Wildland firefighters are invited to take part in a research study to collect feedback from U.S. wildland firefighters to determine current cleaning practices related to wildland firefighting PPE. The purpose of this research is to determine the wildland fire service’s access to cleaning and laundering of their PPE. This study will inform the future care recommendations for NFPA 1877 Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Wildland Fire Fighting Clothing and Equipment.
Continue ReadingFire Research
This page features regionally relevant fire science news, publications, and resources. You can search for even more fire science publications in the SFE Regional Fire Science Publication Database (RFSPD).
SFE Webinar April 16: Introduction to the Southeast FireMap
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
Registration will be available soon.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Continue ReadingNFPA Launches Plan to End Community Destruction by Wildfire
Outthink Wildfire, a new plan from the National Fire Protection Association, calls for ending the destruction of communities by wildfire in 30 years. Achieving that goal will require a coordinated effort among all levels of government and the cooperation of residents in fire-prone areas.
Continue ReadingFire Shelter Training Update and Recommended PVC Bag Retrofit
The NWCG Fire Shelter and Personal Protective Equipment Subcommittee (FSPPE) has updated fire shelter training and reference materials for spring 2021 training. Additionally, ETC recommends serviceable fire shelter PVC bags be retrofitted to improve opening reliability.
Continue ReadingPractitioner Access to Science and Research
A new blog post from the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is designed to help practitioners access the science, research, and peer-reviewed literature that is so vital to understanding fire, people, and landscapes so that they can do more to change places and help more communities become fire adapted.
Continue ReadingAnnouncement of USGS’ first Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan
The USGS’ first Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan) has been published and is now available. Links are provided below to access the Strategic Plan, Fact Sheet and other information about the program.
The new strategy guides USGS research in the 21st century. It prioritizes the production of innovative science, tools and resources that inform land management and provide an understanding of fire’s role in ecosystems and in human communities, before, during and after wildfires.
The new USGS fire science strategic plan prioritizes the production of state-of-the-art, actionable fire science. We seek to collaborate in this effort with federal, Tribal, state and other stakeholders, to ensure that data and tools are timely, relevant and widely disseminated. Finally, the plan sets up an organizational structure that helps ensure these outcomes.
- U.S. Geological Survey Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan: 2021-26: https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1471
- Fact Sheet on Wildland Fire Science at the USGS : https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20193025
- 12-year compendium of wildland fire science at the USGS: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191002
- USGS Wildland Fire Science web page: https://www.usgs.gov/fire
Wildland Firefighter Suicide Study
A study from Oklahoma State University is seeking to determine the rates and risk factors for suicide in the wildland firefighter community. This project is designed to be the first of its kind to directly target wildland firefighters in an effort to assess their overall mental wellbeing. Wildland firefighters are being asked to participate in this research study in order to inform important theories in psychology.
Participate in the study here.
Continue ReadingSurvey: Wildfire Management Under COVID-19 – Looking Back and Looking Ahead
An international team of researchers is seeking feedback from wildland fire professionals that looks back at the past year (what are the lessons learned so far?) and ahead (what are positive changes that will be kept after the pandemic?). Particular attention is paid to mental health and work-life balance, to assist organizations in understanding what type of support their employees need. Results will again be shared open access to facilitate sharing of best practices, principles and options for adapting to the constraints and opportunities that COVID-19 is imposing.
Take the survey by March 5 here.
For more information, please contact Peter Moore (peter.moore@fao.org) or Cathelijne Stoof (cathelijne.stoof@wur.nl)
Continue ReadingSite Request: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Longleaf Pine Growth and Yield Model
F&W Forestry Services, in cooperation with the University of Georgia’s Plantation Management Research Cooperative (PMRC), is currently identifying properties where permanent inventory plots can be established for developing new longleaf pine growth and yield models for the Southeast US. The project is supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and results will be publicly available from the study.
F&W is seeking permission to establish 300 research plots on properties in the Coastal Plain region of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The identification of sites for plot establishment must meet the following criteria:
(1) Cutover sites
(2) Site prepared
(3) Planted containerized planted longleaf (Pinus palustris) 1-0 seedlings
(4) No following year interplanting
(5) Unthinned stands
(6) At least 5 years old (preferably at least 7-8 years old) at time of tree tagging/numbering
(7) No planned harvests for at least 5 years
(8) Ideally a candidate property will have multiple longleaf stands with variable age classes and site
characteristics
In addition to these requirements, ideal additional information will include:
(1) Site preparation methods and chemical rates (if applicable)
(2) Seedling source
(3) Month and year planted
(4) If pine straw has been raked
(5) Plantation spacing
(6) First and second year herbaceous control and rates (if applicable)
(7) Previous stand origin (planted or natural)
Those interested in contributing sites to the study can contact John Bell at 229.883.0505 or jbell@fwforestry.com for more information.
Continue ReadingNew Fact Sheet: Using Drones with Infrared Capabilities to Monitor Fire Behavior
A new fact sheet from Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service covers how landowners and land managers can incorporate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)’s, or drones into fire operations to make burns safer and easier to conduct.
Continue Reading
