The June Driptorch Digest is Now Available

The Southern Group of State Foresters and US Forest Service have released a StoryMap that compiles multiple new resources for managing wildfire risk in the Southeast. It represents a new spatial approach that considers current conditions and future changes in climate and forests. 'Risk' was defined in multiple ways based on physical and social dimensions and includes risks associated with fire, smoke, water quality, and forest carbon stocks.
The main products are maps that give assessments of current risk in 2,500 acre units. The StoryMap also provides maps, data, and explanations related to the region's firescapes, future risk projections, and risk management strategies. Use the link below to explore the StoryMap and learn how it can be used to understand where wildfire and smoke risks are highest and where tools like prescribed fire can be most effective.
The StoryMap and the Southern Region Fire Adaptation project behind it were recently featured in a webinar by the Southern Fire Exchange and the recording will be available on the SFE YouTube page soon.

The National Interagency Fire Center released the Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for June through September and the prognosis is good for most of the region after a relatively wet spring relieved drought conditions. However, drought persists in some areas of West Texas and across central and southern Florida where the Keetch-Byram Drought Index has surpassed the historical maximum for this time of year. The US Drought Monitor can be used to get weekly drought assessments for your area and now Texas A&M Agrilife Extension has provided a short article about the tool. It includes five facts that may answer some of your lingering questions while using the tool.

Hi folks, Elliot Nauert here, co-lead of the SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Working Group and editor of the Driptorch Digest since December 2022. I would like to share that I will be leaving NC State Extension at the end of June to focus on my dissertation and transition to a position with The Ember Alliance. It has been an honor to support the strong work being done within SERPPAS, and to use the Driptorch Digest to share everything that makes the Southeast a leader in prescribed fire. Stay tuned for my open position to be flown and please look out for candidates to send our way! In the meantime, the newsletter is in good hands (meet Gianna below). If I can support your work in any way from The Ember Alliance, please reach out!
-Elliot, enauert@ncsu.edu

The Sandhills PBA has been featured many times in this newsletter as their story is continually picked up by media outlets. This month, we share a short piece by a local paper that highlights two landowners that have learned how to burn through the PBA and the contributions of Conservation Corps North Carolina. Linked below is a longer article by North Carolina Public Radio with details of the PBA's historical background including the fact that some members' families have been burning for over 100 years.

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: August 21, 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)

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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