Measuring the effects of succession on micro-organismal communities on short time scales (i.e. 1-10 years) can be difficult and often requires long term monitoring or chronosequence studies. The Burn Chronosequence at the UMBS presents a unique opportunity to study changes in micro-organismal community diversity and function, and has the potential to show shifts in microbial community structure during succession. This chronosequence is comprised of a set of natural and experimental burns that creates a one hundred year chronosequence. Conducting research in the existing experimental burn site, as well as in plots which is planned for burning in 2017 will allow researchers to test effects of fire on short and long term time scales. The proposed 2017 burn in particular will allow investigators to examine pre-burn vs. post-burn community structures and functions and gain inferences into microbial community resiliency.