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No. 63                                                                                           January 2022
Happy New Year!

As we enter 2022, we wish every member of our prescribed fire community a happy new year! We look forward to continuing to work with all of you to increase the safe, effective use of prescribed fire across the South.

We particularly want to acknowledge those grappling with the aftermath of the Marshall Fire in Colorado. We hope that 2022 is a year of peace and recovery for those impacted.


North Carolina Virtual RT-130

The North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council has partnered to post a virtual RT-130 Wildland Fire Safety Annual Refresher on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. While created to focus on North Carolina, the course is open to other states. Those wishing to take the training will need to login or create an account and select RT-130 Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher- NC State Parks 2022. The course is self-paced and the course key to access is NCPFC2022.  Students must provide proof of a successful fire shelter deployment conducted in-person. The course will be posted on the portal through January 28, 2022.

Image: Participants deploy practice fire shelters at a Raleigh, NC event in December 2021 Photo by Laurel Kays

NC Virtual Field Tour

The North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council in partnership with CAFMS has released a virtual field tour video showcasing some of the partnerships and organizations collaborating to implement prescribed fire in western North Carolina.
Southeast Drought Update

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) issued a drought status update for the Southeast. The update notes that drought conditions are continuing to expand and worsen across the region in December, especially in the Carolinas. The situation was addressed in a recent Wildfire Today article.
COVID-19 Impacts on Fire Management Survey

Fueling Collaboration Recording

The recording is now available for the Fueling Collaboration Season 2 session on Fire and the Carbon Cycle. Upcoming sessions will cover topics including smoke management and fire in the WUI.


Smoke-Related Resources

The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network has released several new resources related to smoke management useful to prescribed fire practitioners in the Southeast:


Federal Affairs

Several recent developments within federal agencies will impact wildland fire management:

Margit Bucher AFE Lifetime Achievement Award

The Association for Fire Ecology presented the Herbert Stoddard Award Lifetime Achievement Award to retired TNC North Carolina Fire Director Margit Bucher for her significant contribution to fire ecology and management in the eastern United States during the December AFE Congress. The latest AFE newsletter included a writeup on Margit's career and many contributions to fire ecology and management.
Building Resilience Around Military Installations

The Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program has released a guide to Building Resilience to Climate Change Through Off-Base Natural Infrastructure Solutions. The document can be downloaded directly from the interactive primer website or hard copies can be mailed free of charge. Those who would like a hard copy can email osd.repi@mail.mil with your name, address, quantity of primers, and a "need-by" date, if applicable. The REPI office will begin mailing copies out in early January 2022.
Call for RX-310, RX-410 Students and Coaches

The Ember Alliance and partners will offer online versions of RX-310 and RX-410 in Spring 2022. These courses will be self-paced with live virtual sessions with regional coaches in February. Those interested should fill out the appropriate interest form:

Longleaf Beers

The Virginia-based Black Narrows Brewing Co. has partnered with the Nature Conservancy to produce a new product, Longleaf IPA. The beer is brewed with longleaf stems sustainably harvested through the partnership with TNC. Appalachian Mountain Brewery's existing Long Leaf IPA also partners with a conservation organization, The Longleaf Alliance. For each case sold, The Longleaf Alliance plants one longleaf pine seedling.
 
VA Website

The Virginia Prescribed Fire Council has launched a new website. The new site includes a variety of resources, including registration information for the upcoming 2022 Virginia PFC Meeting, which will be held on Zoom February 22-23 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Newsletters

Several organizations have released newsletters relevant to Southeastern prescribed fire:

Prescribed Fire News Roundup

EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards (OAQPS) is soliciting applications through February 25 from eligible entities to conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants of greatest concern in communities with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund request for proposals (RFP) for 2022 will be released in early to mid-January 2022, with proposals due in early to mid-March 2022. This is an adjustment from previous RFP cycles and we wanted to provide notice so that you may plan accordingly. Funding decisions will be announced in August 2022.

Job Opportunities
Sandhills Stewardship and Fire Manager Position, The Nature Conservancy North Carolina

Fire Management Specialist (Prescribed Fire Focus), Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission via Suffolk County Water Authority

Various Positions, The Ember Alliance

Upcoming & On-Demand Webinars (Times Eastern)
Prescribed Fire Council Meetings
FEBRUARY
22-23
 
Prescribed Burner Certification Courses
February 2-4 - Prescribed Burn School, Hammond, LA
April 28-30 - Prescribed Burn School, Florien, LA
Conferences, Workshops, Festivals, and Other Events
January 11-14 - National Association of State Foresters’ CMS-Wildland Fire Committee Meeting, Albuquerque, NM
February 6-12 - Cultural Management Council/Yurok TREX, Weitchpec, CA Applications accepted through January 21
 
 
 
The Driptorch Digest is distributed by NC State University as a project of the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) Prescribed Fire Working Group.


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