Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

Northeast Region
Helicopter flies over a forest fire.
Pagami Creek Fire, Superior NF, Minnesota, September 2011. (Photo: Kari Greer)
Resilient Landscapes - Fire-Adapted Communities - Safe and Effective Wildfire Response  
The Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC) provides executive leadership, coordination, and guidance to carry out the Northeast Regional Action Plan while providing a forum for members to guide strategic direction for fire and land management activities. The NE RSC continues to collaboratively recognize, support, and help with National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy goals and implementation efforts.

NE RSC Chair: Brad Simpkins, New Hampshire State Forester
In This Issue
Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy Key Contacts
Chair

New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands

172 Pembroke Road

PO Box 1856

Concord, NH 03302-1856

 

Maureen Brooks

Communications Working Group Lead

U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area S&PF

 

Larry Mastic

Coordinator, Northeast Region

Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

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April 2016

Cohesive Strategy Focus of 2016 IAFC Wildland Urban Interface Conference  
International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Fire Policy Committee logo. Banner for the 2016 Wildland Urban Interface conference held March 5-10 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, NV.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) once again held its highly popular Wildland-Urban Interface conference in Reno, NV, March 8-10. Keynote speaker Robert Bonnie (Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and co-chair of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC)) acknowledged that the U.S. faces daunting, complex challenges related to fire. He highlighted the Cohesive Strategy and gave examples of how stakeholders are increasingly aligned and cooperating on wildland fire issues.

A panel discussion was given during the session titled "The Cohesive Strategy Playbook - National Efforts and Local Successes." Presenters included Jim Karels (Florida State Forester and WFLC member), Pete Anderson (Retired Nevada State Forester and NASF Cohesive Strategy Liaison), Joe Stutler (Western Region Strategy Committee Co-Chair), Mike Zupko (WFLC Executive Manager), and Patti Blankenship (U.S. Fire Administration).

Each of the four WFLC priorities (Smoke and Air Quality, Landscape Scale Collaboration, Reducing Risk to Communities, and Environmental Compliance) was discussed. The three Regional Coordinators (Katie Lighthall, West RSC; Gary Wood, Southeast RSC; and Larry Mastic, Northeast RSC) presented success studies from Florida, New Jersey, New York, and California related to the Reducing Risk to Communities priority.
How Can Communities Get More Involved in Federal Fire Management?
Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network logo.Mary Huffman, The Nature Conservancy

A man leans back against the trunk of a tree.
Karuk Tribe member Bill Tripp shares perspectives on the relationship between tan oak and traditional fire practices on a field trip of the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership. (Photo: Mary Huffman, The Nature Conservancy)

The current U.S. fire management system originally developed around best practices and coordination for firefighting professionals, so it's no wonder that it's a little tough for stakeholders to engage. Bill Tripp and Darren Borgias, leaders in the Fire Adapted Communities Net and Fire Learning Network Community of Practice for Using Fire (CPUF), recently led a webinar that offers insights into some opportunities for doable, system-level fixes. Here are a few examples of the stages in the life cycle of a wildland fire and where CPUF may consider networking around innovations, especially on federally managed public lands.



Controlled Burn Held at New Jersey Recreation Area
Sallie Graziano for NJ.com
March 21, 2016
A firefighter uses a drip torch to ignite brush.
The state Forest Fire Service holds a controlled burn at Spruce Run Recreation Area on Saturday March 19, 2016. (Photo: Rich Maxwell for NJ.com)

UNION TWP.--The New Jersey  State Forest Fire Service held a controlled burn at Spruce Run Recreation Area on Saturday [March 19].

Saturday's exercise is part of a statewide prescribed burning program that reduces wildfire risks by burning buildup of undergrowth, fallen trees and branches, leaves, and other debris on forest floors, the state Department of Environmental Protection explains on its website.

Prescribed burns are generally conducted during the mid- to late-winter months to minimize the amount of smoke produced, and when weather conditions tend to be safer for controlled fires. They help reduce forest fire risks prior to entering the prime wildfire season, which in New Jersey generally begins in the early spring.

"The state's prescribed burning program, conducted only under exacting conditions and by highly trained personnel, is an important management tool in protecting lives and property, while providing an important additional benefit of keeping our wildlands ecologically healthy," said Richard Boornazian, DEP's Assistant Commissioner for Natural and Historic Resources.

People can protect their property from brush fires by creating what the New Jersey Forest Fire Service calls " defensible space ," a "fuel break" that is trimmed of the materials that can help spread a brush or forest fire.

The Fire Service recommends a perimeter of 30 to 100 feet, depending on the type of trees, shrubs, smaller plants, and ground cover growing in a neighborhood.

The Forest Fire Service, part of the DEP's Division of Parks and Forestry, expects to do controlled burns on between 10,000 and 20,000 acres of forests and grasslands this season, depending on weather conditions. These prescribed fires do not reach the canopy of the forest or cause significant loss of mature trees as wildfires do.

For more information on wildfires in New Jersey and a list of contact numbers for regional Forest Fire Service offices, visit  njwildfire.org .

Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com.

LANDFIRE:  Fire Behavior Fuel Model Guidebook-Database
Logos for USDA Forest Servicer, LANDFIRE, and U.S. Department of othe Interior.  
LANDFIRE is excited to kick off an engagement opportunity for data users to provide review comments and suggestions to the Fire Behavior Fuel Model (FBFM) Guidebook-Database to potentially improve and refine how FBFMs are mapped in LANDFIRE.

The first workshop will be at the International Association of Wildland Fire 5th Annual Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference in Portland, OR, in April. Following the conference workshop, LANDFIRE will host virtual geographic workshops; more information on these virtual workshops will be coming soon.
View more information about FBFM future workshops .
 
Source: Lake States Fire Science Consortium March 2016 Newsletter: Volume 7, Issue 3

Fire and Fuels Monitoring Workshop
Logo Lake States Fire Science Consortium

When:
May 31 - June 2, 2016
 
Where: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Huron Shores Ranger Station, 5761 N. Skeel Ave., Oscoda, MI 48750
 
Lead Instructor: Brian Stearns, Wildland Fire Module Leader, Huron-Manistee National Forests, Huron Shores Ranger Station
 
Registration and Cost: There is NO FEE for this 3-day workshop. Attendees are responsible for their own meals, travel, and lodging. Since space is limited we require that you RSVP to the Lake States Fire Science Consortium, Jack McGowan-Stinski , 989-287-1734. Send your name, email, and affiliation; additional information regarding lodging and materials will be emailed to those who RSVP.
 
Have questions? Please contact Jack McGowan-Stinski at 989-287-1734. Share a flyer of this event .
View additional information or updates
  
Conferences, Meetings, and Training Opportunities


Midwest Wildfire Training Academy
Sponsored in cooperation with the Big Rivers Forest Fire Management Compact and the U.S. Forest Service
June 8-12, 2016
Jefferson City, MO
Held in conjunction with the University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute's Annual Summer Fire School.
Mid-Atlantic Wildfire Training Academy
Sponsored in cooperation with the Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact, U.S. Forest Service, and West Virginia University
June 4-10, 2016
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Registration: 
Conferences and Meetings

--Regional--
 
North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange Oak Capstone Workshop  
Fire in Oak Workshop Regional Differences, Local Applicability
June 15-16, 2016 
Westborough, MA


--National--

50th Annual Northeast Forest Fire Supervisors Committee Meeting
Fifty Years of Northeastern Fire Management
June 20-24, 2016
King of Prussia, PA
Radisson Valley Forge

LaCrosse, WI
Contact the
Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium  if you are interested in contributing to a special session about suppressing invasive plants using integrated treatment that includes prescribed fire.

2nd International Smoke Symposium
November 14-17, 2016
Long Beach, CA
The Call for Presentations, Posters, and Special Sessions closes on May 16.

3rd Southwest Fire Ecology Conference  
Beyond Hazard Fuels: Managing Fire for Social, Economic, and Ecological Benefits
November 28 - December 2, 2016
Tucson, AZ
Now Accepting Submissions for Special Sessions, Workshops and Trainings
and Attached Meetings . Call for oral and poster presentation abstract submissions opened April 1. Early Bird Registration opens June 1.

Save-the-Date: 7th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress
November 28 - December 2, 2017
Orlando, FL
Buena Vista Palace Spa and Hotel 


The Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC) delivers articles and stories each month that demonstrate the collaborative efforts of agencies, organizations and communities supporting and promoting the three goals of the Cohesive Strategy: Restoring Resilient Landscapes, Creating Fire Adapted Communities and Responding to Wildfire. 

 

This news update is our primary communication tool with our partners and the public. Looking for more Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy information or past published news update issues? Visit this Web site.

 

Does your agency, organization, or community have a project or event you'd like to see featured in the NE RSC News Update? 

 

Tell us about it! Just contact  Larry Mastic .
Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry | 304-285-1524 | creger@fs.fed.us | http://www.na.fs.fed.us
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