Northeast Region Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy banner with a graphic of the 20 states of the Northeast and Midwest and National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy logo.
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.

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

Chair

Chief Fire Warden

Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation

 

Maureen Brooks

Vice-Chair

U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area S&PF

 

Larry Mastic

Coordinator, Northeast Region

Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

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January 2018

A View from the Field: An Interview with Dave Celino
Banner that reads Northeast Region Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.  
Devin Wanner, Public Affairs Specialist, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

January 2018

Man poses for a picture with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.
Dave Celino. (Courtesy photo provided by Dave Celino) 
Dave Celino, Chief Fire Warden, State of Massachusetts

In November 2016, Dave Celino became the current Chair of the Northeast Regional Strategy Committee for the Cohesive Strategy.

Dave Celino has a degree in Forestry and Surveying from Paul Smith's College in the Adirondack Region of New York. He started his career out of college as a professional timber faller in southwest Colorado in the early 1980s before moving back to his home state of Connecticut, where he worked as a procurement forester for a large hardwood lumber operation. In the 1990s Dave moved to Massachusetts, where he ran his own forestry consulting firm for the next 20 years and worked with numerous private, municipal, and state landowners to develop long-range forest management planning. During this period he became a member of the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew and was a municipal fire chief for the town of Colrain, MA. In 2007 Mr. Celino brought his land management and firefighting experience to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as the Chief Fire Warden, where he remains today.
 
What are some of the challenges for the wildland fire program in your state/agency?
Massachusetts most likely doesn't vary much with our neighboring Northeast States when looking at challenges for our wildland fire program. Depleting state operating budgets, which leads to shrinking program staff, has been a progressing challenge over the past 20 years.
 
Small Steps Help Transform Illinois' First Firewise USA™ Site
NFPA and Firewise USA logos.
Marie Snow, Firewise Customer Service and Database Coordinator, NFPA - Wildfire Division

January 8, 2018

Courtesy photos by Margaret Anderson

Set amongst lakes and acres of forested land, Midland Hills Country Club in Makenda, IL, is a picturesque community where residents can enjoy nature and outdoor activities, but resident Jesse Riechman knows that the community faces the risk of wildfires. Riechman's experience as a firefighter gave him some awareness of the risk his community faced and, with the help of neighbors and some local experts, the community was able to take action and start to make strides in reducing that risk.

In December 2016, Midland Hills Country Club became the first recognized Firewise USA TM site in the State of Illinois. Over the last year, residents say they transformed their community step by step.

Group of people pose for a picture on a sunny day.
Midland Hills Country Club residents hold their Firewise USA sign .
 
 
 
Megan's Corner - January 2018
LANDFIRE logo and the text In the Northeast.  
Here are some recent NE LANDFIRE highlights:

Fuel Critique Workshop: I'm hosting a workshop at the Stewardship Network Conference in Lansing, MI, with Robert Ziel (Zeke), Fire Analyst for the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, and Persephone Whelan, West Zone Fire Management Officer on the Huron Manistee National Forest, on Saturday, January 14, from 2:30 ---   5:30. We are going to dig into LANDFIRE's fire behavior fuel model datasets, the fuel model critique done at the Huron Manistee National Forest, and how the LANDFIRE Total Fuels Change Tool supported this effort. Brianna Schueller, Fire Technology Transfer Specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, will also be calling in for a short presentation on IFTDSS and its future risk assessment capabilities. See more on the forum. I'll post the slides and resources on the forum following the workshop.

Canadian Fuels Dataset: The LANDFIRE program is willing to explore adding CFFDRS models within LANDFIRE but needs some input from specialists in the area to set the stage to develop it. As such, I'm working on a Canadian fuels crosswalk for the Lake States with the help of Robert Ziel (Zeke), who has significant experience with fire behavior in the Great Lakes region and helped LANDFIRE develop the Canadian fuels crosswalk for Alaska. This project is addressing the need of many fire experts in the Lake States who are already using the Canadian fuels system for modeling because of its representation of fuels and fire behavior in this region, but who are lacking the spatial data for simulations. Zeke and I are in the process of investigating and deciding which vegetation classification to start with and how to relate it to LANDFIRE datasets, in collaboration with the LANDFIRE fuels team. We will make that decision in the next few weeks, start assigning fuel types, and will be looking for feedback from this group on how the fuel types are assigned. We may even bring in a percent conifer dataset to inform those as well. Stay tuned.

LANDFIRE Interview: Somehow I forgot to include in this newsletter that I was interviewed for LANDFIRE's postcard that went out in November. If interested in learning more about my background and projects I'm working on involving LANDFIRE, check it out here.

Risk Assessment: Risk assessments guide funding and management decisions. The U.S. Forest Service has mandated a new round of them for all Federal forests, and many other entities are working on similar assessments. I am working to get up to speed on previous work, as well as share information and methodologies between groups. However, my time on this is limited, and we could use all the help we can get. Please let me know if you are interested or know anyone who might be. We'll also be talking about this at the face-to-face meeting at the end of this month in Portland.

Igniting Exchange: I will have a table set up at the Igniting Exchange in Portland, ME, for anyone who would like to talk about anything LANDFIRE, so please stop by if you are there! I will also be giving a presentation highlighting a successful LANDFIRE application in the Northeast - the fuel model critique for the Huron Manistee National Forest - and how we can learn from it.

NE LANDFIRE Contact: Megan.Sebasky@wisconsin.gov 
   
Work Together to Create a Successful Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Application
NFPA and Xchange logos. 
Blog Post created by  Faith Berry 

December 6, 2017
 
Banner advertising the 5th anniversary of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day.  
A great new post-holiday tradition can be working together with fellow neighbors and reaching out to potential agencies as well as local potential business partners to assess your area's wildfire risks and create a project plan to increase your wildfire safety. These projects can all be a part of your participation in the  Fifth Annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day  made possible with generous funding from State Farm.
 
 
Prescribed Fire Outreach Assessment - The Verdict Is In
Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network logo.

October 10, 2017

A man dressed in firefighter gear talks to a group of people.
(Courtesy photo by Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network)

As members of the fire community, we often talk about the need for more prescribed fire. But, are we prepared for everything that goes along with it?

It might seem obvious that prescribed fire use comes with a need for prescribed fire outreach. However, with reductions in funding and an increase in workloads, it becomes harder to keep up with demand. Most likely (if you haven't already), you'll need to look for creative ways to collaborate, find means to better share existing resources, and only spend time creating new materials when they are truly needed. With this in mind, my colleagues and I wanted to know if natural resource professionals are willing and able to conduct more prescribed fire outreach, and if so, what resources they already have, and what they need in order to do more. As it turns out, prescribed fire practitioners are willing to both share and do more in a big way!

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Understanding Why Homeowners Evacuate (or Don't)
USDA U.S. Forest Service logo banner.
December 11, 2017

COLORADO --- With longer fire seasons and increases in populations living in fire-prone ecosystems, it is important to understand what motivates homeowners in their decisions to evacuate or stay in place. A new study (link is external) led by Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station social scientist Sarah McCaffrey sheds light on the different values that influence homeowner choices during wildfire evacuations.

Results of fire in the wildland-urban interface. (Courtesy photo by Kari Greer, National Interagency Fire Center)

Homeowners in the study were from three wildfire-prone communities representing different regions of the country: South Carolina, Texas and Washington. The study found that most people fall into two main groups  ---    those who evacuate early and those who stay behind and defend their property. Members of both groups fell into a larger, third category ---     wait and see.

Second Annual National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop
Head and shoulders picture of a man.
International Association of Wildland Fire logo. The International Association of Wildland Fire, in  partnership with the Wildland Fire Leadership Council an d the Western, Southeast, and Northeast Regions of the Cohesive Strategy, invites you to join us at the 2nd Annual National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop to be held March 26-29, 2018, in Reno, NV.


Regular registration fee: $125 (Before March 1, 2018)
Regular registration fee: $175 (After March 1, 2018)

Note to U.S. Forest Service Employees: The deadline to go through the required Forest Service Meetings Management process to gain approval to attend has now passed.
 
Other agencies may also quality for waived registration; please  contact us  for more information.
 
Conferences, Meetings, and Training Opportunities

   
 
Conferences and Meetings

--Regional--

78th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference
January 28-31, 2018
Milwaukee, WI

Igniting Exchange: Bridging the Gap between Science and Management
January 30 - February 1, 2018
Portland, ME

Kalamazoo, MI
Registration: $35 (includes lunch). Link will be available soon.
Check the Web site for more information and the detailed agenda!

( Registration Now Open)
February 6-7, 2018 
Fort Custer National Training Center
Battle Creek, MI 

February 26 - March 2, 2018
South Portland, ME
Deadline for nominations is February 2, 2018
Deadline for financial form is February 23, 2018
 
March 13, 2018
MN Interagency Fire Center
Grand Rapids, MN
Cost: $20 SFEC members, $40 others
Lunch will not be provided
Registration, More Information

2nd Annual Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (WI-TREX)
April 9-25, 2018
Registration Form at link above
Applications due by February 16, 2018
Selections will be made by March 1, 2018
Wisconsin (various locations)

--National-- 
 
Wildland Urban Interface Conference
February 27 - March 1, 2018
Peppermill Resort
Reno, NV 
 
2nd Annual National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop
Making a Difference; Building Capacity, Improving Preparedness, and Learning From Experience
March 26-29, 2018
Peppermill Resort Spa Casino
Reno, NV
 
 

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 | 603-953-3294 | rfitzhenry@fs.fed.us | https://www.fs.usda.gov/naspf/
11 Campus Blvd
Suite 200
Newtown Square, PA 19073