This workshop will take place in Tucson, AZ. November 27th will consist of a one-day workshop on fire effects to archaeological resources. November 28-29th will be the interactive workshop and will cover the following topics:

• Importance of fire on the landscape and the importance of protecting cultural resources within that context
• How can fire managers and archaeologists effectively work together?
• Basic fire effects on resources
• Process- roles and responsibilities and how to better communicate before and during wildfire events
• How to build an inclusive planning process pre-fire
• How to build relationships

"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 will provide some lessons learned from coordinating these events, and tips to putting one on in the future. Participants will be provided with 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.

USU Forestry Extension and the Southern Rockies Science Network present this special webinar: Prescribed fire is an essential management tool for restoring and maintaining fire-dependent ecosystems; however, land managers are unable to apply prescribed fire at the necessary levels. Past surveys have identified a range of policies and regulations that managers say limit their ability to conduct prescribed fire. We are conducting a project investigating barriers to prescribed fire across the West for the BLM and the US Forest Service. Our goals are to identify the origin and range of interpretation of perceived policy barriers (i.e. whether these reside in law, agency guidance, culture, or individual discretion) and characterize the opportunities and mechanisms that are available to overcome barriers at various scales. The first phase of our project involved a legal analysis and interviews across the 11 Western states with BLM and Forest Service fire and fuels managers and state-level air quality regulators. We report on the diversity of regulatory approaches, policy barriers, and strategies for overcoming challenges across the West, based on our legal review and interviews. While air quality regulation limits managers’ ability to conduct prescribed fire, it is only one of many issues that managers say affect their programs; other significant challenges include capacity limitations, a lack of incentives to increase accomplishments, and individual risk aversion.

• A forum for discussion and exchange of information and technology.
• An opportunity to identify research and program needs.
• Exhibits, displays and samples of new products and services.
• A chance to hear world renowned featured speakers:
  • Jim Gerrish - Grazing Lands Producer/Consultant dedicated to aiding farmers and ranchers more effectively manage their grazing lands for economic and environmental sustainability. 
  • Fred Provenza - Professor Emeritus, Utah State University, who over 30 plus years produced ground breaking research that laid the foundations for what is now known as behavior-based management of landscapes. 

It has been more than 20 years since the social impacts of wildfires have begun to draw significant attention from policymakers and land managers. And the adverse effects on people, biodiversity, landscapes and infrastructure show no signs of abating given current trends in climate change. As a global community of practitioners and scientists interested in human dimensions and safety, we seek to spark discussion, interaction and engaged conversation about whether we are focusing on the right problem framings and consequent solutions to deal with these on-going wildfire challenges.

This joint conference offers a forum where past experience and lessons learned are documented, current work showcased, and emerging ideas/technology presented to provide a strong foundation that will facilitate setting a course to the future that addresses and responds to developing challenges locally, regionally, and globally.

The 2019 Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies mid-winter meeting will be in Tucson, AZ.

The 72nd Annual SRM Meeting, Gateway to the Prairie, will be in Minneapolis, MN.

With more fire in the wildland-urban interface, greater all-hazard challenges taxing our resources and no expectation of change soon, it’s critical to come together to discuss the issues impacting our industry.

The WUI Conference brings together firefighters, researchers and leadership at the local, state, federal and tribal levels to collaborate on emerging issues and educate wildland-fire management.

Experts warn that year-round fire season is the new normal. Wildfire is no longer “if” it will occur, but rather “when.” Wildfires burned 9,781,062 acres in the United States in 2017. The impacts of a wildfire last long after the flames are extinguished. Community leaders, agency representatives, property owners, and anyone impacted by wildfire is invited to join this interactive workshop and conference featuring recovery experts and agencies engaging After The Flames.

This conference will take place at the Embassy Suites, downtown Denver, CO.

This conference, Fuels of Today Fire Behavior of Tomorrow, will be in Albuquerque, NM. 

The 3rd Annual (2019) workshop will be at Hotel 1620 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The 8th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress will redefine the ecological concept of pyrodiversity to explore cross-cutting issues across a variety of disciplines. Managers, practitioners, scientists, policy makers, and community members are welcome. The conference will engage participants in presentations, workshops, field trips, fire circle discussions, and networking. Diverse fire topics will include: Ecology, Conservation, Ecosystem Services, Human Dimensions and Social Systems, Climate Change, Managing Fire for Multiple Objectives, Landscape-level Fire Management, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Cultural and Historical Resources, Burned Area Rehabilitation, Organizational Diversity, Risk Management, Wildland Urban Interface, Technological Innovations, Resilience, Fire Regimes, Fuels Management, Fire Behavior, Restoration, Adaptive Management

The Association for Fire Ecology is excited to be hosting this event with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium in Tucson, Arizona.

The Reburn Project was motivated by a need to better understand wildfires as a type of fuel reduction treatment and to assess the impacts of fire suppression on forested landscapes. The original JFSP task statement (Influence of past wildfires on wildfire behavior, effects, and management) was created to inform the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and to address how past wildfires influence subsequent wildfire spread and severity as well as to evaluate how past wildfires may support different fire management strategies. Our study focused on three study areas, located in the inland Pacific Northwest, central Idaho and interior British Columbia. Each study area was centered on a recent, large wildfire event in montane, forested landscapes.We first evaluated fire-on-fire interactions between past wildfires and subsequent large fire events (see Stevens-Rumann et al. 2016). Next, we created a landscape fire simulation tool that allowed us to explore the impact of fire management on the patterns of forest vegetation and fuels across landscapes. To do this, we created an iterative tool that uses historical ignition and weather data to evaluate potential burn mosaics compared to actual pre-wildfire landscapes under different wildfire management strategies.

The Master of Natural Resources (MNR) program is a course-based program with a professional project. The MNR can be completed entirely online -- without ever coming to campus, and at in-state tuition rates for all. 

Questions? Contact cnr-grad-studies@uidaho.edu

Land managers are challenged to protect cultural resources within the context of reintroducing fire on the landscape. Positive relationships and partnerships are essential to effective management.

The University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Lands, and Boise State University are hosting an Idaho Law Review symposium, Law, Planning and Wildfire in the Wildland-Urban Interface: The Future of Government and Governance of Disaster in the West.

Basic Admission:  $75
Government / non-profit sector attorneys seeking 5.25 CLE credits:  $100
Private sector attorneys seeking 5.25 CLE credits:  $125
(Admission includes lunch and refreshments)
 

Overcoming land management and restoration challenges to achieve sustained yield of multiple uses on public lands will be the focus of the 12th Annual Restoring the West Conference on October 16-17, 2018 at Utah State University. By law the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and many other governmental agencies must manage their lands for "sustained yield" of "multiple-uses" like outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife and fish "without … impairment of the productivity of the land". Demand for these resources on public lands, and for ecosystem services and other previously unanticipated outputs, is increasing greatly. Management has gotten more complicated as uses and users have increased. At this conference researchers and managers will share ideas about and examples of compromise, collaboration, and creativity that can improve management and restoration of public lands for sustained yield of the many resources we value. The conference will include two days of plenary sessions and an evening social including a poster session. We hope you will join us in October - stay tuned for more information, agenda details, etc.

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Northwest Chapter, the Society of Wetland Scientists Pacific Northwest Chapter invite symposia and organized workshop proposals for the 2018 joint regional conference, Restoring Resilient Communities in Changing Landscapes, to be held October 15-19, 2018 at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane, Washington. The conference highlights the intersection between the practice and science of ecological restoration and ecosystem management in the Cascadia Bioregion, along with a broader continental perspective through participation of the North American Chapters of SER. 

Conference to include a sage-steppe ecosystem theme. Call for symposia now open.

You must register by October 15. There will be 20-day sessions offered in January, February, March, April, and June. 

The Prescribed Fire Training Center (PFTC) is a unique program blending maximum field prescribed burning experience with a flexible curriculum of classroom instruction on foundational topics for prescribed fire practitioners.

The PFTC is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida. Training locations are dispersed throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Attendees will travel to several remote sites during their stay to take advantage of prescribed burning and learning opportunities with a variety of agencies, fuel types, and challenges such as urban interface.

This workshop is for trainee and qualified Fire Effects Monitors, fire ecologists, and specialists who are using new technologies for fireline operations. The workshop will provide learning and training opportunities to improve safety and monitoring, and prescribed fire and suppression skills. Cadre will include teams who are developing and using UAVs to support wildland fire operations, experts in fire and smoke modeling and fire effects monitoring, and experienced FEMOs and fire ecologists.

The ecological effects of wildland fire – also termed the fire severity – are often highly heterogeneous in space and time. This heterogeneity is a result of spatial variability in factors such as fuel, topography, and climate (e.g. a map of mean annual temperature). However, temporally variable factors such as daily weather and climatic extremes (e.g. an unusually warm year) also may play a key role. We conducted a study in which statistical models were produced describing fire severity as a function of live fuel, topography, climate, and fire weather. On average, live fuel was the most influential factor driving fire severity, followed by fire weather, climate, and topography. The statistical models we produced were then used to generate maps depicting the probability of high-severity fire, if a fire were to occur, for several ecoregions in the western US. These maps can potentially be used by land management agencies to prioritize hazardous fuel reduction treatments. This webinar pertains to all mountainous regions of the western US but will slightly emphasize the southwestern US. 

"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 will provide some lessons learned from coordinating these events, and tips to putting one on in the future. Participants will be provided with 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.

The 2018 Convention, Forest Policy and Science-Management Interactions, will be in Portland, OR. 

Attend  and gain information on:

   •  Cutting-edge forest science with practical application
   •  Case studies showcasing best practices
   •  Adaptive management examples from forest practitioners
   •  On-the-ground workshops in broad interest areas
   •  Forest management in the Pacific Northwest

The Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP) is a free, online tool that helps landowners and natural resource managers track vegetation through time and plan actions to improve America's grazing lands. The RAP can be used to provide strategies to improve productivity of grazing lands, manage weeds, mitigate impacts of wildfire and drought, and benefit wildlife habitats. Powered by Google Earth Engine, RAP merges machine learning and cloud-based computing with remote sensing and field data to provide the first-ever annual cover maps of rangeland vegetation. This new platform allows people to view trends in rangeland resources at an unprecedented blend of space (from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean), time (1984 to present), and scale (at the ranch, watershed, or county level). Designed to be combined with local knowledge, the RAP helps users better understand vegetation change through time to aid in conservation planning and outcome evaluation. This webinar will describe the innovative breakthrough in mapping vegetation cover and demonstrate RAP applications.

Western working lands feed, water and fuel the nation while sustaining up to 80 percent of the region’s wildlife species. These lands, their wildlife, and those who make their living from them face increasing pressures. While the original conservation movement has focused primarily on legal protections for land and species, the next era of conservation must shape economic conditions and policies that actively foster healthy landscapes, rural livelihoods and wildlife. Join us in Billings, MT, to help improve the stewardship and economics of working landscapes, increase mutual understanding among stakeholders and identify areas of agreement. Come engage in helping us forge a productive path forward.

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Pelican Point on the west shore of Pyramid Lake.
Directions: From Reno, NV, head north on State Route 445, continue north past Sutcliffe, NV to Pelican Point.  Signs will be posted at Pelican Point to direct volunteers to the event location.  

For more information contact Dean Tonenna at 775-885-6189, dtonenna@blm.gov

Thursday (9/20) will be an exciting day of presentations on current and developing research and management at the Stanley Community Center (register early- seating limited). Followed by a fun-filled evening of networking and silent auction at the newly remodeled Mountain Village Bar/Restaurant.

Friday (9/21) is a field trip to Galena Summit and Rainbow Creek Project Area. This is a management focused trip. Come learn about the approaches Sawtooth and SNRA staff have available to them to manage whitebark pine.

Saturday (9/22) is a field trip to Basin Butte Lookout. Discussions will include Fire and Lookout History, Regen sampling, Blister Rust ID, Plus Tree Program in R4, cooperating and coordinating efforts in R4.

Conference theme: People, Places, and Perceptions - Wildfire and the Human Condition 

Location: The Lodge at Mountaineer Square, 620 Gothic Road, Mt. Crested Butte, CO

This year's conference will provide an in-depth exploration of how human dimensions affect community adaptation to wildfire. We'll examine why people adopt or reject best practices, how we understand risk, and how we collectively perceive notions about wildfire. The conference will offer a suite of learning opportunities including - keynote speakers, networking events and workshops, panel discussions, break-out sessions, and social gatherings.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Policy Analysis has invited LANDFIRE,  to present a seminar, Foundational All-Lands Data for Improving Decisions in Land Management, on September 10, 2018, in Washington, D.C. as part of their Seminar Series. The presentation is open to the public via webcast; the recorded event will also be posted to the Office of Policy Analysis website.

Step 1: For audio, dial: 1-888-844-9904 and use access code: 3847359
Step 2: Web Login: https://usfs.adobeconnect.com/sfmr-500/
 

Expanding the use of prescribed fire in fire dependent ecosystems will be critical for reducing both wildfire risks and building healthy resilient forests. The southern region of the US leads the nation in prescribed fire applications partly as a result of close collaborations among federal, state, and private land managers, a vision promoted by the Forest Service's Shared Stewardship Across Landscapes initiative announced by Secretary Purdue. The ability to expand the use of prescribed fire both regionally and nationwide will require a focus on delivering science that provides the best information available to empower fire managers.  The success of prescribed fire applications in the south is partly the result of it being recognized as the most ecologically appropriate and cost-effective tool for managing loblolly, shortleaf, slash and longleaf pine stands in the region. Recently however, some forest health specialists suggested that prescribed burning after drought will stress mature pines, increasing their susceptibility to beetle attack. 

This webinar is being presented by Joseph O'Brien, Research Ecologist and Fire Team Leader for the Center for Forest Disturbance Science, USFS Southern Research Station.

The vast sea of sagebrush-steppe rangelands that supported iconic wildlife and many ecosystem services has been heavily impacted by exotic plant invasions and altered wildfire, motivating one of the largest restoration and rehabilitation efforts globally. Members of the Great Basin Chapter of SER will describe the efforts, past and future, from scientific and management perspectives, and address the needs and prospects for an adaptive management approach: 

• Matt Germino, research ecologist with the US Geological Survey, Boise ID, has been focused on basic and applied aspects of plant-soil interactions in restoration and conducting research in the adaptive management framework
• Cindy Fritz, an Emergency Stabilization and Burned Area Rehabilitation specialist with the Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID, has led fire rehabilitation efforts on thousands of acres for over 20 years. 
• Jeanne Chambers, research ecologist with Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Reno NV, has led development of science and application of resistance and resilience concepts in sagebrush ecosystems and effective research-management partnerships. 
• Dave Pyke, research ecologist with the US Geological Survey, Boise ID, has led the science of assessing post-fire restoration treatment effectiveness along with rangeland monitoring approaches.

7/19 Field Day with Washington State University Extension

Come and learn about the latest research for restoring ventenata-infested natural areas and
rangeland. The field day will cover ventenata control trials established since the spring of 2016. You will see the effects of both new and established herbicide options. After attending this tour you will have a better understanding of herbicides, tank mix options, and application timings for ventenata control. You will also see the effects ventenata has on perennial grasses and the rapid response of the perennial grasses and forbs to removal of ventenata competition.