DRIPTORCH DIGEST
A Newsletter for the Southern Prescribed Fire Community
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Happy Holidays!
Thank you, Southern prescribed fire community, for sharing your fire-related work with us in 2019 and continuing to dedicate your time to good land stewardship. We hope your holidays are full of joy, and look forward to another year of sharing news and information with you. We wish you all a safe, healthy and happy 2020, with lots of opportunities for burning!
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Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability
2020 Save the Dates
SERPPAS' Spring 2020 Steering Committee Meeting will be held March 4-5 in Atlanta, GA, while the 2020 Principals Meeting will be held May 11-13 in Beaufort, NC. Logistics, when available, can be found on the
SERPPAS website.
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New Landowner Resources Tool
The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership has released an
Interactive Landowner Resources Tool. The product allows landowners and others to find voluntary state and federal assistance programs, including those that cover or support prescribed burning. Users can filter by different categories, see important program information, and export filtered results to a PDF.
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Indigenous Fire Knowledge
Wired and
Mother Jones recently covered how Native communities in places like California long used fire to manage the land, and how that understanding should help inform today's management. Many
Native communities in the Southeast also have long histories of fire use.
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2019 Prescribed Fire Council Membership Summary
The Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils has released
the results of a survey of Prescribed Fire Councils which asked about membership, organizational structure, annual meetings, and immediate and future needs. The survey includes data from 34 states and 39 PFCs.
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Image: US States with PFCs
Credit: Mark Melvin, 2019 Prescribed Fire Council Membership Summary
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Study Examines Factors Affecting Prescribed Burning Insurance
A
study recently published in Rangeland Ecology & Management
examined factors that impact burners' decision to acquire prescribed burning insurance. Results found, in part, that practitioners are more likely to obtain prescribed burning insurance if they are landowners themselves or have a written prescribed burn plan. Age and level of importance burners place on compliance with environmental laws also had a significant positive effect on the likelihood of obtaining insurance coverage.
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The Women Before Me
A newly released
article and
video cover the history of the Zigzag Hotshots, highlighting the first women to join the crew and the way they paved the way for future female wildland firefighters. The project was supported in part by
The Smokey Generation and
American Wildfire Experience, both of whom are dedicated to supporting wildland fire storytelling.
Image: Kimberly Brandel in 1976, the first known woman on a hotshot crew in USFS Region 6
Credit: Amanda Monthei, The Women Before Me
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Alliance to Address Forest Health Threats
The Society of American Foresters
The Forestry Source
recently published a series of essays by forest health professionals about the pressing need to fund and address existing, emerging, and future forest health threats.
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Cooperative Extension at AFE
In November, representatives of the National Extension Wildland Fire Initiative (NEWFI) attended the Association for Fire Ecology Fire Congress in Tucson, AZ. NEWFI members participated in a sponsored booth, special session, fire circle for open discussion, and a quarterly meeting. You can learn more about NEWFI and how to join
here.
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Shortleaf Pine Initiative
New Fact Sheets: Growth and Yield, Diversity of Forest Types
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Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network
New Blog Posts: Building Capacity and Fire Reading
The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network publishes a variety of content related to fire adaptation. The following recent posts may be of interest to the prescribed fire community:
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The Longleaf Alliance
Burner Bob Visits Virginia
Over 120 people gathered on October 25 t
o dedicate The Nature Conservancy’s Owen Preserve in Yale, Virginia (Sussex County). The occasion celebrated the protection and management of one of the highest priority longleaf restoration sites identified by the Longleaf Cooperators of the Virginia Longleaf Implementation Team, and included a visit from the Longleaf Alliance's Burner Bob.
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Image: Burner Bob and "Thomas Jefferson"
Credit: Partners for Conservation
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Joint Fire Science Program
Defining "Resilient Landscapes" From Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives in a WUI Area
A
recent JFSP-funded project examining conflict over a fuels treatment project called Forsythe II found, in part, that "land management in WUI areas might benefit from public comment processes that lend legitimacy to "social values" concerns, and that addressing such concerns early in the public outreach phases of a treatment can help avoid intractability later."
Models of Fire-Induced Tree Mortality Across the US
The
final report is now available for a JFSP-funded project examining current understanding of the mechanisms of fire-induced tree mortality. The report, in parts, recommends standard terminology and described model applications and limitations.
The Wildfire Economy
A recent JFSP-funded project examined the local economic impacts of large wildland fires in the western US. A
final report,
article, and
video covering the findings are now available.
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Image: Causes of Tree Mortality from Fire
Credit: JFSP Final Report
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Oak Woodlands& Forests Fire Consortium
Newsletter Features: Shortleaf Conference, Ticks and Fire in the Southeast, and More
The
latest newsletter from the Oak Woodlands & Forests Fire Consortium has been released. The newsletter includes, in part, a summary of the October Shortleaf Pine Conference and a research brief about the relationship between tick population dynamics and long-term prescribed burning in Southwestern Georgia and Northwestern Florida.
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Prescribed Fire News Roundup
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Is Florida the Answer to California's Fire Problem?
Sierra Magazine covers the widespread use of prescribed fire in Florida and how that could inform California's land management.
Prescribed Burning on the Apalachicola National Forest
WCTV addresses local criticism of the Apalachicola National Forest's burn program, while
WFSU Public Media examines how prescribed burning maintains the National Forest.
How Prescribed Burns are Beneficial to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Prescribed Fire Helps Prevent Wildfires, Conserves Wildlife in Florida
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National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Opportunity Announcements
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has announced the release of the
2020 request for proposals
under the Longleaf Stewardship Fund. This request for proposals (RFP) expects to award up to $5.5 million in federal and private sector funding in support of projects that restore, enhance and maintain longleaf pine on private and public lands to improve wildlife habitat and water quality.
Full proposals are due
Thursday, February 6, 2020 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time
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Lake States Fire Science Consortium Intern Program
The Lake States Fire Science Consortium
is accepting proposals for several $4,000 research internship awards. The funds will support undergraduate internship experiences and proposals are due by
5:00 PM ET December 9, 2019.
Enviva Forest Conservation Fund
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment)
is seeking applications for the 2020 Enviva Forest Conservation Fund. Projects may receive up to $500,000, and applications are due
January 24, 2020 at 5:00 PM ET.
REPI Challenge Pre-Proposals
Travel, Research, and Educational Experience (TREE) Grants
The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) will distribute Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) TREE grants. These are designed to help graduate students travel to present at conferences and workshops related to fire science and management.
Applications are due 60 days before the start of the event
the applicant would like to attend. Additional information and application link are available on the
AFE website
.
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Webinars, Video, and Other Media
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Recent Archived Webinars
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Videos
Past videos and other resources can be found
here.
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Podcasts & Radio
Podcast Series
- Good Fire Podcast - Covers the indigenous use of "good fire" is used around the globe.
- Learn, Baby, Burn - Created by the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council, this podcast will cover a variety of prescribed fire topics.
- The Fire Learning Trail - Introduces listeners to the role of fire in the Southern Appalachians, wildland firefighting, and local history
- On The Line - Covers topics of interest to wildland firefighters, including mental health, the pack test, and health considerations.
- Forest Voices - Covers forest stewardship and management topics, including prescribed fire.
Past single podcasts and other resources can be found
here.
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Upcoming Events, Training, and Networking
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Prescribed Fire Council Meetings
- North Florida - March 24, 2020, Marianna, FL. More details will be available soon, and registration will open approximately one month before the meeting.
- Central Florida - October 2, 2020, Kissimmee, FL. More details will be available soon, and registration will open approximately one month before the meeting.
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Prescribed Burner Certification Courses
- Georgia - Courses are offered by the Georgia Forestry Commission, with the following courses remaining for 2019:
- December 3-4, Jasper, GA
- Louisiana - Courses are offered through LSU Cooperative Extension Service. None are currently scheduled.
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Conferences, Workshops, Festivals and Other Events
- March 10-11, 2020 - Forest Economic Contributions Summit, New Orleans, LA
- May 19-21, 2020 - Southern Blue Ridge FLN, Dillard, GA
- Ongoing - Fire in the Field, This intermediate firefighter training program (equivalent to NWCG S-131, S-133, and S-231 courses, as well as the G-131 course) is designed to prepare the Firefighter 2 (FFT2) to move to the Firefighter 1 (FFT1) position.
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All jobs are open as of the Driptorch Digest send date, however application reviews may have begun.
Prescribed Burn Crew Member -
Bayfields Forest Management is hiring call-when-needed burn crew members and a forest management intern to work on private lands in southeast North Carolina. Applications are due by
December 9.
LANDFIRE Communications Leads - The Nature Conservancy
is seeking to hire manager to lead communications for the LANDFIRE program. Applications are due by
December 4.
Prescribed Fire Crew Manager and Technicians - North Carolina State Parks
is accepting applications for a burn crew manager and technicians. Those interested should submit an application, cover letter, resume and references to
[email protected].
Veterans Fire Corps - The Student Conservation Association is accepting applications from post-9/11-era US military veterans for its Fire Corps internships. Additional information and the application portal can be found on the
program website.
Fire Ecology Internships - The Fire Ecology Program at Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy in Tallahassee, FL seeks to provide field and laboratory experience for college students and recent graduates in the areas of plant ecology, ecosystem ecology, and fire ecology and science. Most internships last 12-16 weeks and are largely fieldwork based. Summer interns work from May-August and Fall interns work from October-December.
Get full details and application instructions here.
Online Job Boards
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Find more fire-related information from our friends & partners!
Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers & Scientists Newsletter (
current edition
)
Southeast Region Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
(
current edition
)
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Contact us to share your prescribed fire information, stories, or events!
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Jennifer Fawcett
NC State Extension Forestry
Extension Associate
SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Working Group Coordinator
919-515-8288
Laurel Kays
NC State Extension Forestry
Extension Assistant
919-513-2573
Additional content and resources can also be found by visiting our
website
and by following us on:
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