.
For questions or to apply, please email a letter of interest addressing the criteria and responsibilities above, along with a current CV to Dr. Sharon Hood, Fire Ecology Journal Committee Chair at Sharon.hood@usda.gov; 406-329-4818 or Dr. Robert Keane, Editor-In-Chief Fire Ecology, robert.e.keane@usda.gov.
Members of the Association for Fire Ecology and the Fire Ecology Editorial Board are expected to uphold the society’s Code of Ethics.
