As the frequency and intensity of wildfires increase, it is urgent to elucidate the mechanisms that drive post-fire ecosystem recovery. Soil ecological knowledge has the potential to direct successful recovery, across a range of ecosystem and habitat types. Lindsey’s research focuses on how plant functional diversity drives post-fire recovery of soils in Northern California chaparral shrublands. Shortly after summer fires, herbaceous plants grow prolifically, likely absorbing nitrogen in ash before it runs off to pollute nearby bodies of water. She uses herb-removal experiments to demonstrate the functional combinations of plants that maximize post-fire nitrogen retention and soil restoration.