Ne rsc newsletter december 2014 published

Cohesive Wildland Fire Management StrategyNortheast Region

Resilient Landscapes - Fire-Adapted Communities - Safe and Effective Wildfire Response

In This IssueConferences and Meetings

Quick Links

Experts Warn of Cape Wildfire Dangers

National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is   May 2, 2015

New Forest Disturbance Monitoring Tool is Online

Wildfire Research from Headwaters Economics

Learning to Coexist with Wildfire

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Maps Are Available for all States

December 2014Experts Warn of Cape Wildfire Dangers

Crews monitor a fire line in the woods surrounding the Air Force PAVE PAWS radar installation during a prescribed burn meant to prevent wildfires. (Photo: Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip)

By Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times Posted Nov. 7, 2014 @ 2:00 am

Prescribed Fire Smoke Management Pocket Guide Available Online

Conferences and Meetings

---Regional---

A Lake States and Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science SymposiumBurning Issues: How do we integrate competing objectives in land management and restoration?January 13-14, 2015Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, MI

Stewardship Network 2015 Conference2015 Science, Practice, & Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems ConferenceJanuary 23-24, 2015Kellogg CenterEast Lansing, MI

2015 Midwest Fire ConferenceTallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science ConsortiumFebruary 17-19, 2015Dubuque, IA

---National---

Wildland Urban Interface ConferencePreconference:March 20-24, 2015

Updated Nov 7, 2014 at 10:11 AM 

BOURNE - It's inevitable, experts say. The Plymouth fire of 1957, which burned 15,000 acres within a 35-mile perimeter and involved 3,000 firefighters, could happen again. Maybe in Plymouth, or, this time, in Eastham, Orleans, or Sandwich.

"It will happen. There will be a catastrophic fire," said Joel Carlson, a certified forester and fire manager in charge of the prescribed burn in the woods surrounding the Air Force PAVE PAWS site on Wednesday. It will most likely happen in the spring when the winds are high and the humidity low, he said.

"There will be multiple starts across the Cape and it will exceed the capacity of our exceptional fire departments," Carlson said.

Read the full article.Back to Top

National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is May 2, 2015

By Wendy Fulks

The National Fire Protection Administration   (NFPA) announced that the next National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day will take place May 2. NFPA is partnering with State Farm and the Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) program again this year to encourage homeowners and communities to reduce their wildfire risk.

According to a press release, "Projects on May 2 can range from a short time commitment up to an entire day and can be undertaken by individuals, families, or groups. Potential projects include hosting a chipping day, distributing wildfire safety information to neighbors, organizing brush clean up, and more. Residents of all ages are invited to participate in the effort. A list of project ideas is available at www.nfpa.org/wildfirepreparednessday."

Conference: March 24-26, 2015Reno, NV

Managing Fire, Understanding Ourselves: Human Dimensions in Safety and Wildland Fire13th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit and 4th Human Dimensions of Wildland FireApril 20-24, 2015Boise Centre, Boise, ID

5th Fire in Eastern Oak Forests ConferenceMay 27-29, 2015Tuscaloosa, AL

6th International Fire Ecology and Management CongressAdvancing Ecology in Fire Management: Knowledge Transfer through Workshops, Presentations, and MeetingsNovember 16-20, 2015San Antonio, TX

Quick LinksCohesive Strategy

Fire Adapted Communities Coalition

Dovetail Partners

A number of FAC Learning Network "hub organizations" hosted events during last year's inaugural National Wildfire Preparedness Day (see related post). In 2015 we expect at least seven hubs to participate.

Michele Medley-Daniel compiled some tips for local FAC leaders who are interested in planning their own event. A "save the date" postcard is available from NFPA's National Wildfire Preparedness Day Web Page.

Source: Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network Newsletter, October 9,2014

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New Forest Disturbance Monitoring Tool is Online

A new tool called ForWarn is available that will greatly help fire and other natural resource specialists and managers assess and regularly monitor many types of forest disturbance as viewed from space over time. These disturbances, for example, can create excessive amounts of fuel in a short period of time, which can significantlyincrease the risk of a wildfire. (SeeNortheast Regional Action Plan Goal 1 Option 1C)

 FORWARN   Viewer

What is ForWarn?ForWarn is a satellite-based system that monitors forest disturbance for the conterminous United States.

Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy Key Contacts

Brad SimpkinsChairNew Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands172 Pembroke RoadPO Box 1856Concord, NH 03302-1856

Terry GallagherTechnical Working Group LeadU.S. Forest Service Eastern Region

Maureen BrooksCommunications Working Group LeadU.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area S&PF

Larry MasticCoordinator, Northeast RegionCohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

The Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC) delivers articles and stories each month that demonstrate the collaborative efforts of agencies, organizations, and communities supporting and promoting the three goals of the Cohesive Strategy: Restoring Resilient Landscapes,

It delivers new forest change products every 8 days and provides tools for attributing abnormalities to insects, disease, wildfire, storms, human development, or unusual weather. Archived data provide disturbance tracking across all lands from 2000 to the present. Access interactive maps via the Forest Change Assessment Viewer. Read more about ForWarn here.

ForWarn is a collaborative effort involving multiple Federal and university partners. For more information, contact Bill Hargrove, Eastern Threat Center research ecologist and ForWarn project director.

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Wildfire Research from Headwaters EconomicsEd. Note: Headwaters Economics has published a number of researcharticles on wildfire risk that, while focused on the West, contain valuable lessons and information that may be helpful to Northeast Cohesive Strategy partners as well.

Headwaters Economics is an independent, nonprofit research group. Its staff blends innovative research techniques and extensive on-the-ground experience working with a range of partners across the West for more than 20 years. The mission of Headwaters Economics is to improve community development and land management decisions in the West.

Headwaters Economics provides original and effective research to people and organizations that make a difference in the West. They work with community leaders, landowners, public land managers, elected officials, business owners, and

Creating Fire Adapted Communities, and Responding to Wildfire.

This news update is our primary communication tool with our partners and the public. Looking for more Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy information or past published news update issues? Visit this Web site.

Does your agency, organization, or community have a wildland fire management project or event you'd like to see featured in the NE RSC News Update?

Tell us about it! Send submissions to Larry Mastic by the end of each month to appear in the next monthly issue.

other nonprofit organizations. Their goal is to give these partners credible information they can use to identify and solve problems.

Read the full article.

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Learning to Coexist with Wildfire

(Photo courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

AbstractThe impacts of escalating wildfire in many regions - the lives and homes lost, the expense of suppression, and the damage to ecosystem services - necessitate a more sustainable coexistence with wildfire. Climate change and continued development on fire-prone landscapes will only compound current problems. Emerging strategies for managing ecosystems and mitigating risks to human communities provide some hope, although greater recognition of their inherent variation and links is crucial. Without a more integrated framework, fire will never operate as a natural ecosystem process, and the impact on society will continue to grow. A more coordinated approach to risk management and land-use planning in these coupled systems is needed.

Read the full article.

Source: Moritz, Max A.; Batllori, Enric; Bradstock, Ross A.; Gill, A. Malcolm; Handmer, John; Hessburg, Paul F.; Leonard, Justin; McCaffrey, Sarah; Odion, Dennis C.; Schoennagel, Tania; Syphard, Alexandra D. 2014. Learning to coexist with wildfire. Nature. 515: 58-66. Published online 5 November 2014.

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Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Maps Are Available for all States

About the WUIPopulation deconcentration in the U.S. has resulted in rapid development in the outlying fringe of metropolitan areas and in rural areas that have attractive recreational and aesthetic amenities, especially forests. This demographic change is increasing the size of the wildland-urban interface (WUI), defined as the area where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland. The expansion of the WUI in recent decades has significant implications for wildfire management and impact. The WUI creates an environment in which fire can move readily between structural and vegetation fuels. Its expansion has increased the likelihood that wildfires will threaten structures and people.

Maps such as this one of New Jersey are available for download.

Source: Radeloff, V.C.; Hammer, R.B.; Stewart, S.I.; Fried, J.S.; Holcomb, S.S.; McKeefry, J.F. 2005. The wildland urban interface in the United States. Ecological Applications. 15(3): 799-805.

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Prescribed Fire Smoke Management Pocket Guide Available Online

Here is a very useful and comprehensive online tool created by the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils and Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS): Prescribed Fire Smoke Management Pocket Guide.

Source: Wildfire Today, Nov. 21, 2014

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