A Member of the JFSP Fire Science Exchange Network

SO Fire Exchange

Uniting Fire Science and Natural Resource Management

Navigation

research

Job: Research Ecologist, Fire & Carbon Cycle Sciences, USDA Forest Service

by

This is a Pre-Announcement Notice. The Northern Research Station (NRS) plans to advertise the following position soon. Please circulate this outreach notice to as many potential candidates as possible; we are seeking a diverse pool of qualified applicants, and therefore especially encourage applications by groups under-represented in science and in the US Forest Service.  The online outreach notice can be found at this link: https://fsoutreach.gdcii.com/?id=B868C1BF6C7848AFAADF6AD33B2F8C3C. 

Information on the vacancy announcement will be posted at this link at a later date, as well as being sent to all who respond to this pre-announcement notice. If you would like to be notified of the vacancy please respond to the online outreach link above, or send the optional form at the end of this document to Warren E. Heilman, warren.heilman@usda.gov.

Continue Reading

Upcoming SFE Webinar: Exploring Spatial Scale in Prescribed Fire Regimes with Examples from the Southeast

by

SFE Webinar: Exploring Spatial Scale in Prescribed Fire Regimes with Examples from the Southeast

SFE Webinar: Exploring Spatial Scale in Prescribed Fire Regimes with Examples from the Southeast

Date: November 17, 2021 at 1:00pm-2:00pm ET

Webinar Registration Link: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MnVeZNiVTOSAn3NmA1gJuA

Description: Land managers often incorporate ecological principles into their planned fire regimes. One ecological principle that may affect the conservation outcome of prescribed fires is that ecological interactions are often spatial scale-dependent. While this principle is well researched in ecology, our review of the fire ecology literature indicated it is rarely studied in this context. Moreover, we analyzed trends in the size of prescribed fires over the past few decades to reveal that they tend to be larger than unsuppressed lightning ignited fires. We don’t know for sure if or how mismatches in the spatial scale of fire may impact wildlife and plants but we used previous literature from the southeastern United States to highlight some important interactions that may be fire spatial-scale dependent. Our series of analyses indicates that additional research focused on understanding spatial scale dependent patterns are needed to inform management which often occurs at larger scales than the research informing it.

Speaker: David Mason, PhD Student, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida

Webinar Partners: The Southern Fire Exchange, NC State University, and the University of Florida.

Webinar Target Audience: Natural Resource Managers, Park Rangers, Researchers, Public Information Officers, Outreach Specialists, Cooperative Extension Agents

Continue Reading

Fueling Collaboration Season 2

by

Fueling Collaboration is a series of interactive panel discussions designed to connect fire managers and researchers. Each discussion will be built on questions from the registered attendees. We’re working to bring people together to discuss, explore, and address the latest fire science and fire management issues across the eastern United States. The currently schedule discussions are:

  • November 18 Fire and the Carbon Cycle
  • December 16 Fire and Timber Management in Mixed Woods
  • January 20 Smoke is NOT Just Smoke
  • February 17 Fire and the Wildland Urban Interface in the Eastern US
  • March 17 Thinking Beyond Fuel Reduction

Register for the sessions here.

Continue Reading

PyroLife Webinar Series

by

PyroLife Webinar Series are a set of webinar series dedicated to PhD students whose purpose is to train and provide relevant knowledge to the new generation of researchers. This would be open to anyone interested in learning about this subject.

  • Starting month: February 2021
  • Frequency: monthly
  • Time: 4pm CET (time will be adapted depending on the location of international speakers).
  • Invited speakers: top international scientists and experts.
  • Participation: open and free, registration needed.
  • Target audience: PhD students, scientists, practitioners, any one interested in the topic.
  • Duration: 60 min  (30-40min of presentation + Q&A).

Find more information on the program website.

Continue Reading

Job: M.S. Research Assistantship: Human-Caused Large Wildfires in the US Southwest

by

We seek a motivated student to pursue an M.S. in the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University (NAU). The successful applicant will join a team of interdisciplinary researchers from NAU and the Forest Stewards Guild to investigate strategies for reducing human-ignited wildfires in the Southwest. Human-caused ignitions account for the majority of wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico each year. Identifying strategies to reduce large wildfires that begin on public lands has become increasingly important for fire prevention specialists across land management agencies, particularly as visitation continues to grow. The successful applicant will develop and administer a survey to public land users across Arizona and New Mexico, and will have the opportunity to build relationships with fire prevention specialists, land managers, and communities in both states over the course of their degree.

A start date of January or late May 2022 is possible. The student will hold Research Assistantship of 20-hour/week during the academic year and 40h/week during summers. Funding to support this position is available for two years. This position is based at NAU’s Flagstaff campus, but the student will have the opportunity to work with the Forest Stewards Guild in Santa Fe, NM.

Preferred qualifications

  • An undergraduate degree in natural resources, conservation social science, forestry, sociology, or a related field.
  • Availability to travel and camp in AZ and NM for up to 8 weeks during the summer of 2022.
  • Knowledge of, or experience with, social science research methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups, surveys).
  • Working knowledge of programs and platforms such as SPSS, Qualtrics, and/or ArcMap.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate their ability to work with both communities and land management agencies, possess excellent organizational skills, and express a strong interest in applied social science research.

How to apply:

Please merge and send the following documents as one PDF to Dr. Catrin Edgeley via email (catrin.edgeley@nau.edu) by the end of the day on Friday, November 5th, 2021:

  • A short cover letter clearly stating experience, qualifications, and research interests relevant to this position.
  • A current C.V. or resume
  • Names and contact information for two references.

Additional materials may be requested later in the process. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Dr. Edgeley at catrin.edgeley@nau.edu 

About Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is a 29,000-student institution with its main campus in Flagstaff, AZ at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. Flagstaff is known for its year-round recreation opportunities including skiing, hiking, and rock climbing, as well as its proximity to the Grand Canyon, national forests, state parks and wilderness areas. More information about NAU’s graduate programs in Forestry, including eligibility requirements, can be found at https://nau.edu/forestry/degrees-and-programs/

Continue Reading

Jobs: Fire Modeling Institute Analyst Positions

by

The Fire Modeling Institute (FMI) is in the process of outreach to assess interest in two permanent full-time GS-12 analyst positions.

FMI is part of the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, housed at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. FMI provides a bridge between research scientists and fire practitioners and facilitates the conversion of complex, multi-faceted fire science research into direct application for fire and fuels management. These vacancies are an exciting opportunity to join in the important work of applying science and technology to address today’s most pressing wildfire management issues.

One position will be a spatial fire analyst whose work will involve contributing to FMI’s efforts in the realm of wildfire hazard and risk analysis, analytics for strategic wildfire planning, and analysis of ecological effects of wildfire. We expect this position to be advertised within the next week. Link to the outreach announcement for this position: https://fsoutreach.gdcii.com/Outreach/?id=449A5EB0C4254EA39DA9B16C84E4BF0C

The other position will help to provide technical leadership for the national LANDFIRE program and work to facilitate the incorporation of emerging fire and fuels science into LANDFIRE processes and products. We expect this position to be advertised within the next 4-6 weeks. Link to the outreach announcement for this position: https://fsoutreach.gdcii.com/Outreach/?id=25E3378630134F73BCF818DF2DF4C09E

Both positions will be open to the public and neither will carry firefighter retirement.

Continue Reading

Research Projects Address Fire Management with Technology

by

Several research projects that aim to improve fire management with technological solutions are either underway or have been recently funded:

Fighting Fire with Data Science: UC San Diego brings Los Alamos researcher to campus for five-year joint appointment

San Diego Supercomputer Center Takes a Lead in Fighting Fires Proactively: NSF gives $5M to support UC San Diego-based BurnPro3D, powered by WIFIRE Commons

AI To Fight Wildfires: USC to Co-Lead an NSF-Funded Project for Controlled Burns and Fire Mitigation

Continue Reading

Forest Service Research: Federal-Tribal Partnerships for Wildland Fire & Longleaf Pine Woodland Encroachment

by

The USDA Forest has released two publications related to wildland fire research and management:

Indigenous fire stewardship: Federal/Tribal partnerships for wildland fire research and management

Seed Size & Predation: Longleaf Pine Woodlands and Encroaching Species

Continue Reading

EPA Awards Georgia Tech $1M to Help Protect Students and Communities from Prescribed Fire Smoke in Southern Georgia and Alabama

by

A $1 million award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will help researchers in Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering develop tactics to protect children from harmful emissions from controlled wildland burns. The initiative will provide equipment and new communications approaches in middle and high schools in Albany and Columbus, Ga., and Phenix City, Ala. Georgia Tech is focusing on the three cities because of their proximity to regular controlled burns, in addition to the communities’ lower socioeconomic statuses.

Read the full article here.

Continue Reading