Partner Webinar: State of the Science: SMOKE
2023-11-01 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
November 1 @ 10-11:30am MT

Join a live virtual session hosted by USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists focused on the State of the Science about SMOKE. This facilitated panel discussion will be guided by your questions. Pre-registration is required. Live session will be recorded and posted on the RMRS website.

Register for the webinar

The panelists for this webinar include:

Shawn Urbanski (Rocky Mountain Research Station)
Scott Goodrick (Southern Research Station)
Susan O’Neill (Pacific Northwest Research Station)
Susan Prichard (University of Washington)
Ana Rappold (EPA)
Jeffrey Vukovich (EPA)

Fueling Collaboration Webinar: Fire History as a Bridge Between Ecological Knowledge Systems
2023-11-16 11:00 - 12:30 | Virual
This webinar will kick off Season 4 of the Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion Series!
This panel discussion will explore how different types of fire history information (Indigenous Knowledge and physical archives), when considered together, provide improved context for understanding the ecologies and processes that are linked to the restoration and stewardship of fire-adapted communities. The panelists include Indigenous Knowledge holders and practitioners, and experts in tree-ring, sedimentary, and archeological fire history, who have collaboratively used fire history information to bridge cultures and knowledge systems. The discussion will use case studies in the Upper Great Lakes Region where a diverse set of partners wove these types of knowledge together to restore culture fire to the benefit of globally-rare pine barrens communities.
Click here to register for Fire History as a Bridge Between Ecological Knowledge Systems.

Panelists Include:

Dr. Evan Larson (Moderator)Dr. Evan Larson is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Society at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He has 22 years of experience using tree rings to investigate forest history and dynamics. The work that is currently at the center of Evan’s thoughts and energy is fueled by the enthusiasm of amazing collaborators who are together working to re-story the interwoven relationships among people, fire, and pine in Great Lakes Forests. Evan received a BA in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Willamette University, a MS in Geography from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and a PhD in Geography from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Kurt Kipfmueller (Panelist)Dr. Kurt Kipfmueller is a Professor of Geography, Environment and Society at the University of Minnesota. He uses tree-rings to reconstruct fire and climate to understand how forest systems change over time. His primary research focus is on reconstructing past fires in Great Lakes forests to better understand and document the importance of cultural fire use in modifying forest patterns.

Dr. Elizabeth Lynch (Panelist)
Dr. Elizabeth Lynch is an Associate Professor of Biology at Luther College. She earned a BSc Honors from Trent University and a PhD in Ecology with a minor in Quaternary Paleoecology from the University of Minnesota. As the Botanist for Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in the 1990s, she became interested in the role of fire for culturally important plant species. For the past 20 years she and several colleagues have used charcoal and pollen in lake and bog sediments to understand the interactions between fire, landscape, climate, and vegetation in pine and oak barrens of northwestern Wisconsin. More recently her research includes documenting endangered plant communities of northeastern Iowa.

Dr. Sean Dunham (Panelist)Dr. Sean Dunham is an archaeologist and heritage program manager for the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota. His current research interests focus on the relationship between people, their culture, and their environment. Dunham received a bachelor’s degree in history and anthropology from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in ancient studies from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in anthropology from Michigan State University.

Dr. Gregor Schuurman (Panelist)
Dr. Gregor Schuurman is an ecologist with the NPS Climate Change Response Program. He works with parks and partners to understand and adapt to a wide range of climate change impacts. He previously worked on T&E species conservation and climate change adaptation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and holds a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from the University of Washington.

Marcie Gotchie (Panelist)Marcie Gotchie is an archaeologist for the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Her current research focuses on indigenous archaeology. She received her bachelor’s degree in tribal historic preservation from Salish Kootenai College.

Damon Panek (Panelist)
Damon Gezhiibideg Panek, a citizen of the Mississippi Band of White Earth Ojibwe, has embraced the resurgence of tribal fire for nearly three decades. As a Park Ranger for the Apostle Island National Lakeshore, he led an initiative to restore cultural fire to Stockton Island. “Fire is how we maintain our Anishinaabe homelands and in turn, our identity,” Panek says. Along with a lifetime of study under Indigenous elders in the Great Lakes region, he earned an Environmental Studies Secondary Education Bachelor of Science Degree at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. Panek is the Wildland Fire Program Manager for the Fond du Lac Band of the Lake Superior Ojibwe.

Dan Devault (Panelist)Leech Lake Tribal College – photo/bio coming soon.

Webinar: Fire in Southern Pine Systems
2024-01-03 09:30 - 11:00 | Virtual
Prescribed Fire for Forest Management ​Webinar Series
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
Select Wednesdays at 9:30-11 a.m. ET

Click here to register for “Fire in Southern Pine Systems” hosted on January 3, 2024
This webinar will explore the ecology of southern pines, the reintroduction of fire into fire-adapted ecosystems, and the legacy of prescribed fire and how the “old” links with the “new” with burning in longleaf pine. Participants will discover the importance of the Tall Timbers Private Lands Fire Initiative and hear about​ the cutting edge technology of the Southeast fire map, which helps​ with both on the ground management and re​search.

Presenters:
Geo​rge Jensen, Southwest Georgia Prescribed Burn Association Coordinator, Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conserva​ncy

George Jensen, originally from Savannah, Georgia, grew up in Berlin, Wisconsin. George attended the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where he studied Wildland Fire Science and Conservation Biology under Dr. Ron Masters. ​During this time, George had heavy involvement in the UWSP interagency fire crew, where he was an officer for two years; George burned with the crew in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Chicago, Florida, Georgia, and, South Carolina. George also worked for the federal government on a fuels module and helit​​ack crew and did fire with WDNR. Upon graduation, George took a job as a Conservation Biologist for the Endangered Resources section of the WNDR and was also on the state burn team. George was also private lands biologist for the private sector in central Wisconsin. George attended graduate school for forestry at Mizzou under Dr. Ben Knapp. George worked his master’s tenure at the Jones Center at Ichauway, where he researched how Resistance, Resilience, and Transition silviculture treatments affect fire behavior and effects in longleaf pine ecosystems during atypically hotter and drier days. He also studied fine-scale fire effe​cts in patches of longleaf pine. Currently, George works for ​Tall Timbers as the Southwest Georgia Prescribed Burn Association Coordinator and is an Adjunct professor of ecology at Thomas University in Thomasville, Georgia.
​​Holly Nowell, Ph.D., Project Research Scientist, Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conserva​ncy
Dr. Holly Nowell, born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, was interested in weather from an early age. She held several internship positions at the National Weather Service Office located in Wichita, and at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, before graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Earth and Planetary Science from Washington University in St. Louis. She continued her studies at Florida State University where she obtained two master’s degrees, one in Geographic Information Systems and the other in Meteorology, and a doctorate in Meteorology. Her thesis and dissertation, under the guidance of Dr. Guosheng Liu, focused on studying the backscatter radiation of aggregate snowflakes in the microwave region. Dr. Nowell switched gears with her postdoctoral position under Dr. Christopher Holmes, also at Florida State University, to focus on the issue and difficulty in the satellite detection of fires in the Southeast United States. As a postdoc, she also participated in NASA/NOAA FIREX-AQ field campaign by providing ground support and conducting field research into pre- and post-burn fuels at the Blackwater River State Forest, Florida. Additional studies included examining the impacts of emissions from smoke plumes resulting from prescribed burning on air quality and public health in South Florida. Currently, Dr. Nowell works for Tall Timbers as a Project Research Scientist on the Southeast FireMap project, a joint venture with the USGS to improve satellite detections of fires in the Southeast US region using Landsat and Sentinel satellites. ​

Moderator:
​​​Michael Tiller, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Forest and Fire Management, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Michael grew up in Northern California where he enjoyed an active outdoor lifestyle hunting, fishing, camping, and skiing in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains and coastal redwoods. He enjoyed a 10-year career with Cal Fire serving as a Firefighter and Fire Apparatus Engineer. In 2006​​​, he moved to College Station, Texas where he attended Texas A&M University and earned a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. After completing his B.S. degree, he attended Stephen F. Austin State University where he earned an M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Ph. D. in Forestry, both with a research focus on understory fuel flammability in forest and rangeland ecosystems. Michael also served as a Wildland Urban Interface Specialist for the Texas A&M Forest Service for 2-years where he was actively engaged with fuels management and prescribed burning. He recently accepted an Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology position at UW-Stevens Point where he leads the fire science program and serves as an adviser for the UWSP Fire Crew.

Future Webinars in this Series Include:
February 7, 2024 – Prescribed Fire as a Restoration Tool for Savanna Communities
March 6, 2024 – Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Lake States
April 3, 2024 – Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Beyond the Lake States
May 1, 2024 – Fire and Game Species
June 5, 2024 – Prescribed Fire in Urban Landscapes
July 10, 2024 – Fire and Climate Change
August 7, 2024 – Case Studies: Prescribed Fire and Red Pine
September 4, 2024 – Case Studies: Prescribed Fire and Interfering Vegetation
October 2, 2024 – Workforce Development

This Session is Generously Sponsored By

Phenology of Fire: Listening to the Plants and Animals (Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion)
2024-01-18 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual
Click here to register for the Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion:
Phenology of Fire: Listening to the Plants and Animals.

Season of fire. Opening the burn window. Both of these focus on one of the elements that make up a fire regime – frequency, intensity/severity, extent/scale, and seasonality. Decades of spring-and/or autumn-centric fire can cause a site or landscape to respond very differently than when burned repeatedly across all flammable seasons. Summer burns can produce differing fire effects including increased species richness averages, biomass, and stem counts (especially forbs), and breaking up the plant species dominance resulting from dormant season burn windows. Panelists will bring fresh voices to how we can learn from listening to our fire-dependent plants and animals and let the fire effects lead us toward desired outcomes.

Panel Includes:

Dr. Brian Sturtevant (Moderator)Dr. Brian Sturtevant is a Research (Landscape) Ecologist with Northern Research Station of the US Forest Service in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where he has worked for 21 years. His expertise lies in broad-scale interdisciplinary investigations of forest dynamics and disturbance ecology, with an emphasis on fire and insect disturbance, using a combination of field study, analyses of spatial datasets, and landscape simulation modeling. His specific fire expertise includes human drivers of fire ignitions, fire severity assessments and mapping, and vegetative response to both wildfire and controlled burning. He also serves on the advisory board and technical committee for the landscape disturbance and succession model, LANDIS-II.

Dr. Todd Aschenbach (Panelist)Dr. Todd Aschenbach is a professor of natural resources management at Grand Valley State University in West Michigan. His teaching and research interests focus on wildland fire and ecological restoration. He also works as an on-call wildland firefighter for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and conducts wildfire research with the US Forest Service’s Fire Behavior Assessment Team.

Tyler Briggs (Panelist)Tyler Briggs works as the Fire Manager for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. He has been with the Commission since 2011. He is an NWCG Type 2 Burn Boss, Incident Commander Type 4, as well as an Engine, Crew and Firing Boss. He earned a Master’s degree in Geography from the University at Albany and a BS in Geography from SUNY Oneonta. Tyler is a native of Cuylerville, NY where he attended York Central School.

Dr. Donald Hagan (Panelist)Dr. Donald Hagan (he/him/his) is an applied ecologist who studies the effects of fire on population, community and ecosystem-level processes in forest ecosystems. He conducts most of his research in the southern Appalachian and Piedmont regions, but he has also worked extensively in the SE Coastal Plain, Florida, the Northern Great Plains, and in the tropical dry forests of coastal Ecuador. Current research projects are supported by the Joint Fire Science Program, the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Department of Energy. Hagan is passionate about teaching and mentoring and is heavily involved with Clemson’s Creative Inquiry undergraduate research program. He also works closely with the “Fire Tigers” — Clemson’s wildland and prescribed fire crew. Since 2015 he has served on the board of the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists.

Mary Parr (Panelist)Mary Parr is an Indigenous woman, fire practitioner, land steward, and graduate student. Parr is the Stewardship Manager for Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, an environmental education center and biological field station located in Southwest, MI. Parr manages 850 acres, coordinates conservation efforts, leads the prescribed fire program, and mentors undergraduate students. Concurrently, Parr is completing her Masters in Biology at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, studying plant community response to fire season and order of application in prairies and savannas of the Great Lakes Basin. Parr is a tribal member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Matt Vaughan (Panelist)Matt (he/him/his) is a Wildland Fire Ecologist & Practitioner who recently started in a new position as Director of Stewardship and Forestry Education with Forest Stewards & Western Carolina University based in Cullowhee, NC USA. His background is in biogeography, fire history, and fire ecology, exploring basic and applied questions of fire effects on fuels and vegetation. He is currently pursuing projects with partners engaged in active forest management, especially involving low-shade removal (herbicide treatment) and monitoring prescribed fire effects on partner lands in the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network.

SFE Webinar: Advanced Wiregrass Restoration and Management
2024-01-24 13:00 - 14:00
A free one-hour webinar from the University of Florida School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences, St. Johns River Water Management District, and the Southern Fire Exchange.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenters:
Dr. Raelene Crandall, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida.
Chris Kinslow, St. Johns River Water Management District
Dr. Jennifer Fill, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida.
Webinar Description: Wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana/stricta) plays a keystone role in the ecosystem health of imperiled longleaf pine savannas of the southeastern USA. It promotes the grass-fire feedback, provides ecosystem services, and promotes biodiversity. Countless efforts across the region are focused on the restoration of wiregrass on public and private lands. New research conducted in partnership with public land managers is transforming how we understand wiregrass and approach restoration projects. This webinar will discuss the latest research and practical experience from restoration projects. Following the presentation there will be time for audience Q/A with the speakers.
Webinar Recording: If you can’t make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org
Register here: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E_D2btaAScKg1Q7OlTvMCQ

SFE Webinar: Prescribed Burners Guide to the Fire and Smoke Map
2024-01-31 13:00 - 14:00
A free one-hour webinar from the USDA Forest Service, EPA, Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils, the Southern Fire Exchange, and the University of Florida IFAS.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenters:
Pete Lahm, USDA Forest Service
Sim Larkin, USDA Forest Service
Rick Gillam, US EPA Region 4
Webinar Description: Prescribed burners can efficiently utilize the EPA Fire and Smoke Map to enhance their burning practices. The map provides real-time information on fire and smoke conditions across different regions. Burners can use it to assess the current air quality and regional smoke movement. By incorporating this information, prescribed burners can strategically plan and time their burns to minimize the impact on air quality and public health. The map allows them to make informed decisions, ensuring safer and more effective prescribed burns while supporting compliance with environmental regulations. Following the presentations there will be time for audience Q/A with the speakers.
Webinar Recording: If you can’t make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org

Register for the webinar here: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HO_IHME7Sr-qObwjBBgsiw

SFE Wiregrass Fireside Chat
2024-02-01 12:00 - 13:00
Join the SFE Wiregrass Fireside Chat this Thurs. Feb. 1st at 12:00 PM ET where you can meet in a small group with Dr. Rae Crandall, Dr. Jen Fill, and land manager Chris Kinslow.
The Fireside Chat will be an open Zoom meeting where you can connect with a small group of like-minded fire managers and researchers who are working on wiregrass issues. Just like a field workshop, Fireside Chats are an unscripted, unrecorded, low-stress environment, you can get answers to your questions, share your challenges, and build your network. All you have to do is sign up. Login and link-up with a handful of other dedicated managers.
Register for the Fireside Chat meeting here: https://bit.ly/SFEfiresidechat1
Did you miss the SFE Advanced Wiregrass Restoration and Management Webinar? You can watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/9khPiD5g9pM?feature=shared

Partner Webinar: Overview of Prescribed Fire Liability in State Law with Sara Clark
2024-02-01 13:30 - 15:00
When: Feb 1, 2024 1:30 PM ET
Hosted by: The Nature Conservancy and the Fire Learning Network.
In this 90-minute webinar, Sara Clark will provide an overview of prescribed fire liability in state law, including definitions of liability and how state laws defining liability interact with certified burn manager programs, tribal sovereignty and cultural burning, and prescribed fire insurance. Sara will provide examples from California and a selection of other states that have defined prescribed fire liability in state law, including an overview of the California Prescribed Fire Claims Fund Pilot that began operating in 2023. This webinar is intended for those who are new to the issue of prescribed fire liability or those more experienced who would like an overview of the subject, especially anyone about to engage on similar policy initiatives in their state or jurisdiction.
Sara Clark is a partner at the public interest law firm Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger LLP based in San Francisco, California. Sara has worked extensively on prescribed fire liability, including an instrumental role in passage of California’s legislation defining gross negligence for suppression costs and establishment of the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund Pilot. She was a co-author of the Good Fire report for the Karuk Tribe, an analysis of barriers to the expansion of cultural burning and recommended solutions. Watch for Good Fire II in February 2024!
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
Topic: Overview of Prescribed Fire Liability in State Law
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://tnc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GJOas2ICRB6dtH9Hg56Czw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Webinar: Prescribed Fire as a Restoration Tool for Savanna Communities
2024-02-07 09:30 - 11:00 | Virtual
Prescribed Fire for Forest Management ​Webinar Series
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
Select Wednesdays at 9:30-11 a.m. ET

Click here to register for “Prescribed Fire as a Restoration Tool for Savanna Communities”
February 7, 2024

​Restoring Savanna Communities in Wisconsin with Rx Fire at Ecologically Meaningful Scales
Join Jeb Barzen and Brendan Woodall as they discuss the implications of using prescribed fire to restore savanna landscapes. Jeb Barzen will focus on addressing the potential for restoring savanna communities in Wisconsin at ecologically meaningful scales through use of prescribed fire and through expanding social tools such as carbon credits or environmental labels. Most vegetative communities in Wisconsin, including a variety of savanna communities, are fire-dependent and the Wisconsin landscape is approximately 85% privately owned. A 10-fold increase in the implementation of prescribed fire is needed and our current capacity to implement those fires is limited by the number of trained people to burn safely and the incentives necessary to allow private landowners to deploy Rx fire sustainably over decades and across broad landscapes to achieve ecologically significant impacts. ​ ​​ ​​
Brendan Woodall will dive into the details on what he does as a Private Lands Biologist through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and discuss how fire is used as a restoration and management tool in savanna communities on private land. There are many barriers and limitations to actually being able to get fire on the ground safely, such as socially, financially, and logistically.

Presenters:
Jeb Barzen, M.S., B.S.; Chair, Private Lands Conservation, LLC; Chair, Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council; Adjunct Assistant Professor, UW-Madison Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture; Lecturer, UW-Madison Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies​​
Jeb has spent most of his 36-year career studying birds and applying ecosystem restoration tools in wetlands, grasslands, and savannas worldwide. This includes conducting over 770 prescribed burns throughout the Midwe​st, in Vietnam and in the Russian Far East. While teaching prescribed burning in Russia, Jeb can uniquely claim to be the only person to be quoted by Pravda as an ‘expert American arsonist.’ Early on in his career, it became clear that the most interesting projects would last well beyond his own lifetime, so Jeb soon began to focus on teaching, mentoring, and advancing the tools that we depend upon to improve ecosystem restoration – chief among them – prescribed burning and prescribed burn practitioners. To that end, Jeb recently collaborated with the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council, the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW Arboretum, The Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and numerous local NGOs to create a course on fire ecology and prescribed burn implementation at the UW-Madison which currently matriculates 24 students each ye​ar.

Brendan Woodall, Wisconsin Private Lands Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
Brendan grew up in Missouri, where he attended the University of Missouri – Columbia and graduated with a B.S. in Forestry and a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife. Brendan first cut his teeth with learning and implementing prescribed fire in college. Since graduating, he has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – PFW Program helping private landowners restore and enhance wildlife habitat in central Wisconsin. He has assisted with over 50 prescribed burns and 13 wildfires totaling over 10,000 acres on both public and private land. This experience helps him to consider the potential for prescribed fire as a management tool when creating wildlife habitat restoration plans​.

Moderator:
​​​Michael Demchik, Ph.D., Professor of Forestry, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Michael Demchik grew up in southern West Virginia in unincorporated Pond Fork. With the freedom to explore the outdoors, a mountain on one side and a stream on the other, a future career in natural resources just made sense. Demchik is cu​rrently a professor of silviculture at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His previous positions included an Extension Forester specializing in farm forestry in Minnesota, a state Maple Syrup and Non-Timber Forest Products specialist in Pennsylvania, and a number of other jobs ranging across federal, state, and private industries in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. ​

Future Webinars Include:
March 6, 2024 – Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Lake States
April 3, 2024 – Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Beyond the Lake States
May 1, 2024 – Fire and Game Species
June 5, 2024 – Prescribed Fire in Urban Landscapes
July 10, 2024 – Fire and Climate Change
August 7, 2024 – Case Studies: Prescribed Fire and Red Pine
September 4, 2024 – Case Studies: Prescribed Fire and Interfering Vegetation
October 2, 2024 – Workforce Development

This Session Is Generously Sponsored By:

Successfully Bridging the Gap: Eastern US Models of Fire Science and Management Collaboration
2024-02-15 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual
Click here to register for the Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion:
Successfully Bridging the Gap: Eastern US Models of Fire Science and Management Collaboration

Land management programs are frequently confronted with the imperative of incorporating the most advanced scientific knowledge into their decision-making processes along with filling voids in research needed to move along effective management. Nevertheless, the persistent disparities between the realms of science and management often impede effective collaboration. In this panel, we will draw inspiration from successful case studies in the eastern United States, where land managers and scientists have forged pioneering partnerships, yielding tangible advancements in the field.

Moderators:
Helen MohrUSDA Forest Service, Southern Research StationDr. David GodwinSouthern Fire Exchange
Panelists:
Coming Soon

Partner Webinar: Climate Adaptation Strategies for Longleaf Pine Ecosystems
2024-02-20 13:00 - 14:00
As part of the monthly webinar series Ecological Forestry in the Context of Climate Change
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 1:00 PM ET
Hosted by: USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub
Description: Steve Jack with the T.L.L. Temple Foundation present on longleaf pine systems and fire regimes. This session will focus on fire adaptation like managing out of balance fire regimes, resetting fire return intervals, and the synergistic effects of wind and fire with a look at hurricane interactions.
Registration Information

SFE Webinar: Pine Savanna Restoration and Ecosystem Services
2024-02-21 13:00 - 14:00
A free one hour webinar from Tall Timbers Research Station, the Southern Fire Exchange, and the University of Florida IFAS.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenter:
Cinnamon Dixon, Fire Ecologist, Tall Timbers Research Station
Webinar Description: It is expected that restoring southeastern pine savannas will boost ecosystem services. However, the success of this restoration depends on how well we can restore ecosystems and their services, the speed at which ecosystems are restored, and the tradeoffs between restored ecosystems and other typical land uses. In this presentation, we’re comparing the services provided by pine savannas at various stages of restoration with those from reference pine savannas, as well as other common land uses like row-crop agriculture, improved pasture, pine plantations, and unmanaged forests. This presentation will be of interest to anyone working to manage old field ecosystems in the South. Following the presentation there will be time for audience Q/A with the speaker.
Webinar Requirements: A reliable internet connection and speakers / headphones are required to participate. Webinar audio will be broadcast directly to your computer and may be available via a call-in number. See registration email for more details. Webinar participants do not need a microphone or video camera.
Webinar Recording: If you can’t make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org
Register for the webinar here: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__CRTsHZsSNuT2leFXvbfdA

Partner Webinar: Increasing Prescribed Fire Capacity in the Central US
2024-02-22 13:00 - 14:00
Increasing Prescribed Fire Capacity in the Central US
Hosted by: Great Plains Fire Science Exchange and Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium
Speakers: Chuck Stanley, NRCS, Carissa Wonkka, University of Florida, Wes Buchheit, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Thursday, Feb 22nd, 12 PM Central
Register for the webinar via Zoom

Partner Webinar: Reflections from 20 Years of Examining the Social Dynamics of Fire Management
2024-02-22 17:00 - 18:00
5:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 22, 2024
Sarah McCaffrey, Ph.D., Retired Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service
Hosted by the International Association of Wildland Fire, Association for Fire Ecology, and Pau Costa Foundation
Description: Sarah McCaffrey, PhD, retired in 2022 after 20 years as a fire social scientist with the US Forest Service where her research focused on understanding the social dynamics of fire management. This included research projects that examined the role of risk perception and risk attitudes, social acceptability of prescribed fire, homeowner mitigation decisions, evacuation decision making, risk communication, and agency-community interactions during fires. Since retirement she has been involved with a number of research and practitioner efforts to improve future fire outcomes including as an adviser to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Wildfire Resilience Initiative and Board member for Fire Adapted Colorado. She received her PhD in 2002 from the University of California at Berkeley where her dissertation examined Incline Village, Nevada homeowner views and actions in relation to defensible space and fuels management.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uf1j-BIxTHq2jL3IawWZ5w#/registration

Partner Webinar: Working with Private Landowners to Increase Prescribed Fire Capacity
2024-02-28 13:00 - 14:00
Working with Private Landowners to Increase Prescribed Fire Capacity
Speakers: Morgan Treadwell, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo, Jennifer Fawcett, North Carolina State Extension, and Brian Teeter, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Wednesday, Feb 28th, 12 PM Central
Register here: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkf-urrTMtE92oaWdNjDJKFqCdJ0HkH08G#/registration

SFE Webinar: Emerging Technologies in Wildland Fire
2024-02-29 13:00 - 14:00
A free one-hour webinar from The Nature Conservancy, the Southern Fire Exchange, and the University of Florida IFAS.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenter:
Nathan Burmester, The Nature Conservancy of North Carolina
Webinar Description: Navigating the rapid advancements in technology can be challenging, especially for those immersed in the daily demands on the fireline. Join Nathan Burmester, representing TNC North Carolina, for a concise exploration of cutting-edge technologies employed by prescribed fire managers. Additionally, discover innovative applications of older technologies that are reshaping the landscape of fire management practices. Following the presentation there will be time for audience Q/A with the speaker.
Webinar Recording: If you can’t make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org

Register for the webinar here: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S_DfsLDWRXSq0Vdy4LpaWQ

Partner Webinar: Beyond PM2.5: The Other Effects of Wildfires on Air and Water Quality
2024-03-19 15:00 - 16:00
March 19, 2024 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET
Beyond PM2.5: The Other Effects of Wildfires on Air and Water Quality
Register for the webinar
More information and previous webinars
Wildland fire smoke impacts millions of people in the US every year. While the negative impacts of PM2.5 on air quality and human health are well established, wildland fires mobilize other pollutants that impact EPA’s mission areas of clean air and clean water, with implications for human health. This webinar will discuss a wide range of effects of wildland fire on air and water quality, including emerging science on the topic (e.g., pollutants mobilized through the burning of human infrastructure). Finally, the webinar will discuss how this research can inform public communications on the risks of wildland fire and approaches to mitigate those risks.
Presenter: Steve LeDuc, Amara Holder, and Seth Newton, EPA’s Office of Research and Development
Moderators: Sherri Hunt, EPA’s Office of Research and Development
Attendees will have the option of receiving a certificate of attendance for live webinars. Acceptance of certificates is contingent on state and/or organization requirements—EPA cannot guarantee acceptance.

SFE Webinar: Increasing Large Wildfires in the Eastern United States
2024-03-28 13:00 - 14:00
A free one-hour webinar from the University of Florida IFAS and the Southern Fire Exchange.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenter:
Victoria M Donovan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Forest Management, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida IFAS | West Florida Research and Education Center
Webinar Description: This webinar provides an overview of changing large wildfire regimes in the eastern U.S., highlighting increasing wildfire number, size, and total area burned within regions of the southeast. In addition, the presentation will discuss how changing wildfire dynamics impact public wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface. This presentation will summarize the findings from a recent publication (https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107051). Following the presentation, there will be time for audience Q/A with the speaker.
Webinar Recording: If you can’t make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org
Register for the webinar here: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5Jldn-K4SCOJmgTaUP-yBQ

Partner Webinar: Preparing for the “big one”: prescribed fire as a strategic fuel reduction tool
2024-04-02 12:00 - 13:30
Preparing for the “big one”: prescribed fire as a strategic fuel reduction tool
April 2, 2024 900 – 1030 PST | 1800 – 1930 CET
Hosted by the California Fire Science Consortium
Wildfires are becoming bigger and more severe around the world, overwhelming firefighters’ capacity to control them. Prescribed fires can be used to safely introduce fire in the landscape and regulate fire regimes through fuel management and by building landscape resilience. Is this approach working?
This week, four fire experts will discuss how fire and resource managers are using prescribed fire to prevent wildfire spread. They will discuss strategic goals and tactics, tradeoffs between broad landscape resilience and local fuel management, and whether prescribed fire intensities are enough to affect outcomes.
Presenters:

Tessa Oliver Manager of the Western Cape Umbrella Fire Protection Association, South Africa
Jorge Andres Saavedra Corporacion Nacional forestal, CONAF, Chile
Marta Miralles, Catalan Fire Service, Spain
Stephen Fillmore, Fuels Operations Specialist USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, USA

Register here.

Partner Webinar: California’s Prescribed Fire (R)evolution: Changing Hearts, Minds, and Landscapes
2024-04-02 17:00 - 18:00
5:00 PM ET, April 2, 2024
Hosted by the California Fires Science Consortium
Description: Prescribed fire has undergone major transformation in California over the last decade or two, evolving from a mostly agency-led practice with limited visibility to a statewide grassroots movement, engaging and being led by a diversity of partners, including NGOs, ranchers, Indigenous practitioners, and other community leaders. This movement has been simultaneously organic, bubbling up at the local level, and impressively strategic, pairing local community organizing with state-level liability changes, new qualifications pathways for practitioners, and major investments in cutting-edge concepts, like the state’s $20 million Prescribed Fire Claims Fund. The change during this period has been monumental, representing an evolution in the way we think about and implement prescribed fire in California, but it also represents a revolution—the result of a groundswell of passion, purpose, and pressure from the most affected communities. This presentation will share insights on California’s prescribed fire evolution/revolution, and reflect on where it might go from here.
Presenter: Lenya Quinn-Davidson is the Fire Network Director for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Lenya’s focus is on the human connection with fire, and increasing resiliency of California’s landscapes and communities. Lenya works at various scales, including locally with private landowners and communities members; at the state level, where she leads UCANR’s Fire Network and collaborates on policy, research, and community-based burning; and nationally/internationally, through her leadership on Women-in-Fire Training Exchanges (WTREX). Lenya is passionate about using fire to inspire and empower people, from ranchers and scientists to agency leaders and young women, and everyone in between.
Register Here

Partner Webinar: Responding to Climate Change through Silviculture in the East
2024-04-10 14:00 - 15:00
SCIENCEx ADAPTIVE SILVICULTURE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

SCIENCEx Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change will address a variety of climate adaptive silviculture concepts, using examples from across the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change Network. Presentations will cover an overview of the network, responding to climate change through silviculture, forest assisted migration, and expanding the application of adaptive silviculture. Webinar attendees will learn from a range of research scientists, managers, and other network collaborators.
The Forest Service Research and Development SCIENCEx webinar series unites scientists and land managers from across the Forest Service and beyond.

Webinar Description:

Climate impacts in eastern U.S. forests |​ Mike Gavazzi
Impacts of hurricane-driven disturbances at the Jones Center at Ichauway Adapted Silviculture for Climate Change site | Joshua Puhlick
Responding to climate-driven hydrologic change in an urban silviculture experiment | Marcella Windmuller-Campione

Register here.

Partner Webinar: Talking Fire - Learning from the Media
2024-04-24 13:00 - 14:30 | Online, United States
Learning from the Media: A Conversation with Journalists
Wednesday, April 24 1-2:30 PM ET
Hosted by the FLN and Fire Networks

Panelists:

April Ehrlich, Oregon Public Broadcasting
M.R. O’Connor, Ignition author and freelance journalist
Roberto Rosales, photojournalist & photography professor, University of New Mexico

The FLN and broader Fire Networks are excited to announce our upcoming Talking Fire Webinar Series. This 3-part series will feature panel discussions with communication experts and fire practitioners addressing various aspects of working with media outlets to communicate about our fire work. You can view information about the full series here: https://firenetworks.org/series/talking-fire-webinar-series/ Registration is required for each webinar.
Register for the webinar here.

Partner webinar: Sifting through selective science and misinformation for collaborative forest management
2024-04-24 15:00 - 16:00 | Online, United States
Sifting through selective science and misinformation for collaborative forest management
Apr 24, 2024, 03:00 PM
Hosted by: Rocky Mountain Research Station and Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes
Description: Join us for an upcoming land manager and public land partner-focused panel webinar dedicated to examining selective science use, some of the impacts to land management, and methods for reducing misinformation in collaborative forest management. Our panel will provide short talks on their perspectives, and address questions and issues provided by attendees. Discussion and Q&A during this session will facilitate information exchange between all attendees.
Registration and more information.

Partner Webinar: Towards Advancing the Prediction of Wildland Fuels Combustion through Detailed Kinetics
2024-04-30 17:00 - 18:00
5:00 PM ET April 30, 2024
Hosted by the California Fire Science Exchange
Abstract: Wildfires are becoming an increasing issue, raising concern about direct infrastructure and property damage as well as indirect effects related to their emissions. In this context, a fundamental understanding of the burning processes of wildland fuels is crucial for the modeling and prediction of both fire behavior as well as related emissions. Current fuel consumption parameterizations used in wildfire models usually oversimplify fuel consumption processes, such as flaming and smoldering combustion regimes, and fuel properties, like fuel elements’ size and moisture content. In this seminar, a physics-based modeling framework developed to describe biomass combustion and emissions will be presented. Biomass is represented through its fundamental constituents, such as lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, water, and extractives. A detailed reaction kinetic model is coupled with a multi-region single-particle model and is adopted to investigate the process of biomass degradation, including char oxidation. The validation of the modeling framework with experimental data from literature is performed at various scales, including thermogravimetric experiments and particle-scale experiments of pyrolysis and combustion. Additionally, preliminary results of its applicability for the construction of detailed parameterizations for large-scale wildfire applications, such as WRF-SFIRE coupled atmosphere-fire model, will be discussed.
Presenter: Chiara Saggese received her PhD in Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from Politecnico of Milan in 2015. After working as a postdoctoral fellow on experiments and kinetic modeling of real fuel combustion chemistry and emissions at Stanford University, she joined the Reaction Dynamics Group in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2019. Her research activity spans from the development of kinetic models of conventional and sustainable fuels to the kinetic modeling of pollutants formation in combustion processes. Within the current transition to a decarbonized transportation system, she is focusing on modeling soot formation from sustainable aviation fuels. Lately, her research focus has expanded to the investigation of wildland fuels combustion and emissions to inform sub-models present in large-scale wildfire applications.
Register here.

SFE Webinar: Hot Spots and Hot Moments in Prescribed Fire Across the SE US
2024-05-02 13:00 - 14:00
A free one-hour webinar from Tall Timbers Research Station, the Southern Fire Exchange, and the University of Florida IFAS.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenter: Karen Cummins, Geospatial Database Administrator, Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Webinar Description: Prescribed fire is an important land conservation tool to meet ecological, cultural, and public safety objectives across terrestrial ecosystems. While estimates of prescribed burning in the U.S. exceed 11 million acres annually, tracking the extent of prescribed fire is problematic for several reasons and prevents an understanding of spatial and temporal trends in landscape patterns of prescribed fires. The overall purpose of the Southeastern US Prescribed Fire Permit Database is to temporally map and analyze the frequency of prescribed burns throughout the southeast. The database revealed that burning is highly concentrated within the southeast region, presumably reflecting local land ownership categories and associated land management objectives. These analyses provide the first region-wide summary of fine-scale patterns of prescribed fire in the United States. Following the presentation there will be time for audience Q/A with the speaker.
Webinar Recording: If you can’t make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org

Registration information here.

Partner Webinar: Talking Fire - Working with the Media
2024-05-30 13:00 - 14:30
Working with the Media: How to Know Your Messages and Communicate Them
Thursday, May 30 1-2:30 PM ET
Hosted by The FLN and Fire Networks
Communication professionals and fire practitioners with significant media experience will discuss challenges and success in communicating about fire through media outlets. Panelists will share their experiences and provide suggestions for those looking to begin or improve communication through various forms of media.
Following a moderated panel discussion, there will be time for audience Q/A.
Panelists:

Lorena Williams is a Public Affairs Specialist and Public Information Officer for the San Juan National Forest in Colorado.

Bob Crimian is a program manager for COMPASS, a science communication organization that champions, connects, and supports diverse scientist leaders to improve the well-being of people and nature.

Eytan Krasilovsky is the deputy director for the Forest Stewards Guild based out of the Southwest office

Questions? Laurel.kays@tnc.org
Register here: https://tnc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BVt24vgLTwW3BWL_mV3qIg
Series Description:
The FLN and broader Fire Networks are excited to announce our upcoming Talking Fire Webinar Series. This 3-part series will feature panel discussions with communication experts and fire practitioners addressing various aspects of working with media outlets to communicate about our fire work. You can view information about the full series here: https://firenetworks.org/series/talking-fire-webinar-series/ Registration is required for each webinar.

Partner Webinar: Crisis Communication - What do we say when things go wrong?
2024-06-26 13:00 - 14:30 | Online, United States
Crisis Communication: What Do We Say When Things Go Wrong?
Thursday, June 26 1-2:30 PM ET
Hosted by The FLN and Fire Networks
Communication professionals and fire practitioners with significant media experience will discuss challenges and success in communicating about fire through media outlets. Panelists will share their experiences and provide suggestions for those looking to begin or improve communication through various forms of media.
Following a moderated panel discussion, there will be time for audience Q/A.
Panelists:

Brigette Coleman-Williams, TNC Arkansas Director of Marketing and Communications

Jenifer Bunty, National Forests in North Carolina Public Affairs Specialist

Katie Sauerbrey, The Nature Conservancy in Oregon Fire Program Director

Parker Titus, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado Fire Program Manager

Questions? Laurel.kays@tnc.org
Register here: https://tnc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6kKUNcsOSaSc3YGMKsh6ig#/registration
Series Description:
The FLN and broader Fire Networks are excited to announce our upcoming Talking Fire Webinar Series. This 3-part series will feature panel discussions with communication experts and fire practitioners addressing various aspects of working with media outlets to communicate about our fire work. You can view information about the full series here: https://firenetworks.org/series/talking-fire-webinar-series/ Registration is required for each webinar.

Partner Webinar: Managing Longleaf for our Future - A new Longleaf Pine Climate Smart Guide
2024-09-11 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Hosted by: The Nature Conservancy, The Longleaf Alliance, and Clemson University
Description: In this webinar for landowners and forestry practitioners, experts from multiple agencies in the southeast will provide context as to why longleaf pine is a climate-smart species, and what management practices make a climate-smart forest. Presenters will provide an overview of the guide and give information on the technical resources and financial assistance available to help any landowners begin or enhance their longleaf pine forest.
Registration Link
Webinar Flier (pdf)

Partner Webinar: Post-Fire Emergency Assessment Processes (Part 1)
2024-09-11 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Host: Coalitions and Collaboratives Inc., USDA Forest Service and others.
Description: Flooding and debris flows can be one of the most damaging and deadly processes of the post-fire landscape. Burned area emergency rapid assessments determine the level of threat posed by post-fire conditions to critical values within and downstream of the burned area and develop appropriate actions to manage unacceptable risk. The BAER assessment team evaluates the effects of the ﬁre on the landscape and estimates the potential risk to life and safety, as well as risk of damage or loss to critical transportation infrastructure. Satellite-derived data, field observations, and predictive modeling help to inform post-fire hazard-mitigation efforts. Field verification of remotely sensed data and professional evaluation of conditions on the ground are critical for post-fire management. In the first of two webinars, we will discuss the post-fire assessment process used for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program and how it has been adapted to help rapidly determine post-fire emergency situations using case studies from the United States, Greece, Portugal, and Canada. The second webinar is intended to be a more interactive session to discuss ways in which the process can be used or adapted to meet a wide range of needs outside of federal government.
Series Website: https://aftertheflames.com/post-fire-emergency-assessment-processes/
Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NphXMFI4T5KKJASUeFe3DA#/registration

Partner Webinar: Post-Fire Emergency Assessment Processes (Part 2)
2024-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Host: Coalitions and Collaboratives Inc., USDA Forest Service and others.
Description: Flooding and debris flows can be one of the most damaging and deadly processes of the post-fire landscape. Burned area emergency rapid assessments determine the level of threat posed by post-fire conditions to critical values within and downstream of the burned area and develop appropriate actions to manage unacceptable risk. The BAER assessment team evaluates the effects of the ﬁre on the landscape and estimates the potential risk to life and safety, as well as risk of damage or loss to critical transportation infrastructure. Satellite-derived data, field observations, and predictive modeling help to inform post-fire hazard-mitigation efforts. Field verification of remotely sensed data and professional evaluation of conditions on the ground are critical for post-fire management. The second webinar is intended to be a more interactive session to discuss ways in which the process can be used or adapted to meet a wide range of needs outside of federal government.
Series Website: https://aftertheflames.com/post-fire-emergency-assessment-processes/
Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_thwa4DkLR3munrDe_Oe97g#/registration
