Sponsor:
Southern Fire Exchange

Presenters:
Dr. Ben Poulter, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dr. Morgan Varner, Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Brett Williams, US Air Force Wildland Fire Branch
Sasha Ernst, Florida Park Service
Greg Titus, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Webinar Description:
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has altered the use of prescribed fire on hundreds of thousands of acres of public and private lands across the Southeastern United States. In this special two-part webinar, scientists and fire management program leaders will discuss both the measurable impacts of the pandemic on prescribed fire use, as well as successful strategies for managing fire during the time of COVID-19. In the first presentation, NASA research scientist Ben Poulter, Ph.D., will discuss the results of a project with Tall Timbers Research Station that identified changes in the pattern and frequency of fire across the region in 2020.

In the second half of the webinar, a panel of prescribed fire managers from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Eglin Air Force Base, and the Florida Park Service, will discuss their experiences, lessons, and strategies for managing prescribed fire programs in 2020 and 2021. Following the research presentation and panel discussion, there will be time for audience Q/A.