Eastern Fire Portal

Consider submitting an abstract to this session, organized by Carly Philllips, Brendan Rogers, and Peter Frumhoff. Abstracts are due July 31. The AGU fall meeting is December 9-13 in San Francisco.
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires, wildfires themselves exacerbate climate change through the release of greenhouse gases and black carbon. Together with expanding populations, this reinforcing cycle also leads to destruction of critical infrastructure, negative health outcomes from smoke, and loss of life. Fire management, however, has the potential to protect carbon, ecosystems, and human well-being, and minimize feedbacks to climate change and thus the intensification of wildfires. The aim of this session is to explore how fire management can interrupt this wildfire cycle, and reduce the impacts of climate change while minimizing the consequences of carbon loss. Organizers encourage abstracts that address interactions between wildfire science, public health, and climate policy, with an emphasis on those that address (1) feedbacks between wildfires and climate change, (2) impacts of wildfire on public health and (3) fire management as a strategy to limit atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.

The Manager will work to improve ecological conditions on Conservancy-held easements in the Flint Hills as well as those held by other land trusts. Stewardship assistance may be in the form of technical assistance, development of grazing plans, prescribed burning, mapping and spot spraying of invasives and equipment loans. Implementation of stewardship activities will be based on the management needs and circumstances of eased properties, with an emphasis on biodiversity enhancements. This position will also have stewardship responsibilities at two Conservancy-owned preserves that total 13,000 acres.

The Prairie Restoration Specialist’s (PRS) primary function is to organize daily logistics, promote crew cohesion, and to ensure a safe and productive work environment. Daily duties will focus on native seed harvest and processing for a 100+ acre prairie restoration.  PRS will coordinate efforts of a three-person intern crew daily, and additional volunteers, staff, and cooperators intermittently.  The PRS will regularly canvass native prairie sites to prioritize both species and focal areas for seed collection efforts.  The PRS may assist in prescribed burns and maintain tools, equipment and land.  Other duties may include invasive species control and vegetation monitoring.  The PRS will maintain detailed records using field journals, a database, PC or mobile device. 

The  Land Steward performs and participates in preserve operations, maintenance and management during 2019 and 2020 at  the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (17 miles north of Pawhuska). This role is temporary and is anticipated to last through the end of the 2020 calendar year.

Check out this fully online course on Wildland Fire Science and Management offered by Professor Kenn H. Clark via Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Tall Timbers Wildland Fire Science Program has received Department of Defense funding from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program to characterize multiscale feedbacks between forest structure, fire behavior and fire effects. This work seeks to advance more mechanistic predictions of fire effects through the application and advancement of coupled fire-atmospheric modeling to empirical study of surface fire regimes. The project is field-intensive and includes intensive fire-line experimentation campaigns using a variety of spatial and temporal monitoring techniques. This post-doctoral fellowship has up to 3.5 years of funding to lead integration efforts of multidisciplinary empirical fire behavior and forest measurements. The position will oversee data management, analysis, and data integration of 3D fuel characterization, fire behavior, fire effects, and 3D flows. The position will also facilitate the transfer of pre- and post-burn datasets to fire behavior modeling teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Colorado State University. The incumbent will play a key role in advancing our understanding of heat transfer to vegetation during fire and in improving post fire effects prediction. Primary duties are to assist the Wildland Fire Scientist and project collaborators with implementation of the study plan, help supervise field data acquisition, facilitate data transfer among participating organizations, and lead spatially explicit analysis of energy transfer and resulting fire effects. Other duties range from publication writing and preparation for submission to peer-reviewed journals, administering project management software, budget reporting, and student advisement.

The Landscape Research Analyst supports TWS's science team in bringing spatial analysis to its conservation programs. The position has 3 primary responsibilities: conducting spatial analyses to support scientific research, applying analytical tools in priority landscapes, and fulfilling requests for quick-turnaround maps and analysis. This is an exceptional opportunity for a conservation science professional to apply their spatial analysis expertise to conservation work throughout the country.

The analyst position is part of the research team and works collaboratively with staff across departments. The position supports geospatial analysis to identify and deepen our understanding of conservation priorities and impacts of energy development and climate change by 1) conducting spatial analysis and modeling with raster and vector data, 2) acquiring, organizing, and developing spatial and tabular databases, 3) disseminating results as maps and tabular data, and 4) conveying an understanding of spatial analyses and results through oral communication, written reports, scientific publications, and other products. Analyses include, but are not limited to, quantifying relationships between diverse ecological or social data, conducting analyses of ecosystem representation and landscape connectivity, and assisting ecologists in the development and application of geospatial models.

It's time for the 2019 award nominations!

The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) is accepting nominations for 2019 Lifetime Achievement Awards and Student Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented at the 8th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress in Tucson, Arizona this November.

Lifetime Achievement Awards in Fire Ecology and Management

These awards are presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to fire ecology and management, and who have inspired and mentored a generation of fire ecologists. Their contributions may be in research, management, teaching, service, outreach, or a combination of these areas. Lifetime Achievement Awards are given in three categories:

• Biswell Award: Awarded to individuals who primarily work in ecosystems found in western United States or in similar ecosystems internationally. This award is named after Harold Biswell, longtime faculty member at the University of California-Berkeley.
• Stoddard Award: Awarded to individuals who primarily work in ecosystems found in the eastern United States or in similar ecosystems internationally. This award is named after the long-time prescribed fire advocate for longleaf pine management Herbert Stoddard, Sr.
• Wright Award: For those who primarily work in grasslands and shrublands in the United States and internationally. This award is named after Henry Wright of Texas Tech University.

Student Association for Fire Ecology (SAFE) Student Excellence Awards

These awards are given to students who are active members of recognized SAFE chapters and who demonstrate superior academic achievement and involvement in fire related research and activities. AFE presents two awards to students each year:

• Edward Komarek, Sr. Graduate Student Excellence Award: Named after Edward Komerek Sr. (1908-1995), one of the renowned “fathers of fire ecology.”
• Harold Weaver Undergraduate Student Excellence Award: Named after Harold Weaver (1903–1983), a pioneer in the field of fire ecology and ecosystem management.

Any active member of AFE or SAFE can submit a nomination for an AFE Award.

Nominations for 2019 awards are due August 15, 2019; awards will be presented at the 8th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress in Tucson, AZ this November.

The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) has been awarded the privilege of administering the distribution of the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) TREE grant, which is designed to help graduate students travel to present at conferences, symposia, and workshops related to wildland fire science and management.

All registered graduate students in good academic standing in a field related to wildland fire science, ecology, or management in the U.S. are eligible to apply for grants. Depending on costs and the number of applicants, grants may fund all or a portion of estimated travel expenses including transportation, lodging, registration fees, and presentation preparation costs, where applicable. Funds cannot be used for food and incidentals, student stipends, direct research costs, or faculty research/administration costs. Grants will be paid as reimbursements for submitted receipts. 

Grants are limited and competitively awarded, and can only be awarded to current graduate students in the U.S. who are presenting the results of their fire-related research. This grant is for students without other Joint Fire Science Program support.