TPOS announces the first regional fire conference in the tallgrass and savanna region of the midwest. This event is a regional gathering of prescribed fire practitioners, fire researchers, fire ecologists, and land managers and owners. Presentation topics include prescribed fire, fire ecology, fire regimes, smoke management, fire behavior, and much more. Save the date, and plan on joining us in Dubuque!

We are pleased to announce that Mark Melvin will be the opening presenter at the conference. Mark Melvin is employed at the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway, Inc. located in Newton, Georgia. Mark has over 20 years of private land management experience in the south and 100,000+ acres of prescribed fire experience. At Ichauway, he works with conservation management and education staff to promote the appropriate use of prescribed fire. Some of his outreach efforts include; prescribed fire short courses that provide “hands-on” experience, participation with numerous university courses, private landowner outreach, and partners with many natural resource management agencies. Over the last 6 years, Mark’s primary focus has been working with prescribed fire councils at state, regional, and national levels. He is the past-chair, current vice-chair, of the Georgia Prescribed Fire Council and the current chair of the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils.

Registration for the 2013 Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Regional Fire Conference is now open. This event will be a regional gathering of prescribed fire practitioners, researchers, ecologists, land managers, and land owners. Join us to tell the unique story of prescribed fire in our region, share stories of lessons learned, while inspiring a path forward into the future role of fire.