A Newsletter for the Southern Prescribed Fire Community |
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As Louisiana and Texas grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, the thoughts of the Southern prescribed fire community are with those impacted. |
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COVID-19 and Western Wildfire Season |
As the western wildfire season intensifies, managing both wildfires and COVID-19 presents additional challenges. The following new resources and information may be useful to those managing fires, smoke impacts and COVID-19 in any region.
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North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council Holds Virtual Annual Meeting |
In the absence of an in-person field tour, the North Carolina PFC created a 360-degree video showcasing the management of a pine stand with a substantial sweetgum midstory in the Piedmont. |
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Southeast, Prescribed Fire Recognized by Major Grant Awards |
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AirNow Fire and Smoke Map |
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AirNow has released a Fire and Smoke Map that allows users to view wildfires and corresponding air quality in their areas.
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Southern Family Forest Landowners |
The American Forest Foundation has published a summary of data on family forest landowners by region. Based on the National Woodland Owner Survey, the findings note that Southern landowners tend to have owned their land longer, be more likely to intend to create a forest management plan, and have more uncertainty over what activities to do on their land than family forest owners in other regions.
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A Fire Scientist Coloring Book is now available from the Natural Inquirer. The book includes pages on longleaf pine, prescribed fire, Southern wildlife species.
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Austin Wildfire Readiness Story Map |
The City of Austin Wildfire Division has created a storymap to showcase their efforts to enrich Austin communities understanding of Wildfire mitigation and preparedness. The site includes sections on understanding risk, resilient landscapings, fire adapted communities, effective response, and more resources.
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Fire Management Interpretive Panels |
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Partners have developed a set of interpretive panels, including the one above, for the Ozark Highlands Ecosystem Restoration Project landscape in Arkansas.
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Female Firefighter PPE Survey |
Florida State University is requesting input from female, active-duty wildland firefighters about the design, fit, and mobility of their personal protective clothing. The survey is anonymous, and the purpose of the study is to obtain data on the end user's experience and impact from wearing their current turnout suit and wildland personal protective clothing, related to improper fit.
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Prescribed Fire and Southern Appalachian Breeding Birds |
A recent CompassLive feature from the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station highlighted recent research that found that regardless of season, low-intensity burns had a negligible effect on forest structure, species composition and abundance of breeding bird communities in upland hardwood forests.
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In Memorium - Grady McCrimmon |
North Carolina's Grady McCrimmon came from a family closely tied to the longleaf pine forest and the fires that formed it. His granddad and dad burned and his father was the Assistant County Ranger in Moore County while his mom operated the Southern Pines fire tower. He grew up under the fire tower in a North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) house. He worked for the NCFS and Boise Cascade Corporation
He will be missed, but he leaves behind a cohort of contract and NCFS burners who learned from working with or around Grady. He was a master at the "art" of prescribed burning. He had a feel for the community that he worked in and figured out a way to accomplish his trade under the radar, without fanfare, but with results that can be best appreciated on a spring day with the sound of the wind in the pines overhead.
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Fire Science Exchange Networks |
The Southern Fire Exchange has several upcoming webinars, and makes recordings of all past webinars available on their YouTube channel.
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Association for Fire Ecology |
The Association for Fire Ecology has launched a new fire ecology podcast series. Currently available episodes explore topics including climate change and fire regimes, whitebark pine encroachment in the West, and the need for more prescribed fire science.
AFE has also launched a new mentoring program. Participating mentors and mentees will commit to spending one hour per month for one year. The program is availablefor current AFE members, and applications for mentors and mentees are currently being accepted.
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Prescribed Fire News Roundup |
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Disaster Resilience Research Grants
The National Science Foundation and U.S Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) call for proposals for research to advance fundamental understanding of disaster resilience in support of improved, science-based planning, policy, decisions, design, codes, and standards. An informational webinar will be held August 3. Letters of Intent are due by August 14 and full proposals are due by September 15.
Texas Prescribed Fire Grants
Following a short webinar on the required application process on Monday, August 31, the online application system for the Community Protection Program (CPP), State Fire Assistance for Mitigation in Central and East Texas (SFAMCETX) and Neches River and Cypress Basin Watershed Restoration (NRCBW) Prescribed Fire Grants will be open for new applications through September 30.
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes federal funds available through the new Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities grant program to states, local communities, tribes and territories for pre-disaster mitigation activities. Applications will be accepted beginning September 30 through January 29, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET.
Association for Fire Ecology Ongoing Funding Opportunities
The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) has two ongoing funding opportunities:
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Wayne Harrison Memorial Scholarship - Students may apply for up to $2,500, with funding available annually. Applications are due each year by March 31, with awards announced by May 31.
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Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) TREE Grants - 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 conference or workshop.
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All jobs are open as of the Driptorch Digest send date, however application reviews may have begun.
Job Boards
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Upcoming Events & Webinars |
Prescribed Fire Council Meetings
Prescribed Burner Certification Courses
Webinars (All Times Eastern)
Conferences, Workshops, Festivals, and Other Events
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September 9 - Optimizing Fire Education Courses for a Virtual Environment, Virtual
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September 14-18 - Gulf Coast Land Conservation Conference, Virtual
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September 14-17 - National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference, Virtual
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September 15-16 - SERPPAS Principals Meeting, Virtual
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September 22-25 - Extension Disaster Education Network Annual Meeting, Virtual
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October 5-8 - S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaw, Appomattox, VA *New date due to COVID-19
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October 6-8 - Land Trust Rally, Virtual
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October 7-9 - Prescribed Burning Workshop, Hammond, LA
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October 13-16, Natural Areas Conference, Virtual
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October 20-23 - Biennial Longleaf Conference, Virtual
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October 20-21 - Fire Ecology Across Boundaries, Virtual
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October 28 - National Cohesive Strategy Virtual Workshop
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October 29-31 - Society of American Foresters National Convention, Virtual
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November 4-5 - WUI Conference, Virtual
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May 23-26, 2021 - Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals Conference, Virtual
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May 2021 - Southern Blue Ridge FLN Meeting, Dillard, GA
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June 7-10, 2021 - Southern Group of State Foresters Annual Meeting, Oklahoma City, OK
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June 22-25, 2021 - NFPA Conference and Expo, Las Vegas, NV
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September 21-23 - Great Plains Fire Summit, North Platte, NE
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September 26-30 2021, Extension & Knowledge Exchange Conference, Asheville, NC
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October 4-8, 2021 - National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop, Asheville, NC
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October 12-15, 2021 - Fire Ecology Across Boundaries, Florence, Italy
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October 25-November 5, 2021 - Southern Blue Ridge TREX
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October 25-28, 2022 - Biennial Longleaf Conference, Wilmington, NC
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Prescribed Fire Resources |
Do you want to learn more about prescribed fire? We've compiled an extensive list of resources that can help you explore the world of prescribed fire. Our Resources page includes fire-related publications, videos, podcasts and webinars. You can access these resources here, and if there's something we should add please reach out and let us know!
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Contact us to share your prescribed fire information, stories, or events!
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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