In “The Fire Manager’s Guide to Blue Ridge Ecozones” a new book from the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network, TNC fire manager Adam Warwick explores a wide range of fire maintained ecosystems across the Blue Ridge. The beautiful 165 page guide includes full color photographs and illustrations. You can download the full .pdf file here. A print version of the book is expected soon.
Fire 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).
Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists
Proceedings: Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists Download and read the full GTR here (pdf).
The USFS SRS-199 abstract:
Continue ReadingMany challenges face fire managers and scientists in the Appalachian Mountains because of the region’s diverse topography and limited research supporting prescribed burning. This conference was designed to promote communication among managers, researchers, and other interested parties. These proceedings contain 30 papers and abstracts that describe ongoing research, successful technology transfer, and management tools for planning prescribed fires. Five categories of papers include ecology of plants and plant communities, wildlife ecology, fire history and fire effects, tools for forest management, and manager-scientist success stories.
NASA COVID-19 Dashboard
Limits on work and travel during the pandemic also affected how humans interact with the natural environment. For example, satellites observed a reduction in managed forest fires, otherwise known as prescribed burns, on federal lands. Prescribed burns are an important way to reduce fuel loads and maintain biodiversity. In March 2020, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies temporarily suspended all prescribed burns on federal lands in the Southeast United States. State agencies in Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina also issued spring burning bans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Forest Service’s suspension aimed to prevent virus exposure to employees and to reduce smoke exposure to vulnerable communities, since COVID-19 is a respiratory illness.
Using fire data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite, researchers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center detected a 42% reduction in active fires in the Southeastern U.S. this spring compared to previous years.
Continue ReadingNASA Documents Fewer Prescribed Burns During the Pandemic
A new research data dashboard from NASA shows the changes in prescribed fire use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The satellite derived images show the temporal and spatial changes in the amount of fire on the southeastern landscape from March through August of 2020. You can explore the data and then visit the Tall Timbers Research Station online FireTrendR application to for more information about the NASA MODIS and VIIRS Active Fire datasets.
For an in-depth discussion of this project, followed by a panel discussion with regional prescribed fire managers, register for the free Southern Fire Exchange, NASA, and Tall Timbers webinar on February 11th from 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET. The webinar panel discussion will include fire managers from Eglin Air Force Base, the Florida Park Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Fire Science Exchange Network Feedback Survey
The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) national office is working in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to receive feedback on Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN) subscribers’ experience through awareness of services provided by the Exchange Network and preferences concerning delivery of services. This information will be used by the JFSP to improve existing and future service delivery, products, and communication materials across the entire network to better meet stakeholder needs.
If you are subscribed to the Southern Fire Exchange email list, you should have received an invitation to participate in this survey. Please consider providing feedback.
Continue ReadingEncyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires 2020 Edition
This reference work encompasses the current, accepted state of the art in the science of wildfires and wildfires that spread to communities, known as wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. 171 author contributions include accepted knowledge on these topics from throughout the world, all written by the leading researchers, experts, practitioners, and academics.
This encyclopedia is an invaluable reference for newcomers to the field, as well as researchers, students, developers, and professionals who are interested in exploring this dynamic area.
Continue ReadingSFE Identifies Top Five Regional Fire Science Research Needs
Last fall the Southern Fire Exchange team worked to narrow and identify the top fire science needs for the Southeastern U.S. Using feedback from surveys, evaluations, and our advisory board, we worked with our principle investigators to develop a series of short documents that articulate some of the most pressing fire science needs for the region. These documents were shared with the Joint Fire Science Program to guide their fire science funding priorities for the country. Read more about this process and our top research needs topics for the region. The Joint Fire Science Program maintains an online database of fire science research needs that are national and regional in scope. This process provides an example of how the JFSP regional Fire Science Exchange Network can bridge the gap between fire science and management by identifying and elevating the most pressing and important research topics for funding.
A longleaf pine ecosystem restoration area in northwest Florida. Southern Fire Exchange photo by David Godwin.
2020 Top Five Southeastern Fire Science Research Needs
- Prescribed Fire Smoke Models (pdf)
- Prescribed Fire in Wetland Ecosystems (pdf)
- Spatial Scale of Prescribed Burning (pdf)
- Prescribed Fire on Private Lands (pdf)
- Prescribed Fire and Climate Change (pdf)
Smoke Management Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region
The Southern Fire Exchange, University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina State University, and the Southern Regional Extension Forestry collaboratively produced a new full-color 50 page guidebook for smoke management in the South. Intended for private landowners, the 2020 Smoke Management Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region will also be useful for students, extension agents, NRCS agents, prescribed burn associations, and prescribed burners looking to increase their smoke management knowledge. At this point, the guidebook is only available in digital (pdf) format.
The new smoke management guidebook includes full color illustrations, tables, and diagrams for understanding critical smoke, weather, and air quality concepts.
Southern Region Prescribed Fire Training Needs Survey
A survey is being conducted by many regional partners to analyze the training needs related to prescribed fire across the diverse group of practitioners in the Southeast. The results will identify needs and develop recommendations to potentially increase the availability and selection of course offerings to build capability and capacity of prescribed burners.
This survey is a collaborative effort by the SE Regional Strategy Committee for Cohesive Strategy, SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Work Group, Southern Group of State Foresters, NC State University Extension Forestry, Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientist, Forest Stewards Guild, Southern Fire Exchange, and the SE Regional Prescribed Fire Council Coordinating Group.
Please complete the survey by January 26, 2021.
The survey link is https://go.ncsu.edu/fire_
North American Blueprint for Wildland Fire Science Collaboration
A recent article in Wildfire Magazine discussed the need for a comprehensive strategy to improve collaboration and capacity for wildland fire science in North America.
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