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Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability

Upcoming Events

The SERPPAS Spring 2020 Steering Committee Meeting will be held March 4-5 in Atlanta, GA, while the 2020 Principals Meeting will be held May 12-13 in Beaufort, NC. SERPPAS will be celebrating 15 years of partnership in 2020! Logistics and more information can be found on the SERPPAS website.

Texas Sets Prescribed Burn Record

A recent statewide survey found that over 400,000 acres were treated with prescribed fire in Texas in 2018. This figure is the highest recorded, and is nearly 50,000 acres greater than the previous year. This increase is attributed to both an increase in prescribed fire application and improved reporting of burns.

Florida Fire News:

Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, Fire Festivals, New Leadership for Florida Forest Service

Every year, the last week of January is Prescribed Fire Awareness Week in Florida. To commemorate this year, Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried noted that “Prescribed fire is a safe way to apply a natural process, ensuring the health of our natural habitats and protecting Florida’s residents and visitors by reducing the risk of wildfire.” As part of Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, fire festivals were celebrated around the state, including the Red Hills Fire Festival at Tall Timbers Research Station and the Sarasota County Fire Fest.

Commissioner Fried also recently announced two new appointments to leadership within the Florida Forest Service. Erin Albury has been appointed State Forester and Director of the Florida Forest Service. Albury succeeds James “Jim” Karels, who has led the agency the past 12 years and served the Florida Forest Service since 1985. Johnny Sabo has been appointed Assistant Director of the Florida Forest Service. Sabo currently serves as the Field Operations Bureau Chief and will succeed Albury following Karels’ retirement.

Image: A child poses with fire equipment at the Red Hills Fire Festival

Credit: Alicia Devine, Tallahassee Democrat

The Perennial Forest Story Map

The Longleaf Alliance has released "The Perennial Forest," a story map showing the changes a longleaf forest experiences in a calendar year.

Image: Screenshot from The Perennial Forest

Credit: The Longleaf Alliance

Burning for the Bees

A new study from researchers at NC State University shows that prescribed fire benefits native bee species. According to an article about the study, freshly burned longleaf pine forests have more than double the total number of bees and bee species than similar forests that have not burned in over 50 years.

Image: Bee on a flower

Credit: Clyde Sorenson

How Can NRCS Get More Fire on the Ground?

A new publication from John Weir of Oklahoma State University explores how the Natural Resource Conservation Service can promote the use of prescribed fire and contribute to an increase in the use of prescribed fire as a management tool. The publication includes recommendations for the national and state level of the agency.

All jobs are open as of the Driptorch Digest send date, however application reviews may have begun.

Research Position - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development is seeking a candidate to engage in research projects aimed at assessing the environmental effects of wildfire and prescribed fire, and characterizing community risks and vulnerabilities.  Applications are due by February 6, 3:00 PM EST.

Prescribed Fire Crew Technician - North Carolina State Parks is accepting applications for burn crew members. Those interested should submit materials by February 9.

Fire Ecology Post-Doctoral Researcher - The USDA Forest Service Center for Forest Disturbance Science in Athens, Georgia is accepting applications for a post-doctoral researcher to collaborate on several projects relating to the spatial dynamics of wildland fire. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and should be submitted by February 21.

Assistant Professor of Forest Health and Fire Protection - Alabama A&M University is hiring for a nine-month academic appointment with additional three-month summer employment available and expected. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.

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.

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