Registration is now open for in-person and virtual attendance at the 9th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress in Miramar Beach, Florida from November 30th – December 4th, 2021. Opportunities for sponsorship, exhibit booths, and presentations are still available. The workshop will feature a selection of optional fire science field tours co-sponsored by the Southern Fire Exchange to fire managed lands in Northwest Florida.
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Job: NC Longleaf Program Coordinator, NC Forest Service
The Longleaf Program Coordinator, position #60032307, has just posted and closes August 5. This is a time-limited full-time position subject to external funding through grants and agreements. Current funding is secure through Dec. 31, 2022. The primary responsibility is to coordinate the NC Woods for Wildlife Conservation Initiative, which covers a 14 county project area from the sandhills and into the southern coastal plain. This is a multi-partner collaboration funded by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant. Other areas of responsibility include supporting and coordinating NCFS and partner efforts of the NC Longleaf Coalition, America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative, Longleaf Implementation Teams, and annual longleaf accomplishment reporting. The duty station will be located at either the NCFS Headquarters in Raleigh or at Griffiths Forestry Center in Clayton.
View the full job posting here.
Continue ReadingWildland Firefighter Partner/Spouse Perspective Survey
The primary goal of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters’ Wildland Firefighter Partner/Spouse Perspective Survey is to measure the impact of working as a Wildland Firefighter (WFF) so that support can be developed to minimize the rate of burnout, as well as physical and mental health issues in order to help make this line of work more sustainable.
Continue ReadingiFireNet Seeks to Build International Collaboration
A National Science Foundation funded project led by researchers from the University of California-Irvine seeks to build an international network of wildland fire researchers. iFireNet includes affiliate researchers at Tall Timbers Research Station and the US Forest Service Southern Research Station, both of which are key partners on the Joint Fire Science Program funded Southern Fire Exchange. iFireNet looks to connect existing wildland fire research programs across five continents to accelerate the pace of innovation.
Continue ReadingNOAA HRRR Interactive System Maps Predicted Smoke Movement
The NOAA-HRRR-Smoke and Fire Mapping System provides an interactive web-based tool to track and observe current and predicted smoke concentrations across the US lower-48 states. More information about the NOAA-HRRR model. A recent article about wildfire smoke in the New York Times featured the NOAA-HRR Smoke Mapping System as well a general discussion of some potential health impacts from reduced air quality.
Continue ReadingNC Prescribed Fire Council Meeting Registration Open
The North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council Annual Meeting registration is now open. The meeting in Morganton, NC on August 18 will have both hybrid and in-person options. Those in person can also attend an evening social at Catawba Brewing and a field tour on August 19th.
View the full agenda and register here.
Continue Reading*Extended* Job: Wildland Fire Support Services – Eglin Air Force Base, FL
A Wildland Fire Support Services position is available with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). This position is located at Eglin Air Force Base in Niceville, FL. **Application period extended to Aug. 2nd**
This position serves as Support Services for the Eglin Wildland Support Module (WSM) for the U.S. Air Force Wildland Fire Branch (AFWFB) based at Eglin AFB, FL. The primary purpose of this position is to provide a wide range of logistical and administrative support functions. In addition, opportunities to assist with wildland fire management may be available depending on qualifications. The Eglin WSM is a high-paced program responsible for implementing an average of 80 prescribed burns and responding to 60 wildfires annually on Air Force properties throughout Florida and the southeast U.S. The position is expected to be 80% office work and 20% fieldwork.
Continue ReadingUpdated AirNOW Fire and Smoke Map
The EPA AirNOW Fire and Smoke Map has been updated with a new interactive dashboard and additional features. For more information see the following press release from the EPA.
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EPA, Forest Service Release Improved Tools to Equip the Public with Information and Resources on Wildfire SmokeWASHINGTON (July 19, 2021) — As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to improve wildfire preparedness, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Forest Service have released updates to the popular AirNow Fire and Smoke Map to help protect communities across the country from the devastating impacts of wildfire smoke.
“Smoke from increasingly frequent, intense and widespread wildfires in the West is a significant public health threat, and EPA is committed to keeping people safe,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The updated Fire and Smoke Map harnesses the power of data and technology to help confront this challenge head on. The updated map provides additional tools to help communities near the front lines better understand their risks from wildfire smoke and the actions they can take to protect their health during wildfire events.”
EPA and the Forest Service launched the Fire and Smoke Map as a pilot in 2020 to provide the public information on fire locations, smoke plumes and air quality all in one place. The map quickly became a key wildfire smoke information source for the public, with more than 7.4 million views in the map’s first three months.
To give users the most localized air quality information possible, the Fire and Smoke Map pulls data from monitors that regularly report to AirNow, temporary monitors such as those the Forest Service and air agencies have deployed near fires, and crowd-sourced data from nearly 10,000 low-cost sensors that measure fine particle pollution, the major harmful pollutant in smoke. The map also provides easy access to smoke forecast outlooks, which the Forest Service provides when Air Resource Advisors have been deployed to wildland fires.
For 2021, the two agencies have made several improvements to the map based on feedback from state and local air agencies, Tribes, and members of the public. The updates include a “dashboard” that map users will see by clicking on a monitor or sensor. The dashboard gives users quick access to key information that can help them plan their activities: the current Air Quality Index (AQI) category at the monitor/sensor location; information showing whether air quality is getting better or worse; and information about actions to consider taking, based on the current AQI.
The updated Fire and Smoke Map also is more “mobile friendly” for people who visit the AirNow.gov website from a smartphone or tablet. The map will be available as part of the AirNow app in app stores in the coming weeks.
Visit the Fire and Smoke Map at https://fire.airnow.gov/
NIDIS Coping with Drought Research Competition
Since 2007, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) has funded more than 60 innovative drought research projects through the Coping with Drought research competition. Research through the Coping with Drought competition assesses impacts of drought on agriculture, ecosystems, and water resources and develops decision support tools for regional, state, and local use. This research contributes to the understanding of how communities become aware of drought threats and how they can improve preparation and planning. The projects incorporate consultation with stakeholders, and focus on information that is most useful for decision-making to reduce vulnerability; models and tools that bring this information to decision makers; and strategies for improving NIDIS’ engagement with communities in preparedness.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, NIDIS is hosting two separate Coping with Drought competitions: Ecological Drought and Building Tribal Drought Resilience. Both competitions are currently open and accepting letters of intent.
South Carolina PFC Meeting Registration Now Open
Registration is now open to attend the 2021 Virtual Annual Prescribed Fire Council Meeting on September 15, 2021 from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Visit www.scpfc.net for additional information or to register.
Agenda will follow. CFEs will be offered.
For additional information email: Derrick Phinney or Lisa Lord
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