A new Southern Fire Exchange video features Jim Riddering, Ph.D., the Remote Sensing Program Manager at the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis at the University of Montana. In this video Jim talks about his project at the 2017 multinational Prescribed Fire Science Consortium event held at Tall Timbers Research Station and Pebble Hill Plantation in North Florida and South Georgia.
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Job: Southeast Region Manager, Forest Stewards Guild
The Forest Stewards Guild is hiring a full-time position in the Southeast! The Manager will be responsible for managing the Guild’s Southeast program, budget, and membership, from the bottomland hardwoods of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley to the upland forests of the Southern Appalachians. The successful candidate will help fulfill the Guild’s mission of ecological forestry in the Southeast United States and advance existing projects. Candidates should have strong project management skills, including grant writing and administration, knowledge and experience in field forestry and conservation, and the ability to think strategically.
Continue ReadingJob: NWTF Wildlife Biologist/Forester, Louisiana
The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has an immediate need for a full-time, term limited (minimum of 2 years) Forester to work in Louisiana. The preferred central location will be in proximity of Leesville, LA. This position will be responsible for completing forest management plans for private, non-industrial landowners in cooperation with conservation Partners including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Duties:
- Oversee, manage, and distribute over $100,000 to landowners in order to meet specified conservation needs such as prescribed burning and Longleaf pine plantings.
- Work cooperatively with the NRCS state and local offices, agency partners, and other NWTF staff to provide technical assistance to landowners, primarily through the development of conservation plans and implementation of conservation practices via Farm Bill Programs.
- Coordinate private landowner outreach via field days, workshops, and forestry / wildlife expos
- Promote our cooperative work through landowner and Partner contacts
- Generate landowner interest that leads to conservation plans being developed and subsequent contracts / producers for NRCS
- Address significant forest health issues affecting important habitat for a suite of game and non-game species as part of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative
- Manage all aspects of planned project work including budgets, necessary reporting, and completion of established deliverables
- Formulate geospatial aspects for all project work including the development of Arc maps outlining landowner properties, forest stands, and recommended conservation practices
- Promote accomplishments through NWTF and Partners via public relations / media outlets
Application deadline July 2, 2021. Apply here.
Continue ReadingSFE Webinar June 29: Restoring the Pine Barrens – Attitudes towards restoration of a threatened ecosystem in the U.S. South
Join us for a free one hour webinar from the US Forest Service Southern Region, the University of Georgia, the Southern Fire Exchange, NC State University, and the University of Florida.
Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.
Presenters:
Dr. Jason Gordon, University of Georgia
Dr. John Willis, US Forest Southern Research Station
Webinar Description: 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. Following the presentations there will be time for audience Q/A with the speakers.
Continue ReadingHow the Alabama-Coushatta Use Fire to Save the Longleaf Pine
Webinar Recording: Did Your Prescribed Burn Meet Your Goals and Objectives?
McRee Anderson, Beth Buchanan, Gabe De Jong and Virginia McDaniel spoke about developing a first order fire effects monitoring protocol in this South Central FLN webinar.
Recording: https://tnc.box.com/s/
Science Needs of Southeastern Grassland Species of Conservation Concern: A Framework for Species Status Assessments
The unglaciated southeastern United States is a biodiversity hotspot, with a disproportionate amount of this biodiversity concentrated in grasslands. Like most hotspots, the Southeast is also threatened by human activities, with the total reduction of southeastern grasslands estimated as 90 percent (upwards to 100 percent for some types) and with many threats escalating today. This report summarizes the results of a multistakeholder workshop organized by the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative and the U.S. Geological Survey, held in January 2020 to provide a scientific needs assessment to help inform the Species Status Assessment (SSA) process under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, with a focus on grassland species and communities of conservation concern in the southeastern United States. This report reviews the ecology of southeastern grasslands, including influences on their origin, maintenance, and high species richness and endemism; presents findings from the workshop; and discusses science questions, hypotheses, and possibilities for future research projects to help fill key knowledge gaps.
Continue ReadingNew Paper: Working Towards a More Ethical Ecology
A new paper published in Nature Ecology and Evolution by Drs. Christopher H. Trisos, Jess Auerbach & Madhusudan Katti addresses Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology. The publication addresses how “ecology as a discipline and the diversity of those who call themselves ecologists have been shaped and held back by often exclusionary Western approaches to knowing and doing ecology.” It also discusses possible shifts to help address these issues and change ecological practice.
Continue ReadingWebinar Recording: SFE Webinar: Prescribed Burn Associations in the Southeast – A Conversation With Experts
The recording of the SFE webinar, Prescribed Burn Associations in the Southeast – A Conversation With Experts is now available on the SFE YouTube channel.
Continue ReadingWorkshop Recording: Using Soil Moisture Information to Better Understand and Predict Wildfire Danger: A Symposium for Researchers and Fire Managers
This online symposium presented the latest advances in using soil moisture information to better understand and predict wildfire danger. 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 provided a forum to build connections between researchers and managers, to share relevant research in this area, and to identify ways to move forward with new research and end uses.
You can access recordings of all the workshop presentations here.
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