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Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability

SE Fire Map Project Selects Technical Oversight Team

The SE Fire Map is a new effort to develop fire mapping in the Southeastern U.S., funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). As an improved, cohesive system to track both prescribed fire and wildfire activity on public and private lands, it will serve as a critical decision support tool to maximize the effectiveness of fire management practices – helping achieve the varied objectives of NRCS and its partners such as keeping working lands working, restoring the longleaf pine ecosystem, supporting DoD’s military and training mission, conserving listed and at-risk species, managing for wildfire risk, and minimizing the need to conserve species through regulation. USDA has selected eleven representatives to serve on the project's Technical Oversight Team. This team of experts represent diverse affiliations and will serve as as advisory body to the project.

The SE Fire Map is a priority project of SERPPAS' Southeast Prescribed Fire Initiative. An RFP was released in July by the U.S. Endowment for the scoping phase of the project, and final applications are currently under review.

Recent and Upcoming SERPPAS Meetings

A full summary of the 2019 SERPPAS Principal's Meeting that was held June 4-5 at Fort Rucker, AL is now available.

The fall Steering Committee Meeting will take place in Atlanta, GA September 9-10. Full details are available on the event's page on the SERPPAS website.

Prescribed Burn Contractor Databases

Do you know someone who needs their land burned, but don't know who to call? The Southeast Prescribed Fire Update's Prescribed Burn Contractor Databases page has been updated to now include a link to a list of prescribed burn vendors for each southern state; for some states it also links to an online vendor database maintained by the state's forestry agency if one is available.

FIREX-AQ

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have begun a large-scale research project called Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) to study smoke from wildfires and prescribed fires. Hundreds of scientists will explore the chemistry of trace gases and aerosols in smoke with the goal of improving weather and air quality models and providing better forecasts to first responders, public health, and land management officials. The project will include sampling emissions from prescribed fires in the South.

Image: A smoke column from a wildfire burning on Bureau of Indian Affairs land

Credit: weathernationtv.com

Prescribed Fire Insurance Survey

The Forest Stewards Guild is conducting a survey in order to better understand prescribed fire insurance needs and potential solutions. The survey is intended primarily for private consultants and organizations (NGOs or otherwise). Survey findings will be shared will be shared with those interested, and full information on the survey can be found on the project website.

Prescribed Burn Comic Story

Comic website The Nib published a comic story by Xulin Wang illustrating the importance and history of prescribed fire. While focused on Canadian boreal forests, the comic touches on many points that hold true for Southeastern ecosystems.

Image: Exceprt from the Prescribed Burn comic by Xulin Wang

Credit: Xulin Wang, The Nib

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

Fire Management Specialist (Planning Fuels) - The Tennessee Division of Forestry is accepting applications through September 12 for a Fire Management Specialist.

Southeast Regional Coordinator - The Forest Stewards Guild is hiring for a full-time Southeast Regional Coordinator based out of their Asheville office. Those interested should apply by September 16.

Texas Longleaf Implementation Team Coordinator - The Texas LIT is seeking a coordinator to lead the partnership. Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is found.

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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