The recording is now available for the SFE webinar on Exploring Spatial Scale in Prescribed Fire Regimes – Examples from the Southeast.
Continue ReadingStudy: Controlled Burning Could Help Offset Carbon Emissions
A recent study and Phys.org article cover how prescribed fire could offset carbon emissions, potentially better than tree planting and wildfire suppression.
Continue ReadingFEMA, USDA and DOI Jointly Establish New Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Interior (DOI) and FEMA announced on December 17 the establishment of a Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. Establishing this commission fulfills a key provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represents a critical step in combating the nation’s wildfire crisis and improving resilience in America’s landscapes.
The commission is tasked with recommending federal policies and strategies to more effectively prevent, mitigate, suppress and manage wildland fires, including rehabilitating land affected from wildland fires. It will include representation from federal, state, tribal, county and municipal governments as well as non-governmental stakeholders from private industry. Through a coordinated effort, the commission will deliver a report to Congress with practical policy recommendations one year from the first meeting. In addition, the commission will outline a strategy to cost effectively meet aerial firefighting equipment needs through 2030.
Read more from the FEMA press release here.
Continue ReadingTall Timbers Firebird Newsletter New Issue
The new issue of the Firebird features new Stoddard Bird Lab research on the fire-dependent Frosted Elfin butterfly and declining Common Ground Dove, but also takes time to look back at decadal changes that have occurred among the birds of the Red Hills based on long-term monitoring efforts.
Continue ReadingIAWF Dispatch
Fueling Collaboration Fire and Carbon Cycle Recording Now Available
A recording of last month’s discussion on Fire and the Carbon Cycle is now available on the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers & Scientist’s Youtube channel:https://youtu.be/woRzDl_wo6M
Videos and additional resources will be available on the fueling collaboration site soon!
And a reminder that today(Dec. 16, 12PM Eastern) Fueling Collaboration will host their 2nd discussion of the season on Fire and Timber Management in Mixed Woods. Zoom meeting info is below.
Topic: Fueling Collaboration – Fire and Timber Management in Mixed Woods
Time: Dec 16, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://clemson.zoom.us/j/91369788160
Meeting ID: 913 6978 8160
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Meeting ID: 913 6978 8160
New Longleaf Alliance Storymap Showcases NC Sandhills
A new storymap from the Longleaf Alliance highlights landowners in the North Carolina Sandhills.
View the storymap here.
Continue ReadingNorth Florida PFC Meeting Recordings Now Available
A new playlist on the SFE YouTube channel features the recorded presentations from the 2021 Fall North Florida Prescribed Fire Council meeting. The meeting was held via Zoom and speakers provided presentations covering a wide range of prescribed fire management topics. Many of the presentations will likely be of interest to those outside the state of Florida. For more information about the North Florida Prescribed Fire Council find them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/northfloridaPFC).
Continue ReadingFlorida Native Plant Society Lunch and Learn: Bunchgrass Ecology in Fire-Prone Pine Savannas
The Florida Native Plant Society will host a lunch and learn on Bunchgrass Ecology in Fire-Prone Pine Savannas Friday, December 17 at 12:00 Noon.
Continue ReadingDrought Status Update for the Southeast: Drought Conditions Continue to Expand and Worsen
NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and its partners issue Drought Status Updates as conditions evolve. The December 13 update for the Southeast notes the following key points. You can view the full update here.
- Despite significant rainfall over the summer, precipitation this fall was much below normal for much of the region. This continued lack of precipitation is leading to soil moisture deficits and low streamflows, even as we enter the climatological winter.
- Based on the U.S. Drought Monitor released on December 9th, drought remains and currently covers 26% of the region, with 13% in severe drought (D2). These drought areas are currently in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, with the Carolinas most impacted. Abnormally dry conditions (D0) cover 41% of the region, and are found in the above states as well as Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
- Current impacts include observed low streamflow and reduced soil moisture. Fortunately, drought impacts are less pronounced this time of year because water demand is lower this time of year for vegetation use, irrigation of agriculture and lawns, and other uses. Also, climatologically, the October/November time period is one of the drier times of the year across most of the region.
- One concern is the potential for moisture deficits across portions of the region heading into the next growing season and the cold season recharge for reservoirs.
- Except for northern portions of Alabama, no appreciable rainfall is expected over the next week. Week 2 will more likely than not see above-average rainfall over most of the region, except for Florida and southeast Georgia, where rainfall should remain sparse.
- The winter outlook (December 2021–February 2022) shows a higher chance for below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures across much of the Southeast region, which is typical of the existing La Niña pattern.
- Wildfire threats have increased due to low humidity and dry fuel loads, and have led to a burn ban in North Carolina. There are reports that winter wheat is being irrigated in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, which is highly unusual. Some water systems are considering or implementing conservation practices. South Carolina has declared ‘incipient’ drought conditions in 34 counties, and North Carolina issued a Drought Advisory.