The June Driptorch Digest is Now Available!

No. 57

June 2021

DRIPTORCH DIGEST

A Newsletter for the Southern Prescribed Fire Community

National Prescribed Fire Act Reintroduced

The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2021 was reintroduced to both the House and Senate after failing to pass in 2020. The bill is expected to garner more support this year, and would appropriate $300 million each to the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to increase the pace and scale of prescribed fire. The legislation also includes other measures, such as permission for the US Forest Service to enter into an MOU with the Longleaf Alliance to use the Burner Bob character.

The following stories cover the elements included in the proposed legislation:

One Page Bill Summary (Office of Senator Wyden)

Section Bill Summary (Office of Senator Wyden)

Full Bill Text (Office of Senator Wyden)

Other helpful coverage of the bill includes the following:

Wyden, Colleagues Try Again with Bill to Ramp up Prescribed Burns (KTVZ.com)

Legislation Reintroduced to Boost Prescribed Fire Activities (Wildfire Today)

News & Updates

Federal Climate Change and Conservation Actions

Tackling climate change is a top priority of the Biden Administration. Several climate change actions, reports, and announcements related to prescribed fire have recently been released.

The America the Beautiful Initiative aims to conserve 30% of US lands and waters by 2030.

America the Beautiful Initial Recommendations Report (Department of the Interior)
Tribes Could Play a Crucial Role in Achieving a Bold New Conservation Goal (Audubon Society)
21st century conservation: A vision of collaboration across landscapes (The Hill)

Interior and Agriculture Departments Outline Wildland Fire Preparedness, Climate Resiliency Plans (Department of the Interior)
U.S. Department of Defense: Tackling the Climate Crisis (Department of Defense)
Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90-Day Progress Report (Department of Agriculture)
Planning for a Changing Climate: Climate-Smart Planning and Management in the National Park Service (National Park Service)

Prescribed Burn Associations Map

Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) are expanding across the country. The Great Plains Fire Science Exchange PBA Interactive Map may be missing some groups as new PBAs form. If you know of a PBA (or other landowner association that conducts cooperative prescribed burning) in the Southeast that is not included on this map, please send the name of the PBA, state, and county(s) to jlevans3@ncsu.edu.

Southeast Students in Fire

The Southern Fire Exchange has created seven videos, each covering a student fire group at a different Southeastern university or school. The videos showcase the ways that these groups help students learn about and gain experience in prescribed fire and fire management.

NWCG Retires Wildland Fire Incident Management Field Guide

Based on feedback provided by field users and NWCG committees, the Wildland Fire Incident Management Field Guide, PMS 210 is being discontinued. After July 1, 2021, the publication will no longer be sold in the cache or available on the NWCG website.

Prescribed Fire and Climate Change in the South

A new blog post by the Southeast Prescribed Fire Update outlines the importance of addressing climate change impacts on prescribed fire in the South. The post includes recently published resources that may be helpful to fire managers.

AFE Fire Congress Proposal Deadline Extended

The Call for Proposals for the International Fire Ecology and Management Congress has been extended. Special Session and Workshop proposals can now be submitted through June 15. Proposals for Oral Presentations and Fire Circle discussions are due August 15, and Poster Presentations and Attached Meetings can be submitted through August 30.

North Carolina "Longleaf Restoration in Progress" Signs

The North Carolina Longleaf Coalition has developed "Longleaf Restoration in Progress" signs for landowners to display on their property (right). The signs are intended to help educate passersby who may otherwise be unhappy with the "messy" or "ugly" appearance of the early stages of longleaf restoration. Signs are available to interested landowners, and those with questions can contact John Ann Shearer.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has launched an outreach campaign to educate the public about #GoodFire and how it can positively impact various habitats and wildlife species.

Oak Fire Science Newsletter

The Oak Woodlands & Forests Fire Science Consortium has released their latest newsletter. Relevant features from this issue include:

Lessons Learned from Burning the Cumberland Plateau
Effects of Fire on Eastern Box Turtles
Eastview Barrens State Nature Preserve Feature
Interview with Wildlife Program Manager, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

Fire Adapted Communities Updates

Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network has released several new and updated resources:

Updated FAC graphic (addition of Infrastructure and Business categories)
FAC Circular newsletter
Updated blog
Enhanced resource library

Venus Flytrap Champions is a newly formed partnership that aims to recognize and assist landowners in managing Venus Flytraps. Venus Flytraps are native only to very specific fire-maintained habitats in a small area of the Carolinas.

Prescribed Fire News Roundup

The Great Plains prairie needs fire to survive. These ranchers are bringing it back (National Geographic)

Fire was once the forester’s enemy. Now it’s a tool for regenerating Appalachia’s forests (Virginia Mercury)

How the Alabama-Coushatta use fire to save the longleaf pine (Texas Observer)

The government set fire to a Louisiana marsh; here's why, how (NOLA)

The enemy no more, fire helps regenerate forests (Fauquier Now)

Fighting fire with fire: Prescribed burns used in McDowell, across NC (McDowell News)

JRTC, Fort Polk sets DoD, Army standard for environmental efforts (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

People may have used fire to clear forests more than 80,000 years ago (Scientific American)

It's not just you: Burnout and stress in the practitioner community (FAC Learning Network)

PBS EcoSense features TNC preserve (TNC)

Senators urged to heed risk to forests (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

Funding Opportunities

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.

Wildlife Technician - Longleaf Alliance, Applications due June 11

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

Resilient Communities and Forests Coordinator - 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

June 3, North Georgia Prescribed Fire Council Meeting, Virtual
August 18-19, North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council Meeting, Morganton, NC

Prescribed Burner Certification Courses

Alabama - Provided by Alabama Forestry Commission Certified Burn Manager Program. Five courses are currently scheduled for 2021.
Certification Courses
June 7-10 - Foley
July 13-16 - Auburn University
August 17-20 - Tuscaloosa
Re-Certification Courses
July 12 - Auburn University
August 16 - Tuscaloosa
Florida - Provided by Florida Forest Service Certified Burn Manager Training. No courses are currently scheduled.
Georgia - Provided by Georgia Forestry Commission. No courses are currently scheduled.
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. No courses are currently scheduled.
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. No courses are currently scheduled but the online Prescribed Burn School is available.
Virginia - Provided by Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Prescribed Fire Council, with the course materials available online. No courses are currently scheduled.

Webinars (All Times Eastern)

On-Demand - Prescribed Burn Associations in the Southeast - A Conversation With Experts
On-Demand - NWCG Fire Environment Continuing Ed Committee Spring Refresher
On-Demand - Bees and Fire: Do They Mix?
On-Demand - Did Your Prescribed Burn Meet Your Goals and Objectives?
On-Demand - Using Soil Moisture Information to Better Understand and Predict Wildfire Danger: A Symposium for Researchers and Fire Managers
June 8, 10:00 AM - Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar
June 17, 1:00 PM - Ethics in Professional Forestry
July 20, 12:00 PM - Protecting Rare and At-Risk Species: Tools to Collect Meaningful Data with Limited Resources

Conferences, Workshops, Festivals, and Other Events

June 7-11 - RX-341 & RX-301, Prescribed Fire Preparation and Implementation, Virtual
June 8 - Tools of the Trade Fire Field Day, Jackson Springs, NC
June 15-16 - Pine Straw Management Webinar Series, Virtual
June 16-18 - National Conference of Private Forest Landowners, Williamsburg, VA
June 21-25 - RX-410, Smoke Management Techniques, Virtual
June 21-July 19 - Virtual Herbicides and Longleaf 201 Academy, Virtual
June 22-25 - NFPA Conference and Expo, Las Vegas, NV
July 6-30 - Virtual Herbicides and Longleaf 201 Academy, 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 25-November 5 - Southern Blue Ridge TREX
November 29-December 2 - Southern Area RT-300, Chattanooga, TN
November 30-December 4 - International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, Destin, FL
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!