Southern Fire Portal

The Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy seeks a talented conservation-minded forester to help build a rapidly emerging Forest Conservation Program. The forester leads forest management planning and communications with private and public landowners, and implementation of forest inventories, certification and harvesting operations across the Chapter’s Forest Conservation Program. He/She assists with developing and monitoring carbon projects to support the Working Woodlands Program and our future climate resilience strategies. She/he leads operations and management of the Tennessee Chapter’s flagship forest conservation preserve, the Bridgestone Nature Reserve at Chestnut Mountain.

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 FMT will participate in preparing fire lines, maintaining equipment, post-burn monitoring and other tasks. As part of the FMT’s ongoing professional development, they will be responsible for keeping abreast of new burn techniques and equipment to enhance skills and maintain/grow professional fire certification credentials.  In addition, they shall work to build and maintain relationships in the professional fire community and in the local community where the Conservancy works. This may include participation in fire activities in partnership with other non-profits, local fire departments, and local, state and federal agencies.

The Southern Blue Ridge Conservation Forester serves in a technical leadership role for The Nature Conservancy within the Southern Blue Ridge Program of the North Carolina Chapter. This position is based in our Asheville office and works across the Southern Blue Ridge ecoregion on landscape-scale forest restoration with both public and private partners. The Conservation Forester will identify and address barriers to ecological forest restoration, and work to address priority issues through implementation of demonstration projects. This position will advance our program in applied forest ecology and silviculture across a variety of ownerships with the region. The position reports to the Southern Blue Ridge Program Director and is funded for three-years with the possibility of extension based on continued funding. Salary ranges from $45,000-$50,000/year.

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 Sandhills Stewardship and Fire Program Manager develops, manages and advances conservation programs for the restoration and management of large-scale areas within the Sandhills region of North Carolina. This position has three major focal areas: 1) leading the restoration, management and monitoring of Longleaf pine savanna (and associated communities) in the Sandhills, especially on TNC lands, to help meet the organization’s goal of creating resilient and connected habitats; 2) leading the Sandhills prescribed burn program, including planning, implementing, and evaluating all aspects of the program, to enable the safe and long-term management of natural communities in the region; and, 3) interacting with direct reports, colleagues, partners and others in a way that fosters information sharing and learning, collaboration that leads to positive and strategic conservation actions, and leveraging of resources to increase the impact and influence of the Sandhills stewardship and fire management programs within the region.

The Conservation Forester is responsible for launching and building TNCs Working Woodlands program in West Virginia.  Working Woodlands helps landowners conserve their forests while earning long-term revenue by leveraging forest carbon markets with sustainable forest management and working forest conservation easements.  The program is a critical contributor to TNC’s goals of protecting critical lands and waters and tackling climate change.  The Conservation Forester will oversee all aspects of management and implementation for this important program and may also contribute to several other important forest restoration and conservation initiatives in West Virginia and adjacent states within the Central Appalachians.

The purpose of the grant program is to provide funds for pilot projects that: (1) Address emerging forest and rangeland resource issues, (2) Have national or regional relevancy, or (3) Develop new and innovative projects that can be replicated at other institutions.

Who Is Eligible to Apply: 1862 Land-Grant Institutions, 1890 Land-Grant Institutions

Included in this free class:

• A trunk and curriculum containing 40 hands-on activities for teaching about wildland fire science
• Covers physical science of combustion, fire history, succession, and fire effects on plants andanimals
• New curriculum & streamlined materials - just released
• Includes materials on fire use by Native Americans
• Lessons for elementary, middle, and high school levels

When: June 20-21, 2019.

Where: Fire Sciences Lab, Missoula, MT

Proposals for special sessions, workshops and trainings, oral and poster presentations, fire circles, and attached meetings are now being accepted.

Call for Special Sessions ~ Deadline April 1, 2019
Call for Workshops, Trainings, and Courses ~ Deadline April 1, 2019
Call for Oral and Poster Presentations ~ Deadline August 1, 2019 for Oral Presentations and August 30, 2019 for Poster Presentations
Call for Fire Circles ~ Deadline August 1, 2019
Call for Attached Meetings ~ Deadline August 30, 2019

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.
The Southeast is an ideal site for the PFTC due to the year round burning programs of several agencies, broad prescription windows, and the high level of interagency cooperation. During their 20 day tour, individuals should expect to participate in prescribed burns conducted for a variety of objectives. The wildland urban interface is a focus of PFTC, and most participants will have opportunities to conduct burns in interface situations. This variety of field experience with the different prescriptions, planning procedures, and techniques of the various agencies offers an accelerated learning opportunity for the participants.

FY2019 20-Day Sessions:

• January 6, 2019 to January 25, 2019
• February 3, 2019 to February 22, 2019
• March 10, 2019 to March 29, 2019
• April 7, 2019 to April 26, 2019
• June 2, 2019 to June 21, 2019

FY2019 Agency Admin Workshops:

• October 25, 2018 to October 30, 2018
• February 28, 2019 to March 5, 2019