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FLN Networker No. 235: April 26, 2017 The FLN Networker is a publication of the Fire Learning Network—a partnership of the USDA Forest Service, agencies of the Department of the Interior and The Nature Conservancy—intended to foster communication within the network and among its friends. Submit comments, information to share, and subscription requests to Liz Rank.
For more about the FLN, visit www.conservationgateway.org/fln or contact Marek Smith.
News from the Field California: The article “Wildfires Are Essential: The Forest Service Embraces a Tribal Tradition” in Yes! magazine tells that story through a pleasant ramble in Karuk territory—from Coyote’s theft of fire, to Frank Lake’s research, to last fall’s Klamath River TREX.
California: At their tenth workshop, participants in the FireScape Mendocino FLN addressed supporting the local economy, environmental health and community well-being and worked on sandtable exercises to explore fuel treatment options. For more, see the attached Notes from the Field.
Oregon: Project Wildfire has kicked off its spring Make a Plan Mondays outreach campaign. The first video in the series covers the evacuation basics of ready, set, go, and the page also has a good one-page summary of what to do before/during fire season to get ready. The campaign will include more videos—next up: making a go kit—as well as PSAs, news stories and social media. For more on this project, contact Ed Keith ([email protected]) or Alison Green ([email protected]).
South Carolina: The last of the stories from the post-fire media tour hosted by the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment landscape is out now. The Greenville Journal article “Last Fall’s Fire Gives Birth to a Spring Transformation for Table Rock, Pinnacle Mountain” nicely covers the role of fire in this landscape, as well as plans for upcoming controlled burns. For more, contact Kristen Austin ([email protected]).
Washington: Years of investments and partnership-building by the FLN and The Nature Conservancy’s Washington chapter and Restoring America’s Forests projects in the state are part of the hard work behind the Seattle Times headline “9,000 Acres of Forest to Be Set Ablaze—to Prevent Washington Wildfires.” For more, contact Reese Lolley ([email protected]).
Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges: The spring season is now well underway, with two successful TREX recently completed in Nebraska—see the attached Notes from the Field for highlights from the Loup River TREX and Niobrara Valley Preserve TREX. Another Notes covers the Loess Hills Cooperative Burn Week, which is a version of TREX modified to meet the cooperative burning and training needs in this western Iowa landscape. The next three TREX will start in a few days, with the Ashland TREX (April 30) and Central Oregon TREX (May 1) in Oregon and the Chama TREX (May 1) in northern New Mexico. Follow along with all of them on the TREX Facebook page.
Articles & Reports: Fuzzy Cognitive Maps / Fire Ecology / Reburns Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: The JFSP project report “Policy Scenarios for Fire-Adapted Communities: Understanding Stakeholder Risk-Perceptions, Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps” reports on a case study conducted in Ashland, Oregon. The cognitive mapping was part of the multi-pronged work under the Ashland Forest All-lands Restoration SPER project.
Fire Ecology: The April issue of Fire Ecology is now available (as a series of pdfs, or in an online journal form to read cover-to-cover).
Reburns: The article “Post-Fire Vegetation and Fuel Development Influences Fire Severity Patterns in Reburns” (Ecological Applications) is based on a study of field plots in the Sierra Nevada established after four fires in 2000 through 2010 and reburned in 2012. The results suggested the possibility of positive feedback loops.
In the News: More Western Wildfire / Digital Marking More Western Wildfire: Today Colorado Public Radio ran the story “The West Is Seeing More Wildfires. Here's How To Combat Them.” It covers the Schoennagel et al. article “Adapt to More Wildfire in Western North American Forests as Climate Changes” that’s circulating widely now.
Digital Marking: The tablet-based Digital Restoration Guide—a project led by Neil Chapman ([email protected])—is highlighted in the TechCrunch story “Nature Conservancy Gives Forest Management a Digital Makeover.” The program allows for both defining thinning prescriptions and tracking trees felled.
Jobs: Fire Coordinator / Program Director Fire Coordinator: The Florida Bureau of Natural and Cultural Resources is seeking a Florida Park Service Fire Coordinator. The Bureau coordinates and standardizes the effective preservation of natural and cultural resources in state parks. Details are on jobs.myflorida.com (position 37000627); applications are due April 30.
Program Director: The Virginia chapter of The Nature Conservancy is hiring a Director for the Allegheny Highlands Program; the position includes a leadership role in the Central Appalachians FLN. Details are on the nature.org job page (job ID 45330); current Conservancy employees should apply through PeopleSoft. Applications are due by May 5.
Webinars recording available Prescribed Fire on Private Land - A WLA Practitioner Exchange The Western Landowners Alliance brought together a panel of five experts—Ron
Hvizdak, Jeremy Bailey, James Fischer, Doug Boykin and Don Decker—for this April 11 webinar. Both the recording and a written summary (including a transcript of the Q&A section) are now available.
April 27 The Ecology of Fuels new listing 10:00 Pacific / 11:00 Mountain / noon Central / 1:00 Eastern
Joe O'Brien will be the presenter on this Southern Fire Exchange webinar on the complex relationships linking forest structure, natural fuels and wildland fire. Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sfe-webinar-the-ecology-of-fuels-tickets-33437601767
Network Workshops & Field Tours May 10 Effective Prescribed Fire Communications: Developing Compelling Prescribed Fire Messages for the Public and Media / Larkspur, CO
The Pikes Peak FLN is hosting this workshop for prescribed fire practitioners, PIOs, land managers and others along the Front Range who may be called upon to discuss prescribed fire with the public or the media. Information and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/effective-prescribed-fire-communications-workshop-tickets-33643370226 or contact Parker Titus ([email protected])
May 10-12 Klamath Fire Ecology Symposium / Orleans, CA See listing under Conferences, below.
May 12 After the Fire Workshop: Connecting People, Ideas and Organizations / Wenatchee, WA
This workshop will help to identify network opportunities, preserve knowledge gained during past wildfire seasons in Washington, and will serve to bridge the gap by creating and building connections. Information and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/after-the-fire-workshop-connecting-people-ideas-and-organizations-registration-33254718759 or contact Kirsten Taggart ([email protected])
May 16-18 Southern Blue Ridge FLN Annual Workshop / Hiawassee, GA This workshop will explore lessons learned from the 2016 fires and next steps to
advance resilient landscapes and communities. It will be hosted by the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains landscape. Information and registration: http://www.sbrfln.com/ws12.html
June 13-15 FLN Leads Annual National Workshop / Orleans, CA The Western Klamath Mountains FLN will host regional network leads and key
partners from across the country to review accomplishments from the past 15 years, share lessons learned, strengthen ties within the network and plan the network's future direction and coming year’s work. Information: Marek Smith ([email protected])
FLN Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREX) April 30-May 13 Ashland Prescribed Fire Training Exchange / Ashland, OR update The application deadline for this TREX has passed.
This TREX will include a public presentation by Susan Prichard, “Becoming Fire Adapted: Community & Ecosystem Resilience to Fire,” on May 4. Details are at https://www.facebook.com/events/662692400598966/.
May 1-12 Central Oregon Prescribed Fire Training Exchange / Bend, OR The application deadline for this TREX has passed.
May 1-14 Chama Peak Prescribed Fire Training Exchange / northern NM-southern CO This TREX will take place in the Rio Grande Water Fund landscape.
Information: a flyer and announcement are on the Conservation Gateway
May 30-June 10 Luera Prescribed Fire Training Exchange / south-central NM Information: a flyer about this TREX is on the Conservation Gateway
Sept. 26-Oct. 6 Umpqua Prescribed Fire Training Exchange / Roseburg, OR new listing This TREX, co-hosted by the BLN, USFS, TNC, Lomakatsi and other partners,
will take place in the Umpqua Basin of Oregon. Applications are due June 30. Information: see attached flyer and application form
Conferences, Workshops, Training, Etc. May 6 National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day / locations nationwide Information: http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/campaigns/national-wildfire-
community-preparedness-day
May 10-12 Klamath Fire Ecology Symposium / Orleans, CA Every three years, land managers, scientists, tribes, conservationists and
community members gather to discuss fire management, history and ecology in the Klamath Mountains and beyond. Nowhere else in the country are the social, cultural, and ecological realities of fire discussed with such candor and connection to place. Information: https://mkwc.z2systems.com/event.jsp?event=7&
May 12 Assets to Ashes—Managing Wildfire Risks / Monument, CO The Pikes Peak FLN will lead the “Good Fire versus Bad Fire” session at this
event, the fifth annual Pikes Peak Wildfire Prevention Partners workshop. Information: see the attached flyer
May 24-25 Westside Fire Regime Summit: Fire in the Pacific Northwest—Past, Present & Future / Vancouver, WA
This summit will address the state of knowledge and research on fire regimes for forests and grasslands west of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington. Information: http://cpe.forestry.oregonstate.edu/wsidefiresummit
June 6-8 Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists Road Trip / Gatlinburg, TN – Asheville, NC – northern GA
Save the date for this summer road trip, with CAFMS is planning a bus tour to share lessons learned from the 2016 wildfire season.
June 15-16 FireWorks Educator Workshop / Missoula, MT This Missoula Fire Sciences Lab workshop for teachers, fire information officers,
agency educators, communication specialists and outdoor educators will include hands-on activities for teaching students about wildland fire behavior, ecology, management and traditional fire use by Native Americans. Information: see the workshop flyer and draft syllabus
October 10-12 Natural Areas Conference / Fort Collins, CO Information: http://naturalareasconference.org/
October 24-26 Oak Symposium: Sustaining Oak Forests in the 21st Century through new listing Science-Based Management / Knoxville, TN
Information: http://www.outreach.utk.edu/Conferences/Sustaining%20Oak%20 Forests/Speakers.html
Nov. 28-Dec. 2 AFE International Fire Congress / Orlando, FL The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) and Southern Fire Exchange will be co-
hosting “Fire Vision 20/20: A 20 Year Reflection and Look into the Future.” Various calls for proposals are open (check for topics and closing dates). Rx310 will also be offered concurrently with the conference (details); nominations are due by September 29. Information: http://afefirecongress.org/
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Send News, Links & Comments Lynn Decker – [email protected] – Lynn is in class April 27; in Salt Lake City (workshop) May 1-4;
in Providence, RI May 8-11. Guy Duffner – [email protected] – Guy is in the office Wednesdays and Fridays (mid-day) and
Thursdays (morning); out April 27, May 5. Heather Montanye – [email protected] – Heather is in the office. Jeremy Bailey – [email protected] – Jeremy is in Salt Lake City (workshop) May 1-4;
in Chama, NM May 5-15. Marek Smith – [email protected] – Marek is out April 24-28; in Salt Lake City May 1-4;
in Orleans, CA May 10-14. Mary Huffman – [email protected] – Mary is in Salt Lake City May 1-4. Wendy Fulks – [email protected] – Wendy is in Salt Lake City May 1-4. Liz Rank (editor) – [email protected] – Liz is in the office.
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Full Links News from the Field—CA: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/science/wildfires-are-essential-the-forest-service-embraces-a-
tribal-tradition-20170403 News from the Field—OR: http://www.projectwildfire.org/week1/ News from the Field—SC: https://greenvillejournal.com/2017/04/19/last-falls-fire-gives-birth-spring-transformation-table-rock-
pinnacle-mountain-2/ News from the Field—WA: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/fear-2015-wildfire-repeat-prompts-more-
controlled-burns-washington-state/ News from the Field—TREX: https://www.facebook.com/TREX-Prescribed-Fire-Training-Exchange-1665687823757153/ Articles & Reports—Fuzzy cognitive maps: https://www.firescience.gov/projects/14-2-01-26/project/14-2-01-26_final_report.pdf Articles & Reports—Reburns: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/15-0225/full Articles & Reports—Fire Ecology: http://fireecologyjournal.org/journal/issue/?journal=49 Job—Fire coordinator: https://jobs.myflorida.com/job/TALLAHASSEE-GOVERNMENT-ANALYST-II-37000627-FL-
32399/401677900/ In the News—More western wildfire: http://www.cpr.org/news/story/the-west-is-getting-warmer-with-more-fires-heres-how-to-
combat-them In the News—Digital marking: https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/19/nature-conservancy-gives-forest-management-a-digital-
makeover/ Webinars—Prescribed fire on private land—recording: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/902218941760177411
Summary: https://www.westernlandownersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-4-21_Summary-QA_Prescribed-Fire-on-Private-Land.pdf
The Fire Learning Network is supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together: Collaborative Engagement, Collective Action and Co-ownership of Fire, a cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
FLNFire Learning NetworkNotes from the Field
FireScape Mendocino Workshop 10: Fire Ready Communities
Upper Lake, California March 14-15, 2017
Members of the FireScape Mendocino collaborative met to talk about fire ready communities in the historic town of Upper Lake in northern California. The 58 people who took part in the two-day event represented about 20 organizations: Fire Safe Councils, environmental advocacy organizations, tribal natural resource and historic preservation departments, federal and state agencies, water quality control boards, recreation and timber interests, private foresters, and landowners. Marek Smith, the new Director of the Fire Learning Network, also flew in from Virginia for his first experience with the collaborative. Field work, presentations and conversation provided opportunities to learn new perspectives, integrate contributions from new participants and partner organizations, network, and recognize the good work being done in the area.
On their field day, participants enjoyed an early spring day in the vibrantly green California hills—some remarked that the hills will soon turn dangerously brown while others playfully insisted that they will be beautifully “gold.” The first stop was just off a steep dirt road leading into the pines of the Mendocino National Forest. A spectacular view to the west overlooked Clear Lake and the small town of Lucerne spreading along its near shore. The District Ranger showed how a fuel break at this ridge could both protect Lucerne from forest fire and protect the forest from fires starting in the checkerboard lands and highway corridor below. He passed out maps showing potential fire spread in two different conditions. “Whoa, look at that!” was a typical response, and people then shared information about the area’s fire
history, wind dynamics and land use patterns. The next stop was the Lake- view Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project, a collaborative effort of the Forest Service, Lake County Fire Safe Council, CAL FIRE and the North Shore Fire Protection District. Here, the fuel break butts up against a densely vegetated private inholding, high-lighting the importance of engaging private landowners in establishing an uninterrupted fuel break. Standing amid hand piles and shaded by the forest, the group discussed the fuel reduction treatments as a means of forest restoration as well as improved access for firefighters.
Indoor work took place at the Bachelor Valley Grange Hall, its walls plastered with maps and posters representing FireScape Mendocino’s previous work and new projects. Speakers wove together the workshop themes of supporting the local economy, environmental health and community well-being through engagement in programs and projects involving wild-fire readiness and use of “good” fire:
• Participants learned how the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group formed in an economically devastated area and works persistently to meet the “triple bottom line” of healthy environment, community and economy in their forest and watershed restoration work. In planning projects, which include controlled burning, they advocate for local employment, respect historic and Native American cultural sites and stay current with science-based tools and strategies.
• The Mendocino County Blacktail Deer Association, a longtime financial contributor to habitat improvement on public lands, advocates for controlled fire to help stem the decline in deer population, in turn supporting recreational hunting as an important economic sector in the area. The association is working with the Mendocino National Forest on a prescribed burn project.
• A report on the recent Northern California Prescribed Fire Council
The town of Lucerne nestles on the north shore of Clear Lake, by the Mendocino NF. © TNC (Mary Huffman)
For more on FireScape Mendocino: Mary Huffman [email protected]
v. 19 Apr 17 / Jana Carp
An equal opportunity provider
The Fire Learning Network is part of Promoting Eco-system Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together, a cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information about PERFACT, contact Lynn Decker: [email protected] or (801) 320-0524.
meeting included discussion of private burning collaborations, biochar initiatives and public perspectives on smoke.
• The Lake County Fire Safe Council is meeting success in implementing reflective signage to help with emergency response and wayfinding during fires in the Lake Pillsbury area of the national forest. Communities adjoining an initial project area clamored to participate when they found out about the program. “The goal is to have reflective signage for everyone in the forest boundaries,” said a Forest Service forester.
A fun sandtable exercise on fuels treatment and defensible space engaged participants in fuels treat- ment scenarios. Three sand landscapes —with match and birthday candle trees, blue paper waterways, bird-house homes and sticky note critical habitat areas—were carted outside from their hiding place behind the grange’s stage area. Participants broke into three teams to study their land- scapes and implement a fuels treat-ment strategy—selectively removing “trees”—before a fire was lit and blown by wind from an electric fan. Everyone cheered as structures sur- vived in the post-treatment landscapes. Strategies and tools for supporting and extending work with communities and beyond was another workshop theme. Community engagement consultant Jana Carp described the important assets every community has that can be mobilized locally for learning to live well with fire. She described a systematic approach
Participants discuss the placement of “fuel treat-ments” during the sandtable exercise. © MKWC (Luna Latimer)
for mapping (literally or figuratively) and connecting assets in ways that are uniquely appropriate to a particular community’s residents and organizations.
Finally, a group of FLN peers from the Western Klamath Restoration Partner- ship visited from northern California to share some of their experience with FireScape Mendocino. In addition to talking with participants, they brought examples of the kinds of documents they have developed in organizing and recording the growth of their network, such as interagency agreements, partnership documents and telling their stories for a national audience.
Participant Organizations Blue Ribbon CoalitionBureau of Land ManagementCAL FIRECalifornia Environmental Protection
Agency—Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Water Quality Control Board
Environmental Protection Information Center
Lake County Fire Safe CouncilLake County Resource Conservation
DistrictLittle Stony Inholders Alliance Mendocino County Blacktail Deer
Association Middletown Rancheria of Pomo
Indians of California Northshore Fire Protection District Office of Congressional
Representative Doug LaMalfa Private landownersRobinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians
of CaliforniaSierra Club Sierra Pacific IndustriesTuleyomeUSDA Forest Service—Mendocino
National Forest; Region 5Western Klamath Restoration
Partnership
FLNFire Learning NetworkNotes from the Field
Loup River TREXCentral Nebraska March 13-25, 2017
Amidst a mixed bag of weather—snow, excessive heat, snow again, high winds, rain—the Loup TREX team was able to complete about 3,000 acres of prescribed fire while working and training together over a two-week period in late March. The 51 firefighters came from seven states and five countries, and descended upon central Nebraska to deliver healthy, needed fire to Great Plains grasslands, share their experience and build upon their fireline skills.
Blacklining activities early on in the TREX —when conditions weren’t suitable for broadcast burning—paid dividends later in the event. After a few days, the team was able to anchor into this blackline and take advantage of a brief evening weather window to burn the eastern half of the Bull Mountain unit, about 800 acres. (This was made possible, in part, by the Sandstone Grill in Burwell, which provided a catered field meal for 50 firefighters on a busy Friday night—on two hours’ notice.) The following day was spent securing and patrolling lines.
With hot, dry weather forecast on Sunday—a high of 80, with 21 percent humidity—ignitions on the 150-acre Sioux Creek unit began early in the morning so the burn could be completed before the weather beame critical. With that done, the entire Loup TREX prescribed fire complex had a deep, black, burned area clear from the north to the south. This set the team up for later burns—in the eastern part of complex with an easterly wind, or the western part of the complex with a westerly wind.
This TREX was conducted entirely on private land, with nine landowners involved. One of those landowners suited up and joined the TREX crew on the fire- line the next day, where she learned about ignitions, holding techniques, and how to obtain fire weather. TREX participants greatly valued the eagerness, initiative, energy and local knowledge she added to the crew. The unit she assisted with did not include any of her own property—another beautiful example of cross-boundary cooperation and seeing the larger vision of the Loup TREX program.
Loup River TREX in-briefing all photos © Pheasants Forever (Ben Wheeler)
The TREX Plans Chief (from Franktown Fire and Rescue in Colorado) ignites a line of the Bull Mountain Unit.
Task Force Bravo rules! I have known that terrain my whole life and I still get goose bumps that you lit it up at night and rocked it!! Ben Wheeler and Burn Boss Dan Kelleher amaze me!
local landownervia Facebook comments
Left: A firefighter from Spain ignites a blackline along a prescribed fire unit boundary. Crews blacklined to help prepare for lighting the entire unit when good burn conditions became available.
Above: Smoke rises from the Sioux Creek burn unit, surrounded by a deep blackline.
For more on the Loup River TREX: Ben Wheeler [email protected]
For more on other TREX: http://nature.ly/trainingexchanges
v. 25 Apr 17 / Ben Wheeler
An equal opportunity provider
The Fire Learning Network is part of Promoting Eco-system Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together, a cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information about PERFACT, contact Lynn Decker: [email protected] or (801) 320-0524.
A local landowner is welcomed into the TREX crew with a friendly toss led by participants from Spain.
all photos © Pheasants Forever (Ben Wheeler)
During the Loup TREX, 17 local ranchers and neighbors joined the TREX crew to complete the 1,585-acre Cedar unit. Many of them were members of the local Custer Prescribed Burn Association, a cooperative group of landowners who help deliver safe and healthy fire to each other’s land. This group added valuable personnel and engine resources to the group, and integrated well into the fire learning environment.
Participant Organizations Bay Mills Indian CommunityBRIFBureau of Land ManagementCastilla la ManchaConaforFirestorm Wildland Fire Suppression,
Inc.ForexFranktown Fire and RescueINFOCANebraska Game and Parks
CommissionNorthern Arizona UniversityPheasants Forever and Quail ForeverPrometheus Fire ConsultingSinarmsSpray Creek RanchSugarloaf Fire Protection DistrictUniversity a PachingoUniversity of WashingtonUSDA Forest ServiceUtah Department of Natural ResourcesWatershed Research & Training Center
I am a firm believer that the success of Loup TREX prescribed program has little to do with the raw acres our crew completes, but is rather measured by the actions that occur once our crews leave. I have been delighted to hear several reports that our landowners have accepted the responsibility to continue where we left off. A few days after the TREX, the remaining 500 acres were safely and effectively burned under local direction and cooperation with neighbors. Four separate prescribed fires have also been completed adjacent to 2017 Loup TREX units, further compounding the impact of the TREX. These landowners that have picked up the ball truly represent the Loup TREX vision and the future of fire in central Nebraska.
Ben Wheeler, Pheasants Forever/Loup TREX Coordinator
At the end of the TREX, the crews and landowners alike were pleased to see healthy fire returned to so many acres of the central Nebraska landscape, most of which had not seen fire since settlement. On the last evening, landowners held an appreciation dinner to thank the TREX participants for all of their hard work. In turn, the participants were grateful to the landowners, as well as the towns of Burwell and Ord, for being such gracious hosts of the 2017 Loup TREX. The next Loup TREX has been set for March 12-24, 2018!
THANK YOU—the patience and knowledge you shared with me— I can never express my gratitude to you and central Nebraska is blessed to have you! You created team building for us as land owners and our neighborhood that will benefit our community and ecosystem greatly for generations.
For more on the NVP TREX: Rich Walters [email protected]
For more on other TREX: http://nature.ly/trainingexchanges
FLNFire Learning NetworkNotes from the Field
Niobrara Valley Preserve TREXNorthern Nebraska
March 17-April 2, 2017
Forty firefighters from California, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah and British Columbia assembled in Nebraska for two weeks of burning and training in and around The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve. Together they put 2,848 acres of good fire on the ground to support a healthy sandhills prairie, built skills, and practiced working effectively in multi-organization teams.
v. 25 Apr 17
An equal opportunity provider
The Fire Learning Network is part of Promoting Eco-system Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together, a cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information about PERFACT, contact Lynn Decker: [email protected] or (801) 320-0524.
Participant Organizations Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department Bureau of Land ManagementGering Fire DepartmentGreat Plains Fire Science ExchangeNational Park ServiceNebraska Environmental TrustNebraska Forest ServiceNebraska Game and Parks
CommissionThe Nature ConservancyU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
© TNC (Chad Bladow)
Wet weather was able to put a damper on firing activities but not crew morale. Participants took advantage of non-fire weather by setting up monitoring plots for an upcoming prescribed fire. Reducing invasion by eastern redcedar is a primary objective of the Niobrara TREX. Small redcedar trees occur throughout the grasslands and in the bur oak leaf litter understory. Niobrara TREX participants created photopoints and marked redcedar trees to document mortality rates from the planned prescribed fire.
The Niobrara Valley Preserve has been an important base from which exchange programs have grown. Folks who have met and trained in Nebraska have replicated the event in South Africa and Spain.
FLNFire Learning NetworkNotes from the Field
Loess Hills Cooperative Burn Week
Fremont, Harrison, Monona & Pottawattamie Counties, IAMarch 2017
The Loess Hills Fire Partners’ annual cooperative burn week provides opportunities to join with partners to achieve fire management in an area where extra hands or resources are needed to accomplish work at scale. It is also an opportunity for burners to build relationships with partners, share knowledge and skills, and work within a more complex organizational structure than usual, through use of the Incident Command System. An NWCG S-219 Firing Operations course was integrated into the week; the course incorporated both classroom and hands-on time focusing on ignition techniques and tools. This year’s burn week ran March 20-24, with more burning taking place on the scheduled “rain days” March 27-28.
The week was based at Willow Lake Recreation Area, with most work focused in Harrison and southern Monona Counties. Burn units on Harrison CCB and Loess Hills State Forest lands were identified as priorities for treatment, as was a large complex on Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and private land in Monona County. Burns on three of these units were conducted during the first operational shift, on Monday, but sub-sequent days were more challenging to fire operations due to wet and windy weather. However a non-burn day on Tuesday allowed S-219 participants to complete the classroom portion of the course and receive training on proper fusee and flare use, among other subjects.
Then, as wet weather continued in Harrison and Monona Counties, the operations shifted south on Wednesday and Thursday, with the crew burning in Fremont and Pottawattamie Counties. Although these units were not in the identified focal areas, these burns provided key opportunities for training in a variety of positions including FFT1,
as well as hands-on ignition time for the S-219 course participants.The following week—during the rain dates that had been set during the event planning—participants were able to complete two days of additional burning on priority units. These included two units for the Harrison CCB and a large unit on the Loess Hills State Forest.A total of 57 people took part in this year’s Cooperative Burn Week, and 23 people took the S-219 Firing Operations course. Many participants received evaluations for their FFT1 (Squad Boss) taskbooks and several served as Burn Boss trainees. Other important opportunities included training and practice in firing very pistols (flares) and using fusees, learning new or different engine and UTV setups, and working within a complex burn organization with multiple divisions organized under the Incident Command System. Seven staff from multiple agencies served on the Incident Management Team in a variety of roles. There was also strong participation from local volunteer fire
departments, with eight individuals from six department participating on several burns. This was particularly important, as it has long been a goal of partners here to better integrate with VFDs on prescribed fire operations.
Participant Organizations Conservation Corps of Minnesota & IowaDoane UniversityElon University, Elon, NCHarrison County Conservation BoardIowa Department of Natural Resources
—Parks, Wildlife, Forestry DivisionsIowa Natural Heritage FoundationLittle Sioux VFDLogan VFDMagnolia VFDMissouri Valley Fire and Rescue [VFD]Modale VFDMondamin VFDPheasants ForeverPottawattamie County Conservation
BoardThe Nature Conservancy
Crew members keep an eye on the interior burn out on the Riverton unit. © TNC (Emily Hohman)
For more information, contact: Scott Moats [email protected]
v. 21 Apr 17 / Emily Hohman
An equal opportunity provider
The Fire Learning Network is part of Promoting Eco-system Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together, a cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information about PERFACT, contact Lynn Decker: [email protected] or (801) 320-0524.
Participants reported that the Coopera- tive Burn Week was a positive experience and was successful in achieving multiple objectives, including fire management goals, training, and improving collaboration between partners in the Loess Hills region. The use of an expanded Incident Manage- ment Team and the Incident Command System this year provide for a more organized and smoother running operation on burn days and during the entire week, resulting in improved outcomes and participant experiences. The high turnout —with most participants coming from the Loess Hills—speaks to the high level of interest among partners in completing priority burn units and pursuing training and networking opportunities in the region. And the participation of several people from other regions of Iowa and Nebraska was a strong positive as well, as these participants are either state- wide collaborators in the land manage-ment community or brought unique and valuable experiences to share with local staff.
Top: The Murray Hill unit was one of the high priority units burned the first day. © Iowa DNR (Matt Dollison)Right: An after action review was held after each burn (here, after the Overlook unit in Monona County).
© Pottawattamie CCB (Kody Wohlers)Below: The crew re-gathered (here, at the Jones Creek unit) to complete burning on the scheduled “rain days.” © Pottawattamie CCB (Kody Wohlers)
Burn Unit Ownership County AcresMurray Hill DNR/Harrison CCB Harrison 69Overlook DNR Monona 212CRP field Private Monona 8Jensen DNR Fremont 74Noddleman DNR Fremont 90Riverton DNR Fremont 945Matters Private Pottawattamie 110Farm Creek Pottawattamie CCB Pottawattamie 10Old Town Harrison CCB Harrison 160Vaile Harrison CCB Harrison 120Jones Creek DNR Monona 718
In five days of burning, participants completed 11 burn units, for a total of 2,516 acres of fire in the Loess Hills.
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Join us this fall in southwest Oregon’s Umpqua Basin to learn
about using prescribed fire to manage, restore, and maintain oak woodlands
and other ecosystems.
We invite professional wildland firefighters and prescribed fire practitioners, fire and resource managers, ecologists, biologists, conservationists,
students and faculty, researchers and scientists from federal, state, tribal, non-governmental and private organizations to be part of our burn team.
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Umpqua Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) September 26 to October 6, 2017 | Roseburg, Oregon
Target Audience Professional wildland firefighters and prescribed fire practitioners, fire and resource managers, ecologists, biologists, conservationists, students and faculty, researchers and scientists from federal, state, tribal, non-governmental and private organizations.
Course Objectives A partnership of several agencies and organizations in southwest Oregon’s Umpqua Basin will host a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) in the fall of 2017. The intent of this training is to provide opportunities for firefighters, scientists, and managers to:
• Work and train together to build experience in prescribed fire practices and effects.
• Apply prescribed fire as a management tool in white oak woodland, savannah, and other ecosystems.
• Learn about different management objectives and social challenges of prescribed fire use around communities.
• Demonstrate competencies and potentially receive evaluations in Position Task Books for the positions of RXB2, ENGB, FIRB, FFT1 and FEMO.
Course Format The training will be organized as an incident, using the Incident Command System and will provide a variety of training opportunities as described in the list below (training opportunities may vary due to weather, wildfires and other events out of our control):
Prescribed Fire Operations. Participants serve in qualified and trainee firefighting positions on a burn team and assist with preparing, briefing, igniting, holding, mopping-up, and patrolling on numerous controlled burns.
Prescribed Fire Ecology. The training will include field trips to areas burned in recent wildfires or fuel treatment projects, as well as presentations from scientists, land managers, and practitioners.
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Other Learning Opportunities. Participants will have opportunities to learn other skills as well, such as pre- and post-fire effects monitoring, fireline leadership, and interviewing with local media.
Location. The work will primarily take place in the Umpqua Basin in southwest Oregon in Oak woodlands, savannahs, and conifer forests.
Participant Requirements • All participants’ qualifications must be current and meet their agency’s requirements. At a
minimum, everyone must have completed NWCG courses S-130 and S-190, as well as FEMA IS-700A and ICS-100. Self-study materials for these courses are available to participants who need them.
• Participants must complete an arduous pack test before the start of the event.
• All participants must have insurance (e.g., personal or employer provided health insurance, workers’ comp, or travel insurance) to cover any injury they may sustain during the training exchange.
• Participants should come with all appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including fireline-approved boots, a New Generation Fire Shelter, headlamp, hardhat, Nomex clothing, all leather gloves, eye protection, and canteens. If you do not have proper PPE, please let us know.
• Each participant is responsible for a $300 non-refundable registration fee. Instructions on how to pay the registration fee will be provided when you are notified that you have been selected to attend.
• Participants are responsible for their own travel to and from Roseburg, Oregon. During the training meals and camp facilities will be provided.
Application If you are interested in learning more about this training, please contact Jake Winn [email protected]. To apply, submit the form (p. 4) to [email protected] by June 30, 2017 Space is limited, so we recommend that submit your application as early as possible. Instructions on registering and paying the fee of $300 will be provided once selections have been made.
Umpqua TREX Application September 26-October 6, 2017
Submit completed applications to [email protected] by June 30, 2017 Notifications of acceptance will be made by July 30
Instructions on registering and paying the $300 fee will be provided once selections have been made.
I. Participant Information
Name: a Organization: Position:
Work address (street, city, state, zip/postal code, country):
Work phone: Mobile phone: Email:
II. Qualifications (Required: NWCG S-130 and S-190, FEMA IS-700A and ICS-100. Self-study available: contact us for more information)
List your wildland fire qualifications:
List your desired trainee position:
List positions for which you are comfortable training others:
What type of vehicle and equipment are you are able to bring (e.g. pickup, engine, hand tools, drip torches)?
III: Course Expectations
Describe your expectations for the training. What do you expect to learn, to bring to the course, and to experience? How will this benefit your workplace, organization, and career?
