Southern Fire Exchange

Fire and Fuels Monitoring Virtual Training Workshop
2021-06-01 - 2021-06-04
Co-hosted by Lakes States Fire Science Consortium and Oak Woodlands & Forests Fire Consortium
Lead Instructor: Brian Stearns, Huron-Manistee National Forests
This 4-day, virtual- and field-based training is open to all professional affiliations, and will introduce participants to:

Tools for selecting metrics that match management/restoration objectives
Developing site-specific protocols for sampling
Developing a monitoring handbook and monitoring protocols/program for your local ecosystems
How to establish long-term monitoring and quantitative/qualitative data for wildfire risk assessment
Evaluating the need for prescribed burns and other fuels treatments

Field measurements will be conducted independently on home units, then data will be analyzed in the virtual classroom setting.
Attendance is limited. To register, contact Joe Marschall ASAP at oakfirescience@gmail.com. No registration fee.

Partner Webinar: Collaborative Fire Management Case Studies from the Colville National Forest
2021-05-27 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
This webinar will provide examples of successful cross-cultural partnerships for managing fire and building community resilience in a changing climate. In this webinar, USFS fire ecologist and tribal liaison Monique Wynecoop will share two case studies from the Colville National Forest, in which the Spokane and Colville Tribes and non-tribal partners conducted collaborative, interdisciplinary fire management projects that incorporated diverse values, cultures and knowledges to meet multiple fire management goals. Monique will share lessons learned for building trust with tribal communities and conducting collaborative fire management through a restorative justice lens with tribes as beneficiaries.
Register for the webinar here.

Partner Webinar: Learn about the New 'Compare Weather' Function in IFTDSS
2021-05-26 14:00 - 15:00
Compare and View up to Five Weather Scenarios to evaluate affects on Fire Behavior. Only in the Interagency Fuel Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS) can you run fire behavior models and compare the outputs side-by-side. Easily view on the map, change the inputs and re-run to explore the impacts of weather on fire behavior outputs. Great for enhancing your burn plans, NEPA documents or understanding and calibrating model outputs.
Register here.

RX-410: Smoke Management Techniques
2021-05-24 - 2021-05-28
This course leads students through the ecological and historical role of fire, characteristics of smoke and the health, safety and visibility impacts of smoke. Other topics include public relations, legal requirements, meteorology, fuel consumption, smoke production dispersion, and operational smoke management strategies. This course is designed to be interactive in nature. It contains a panel discussion, several exercises designed to facilitate group and class participation and case studies from a variety of fuel types and political challenges. The Pre course work assignment is designed to familiarize students with the NWCG Smoke Management Guide for Prescribed Fire, PMS 420-2, and air quality regulations that impact prescribed fire programs.
This online version of RX-410 has been produced by an interagency group of smoke professionals.
Full information and registration here.

Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals Conference
2021-05-23 - 2021-05-26 | CH2M HILL Alumni Center, Corvallis, OR, United States
The Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals Conference has been rescheduled for May 23-26, 2021 in Corvallis, OR. Updates and information will continue to be posted on the original event website: https://www.anrep2020.org/

Partner Webinar: Stewart Udall and the Politics of Environment and Race
2021-05-20 14:00 - 15:00
Stewart Udall left a profound impact on land conservation and racial issues. As the U.S. Interior Secretary during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations he successfully advocated for the creation of many national parks and monuments, and encouraged Lady Bird Johnson to undertake a national beautification program. He led the way for most of the environmental legislation we now take for granted, including the Clean Air and Water and Wilderness Acts, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Trails Acts, and the National Historical Preservation Act, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He also fought for pesticide reduction and mining reclamation, endangered species protection, gas mileage requirements, and rapid transit systems.
By no means was his work limited to the land. As Secretary and in his private life Udall also worked for racial justice. He fought successfully to end Jim Crow era segregation at the University of Arizona and broke with the Mormon Church over its refusal to allow Blacks in the priesthood. As Secretary, he hired the first African American rangers in our national parks, forced the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Football Team) to integrate their team, championed self-determination for Native Americans, and fought for redress and compensation for Navajo uranium miners and other victims of the atomic age.
Discussing this transformative yet underappreciated figure will be John de Graaf, director of the upcoming PBS film “Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty.”
Register here.

Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network Workshop
2021-05-18 - 2021-05-20
Join to learn all about starting a burn program in a landscape, and a road map to get more fire on the ground. We’ll also hear from established burn programs on what has worked well (or not) and discuss firing techniques, smoke and fire effects.
More information coming soon.

S-231 Engine Boss (Single Resource)
2021-05-18 - 2021-05-19
S-231 Engine Boss (Single Resource) 2021
Tuesday, May 18
Wednesday, May 19
8:00am-5pm
This is a skill course designed to produce student proficiency in the performance of the duties associated with Engine Boss, Single Resource (ENGB). Topics include engine and crew capabilities, and limitations, information sources, fire size up considerations, tactics and wildland/urban interface.
Objectives: Perform the tasks of an Engine Boss in making the tactical decisions required to safely manage an engine on an incident.
TUITION COST: $75.00 (All course materials included)
Instructor: William Cirone
Location: Manatee Technical College
Michael G. Johnson Fire Academy
5530 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.
Bradenton, FL 34212
Register: https://manateeschools.revtrak.net/MTC/fire/#/list
Questions about the course? Please call Willie Cirone 973-332-6797
Kelly Gairing 941-752-8100 Ext 2008 or email: gairingk@manateeschools.net

21st Annual National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (Virtual)
2021-05-17 - 2021-05-21
On behalf of the NTFAQ Planning Committee and all of us at the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA), and the Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center (TAMS Center), it is our pleasure to open registration to the 21st Annual National Tribal Forum on Air Quality. This year we are pleased to bring our conference to you virtually, with recorded and live presentations from tribal environmental professionals, U.S. EPA leadership and staff, and many others who are helping to advance air quality protection throughout Indian Country.
Our conference theme is “50 years of the Clean Air Act and How Traditional Wisdom Can Lead Us Into the Future”. Throughout the NTFAQ conference we will be weaving in the voices of Native youth and elders – a reminder to us all of the importance of the work we do. The tapestry of tribal air quality programs is rich and diverse, much like the traditions and languages of Native American Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages. It is in this spirit that we invite you to join us for the 2021 NTFAQ and say thank you, Mvto (Muscogee), Pilamaya (Lakota), Miigwech (Ojibwe), Wa do (Cherokee), Quyana (Yup’ik), Yokoke (Choctaw), Ahéhee’ (Dine’)!
For questions please email us at NTFAQ@nau.edu.
Register here.

Partner Webinar: Working Lands for Wildlife - The Long View: Sustaining Our Oak Forests
2021-05-12 11:00 - 13:00
This FREE working lands webinar hosted by Ruffed Grouse Society &American Woodcock Society and the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife program will educate landowners and natural resource professionals on working lands conservation programs intended to benefit wildlife species and promote forest diversity.
This webinar has been approved for the following. Please register here to receive credit.

2 CFE credits (category 1) with the Society of American Foresters
2 CEUs (category 1) of the Certified Wildlife Biologist® Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program for participation in the webinar
USDA-NRCS Conservation Planner Certification

Register here.
Throughout history, oak forests have been appreciated for their enormous ecological, economic, and social value. These benefits are widely acknowledged by foresters, wildlife biologists, hunters, conservationists, and landowners.
However, successfully managing oak forests is no easy task. It requires knowledge, forethought, and patience. Due to land-use history, fire suppression, and poor or lacking forest management we are gradually losing our oak forests throughout the Central Hardwood Region and Eastern United States.
In this webinar, we will take the “Long View” by looking back in time to see how human history has influenced the oak forests we have today. This historical grounding will allow us to look forward and consider how our actions today can ensure we restore and sustain oak forests into the future.
To do this, we must first gain a comprehensive understanding of the history of our oak forests in the Central Hardwood Region and learn about their widespread value to people, deer, grouse, songbirds, and pollinators. We will then look more closely at current research and how these dynamic forests grow and change in the face of natural and human disturbances. Speakers will then share practical examples of far-reaching, thoughtful forest management on family land and how those examples can be replicated to perpetuate our oak forests throughout their range.

Partner Webinar: Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar
2021-05-11 10:00 - 11:00
The Southeast Climate monthly webinar series is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 10:00 am ET. This series is hosted by the Southeast Regional Climate Center, in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the NOAA National Weather Service. These webinars will provide the region with timely information on current and developing climate conditions such as drought, floods and tropical storms, as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña. Speakers may also discuss the impacts of these conditions on topics such as agriculture production, water resources, wildfires and ecosystems.
Register here.

Satellite Observations and Tools for Fire Risk, Detection, and Analysis
2021-05-11 - 2021-05-27
Fires are a growing concern, especially in regions with longer fire seasons, expanded wildland/urban interfaces, and severe and frequent droughts. Anthropogenic fires are commonly used to clear grassland and agricultural land prior to the planting season, and forests are often cleared using fires so the land can be repurposed for other uses. Whether naturally-occurring or anthropogenic, fires produce a significant change in the structure and reflectance of vegetation and soil properties and atmospheric chemistry. Remote sensing can be used to monitor pre-, during-, and post-fire conditions; including weather and climate conditions, fuel characterization, fire risk, smoke detection, monitoring, and forecasting, fire behavior, and the post-fire landscape. This 6-part, intermediate training will provide lectures and case studies focused on the use of Earth observations for operational fire monitoring: pre-, during-, and post-event.
More information and registration here.

Fire and Forest Meteorology Virtual Symposium
2021-05-11 - 2021-05-13
Registration: https://www.ametsoc.org/meet/atreg/
AMS Committee on Agricultural and Forest Meteorology represents the membership on the subdiscipline surface-atmosphere exchange with a focus on feedbacks between the land surface and lower atmospheric processes (atmospheric surface layer), and how these influence climate, weather variability, and atmospheric impacts to near-surface atmospheric turbulent transport, forests, agricultural systems, and ecosystems in general. The 13th Fire and Forest Meteorology Symposium will occur virtually and includes a number of topics, which can be viewed here.
For more Information:
https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/meetings-events/ams-meetings/13-fire-and-forest-meteorology-virtual-symposium/

Winds, Water and Wildfires Southeast Region Summit
2021-05-11 - 2021-05-12
Join NACD for the upcoming Winds, Water and Wildfires Virtual Summits this coming May. Disasters such as high winds, wildfires and flooding cause significant damage to natural resources in the South, North, East and West.
Conservation districts are uniquely positioned to assist communities with planning and preparedness before, during, and after disasters. Our sessions will allow you to see how conservation districts are working together with all community members to conquer the challenges facing private landowners. Success happens when landowners and agencies come together to meet the needs of our local communities.
These needs are identified in the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.
For questions, please contact NACD’s Natural Resource Policy Specialist Mary Scott at mary-scott@nacdnet.org.
Click here to register for the Southeast Region’s summit on May 11 & 12 (two half-day events).

Kentucky Prescribed Fire Council Meeting
2021-05-11
Information will be posted on the Kentucky PFC website when available.

Partner Webinar: Fighting Fire with Fire: Rx Fire Toolbox to Combat Identified Social Barriers
2021-05-06 13:00 - 14:00
Elevated fuel loads together with projected hotter and drier climatic conditions will likely lead to more frequent erratic wildfires in the western USA. Recognition that changing climate and decades of fuel accumulation are increasing the risks of wildfire has led to calls for fire management reform, including the widespread use of prescribed fire to reduce fuel loads. However, this shift in fire management emphasis is failing to be widely adopted due to social and regulatory barriers to using fire. To ensure fire management reform is broadly adopted on private land in the western states, the attitudes of stakeholders towards the use of prescribed fire as a wildfire reduction tool need to be clearly understood.
Presenter: Dr. Urs Kreuter
Register here.

SFE Webinar: Fire Suppression and Mesophication of Upland Oak Landscapes
2021-05-06 13:00 - 14:00
Historically pyrophytic and open-canopied upland oak landscapes across the central and eastern U.S. are shifting to closed-canopied forests dominated by shade-tolerant, often fire-sensitive species. Mesophication, a hypothesized process initiated by intentional fire exclusion by which these encroaching species progressively create conditions favorable for their own persistence at the expense of pyrophytic species, is commonly cited as causing this structural and compositional transition. While many forest ecologists and land managers accept the mesophication hypothesis as evidence for these shifts, the reason for these changes is not clear and many questions remain. In this presentation, we will consider current evidence for mesophication plus knowledge gaps and potential future research that considers which tree species and tree traits create self-perpetuating conditions and under what conditions tree-level processes might affect forest flammability at broader scales. The goal is to promote research that can better inform restoration and conservation of oak ecosystems experiencing structural and compositional shifts across the region.
Presenter:
Dr. Heather Alexander, Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology, Auburn University
Register here.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.

Using Soil Moisture Information to Better Understand and Predict Wildfire Danger: A Symposium for Researchers and Fire Managers
2021-05-06 10:00 - 17:00
This free online symposium will highlight the latest advances in using soil moisture information to better understand and predict wildfire danger. These recent discoveries are revealing the potential for soil moisture estimates from in situ monitoring stations, remote sensing, and models to improve fire danger predictions and to advance our understanding of fire behavior.
This interactive symposium will provide researchers and fire managers a unique opportunity to connect with others, to learn about ongoing research in this area, and to discuss ways to move forward with new research and end uses.
The symposium will run from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. CDT and from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. CDT on May 6, 2021.

Louisiana Prescribed Burning Workshop
2021-05-05 - 2021-05-07
Prescribed Burning Workshop: Wednesday (8 AM – 4:30 PM), Thursday (8 AM – 4:30 PM), Friday (8 AM – 12 Noon), May 5-7, Louisiana Ecological Forestry Center (formerly Hodges Garden), Florien, LA 71429.
The LA Ecological Forestry Center, the SW LA Forestry Association, the LSU AgCenter, and the LA Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) will be having a workshop to enable forest landowners to burn their lands safely and legally. Topics will include fuels, burning techniques, proper tools, optimal weather conditions, smoke management, liability management, planning, fire behavior and more.
This training will begin the process of becoming LA Certified Burn Manager. The completion of five prescribed fires and their documentation will complete the process. The cost is $100. Class size is limited to the first 20 applicants. Please make check payable to SW LA Forestry Association, and send to LSU AgCenter, PO Box 609, DeRidder, LA 70634. For questions, please call 337-463-7006 or email khawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu

Partner Webinar: Bobwhite Quail Lunch and Learn
2021-05-04 12:00 - 13:00
Join the Sewee Longleaf Conservation Cooperative in this virtual webinar for a conversation with SC’s bobwhite quail experts.
Register here.

Basic Wildland Fire Training S-130/S-190/L-180
2021-05-03 - 2021-05-07
The Manatee Technical College Michael G. Johnson Fire Academy in Bradenton, FL will host a Basic Wildland Fire Training May 3-7. Tuition costs $225.
Full information and registration can be found here.

SFE Webinar: Prescribed Burn Associations in the Southeast - A Conversation with Experts
2021-04-28 11:00 - 12:00
A Prescribed Burn Association, or PBA, is a group of local landowners and other concerned citizens that form a partnership to conduct prescribed burns. PBAs are increasingly being formed and discussed in the Southeast in response to both landowner interest in conducting prescribed fire and the barriers they face in doing so. A previous SFE webinar examined recent research on the potential applications of PBAs for family forest landowners (view the recording here). While attending the previous webinar is not required, this event is intended to serve as a follow-up conversation and will feature a panel discussion of experts from North Carolina and Oklahoma who are involved in PBAs.
There will be an opportunity for webinar attendees to submit questions, and you may submit questions ahead of time to Laurel Kays at lekays@ncsu.edu. Following the presentations there will be time for audience Q/A with the speakers.
Presenters:
Jesse Wimberley, Coordinator, Sandhills PBA
Benjy Strope, Biologist, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Phil Wallace, Staff Forester – Silviculture, NC Forest Service
John Weir, Associate Extension Specialist, Oklahoma State University
Register here.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.

Partner Webinar: Bees and Fire: Do they Mix?
2021-04-27 15:00 - 16:00
Prescribed fire has been an essential tool for forest restoration in the southeastern United States. Bees are essential components of these ecosystems, but how do bees cope with fire? This webinar looks at the evidence and gives a glimpse into recent and ongoing research in North Carolina’s fire-managed forests.
Register here.

Partner Webinar: The Role of Beavers in Wildfire Mitigation and Recovery
2021-04-22 12:00 - 14:00
More information and registration here.
Registration is $19 for NAA members and $49 for non-members.

Partner Webinar: Assessment of Early Implementation of the US Forest Service’s Shared Stewardship Strategy
2021-04-21 15:00 - 16:00
A discussion of the first publication in a 5-year study on stakeholder perspectives of the USFS’s Shared Stewardship Strategy. Learn the factors driving state & federal choices on strategic partnerships for cross-boundary forest management, as well as opportunities, challenges, and changes needed. Read the full assessment here.
Presenters:
Courtney Schultz, Colorado State University
Chad Kooistra, Colorado State University
Heidi Huber-Stearns, University of Oregon
Jesse Abrams, University of Georgia
Register here.

Partner Webinar: Wildfires and Air Quality (Part 2) – Smoke Sense and Smoke Ready Communities
2021-04-21 14:30 - 16:00
This webinar on Wildfires and Air Quality is part two of a two-part webinar on wildfires and addressing air impacts. This webinar will focus on the Smoke Sense citizen science project, and the Smoke Ready Communities Research Study. Part one will be/was held on April 8, which focused on AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, and Sensors for Community Smoke Monitoring.
These webinars are part of the U.S. EPA Environmental Justice Webinar Series for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples – to build the capacity of tribal governments, indigenous peoples and other environmental justice practitioners, and discuss priority EJ issues of interest to tribes and indigenous peoples.
Register here.

Partner Webinar: Venus Flytrap Champions: Collaborating for Conservation
2021-04-21 12:00 - 13:00
Venus Flytrap Champions is a collaboration of agencies and nonprofit organizations that serve as a support network for people managing Venus flytrap habitat on private property. The final webinar in the series recognizes these champions who assist landowners and land managers in the Carolinas interested in preserving populations of this rare carnivorous species. We believe landowners can play a significant role in maintaining and increasing the remaining habitat for flytraps and the other insectivorous and uncommon plant species that grow with it.
Register here.

SFE Webinar: Introduction to the Southeast FireMap
2021-04-16 13:00 - 14:00
The SE FireMap is a new fire mapping system for the Southeastern United States. Developed with funding provided by the USDA NRCS, SE FireMap uses a remote sensing based approach to track both prescribed fire and wildfire activity on public and private lands across the range of the longleaf pine. SE FireMap is being developed as a critical decision support tool to maximize the effectiveness of fire management practices across boundaries, ecosystems, and jurisdictions. This webinar will introduce the SE FireMap, describe the source of the fire data, and explore the current opportunities to use the data. Following the presentations there will be time for audience Q/A with the speakers.
Presenters:
Bridgett Costanzo, Working Lands for Wildlife Coordinator-Eastern US, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Joe Noble, Geospatial Program Director, Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Lucas Furman, SE FireMap Technical Oversight Team Lead, The Longleaf Alliance
Register here.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.

Partner Webinar: Pine Decline in the Southeastern U.S.
2021-04-14 13:00 - 14:00
Pine decline is a disease complex resulting from the interactions of both biotic and abiotic stressors. Dr. David Coyle (Clemson University) will provide a general overview of identification, impact and management strategies for pine decline related factors.
No registration required.
Join the webinar here.

Hybrid S-130/S-190/L-180: Basic Wildland Firefighter
2021-04-14 - 2021-05-04
The intent of this course is to train new firefighters in basic firefighting skills. It is often required for participation in prescribed burning activities. Participants who complete all course requirements will receive federally-recognized NWCG certificates for S-130, S-190, and L-180.
**This training is presented in a hybrid format. Participants must complete 40 hours of training total, including online material via Canvas and attending an in-person field day in order to earn NWCG certificates for S-130, S-190, L-180.**
PLEASE NOTE: You should expect to devote approximately 33 hours to complete the online material through Canvas; a suggested timeline to keep you on track over the three weeks of online coursework will be provided after registration closes.
Required activities:
Online training, to be completed at your own pace April 14 – May 4:

S-190 = 7 hours of online learning
S-130 = 22 hours of online learning
L-180 = 4 hours of online learning

In-person training, to be completed at one of the following dates/locations:

May 5 at Apalachicola Bluffs & Ravines Preserve, in Bristol, FL
May 20 at Ordway-Swisher Biological Preserve, in Melrose, FL
May 21 at Ordway-Swisher Biological Preserve, in Melrose, FL
May 21 at Disney Wilderness Preserve, in Poinciana, FL

Register here, space is limited.
