| Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
Northeast Region
Pagami Creek Fire, Superior NF, Minnesota, September 2011. (Photo: Kari Greer)
Resilient Landscapes - Fire-Adapted Communities - Safe and Effective Wildfire Response
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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
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Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy Key Contacts
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Chair
New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands 172 Pembroke Road PO Box 1856 Concord, NH 03302-1856 Terry Gallagher Technical Working Group Lead U.S. Forest Service Eastern Region 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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Important Northeast Cohesive Strategy Wildland Fire Management Links
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May 2015
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Ohio Division of Forestry Teams Up with Students to Produce New Smokey Video
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Submitted by Greg Guess, Deputy Chief, State Forests and Fire Management, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry
 In 2014, the Ohio Division of Forestry teamed up with a diverse group of students from the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) and professional mentor 2Tall Animation Studio to research, design, and create a new Smokey Bear animated video and song. The U.S. Forest Service provided funding for this project through a 2011 hazard mitigation grant.
Read the full Smokey Bear video story.
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Wisconsin DNR Video Team Wins 2015 Telly Award for Wildfire Prevention Video
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Submitted by Jolene Ackerman, Wisconsin DNR 
The Wisconsin DNR Video Team won a 2015 Telly Award for its 30-second Be Ember Aware video. The video was created as a TV spot in 2014 and will be used again during the 2015 spring fire season. State Fire Assistance - Hazard Mitigation grant funds were used to create the spot.
The Telly Awards are the premier awards that honor the finest film and video productions; groundbreaking Web commercials; videos and films; and outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs. The Telly Awards' mission is to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity.
The 35th Annual Telly Awards received over 12,000 entries from all 50 States and five continents. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Video Team is being recognized with a bronze award for its 30-second Be Ember Aware video in the Online Video - Online Commercial - Not-for-Profit category.
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Prescribed Fire Partnership Increases Locally
Rare Plant
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Submitted by Tina Boehle, Acting Branch Chief, Communication and Education, National Park Service Division of Fire and Aviation Management, National Interagency Fire Center,
Boise, ID
If you think monarch butterflies have become noticeably less common in the last several years, you are correct. According to studies, monarch butterflies have declined 90 percent in the last 20 years. Many factors have contributed to this steep decline, but a primary reason is believed to be clean farming, a practice that removes plants from fields that are often considered to be weeds. Some of the plants that are removed may be food for butterflies.
Riddell's goldenrod. (National Park Service)
Monarch butterflies depend on a variety of wildflowers for nectar to fuel their tremendous fall migration from Canada to Mexico. One specific group of wildflowers impacted by the practice of clean farming is fall-blooming goldenrods, a significant nectar source for monarchs and many other beneficial pollinators. In September 2014, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways had an increase in the number of rare Riddell's goldenrod plants (a fall-blooming goldenrod) after fuels reduction and prescribed fire activities.
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Winter Burning of Bluff Prairies in Wisconsin
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Submitted by Hannah Spaul, The Nature Conservancy
Spring Green Preserve, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, is often referred to as "Wisconsin's Desert." It is home to cacti, lizards, snakes, and turtles, several of which are threatened or endangered in Wisconsin. The dry sand prairie, dry bluff prairie, and black oak barrens on the preserve harbor some of Wisconsin's rarest plant communities. The steep, south-facing, dry, sandy bluffs are part of the lower Wisconsin River Valley, and historically, anthropogenic fires frequently swept through the region, as often as once every 1 to 3 years.
Photo by Hannah Spaul. (The Nature Conservancy, March 6, 2015)
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Building Fire Adapted Communities Skills: Collaborative Learning Training Program
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Submitted by Matt Frank, Program & Research Associate, Dovetail Partners, Inc.
In the fall of 2014, Gloria Erickson, Dovetail Partners' Local Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Coordinator, attended a Collaborative Learning Training Program (CLTP) workshop at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, MN. The East Range Joint Powers Board and the U.S. Forest Service sponsored the event. The board serves as an economic development organization for the towns of Hoyt Lakes, Aurora, and White in northern Minnesota.
The CLTP team is led by Steve Daniels, a professor in the Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology Department and Extension Director of Community Development Programs at Utah State University; and Gregg Walker, a professor of Communication and adjunct professor in the Environmental Sciences, Forest Ecosystems and Society, Marine Resources Management, and Water Resources Management programs at Oregon State University. Daniels and Walker have been applying collaborative learning ideas to natural resource management situations for over 20 years, including work with national forests, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities.
Read the full Collaborative Learning Training Program story.
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Prescribed Fire Restores Cultural Landscape:
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin
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Submitted by Tina Boehle, Acting Branch Chief, Communication and Education, National Park Service Division of Fire and Aviation Management, National Interagency Fire Center,
Boise, ID
The tiny flame of a lighthouse oil lamp used to warn ships away from the treacherous rocks of Devils Island. But now, another flame is being used to help keep these historic light station grounds trim and free of woody overgrowth.
During the week of October 20-24, 2014, wildland firefighters from the National Park Service (NPS) at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Great Lakes Agency partnered to conduct a prescribed fire at Devils Island Light Station. Power saws were used to prepare the site by removing heavy brush and piling it for burning. Dave Pergolski, BIA burn boss, provided oversight. Eight NPS and BIA firefighters worked together to light piles, protect historic structures, and carefully control the burn.
Post-burn view of the prescribed fire unit from the top of the Devils Island Light Station. (Photo: National Park Service, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore park staff)
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Original Literary Accounts of Native American Fire in the North Atlantic
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This April 2015 research brief is part of the Methods in Fire History Series. This brief looks at a 1983 article that summarized original literary accounts that mentioned fire and forest types to understand how Native Americans used fire at the time of European settlement. Read the April 2015 research brief.
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10th Anniversary of Wisconsin's Cottonville
Fire
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Lake States Fire Science Consortium April 2015: Volume 6, Issue 4
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Photo: Mike Lehman, Wisconsin DNR
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Ten years ago, on May 5, 2005, the Cottonville Fire
occurred in central Adams County, WI. The 3,400-acre blaze would become the most destructive forest fire in Wisconsin in 25 years. It also quickly became clear that
Cottonville
was going to be one of the most intensively photo-documented wildland fires in Wisconsin history. There were over 550 photos and 2 hours of video taken of the fire in progress; an even greater number of photos were taken to document effects on lands, vegetation, and structures in the fire's path.
was also the first major Wisconsin fire where detailed individual assessments were made to try and identify the specific factors that resulted in loss, damage, or the saving of each of the over 100 structures in the fire's footprint.
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Conferences, Meetings, and Training
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---Regional---
Northeast Forest Fire Supervisors Annual 2015 Meeting June 15-19, 2015 Dedham, MA
---National---
Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference
May 27-29, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
6th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress
Advancing Ecology in Fire Management: Knowledge Transfer through Workshops, Presentations, and Meetings
November 16-20, 2015 San Antonio, TX Backyards and Beyond, Wildland Fire Education Conference October 22-24, 2015 Preconference seminars October 20-21, 2015
Myrtle Beach, SC
Sponsored by NFPA
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---Wildfire Training---
2015 Minnesota Wildfire Academy June 1-5, 2015 Itasca Community College Sponsored by Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) partners and Advanced Minnesota Fire Training
Mid-Atlantic Wildfire Training Academy, June 6-12, 2015 MORGANTOWN, W.Va.-West Virginia University will host the ninth annual Mid-Atlantic Wildfire Training Academy June 6-12, 2015, in Morgantown. The academy will offer a suite of courses in essential wildland firefighting skills, from basic to advanced. Upon successful course completion, students will receive certificates from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Some courses require pre-course work. The academy is presented by the Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact, West Virginia University Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Forest Service. Register on the Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact Web site. Back to Top |
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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?
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