Techniques, burn planning, fire weather, applications in specific ecosystems
Southern Fire Exchange Archived Webinars
Restoring the Pine Barrens – Attitudes towards restoration of a threatened ecosystem in the U.S. South (2021)
Presenters: Dr. Jason Gordon, University of Georgia and Dr. John Willis, US Forest Southern Research Station
Fire is a critical element for the restoration of native longleaf pine forests in the southern United States. This research explored public interest in restoration of this threatened ecosystem and the application of prescribed fire, a key component of restoration. We report on a project conducted across eight southern states with the following objectives: (1) to identify if prescribed fire has kept pace with demand for planting longleaf following disaster events and (2) to identify landowners’ and public interest in ecological restoration using science-based prescriptions and how managers may use this information to increase prescribed burning. To address these objectives, we collected data from key informant interviews and a public telephone survey. Results demonstrated several important predictors of social barriers to prescribed burning and types of landowners most likely to burn in longleaf ecosystems. We conclude with a discussion about ways to increase dialogue among stakeholders to help them understand the risks and benefits of appropriate ecosystem management using fire.
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Prescribed Burn Associations in the Southeast – A Conversation With Experts (2021)
Presenters: Jesse Wimberley, Coordinator, Sandhills PBA, Benjy Strope, Biologist, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Phil Wallace, Staff Forester – Silviculture, NC Forest Service, and John Weir, Associate Extension Specialist, Oklahoma State University
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. This webinar featured a panel discussion of experts from North Carolina and Oklahoma who are involved in PBAs.
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Potential Applications of Prescribed Burn Associations for Family Forest Landowners (2021)
Presenters: Nick Biemiller, Ruffed Grouse Society | American Woodcock Society
This webinar featured a research presentation that assessed the benefits, weaknesses, and strengths of prescribed burn associations (PBAs) for increasing prescribed fire on private lands in the Southern US.
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COVID-19 Impacts on Southeast Prescribed Fire & Strategies for Keeping Fire on the Ground (2021)
Presenters: Benjamin Poulter, Ph.D., NASA Earth Sciences Division, Morgan Varner, Ph.D., Tall Timbers Research Station, Greg Titus, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Brett Williams, US Air Force Wildland Fire Branch, and Sasha Ernst, Florida Park Service
This webinar featured a research presentation on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Southeastern prescribed fire as well as a fire manager panel discussion that covered strategies for managing prescribed fire programs in 2020 and 2021.
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Importance of Management for Stabilizing Long-Term Carbon Under Extreme Fire Weather (2020)
Presenter: Louise Loudermilk, Ph.D., US Forest Service Southern Research Station
This webinar addressed how future extreme fire weather may alter future fire conditions, and how we can spatially optimize prescribed fire and timber harvest to manage wildfire risk.
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Prescribed Fire 101 (2020)
Presenter: Dr. Kevin Robertson, Tall Timbers Research Station
This webinar provided an introduction to the fundamental concepts of ecology and practice related to prescribed fire in the Southeastern U.S. The webinar was intended to provide non-practitioners with information regarding the “how” and “why” of prescribed fire in the region.
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The Case for Prescribed Fire Science (2020)
Presenter: Dr. J. Morgan Varner, Tall Timbers Research Station
Recently and historically the majority of wildland fire science funding and research have focused on addressing questions associated with managing and responding to uncontrolled wildfires. Across the world there exists a strong demand for new science that can address basic and applied research needs associated with prescribed fires. Fundamental questions related to prescribed fire behavior, fire effects, smoke, and social science require new research efforts to meet the growing needs of prescribed fire managers, air quality regulators and community decision-makers. This webinar highlighted the differences between wildfire science and prescribed fire science and discussed strategies and opportunities for moving forward.
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Statutory, Regulatory and Legal Constraints on Prescribed Fire in the USA (2020)
Presenter: Dr. Carissa Wonkka, University of Nebraska
Maintaining appropriate fire return intervals for fully functioning ecosystems can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Laws and regulations can place limitations on both the timing and extent of prescribed burning. In this webinar, Dr. Wonkka presented an overview of the legislative and legal landscape facing prescribed burners. She also presented data showing how different statutory configurations can alter the amount prescribed fire applied on private land.
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Modeling and Optimizing Prescribed Fire for Managing Wildfire Risks (2020)
Presenters: Dr. Jun Zhuang and Esther Jose, University at Buffalo
Prescribed fires are often used as part of a strategy for protecting forests from catastrophic wildfires. Based on agency reports, from 2003-2017 prescribed burns have been used on more than 40 million acres across the US. In this webinar, the researchers presented their results from a data driven model to calculate the effectiveness of prescribed fires for reducing wildfire risk across multiple states and agencies. They also presented the results of an optimization model to determine the optimal amount of prescribed fires for managing wildfire risk.
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Development of a Micro-UAV for Prescribed Fire Ignition
The use of helicopter-based ignition has helped to increase the number of prescribed fire acres but the expense and complexity of air operations makes aerial ignitions inaccessible to many land managers. The NIMBUS Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has developed an Unmanned Aerial System for Firefighting (UAS-FF) to precisely drop delayed ignition spheres in a manner similar to helicopter-based ignition techniques but at much lower operational costs. This webinar described the development of the UAS-FF and included a number of videos showing the aircraft in action.
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Don’t Fear the Fire: Using Prescribed Fire to Build Resilience to Drought and Beetle Attack in Southern Pine Forests (2019)
Presenter: Dr. David Coyle, Clemson University
Some forest managers have had concerns that prescribed burning after drought will stress mature pines, and increase their susceptibility to beetle attack. However, this concern resulted in many missed opportunities for applying fire after a recent drought abated, as not burning was seen as the conservative option. The best science indicates the opposite is true: that regular prescribed burning lowers pine drought stress through control of hardwoods that compete for water. Also, regular burning creates a forest structure that can interfere with beetle communication and mating success.
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2018 National Prescribed Fire Use Survey Report (2019)
Presenter: Mark Melvin, Joseph W. Jones Center
This webinar led by the report author, Mark Melvin, explored the methodology and results of the 2018 National Prescribed Fire Use Survey.
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Lessons Learned from Learn-n-Burn Events: Moving Landowners from Interest to Action (2018)
Presenter: Jennifer Fawcett, North Carolina State University and Bobby Clontz, The Nature Conservancy
“Learn and Burn” workshops are an excellent way for private landowners and others to gain hands-on burning experience and knowledge from expert mentors. This webinar provided some lessons learned from coordinating these events, and tips to putting one on in the future. The webinar includes discussion of a template, checklist, examples of past agendas, ideas for potential partners and funding opportunities, suggestions on how to measure program impact, and successes from past events.
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Lessons Learned from Hosting Fire Festivals (2018)
Presenters: Angie Carl, The Nature Conservancy and Brian Wiebler, Tall Timbers Research Station
Have you considered planning a Fire Festival in your region? This webinar talked about lessons learned from coordinating and hosting public Fire Festivals. Brian Wiebler and Angie Carl both have experience leading highly successful Fire Festival events in North Florida (Red Hills Fire Festival) and North Carolina (Fire in the Pines Festival), respectively, and in this webinar they shared what they have learned over the years. Following the webinar there was time for audience Q/A.
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Fire Adapted Cities: Prescribed Fire Use in Urban and Community Forest Management
Prescribed fire is an effective forest and range management tool used to reduce wildfire fuels, manage understory vegetation, and restore/ manage ecosystems. Despite its utility, it is less commonly utilized in urban and community forest management.
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Legal Liability for Prescribed Fire in the Southeast
Prescribed fire is a ubiquitous tool for managing and restoring many Southeastern US ecosystems. In certain situations, prescribed fire can be the most effective and least expensive option for achieving natural resource management objectives. While the vast majority of prescribed fire operations occur without incident, the use of prescribed fire includes acceptance of risks associated with and not limited to: containment, firefighter safety, and smoke. Because of these concerns, liability is often cited as one of the top impediments to implementing prescribed fire.
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Fall 2013 Prescribed Fire Webinar Series
This webinar series was organized by North Carolina State University Extension Forestry, the Southern Fire Exchange, and the Southeast Regional Partnership in Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) Prescribed Fire Work Group
Burning on Private Lands with Consultants
John Stivers, Private Consultant, Enon & Sehoy Plantations, Retired from USFS, CF, Alabama address the importance of planning, techniques, procedures and other issues faced in conducting large, successful burn program on private lands the presenters describe some of the obstacles they encountered when burning on private lands.
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Federal Agency Ground-based Burn Crews and the PFTC
Mike Dueitt, Director, National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center, and Greg Seamon, Fire Training Specialist, Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy discuss how the Prescribed Fire Training Center provides lessons burn managers learn through the three week courses, and how these courses might assist others with their burn planning and logistics.
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Planning Large Scale Burns
Brett Williams, Fire Ecologist, Air Force Wildland Fire Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Niceville, FL; James Furman, USFS Liaison to the Air Force, Air Force Wildland Fire Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Niceville, FL present some of the logistics and planning involved in conducting large scale prescribed fires. Additional discussion topics will include developing pre- and post-burn monitoring plans as well as a review of how fire science and research are integrated into the Eglin AFB fire program.
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Prescribed Burning Techniques and Lessons Learned
Dale Wade, Forestry Consultant, Retired USFS Fire Research Scientist draws on his 40+ years of experience in prescribed fire and forest management research to share some of the practical prescribed fire lessons he has learned.
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Other useful archived webinars on this subject
Managing and Restoring Texas Oak Woodlands with Prescribed Fire
Host: Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium
Jeff Sparks, Texas Parks and Wildlife, covers current approaches to woodland management in Texas with an emphasis on fuels management.
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2012 National Prescribed Fire Use Survey and the Coalition of Prescribe Fire Councils
Host: LLC-IAWF-JFSP
Mark Melvin, Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils will share results from a recent survey that was conducted by the National Association of State Foresters and the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils to gain a better understanding of prescribed fire use.
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Prescribed Fire Opportunities for Forestry Consultants
Host: NCSU Extension Forestry, USDA NRCS, NC Forest Service.
This webinar includes income and training opportunities, prescribed fire programs, insurance options, and liability protection. Click here to learn more about this webinar and what it has to offer.
Prescribed Fire Techniques, Planning and Precautions in OK, AR, TX
John Weir, Research Associate and Fire Ecologist, Oklahoma State University discusses some of the unique aspects of prescribed burning in Midwest prairies and woodlands with special emphasis on some of the tools, models, and guidelines that have been developed for this region.
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Learning from Escaped Prescribed Fire Reviews
Host: LLC-JFSP-IAWF
Presenter Anne Black, Leopold Institute, presents recent research on lessons learned from reviews of escaped prescribed fire events, and will include a discussion about the barriers, facilitators, gaps, and opportunities for improving learning at unit and organizational scales.
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Using Climate Information for Risk Mitigation and Objective Achievement in Managed Fire
Host: LLC-JFSP-IAWF
Crystal Kolden, University of Idaho, discusses the types of climate information that are available to be integrated into fire management planning, particularly for prescribed fire.
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