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David Godwin

Partner Webinar: Wildfire in the Western US – Causes, Consequences and Adaptation

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Upcoming Partner Webinar: Wildfire in the Western US: Causes, Consequences, and Adaptation

On Thursday, September 16th from 7:00 to 8:00 PM ET, The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will be hosting a webinar featuring a panel of speakers who will discuss the social and ecological impacts of the 1,000% increase in annual burned area in the Western US since 1984. More information about the webinar:

Large fires are becoming more frequent and severe across the western US. Since 1984, annual burned forest area has increased by about 1,100%. Lives, property, and livelihoods are routinely threatened and burned landscapes can be left ecologically transformed.

What is causing recent trends in fire activity? What will forests of the future look like? How can modeling wildfires and forest response guide adaptation strategies? These are among the questions to be explored. Panelists will also discuss the importance of tailoring fire and forest management to the local context, considering regionally specific factors like forest type, environmental conditions, and the presence of people.

Panelists will include: forest ecologist Winslow Hansen (Cary Institute), fire ecologist Phil Higuera (University of Montana), and natural resource sociologist Catrin Edgeley (Northern Arizona University).

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NPR Story: Why the South is Decades Ahead of the West in Wildfire Prevention

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Our colleagues Dr. Morgan Varner (Tall Timbers Research Station) and Lenya Quinn-Davidson (University of California and WTREX) were featured in an NPR story comparing prescribed fire use in the Southern and Western US. The National Prescribed Fire Use Survey Report (pdf) shows that many Western US states are making progress towards increasing the use of prescribed fire. Looking for more information on how prescribed fire impacts wildfire in the South? Check out our fact sheets that summarize recent research here (pdf) and here (pdf).

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Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE)

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The FASMEE experiments are coordinated highly instrumented prescribed burns that involve multiple research teams simultaneously recording measurements of a wide range of characteristics related to the fires. Image: USDA Forest Service

The Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE) is a large collaborative, multifaceted fire research project that involves scientists from across the US, including many from the South. Our partners at the Tall Timbers Research Station Wildland Fire Science Program are heavily involved in FASMEE, with research on fire behavior, smoke dynamics, and fire effects. Be sure to read more about the FASMEE stand-replacement prescribed burns that were held at the Fishlake National Forest and Dixie National Forest over the past couple of years. Want to learn more? Check out the FASMEE media coverage, including the videos posted below and a story from Vice News. Check out this amazing view from inside one of the FASMEE prescribed stand-replacement burns!

USDA Forest Service video explaining the FASMEE project and some of the research teams involved.
An introduction to the FASMEE project and an overview of some of the research teams. Video by the Desert Research Institute
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Job: Eglin AFB Wildland Fire Support Dispatcher

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Position advertised through the Colorado State University Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). For more information see the position description. Position summary pasted below. Applications due by 9/13/2021.

A Wildland Fire Support Services position is available with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). This position is located at Eglin Air Force Base in Niceville, FL. 

This position serves as Support Services for the Eglin Wildland Support Module (WSM) for the U.S. Air Force Wildland Fire Branch (AFWFB) based at Eglin AFB, FL. The primary purpose of this position is to provide a wide range of logistical and administrative support functions. In addition, opportunities to assist with wildland fire management may be available depending on qualifications. The Eglin WSM is a high paced program responsible for implementing an average of 80 prescribed burns and responding to 60 wildfires annually on Air Force properties throughout Florida and the southeast U.S. The position is expected to be 80% office work and 20% fieldwork. 

  • Serves as Secondary Eglin WSM Dispatcher when Primary Dispatcher is unavailable. 
  • Providing logistical support and coordination for Inter-agency detailer crews. 
  • Provide assistance with, and data entry into, the Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS). 
  • Maintains resource status and tracking systems. Maintain resource availability for interagency assignment in IROC system. 
  • Assist with timekeeping in the Automated Time Attendance and Production System (ATAAPS). 
  • Assist with data and records entry into AFWFB inventory management and detailer tracking systems. 
  • Organizes and reviews completed records of all orders placed and actions taken to ensure adherence to established operating procedures. 
  • Inputs data into a number of fire-related computer applications (e.g., incident qualification records and fire reporting systems). 
  • Assists with providing critical logistical support information to Eglin WSM leaders and AFWFB HQ staff making recommendations concerning the efficient uses of available resources. 
  • Monitors and assures completion of daily, weekly, monthly, and year-end required records, reports, and summaries for the AFWFB East Region. 
  • Provide assistance in prescribed burns, fire effects monitoring, and other habitat management actions.
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Wildland Fire Entrapment Database and Map

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A new database and map provides a visual and spatial representation of wildland fire entrapments across the United States going back decades. Points on the map provide information about the date of the entrapment, the number of people involved, the type of entrapment, the equipment involved, and the number of fatalities (if any). The map points also provide links to accident reports with additional information. This sobering resource is an important reminder and opportunity to discuss the real hazards of wildland fire and strategies for promoting a culture of safety and learning.

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New SFE Fact Sheet: Prescribed Fire in Georgia – Frequently Asked Questions

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A new SFE fact sheet developed by Laurel Kays, Shan Cammack, Mike Wharton, and David Godwin, provides answers to some of the most common questions natural resource professionals, extension agents, landowners, and researchers receive about prescribed fire in Georgia. Check it out here (pdf) and print some copies to have on hand at your next event or meeting.

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Joint Fire Science Program 2021 Funding Opportunity Notice

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The Joint Fire Science Program (which funds the Southern Fire Exchange through a cooperative agreement with the US Forest Service Southern Research Station) has announced the opening of the 2021 fire science funding opportunity. More information here. The JFSP FOA closes October 14, 2021.

JFSP Funding Opportunity Topics

Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN)
The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) invites current master and doctoral students enrolled at colleges or universities within the US in the field of wildland fire and related physical, biological, and social sciences to apply for a Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) award. The purpose of a GRIN award is to enhance student exposure to the management and policy relevance of their research to achieve beneficial outcomes of funded work.

Social and ecological recovery of communities impacted by wildfire
The objective of this task statement is to inform the development or improvement of strategies, tools, and resources used for post-fire community recovery, such that they facilitate recovery efforts that increase the resilience of social-ecological systems to future wildfires.

Collaborative development of ecosystem mapping products for fire and fuels management
To develop, using a collaborative framework, prototype mapping protocols and products that capture current ecosystem condition, desired condition, and departure from desired condition at spatial and temporal resolutions relevant to fire and fuels management decisions.

Regional Science Exchange and Outreach
The objective of this task statement is to solicit proposals to lead and execute a particular regional fire science exchange for a period of one to three years. The JFSP funds and provides oversight to a national collaborative of 15 regional wildland fire science exchanges: the Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN). The FSEN provides the most relevant, current wildland fire science information to federal, state, local, tribal, and private stakeholders within ecologically similar regions. The FSEN brings fire, fuel, natural resource, and land managers, practitioners, and scientists together to address regional wildland fire management needs and challenges. Please see the JFSP website (https://www.firescience.gov) for additional information about the FSEN.

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Upcoming Wildfire Home Hardening Virtual Workshop with Dr. Steve Quarles

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On Thursday, August 12, 2021 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET, The University of Neveda “Living With Fire” Virtual Workshop Series will host a question and answer (Q&A) workshop with Dr. Steve Quarles, University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor Emeritus and the retired Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Research Center. The Q&A session will be focused on home hardening, or building or retrofitting homes to withstand wildfire. For more information and to register.

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