Fire Effects Portal

In August the Environmental Protection Agency released guidance on documenting particulate matter or ozone events influenced by prescribed fire or wildland fire. 

Nominations are now open for new members of the International Association of Wildland Fires' (IAWF) Board of Directors. Nominations will be accepted through September 30, 2019 and successful candidates will begin their 3-year term on January 1, 2020. Individuals meeting the requirements may self-nominate.

A Postdoctoral position is available to pursue research in fire science and ecology of the Everglades in the Plant Ecology Lab at Florida Atlantic University. Research will focus on modeling of fire behavior across varied wetland fuel complexes. This research is being done in cooperation with Everglades National Park, A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and other regional agency and university collaborators. This is a one year (12 mo.) fully-funded position (salary and benefits) with potential for extension based on performance and availability of funds, and a preferred start date no later than January 2020 (negotiable). The selected candidate will be responsible for applying empirical field data (and participating in its collection) to predictive fire behavior models to assess impacts of vegetation transitions and inform land management decisions, and will lead or contribute to product development (reports, publications, presentations) and be provided with opportunities for professional development through workshop/technical meeting/conference attendance and the pursuit of additional research questions when possible. The position is located on the FAU campus in Davie, Florida.

The Restoration Ecologist develops, implements and oversees restoration projects, and insures projects achieve outcomes within appropriate budget and resources.

The Restoration Ecologist at Sierra Streams Institute has a critical role in the community. Projects will include environmental mitigation, woodland, riparian, wetland restoration, stream stabilization and native landscaping. The Restoration Ecologist will be responsible for developing restoration and management plans, managing assessments needed for permitting and creating and implementing watershed restoration projects. This also involves developing partnerships for the projects including with Federal, State, local agencies, tribes, universities, nonprofits and landowners.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Invasive species control
• Native planting
• Riparian stabilization
• Re-vegetation of abandoned mine lands
• Creation and implementation of forest fire reduction balanced with forest health strategies
• Development of re-vegetation plant palettes
• Development of GIS maps of project areas
• Collaboration with the local indigenous tribe to select culturally significant plants for restoration
• Implementation of ecological monitoring assessments at restoration sites
• Hiring and management of contractors for assessments
• Research and development of new techniques/protocols
• Writing of research articles in scientific journals and presentations of work at conferences
• Development of contracts and oversight of consultants and vegetation management crews.
• Analyze data from assessments to inform restoration
• Write regulatory permitting applications and regulatory documentation
• Organize and track project expenditures, budgets, and activities
• Document project milestones and complete grant reporting requirements
• Recruitment of volunteers and organization of volunteer restoration workdays
• Develop projects for grants and write sections of grant proposals
• Partner with education department in the development of citizen science projects
• Teach community members about restoration projects and watershed health.

In collaboration with the Fire Program Manager the position independently plans, prioritizes, coordinates and implements prescribed (RX) burn projects for fire-dependent dry forest ecosystems located on DFW wildlife lands. This position will serve as a staff assistant in Rx burn program for Eastern Washington Zone and have supervisory responsibility over other professionals and skilled technicians. This position contributes to/supports the mission of WDFW of preserving, protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats by restoring fire as a disturbance agent at the appropriate frequency to fire dependent ecosystems/habitats sustaining and perpetuating the plants and animals dependent thereon.

As a member of the Prescribed Fire Team within the Wildlife Program, the employee participates in providing statewide fire management implementation services on wildlife areas including fire dependent fish and wildlife habitat restoration and maintenance using prescribed (Rx) fire. Additionally this position is a member of a Prescribed (Rx) Fire Burn Team to help implement projects for fire-dependent dry forest ecosystems with an initial focus in Eastern Washington but may include any region in Washington State. The employee supports/contributes to the mission of WDFW of preserving, protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats by restoring fire as a disturbance agent at the appropriate frequency to fire dependent ecosystems/habitats sustaining and perpetuating the plants and animals dependent thereon.

Sagebrush steppe plant communities and the fauna that are supported by the plant communities are negatively impacted by nonindigenous annual grasses. Conservation of sagebrush steppe is enhanced through management of these annual grasses to prevent fire, allow seed bank mediated restoration, and to enhance survival of native plants reseeded because of depleted seed banks. The successful applicant would conduct research that involves annual grass control, fire fuel sampling, modeling of fire behavior, plant community analysis to study response to annual grass removal, and small-scale seeding of forbs to improve habitat for sage grouse and other sagebrush fauna.

The successful applicant will provide evidence of experience with some aspect of computer modeling, utilize herbicides for annual grass management and ability to work in natural areas. The successful applicant will also provide evidence of good communication skills both written and oral. Research will take place at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, located southwest of Hailey Idaho (https://www.uidaho.edu/research/entities/rock-creek/research).

Please Contact:

Timothy Prather
tprather@uidaho.edu

Eva Strand
evas@uidaho.edu

This incumbent leads a small crew in the collection and processing of data for scientific research conducted by the Fire and Environmental Research Applications Team. There are multiple existing projects for field data collection. One project will focus on three-dimensional characterization of wildland fuels in multiple locations across the country, including the Rocky Mountain region and the south eastern United States. Another project will focus on pre and post-fire fuels inventories in prescribed burn units in central Utah. The aim of a third project will be to characterize fuels in grasslands in the south sound region of Washington.  These data will be used to assess fuel consumption evaluate the overall predictive capability of fuel consumption and fire behavior models. Plot data collection includes tree measurements, vegetation measurements and identification, and above and below-ground fuel quantification and classification. There will likely be opportunities to participate in other fire research projects throughout the season.

If you haven't had a chance to submit your oral presentation or fire circle abstract for the 8th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, you still have time to do so! They are extending the deadline to accommodate summer schedules and those in the field. See the link below for details and submit your abstracts no later than Thursday, August 15.

Abstracts for poster presentations and attached meetings will be accepted until August 30, with no extensions.

If you manage prescribed burns on Longleaf Pine units, we would appreciate your insights into the factors that influence burning practices.

We, myself and colleagues at the University of South Carolina, will use your responses to better understand the combinations of decision-making criteria and constraints to the use of prescribed burning in LLP management and concerns about future pressures on the use of fire across the LLP range. We will share the report with the Southern Fire Exchange, Tall Timbers Research Center, SERPASS and others interested in forest management. This survey is less than 10 minutes long and all responses are anonymous.

The California Fish and Game Journal is looking for submissions around their next special issue: “Effects of Fire on California’s Natural Resources.” The issue will focus on how fire or fire-related management activities may impact, positively or negatively, the state’s fish, wildlife, and plant resources.