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The Communications Kit provides resources to facilitate discussion and interactions within and between those who conduct prescribed burning and local communities. 2021-03
click to continue reading ExpandThe Communications Kit provides resources to facilitate discussion and interactions within and between those who conduct prescribed burning and local communities.
2021-03
For the publication hand out from A.Flanders at the field day to be used in conjunction with these specs, please click here
click to continue reading ExpandFor the publication hand out from A.Flanders at the field day to be used in conjunction with these specs, please click here
Land managers and the public often have the perception that, although prescribed fire assists in management of fire-dependent landscapes, it presents greater risks than the…
click to continue reading ExpandLand managers and the public often have the perception that, although prescribed fire assists in management of fire-dependent landscapes, it presents greater risks than the use of other land management tools, such as mechanical removal.
In this article, Twidwell and others compared accident and fatality rates for wildland fire (wildfire and prescribed fire) to related occupations such as construction, animal…
click to continue reading ExpandIn this article, Twidwell and others compared accident and fatality rates for wildland fire (wildfire and prescribed fire) to related occupations such as construction, animal production, crop production, and logging. Firefighters had the least fatalities from 2006-2013. Prescribed fire had far fewer fatal injuries than wildfire from 1963-2013. The authors caution that the datasets have limitations and really provide an approximation.
GPE: Since the beginning of your career, what is the most exciting development in fire ecology that you have observed? (Robin Verble’s question to Butch.)…
click to continue reading ExpandGPE: Since the beginning of your career, what is the most exciting development in fire ecology that you have observed? (Robin Verble’s question to Butch.)
Butch: One big challenge, in getting more fire on the landscape, has been “how to change the paradigm for transferring ‘management’ technology”, and “how to equip and empower landowners”. The establishment of prescribed burn associations throughout the Great Plains states is meeting this challenge and also creating a fire-culture that will carry on into the future.
GPE: What fire topics related to grasslands get you most excited as a researcher, and why?
Butch: Fire grazing/browsing interaction or also referred to as patch-burning or pyric-herbivory. This concept, developed and researched by Sam Fuhlendorf and others at Oklahoma State University, is changing how we implement prescribed burning.
Another topic is the use of fire during the growing season under extreme dry conditions. Many landowners in my region cannot meet their goals and objectives with burning unless they burn under these extreme conditions.
GPE: What are the most important fire-related questions we need to answer for grasslands today?
Butch: Fire suppression and continuous heavy stocking are primary disturbances that contributed to the conversion of rangelands from grasslands to woodlands. Chemical and mechanical brush management practices replaced the historic role of fire in rangeland ecosystems. However, the ecological and economic impacts of these practices are not the same as fire. Reintroduction of fire as prescribed burning requires proper grazing management that will accumulate effective fuel loads and enhance plant succession. The integration of prescribed fire and grazing management is essential for effective ecosystem management. This will require the development of technology in the form of decision-aids which are needed to guide managers in the process of collecting information, monitoring the resource, and applying information for management decisions.
GPE: Can you describe one or two findings/accomplishments that you are proud of from your career related to grasslands and fire?
- Development and implementation of the concept of prescribed burn associations.
- Research of prescribed burning during the growing season under extreme dry conditions and implementing its use in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas.
GPE: Looking back over your career, can you offer some professional wisdom to those who are now getting their feet wet?
Butch: Have an attitude of never being satisfied with your current knowledge of fire or anything else for that matter. Never turn down an opportunity to participate on a prescribed burn (more experience is better, even for an expert). Be adaptive and think outside the box but don’t practice outside the box unless conducting research.
In this webinar, Dale Wade (retired Forestry Consultant for the U.S. Forest Service) talked about lessons he has learned from over forty years of experience…
click to continue reading ExpandIn this webinar, Dale Wade (retired Forestry Consultant for the U.S. Forest Service) talked about lessons he has learned from over forty years of experience in working with prescribed fire. Topics of discussion included ignition devices, ignition techniques, fire effects, and prescribed burn planning.
www.forestrywebinars.net/webinars/prescribed-burning-techniques-and-lessons-learned/
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The National Wildlife Federation now has five America’s Grasslands Conferences to be proud of with the most recent conference hosted in Bismarck, North Dakota in…
click to continue reading ExpandThe National Wildlife Federation now has five America’s Grasslands Conferences to be proud of with the most recent conference hosted in Bismarck, North Dakota in August 2019. This fifth conference was also the largest by number of attendees and presentations which is a testament to the growing popularity and continued significance of this biennial event. Our co-hosts in Bismarck were the North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition and North Dakota State University who were instrumental in pulling off a successful conference. A defining feature of the conference is who attends and the organizations and grassland interests they represent. Of the almost 300 attendees in Bismarck, we had individuals from over twenty seven states, the District of Columbia, plus attendees from Canada and Mexico. Participants included over 30 ranchers and producers, academics from over 20 universities and a number of other research institutions, 35 different non-profit organizations, multiple state and regional wildlife agencies, joint ventures, local and federal agency representatives, and numerous other entities ranging from conservation districts and wildlife reserves to native seed and prairie restoration companies.