The February Driptorch Digest is Now Available

The public health impact of smoke from prescribed burning is a hot topic, especially with the imminent announcement from EPA regarding proposed changes to national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for fine particle pollution, also known as (PM2.5). A recent article from Boise State Public Radio highlights new research from UCLA on the relationship between different proposed forest management strategies and smoke exposure to the public in the surrounding region. The study showed that, in some scenarios, the use of prescribed fire may result in lower levels of exposure to wildfire smoke and benefits to public health. Although this research looked at specific scenarios in California, the authors propose that their "…framework can be applied to other fire-prone landscapes to incorporate public health considerations into forest management planning."

It's burning season in the South but it's been a relatively wet one and it looks like that trend may continue. That's good news for areas with reduced drought and fire potential, but it can also make it challenging to find windows for all of the burns on the books.

In 2023, the Southern Group of State Foresters released the Prescribed Burn Planner, an online app that makes it easy to track weather conditions for multiple burns. The tool allows you to add information about your planned burns including location, season, priority, and weather parameters. It then monitors National Weather Service forecasts and will send you automatic emails when an appropriate window is expected for any of your burns. Try it out and tell us about your experience!

Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) released the Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region in 2023. Early prints and digital copies are in the hands of practitioners all over the South and SREF wants to hear your thoughts! If you have used the guidebook, please take a moment to complete the evaluation form to help SREF measure its impact and make improvements. If you haven't checked it out yet, you can download a free digital copy or sign-up to hear when printed copies are available to purchase at the SREF website (estimated to be early- to mid-February).

Researchers from North Carolina State University, US Forest Service, and Conservation Science Partners examined changes to wildfire regimes in the southern Appalachians over the next 80 years under different scenarios of drought related to climate warming. Under the most extreme scenario, wildfire would burn about 17,000 square miles of forest in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee (about five times more area than current predictions). Although the most extreme scenario is relatively unlikely, it is important to consider the extremes because, as noted by the authors, we've already seen existing climate models underestimate drought conditions in other areas such as California.

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension summarized a Rapid Lesson Sharing from the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center in which a UTV caught fire. The incident occurred on the Dudda Shop #2 Prescribed Fire in Florida in 2023 and was attributed to factors related to information sharing amongst operational personnel, UTV operations, communication during incident transitions, and inadequate involvement of local fire management staff. Check out the full report in the link above, or the summary linked below to see the key recommendations.

USDA Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act Forest Landowner Support

Funding available towards two objectives:

Support the participation of underserved forest landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience
Support the participation of forest landowners who own less than 2,500 acres of forestland in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience

Award amount: Up to $2,000,000
Application Deadline: Rolling basis, quarterly

Next Deadline: February 29, 2024

NFWF Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund 2024 RFP

A record amount of approximately $30 million available for projects that help accelerate longleaf pine restoration on private and public lands.
Applicants are encouraged to prioritize projects that also address co-benefits of proposed restoration activities (carbon sequestration, water quality/quantity, etc.) and engage local communities and historically underserved landowners.
For more information, watch this recording of a recent informational webinar and check out the webinar slides.
Application Deadline (Extended): February 22, 2024

Multiple NRCS Funding Programs

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offers several funding programs that may be used to support prescribed burning. Many private landowners in the South have already taken advantage of these programs but this year there may be more funding available than in previous years. Programs vary by area, so check out the information pages listed below.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Direct Technical Assistance (Non-Financial)

Provides tailored support to communities and tribal nations that may not have the resources to begin climate resilience planning and project solution design on their own.
FEMA will offer wide-ranging non-financial support to BRIC DTA communities, including climate risk assessments, community engagement, partnership building, and mitigation and climate adaptation planning.
Application Deadline: February 29, 2024

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.

NC State University promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon one’s race; color; religion (including belief and non-belief); sex, including but not limited to pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical condition, parenting, and sexual harassment; sexual orientation; actual or perceived gender identity; age; national origin; disability; veteran status; or genetic information.