The August Driptorch Digest is Now Available!

No. 59

August 2021

DRIPTORCH DIGEST

A Newsletter for the Southern Prescribed Fire Community

America's Longleaf Range-Wide Accomplishment Report

America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative recently released the 2020 Range-wide Accomplishment Report celebrating a decade’s worth of accomplishments for the effort. Despite the pandemic, 1,446,879 acres of prescribed burning were implemented across the longleaf range in 2020, an increase from 2019.

News & Updates

Western Wildfire News Coverage

As the nation is now at Preparedness Level 5 and several large wildfires are burning in the West, coverage of wildland fire has also intensified in all levels of media. Many firefighters from the Southeast have been called to assist with suppression operations. Below are particularly relevant stories, organized by subject.

Smoke Impacts
Wildfire smoke blowing across the U.S. is more toxic than we thought (National Geographic)
How dangerous is wildfire smoke? (NC State College of Natural Resources)
Smoke pollution from prescribed burns vs. wildfires (JSTOR Daily)
Wildfire Response
Wildfires have changed. Why hasn't firefighting? (Sierra Magazine)
How drones are fighting fire with fire in the American West (The Hill)
New technology propels efforts to fight Western wildfires (Raleigh News & Observer)
How artificial intelligence is fighting wildfires (New York Times)
Track the brutal 2021 wildfire season with these charts and maps (Buzzfeed News)
Prescribed Fire and Land Management
Top wildfire expert prescribes controlled burns as preventive care (The Hill)
Fighting fire with fire (Washington Post)
Meet the people burning California to save it (New York Times)
‘Fire is medicine’: How Indigenous practices could help curb wildfires (PBS News Hour)
Agency scientists believe picking our battles is the key to living with wildfire (US Forest Service)
Wildfires are intensifying. Here's what can be done. (New York Times)
Better building codes could mitigate climate disasters, including wildfire (Who What Why)
Policy Responses
A Senate infrastructure bill will address many wildland fire issues (Wildfire Today)
Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration acts to address growing wildfire threat (The White House)
Wildfires are decimating the West and choking the East — it's time for solutions (The Hill)
Funding for wildfire resilience: Strategies for a paradigm shift (The Nature Conservancy)

SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Initiative Strategic Plan Updates

The Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) 2021+ Strategic Plan has been released. The plan describes a set of objectives to help the partnership advance, including objectives related to the Southeast Prescribed Fire Initiative (Page 5). The Driptorch Digest is a project of that Initiative.

Upcoming Prescribed Fire Council Meetings

Several state Prescribed Fire Councils have scheduled their annual meetings. Note that some are hosted virtually or will be offered as a hybrid meeting with a virtual option. The virtual options provide a great opportunity to learn about prescribed fire in another state!

August 18-19, North Carolina Annual Meeting, Morganton, NC/Virtual
September 9, Alabama Annual Meeting
September 15, South Carolina Annual Meeting, Virtual
September 30, Georgia Annual Meeting, Virtual
October 1, North Florida Annual Meeting

AirNow Fire and Smoke Map

The EPA and US Forest Service have released updates to the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. The updates include a “dashboard” that gives users quick access to key information that can help them plan their activities: the current Air Quality Index (AQI) category at the monitor/sensor location; information showing whether air quality is getting better or worse; and information about actions to consider taking, based on the current AQI. The updated Fire and Smoke Map also is more “mobile friendly” for those accessing it from a smartphone or tablet.

Fire Podcasts

Two podcasts focusing on wildland fire in the Southeast have recently released new episodes:

REPI Challenge Awards Include Southern Installations

The 2021 REPI Challenge has announced the military installations that will receive funds to enhance resilience to climate change and other environmental issues. Awardees include North Carolina's Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point as well as Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base. The North Carolina award will, in part, support longleaf pine restoration and prescribed burning.

Wildland Firefighter Partner/Spouse Perspective Survey

Grassroots Wildland Firefighters are conducting a survey of wildland firefighter spouses and partners to better understand the impact of the job on physical and mental health of firefighters. All responses are anonymous.

Southern Area Interagency RT-300

The US Forest Service invites interested organizations and agencies to the 2021 Southern Area Interagency Prescribed Fire Training for Burn Bosses and Agency Administrators which will be held November 28 – December 2, 2021 at the Chattanooga Convention Center, Chattanooga TN. There are a variety of ways to participate, including training participation, posters, information tables, and a technology room.

Fire Facts Storymap

The Northwest Fire Science Consortium has released a storymap called Fire Facts. While created in the Northwest, the storymap is appropriate for all regions and covers topics including fire behavior, fire management, and people and fire.

Southern Fire Exchange Resources: Beginning Burner Playlist, Mapping Page, Fire Lines Newsletter

Southern Fire Exchange has released several new resources and publications:

Beginning Burner Playlist - includes both recorded webinars and videos particularly helpful for beginning burners, including private landowners
Updated Maps and Weather page
Fire Lines Newsletter Vol. 11 Issue 3

Forest Service Chief Moore Swearing-in Ceremony (gallery view)

USFS Swears in New Chief, Releases Wildfire Priority Letter

The US Forest Service has sworn in new chief Randy Moore. Moore is the first Black American to hold the post. Prior to leaving the office, previous Chief Vicki Christiansen sent a letter to top staff officers outlining wildfire priorities for the agency.

S-130/S-190/L-180 Courses Available Online

The Basic Wildland Firefighter training courses (S-130/S-190/L-180) are now available online through the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). They can be found on the main page of the WFLP, on the right hand side of the screen. Potential students affiliated with an agency should first discuss local unit/Forest policies with their supervisor and training officer before enrolling.

Hardwood Control with Growing Season Burning (North Carolina)

Prescribed Burn Associations: Growing Season Burning Video & Newsletter Released

In a new video, Jesse Wimberley with the NC Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association (SPBA) explains the benefit of growing season burning on hardwood control. The North Florida Prescribed Burn Association has released a new edition of their Fire In the Pines newsletter.

Newsletters and Magazines

Several agencies and organizations have recently released newsletter issues relevant to Southern prescribed fire:

Summer 2021 Longleaf Leader (Longleaf Alliance)
The Lek 10.3 (Great Plains Fire Science Exchange)
Tall Timbers Summer 2021 eJournal (Tall Timbers Research Station)
Resilience Summer 2021 (NWCG Mental Health Subcommittee)
USFS Research and Development Special Issue on Fire Research (USFS)
Knock on Wood: Carbon, Fire, and Longleaf (Natural Inquirer)

Prescribed Fire News Roundup

In the Southeast, many people move to fire-prone areas, but few know the risk (WABE Atlanta)

10 things you may not know about wildfire deployments (Southern Group of State Foresters)

The smoke comes every year. Sugar companies say the air is safe. (ProPublica)

Drones and "dragon eggs" protect VA Forests (Virginia Public Radio WVTF)

Prescribed fires continue managing land (The Villages Daily Sun)

Summer 2021 reading list (Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network)

Wildland fire terminology 101 (KTVH Montana)

Prescribed burns help restore native grasslands on Austin's Water Quality Protection Lands (Patch)

Austin firefighters train to fight wildfires that experts say are 'only a matter of time' in West Austin (Austin American-Statesman)

US Fish and Wildlife Service to review status of 3 plant species in SC (Charleston Post and Courier)

Funding Opportunities

Texas A&M Forest Service Prescribed Fire Grant

The Texas A&M Forest Service is accepting grant applications for the State Fire Assistance for Mitigation – Plains Prescribed Fire Grant through Aug. 15. Properties in the Panhandle, western and northwest Texas with a high risk for loss during a wildfire outbreak are eligible.

Improving Ambient Air Quality Monitoring to Address Health Outcome Disparities

The EPA will make $50 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding available to improve ambient air quality monitoring for communities across the United States. This will include a $20 million grant competition that will call for proposals in fall 2021 from community groups, state, local and tribal air agencies -- individually or in partnerships -- to conduct monitoring of pollutants of greatest concern in communities with environmental and public health outcome disparities.

Joint Fire Science Program Funding Opportunities

The interagency Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) intends to request proposals through one or more formal Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) beginning approximately July 2021 and remaining open approximately 60 days. Investigators interested in FOA topics should begin considering responsive ideas with potential partners and collaborators.

Association for Fire Ecology Funding Opportunities

The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) has multiple funding opportunities available to support fire science students. The deadlines for these programs vary.

Job Postings

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

Longleaf Program Coordinator - North Carolina Forest Service, Applications due August 5, 2021

Owen Fellowship - The Longleaf Alliance, Applications accepted September 1- December 31

Wildland Fire Practitioner Training Specialist - The Ember Alliance, Applications accepted on a rolling basis until filled

Call-When-Needed Wildland Fire Training Instructor - The Ember Alliance, Applications accepted on a rolling basis until filled

Job Boards

The Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands
Chloeta Careers
The Corps Network
The Longleaf Alliance
The Nature Conservancy (search "prescribed fire")
The Southern Fire Exchange
USAJOBS
WildfireX

Upcoming Events & Webinars

Prescribed Fire Council Meetings

August 18-19, Hybrid North Carolina Annual Meeting, Morganton, NC/Virtual
September 9, Alabama Annual Meeting
September 15, South Carolina Annual Meeting, Virtual
September 30, Georgia Annual Meeting, Virtual
October 1, North Florida Annual Meeting

Prescribed Burner Certification Courses

Alabama - Provided by Alabama Forestry Commission Certified Burn Manager Program. Several courses are currently scheduled for 2021.
Certification Courses
August 17-20 - Tuscaloosa
Re-Certification Courses
August 16 - Tuscaloosa
Florida - Provided by Florida Forest Service Certified Burn Manager Training. No courses are currently scheduled.
Georgia - Provided by Georgia Forestry Commission. One course is currently scheduled for September 21-22.
Kentucky - Courses are offered periodically. No courses are currently scheduled.
Louisiana - Provided by LSU Cooperative Extension Service. No courses are currently scheduled.
Mississippi - Provided by Mississippi Forestry Commission. Several courses are currently scheduled for 2021.
September 2 - Starkville
September 9 - Hattiesburg
September 14 - Pontotoc
September 21 - Clinton
September 28 - Grenada
September 30 - Hattiesburg
North Carolina - Provided by North Carolina Forest Service. Certified Burner Training is offered several times per year. No courses are currently scheduled.
South Carolina - Provided by South Carolina Forestry Commission. No courses are currently scheduled.
Texas - Provided by Texas Department of Agriculture. Several courses are currently scheduled and the online Prescribed Burn School is available.
August 9-13 - Tennessee Colony
September 11-12 & 18-19 - Washington
Virginia - Provided by Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Prescribed Fire Council, with the course materials available online. One course is currently scheduled.
September 21-24, Virtual

Webinars (All Times Eastern)

On-Demand - Using Fire Regimes as Ecosystem Indicators
On-Demand - Fitness and Wellness for Performance in Wildland Firefighting
One-Demand - Prescribed Fire Smoke and Community Health: Successes from Smoke Ready Communities
On-Demand - Bat Responses to Silvicultural Treatments
On-Demand - Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar + New Climate Normals
August 3, 2:00 PM - Current Understanding and Future Priorities
August 10, 10:00 AM - Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar
August 12, 1:00 PM - Potential Impacts of Prescribed Fire Smoke on Air Quality, Public Health, and Socially Vulnerable Populations in the Southeastern U.S.
August 30, 2:00 PM - Optimizing Ecosystem Services from Longleaf Pine: Balancing Carbon Sequestration with Watershed Health
September 29, 2:00 PM - Emerging Tools for Flash Drought Monitoring and Prediction

Conferences, Workshops, Festivals, and Other Events

August 19-20 - Forest Stewards Guild 25th Anniversary Celebration, Asheville, NC
September 8-9 - International Fire Prevention Workshop, Virtual
September 21-23 - Great Plains Fire Summit, North Platte, NE
September 26-30 - Extension & Knowledge Exchange Conference, Asheville, NC
October 4-8 - National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop, Asheville, NC
October 5-7 - Land Trust Rally, Virtual
October 9 - Fire in the Pines Festival, Wilmington, NC
October 19 - Exploring the Impact of Prescribed & Natural Fire on Insects and Other Invertebrates, Virtual
October 25-November 5 - Southern Blue Ridge TREX, North Carolina/South Carolina
November 3-6 - Society of American Foresters National Convention, Virtual
November 29-December 2 - Southern Area RT-300, Chattanooga, TN
November 30-December 4 - International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, Destin, FL
April 23, 2022 - Party for the Pine Fire Festival, Southern Pines, NC
May 23-27, 2022 - Fire & Climate Impacts, Issues, and Futures Conference, Pasadena CA & Melbourne, Australia
October 4-7, 2022 - Fire Ecology Across Boundaries, Florence, Italy
October 25-28, 2022 - Biennial Longleaf Conference, Wilmington, NC

Prescribed Fire Resources

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. On our resources page you can explore fire-related publications, videos, podcasts and webinars. You can access these resources on our web page, and if there's something we should add please reach out and let us know!