Great Basin Fire Science Exchange

Lightning fire occurrence prediction: Modelling for operational use
2022-07-08 08:30 - 09:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Webinar recording.
Wotton, Canadian Forest Service, explains lightning fire ignition and the important processes that determine the day-to-day variation of this important source of summertime fire activity in Canada. This presentation is for both academic and operational audiences in Canada’s wildfire community.
Examples from models developed and used in Ontario’s fire occurrence prediction system were provided as well as some comparisons to similar model development in other regions of the country. Reviewing the history and operational use of these models in Ontario provides useful examples of the challenges and opportunities (and ultimately the long-term investment required) in getting research into operational use in wildland fire management.

An Indigenous framework to guide research and restoration in fire-adapted landscapes
2022-07-13 09:00 - 10:00
Webinar recording.
Description: Worldwide, Indigenous peoples are leading the revitalization of their/our cultures through the restoration of ecosystems in which they are embedded, including in response to increasing “megafires.” Yet, despite growing recognition that just and effective conservation is only possible through partnerships with, or led by, Indigenous peoples, decolonizing approaches to restoration have received insufficient attention. Further, reconciliation will be incomplete without Indigenous-led restoration of Indigenous lands, knowledges, and cultures. In this webinar, we will introduce the concept of “walking on two legs” to guide restoration scientists and practitioners in advancing the interconnected processes of Indigenous-led restoration and reconciliation in Indigenous territories. As an action-oriented framework articulated by Secwépemc Elder Ronald E. Ignace, “walking on two legs” seeks to bring Indigenous knowledges into balance with western scientific knowledge in service of upholding an Indigenous stewardship ethic that is embedded in Indigenous ways of relating to land and embodies principles of respect, reciprocity, and responsibility. Grounding our discussion in the context of fire-adapted ecosystems of western Canada and unceded and traditional Secwépemc territory, Secwepemcúl̓ecw, we will share two case studies of collaborative and Indigenous-led research and restoration to demonstrate how “walking on two legs” provides a pathway to uphold respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples, knowledges, and territories through Indigenous-led restoration.
Presenters: Marianne Ignace, Director, Indigenous Languages Program and First Nations Language Centre, Simon Fraser University
Sarah Disckson-Hoyle, PhD candidate and Public Scholar, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia

Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Seed Technology and Restoration Online Course
2022-07-18 08:00 - 17:00
Who: This training course was developed in concert with Society for Ecological Restoration and BLM’s National Training Center. It is available to restoration practitioners within the DOI and our partners. Target Audience: Natural Resource Specialists, Fire, Fuels, Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation, Botanists, Wildlife Biologists, Ecologists, Range, Minerals, Mining and Reclamation
What: This self-paced on-line course is intended to serve as an introduction to seed technology and arid and semi-arid lands restoration as a first step towards more in-depth in person restoration and revegetation courses. It provides world-class training on restoring dry land ecosystems, which are critical resources in tackling the climate crisis. By the end of the course, participants will have an understanding of:​ Ecological restoration principles, standards of practice, and concepts to increase the success of restoration efforts​, arid/semi-arid ecosystems and the challenges they pose to successful restoration​, and how to apply ecological restoration best practices and concepts in restoration planning in arid and semi-arid ecosystems​.
Where: Request an account here eDOI and search for: Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Seed Technology and Restoration.
The course consists of the following modules/lessons. Each are accessed separately and must be taken in sequential order.
Module 1: Introduction
Module 2: The National Seed Strategy
Module 3: Principles, Standards and Concepts
Lesson 3.1: Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration
Lesson 3.2: Principles, Standards and Concepts – Native Seed Standards
Module 4: Arid and Semi-Arid Systems
Lesson 4.1: Overview of Drylands
Lesson 4.2: Restoration Challenges
Lesson 4.3: Current Knowledge
Module 5: Developing and Implementing a Restoration Plan
Introduction
Lesson 5.1: Project Context
Lesson 5.2: Vision, Goals, and Objectives
Lesson 5.3: Plant Materials Selection and Procurement
Lesson 5.4: Site Preparation
Lesson 5.5: Developing and Implementing Seeding and Planting Strategies
Lesson 5.6: Monitoring and Management
Lesson 5.7: Putting It All Together

Western Governors' Association Annual Meeting
2022-07-26 - 2022-07-28
Meeting website.
The two-day event, hosted by Idaho Governor and WGA Chair Brad Little, featured the Western Governors and their specials guests in public conversations about western drought, cross-boundary land management, cybersecurity, clean energy, broadband deployment and telehealth expansion.

Wildfire impacts on water infrastructure
2022-08-16 14:00 - 15:00
Webinar recording.
Join presenter Erica Fisher for a summary of what we know so far about how structures in wildfires influence our water infrastructure and what can be done to potentially stop further contamination from wildfire events.

PNW August 2022 Drought and Climate Outlook
2022-08-22 11:00 - 12:00
Webinar recording.
According to the August 2, 2022 U.S. Drought Monitor, 39.5% of the Pacific Northwest Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) is in drought. A very wet spring and early summer has greatly improved conditions compared to March, when over 70% of the region was in drought. However, a large part of Oregon is still in Extreme (D3)/Exceptional (D4) Drought, as are pockets in Idaho. This webinar will provide more information on the current conditions and outlooks, as well as two presentations on OpenET.
These webinars provide the region’s stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña. Speakers will also discuss the impacts of these conditions on things such as wildfires, floods, disruption to water supply and ecosystems, as well as impacts to affected industries like agriculture, tourism, and public health.

Climate conversations: Wildfire
2022-08-25 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
Climate change is increasing the frequency, severity, and extent of area burned by wildfires in the U.S., putting more people at risk of exposure to fire itself and to smoke, which can travel thousands of miles and affect the health of millions of people. A.R. “Ravi” Ravishankara (Colorado State University) will moderate a conversation between Sarah Coefield (Missoula City-County Health Department) and Erica Fischer (Oregon State University) about how planners and decision makers are coping with these challenges and working to protect the built environment and human health.

Post-fire logging in southern Colorado: Changes to post-fire recovery
2022-08-31 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
Following a wildfire, successful tree regeneration is mediated by multiple factors, from the microsite to landscape scale. This presentation demonstrates the importance of microsite conditions such as soil moisture and temperature in predicting conifer tree establishment. The speakers examined the footprint and behavior of a large 2018 wildfire in southern Colorado to understand how fire severity and post-fire logging influenced stand structure, fuels, vegetation, and soil microsite conditions. Their findings show that salvage-logged plots demonstrated lower daily average temperature and minimum soil moisture and higher fuel loading across most fuel size classes relative to unlogged plots, which also corresponded with a loss of dead standing wood and little to no canopy cover. Early post-fire conifer regeneration was low across all plots, but lower soil moisture and higher soil temperature negatively impacted the density of regeneration. Careful consideration of soil impacts and the associated changes to forest conditions should be taken when conducting post-fire logging to prevent detrimental effects on microsite conditions and forest recovery.

An Introduction to the Fire Adapted Communities Pathways Tool
2022-09-01 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
Join FAC Net and Travis Paveglio as they present the new Fire Adapted Communities Pathways Tool. The Fire Adapted Communities Pathways Tool helps users identify a range of fire adaptation practices and resources that research and experience indicate are more likely to work in the places they live.
Learn more about the tool (or download it in advance of the presentation) here: https://fireadaptednetwork.org/resources/fac-pathways-tool/

Ecosystem Restoration 2022 - Free online course
2022-09-19 - 2022-11-20
Course website and registration link
Watch the course trailer
Are you interested in joining the global movement to restore our world? Do you want to become more skilled at preventing, halting, and reversing the degradation of ecosystems? Are you looking to create a national blueprint for ecosystem restoration in your country? The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity are offering a FREE Massive Open Online Course on Ecosystem Restoration.
This course compiles research from leading institutions engaged in ecosystem restoration to build awareness and skills on the process of restoring ecosystems. The course serves as an introduction to the Short-Term Action Plan on Ecosystem Restoration (STAPER) – a methodology adopted by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to support governments in the development and implementation of their national restoration strategies.
The course starts on 19 September 2022. It is designed to support government representatives in creating a national blueprint for ecosystem restoration, but is open to everyone.

Vegetation type conversions in the southwestern US: Frontline observations and management responses
2022-09-21 11:00 - 12:00
Webinar recording.
Ecosystems of the western United States are experiencing vegetation type conversions (VTC) in response to land-use change, climate warming, and their interactive effects with wildland fire. VTC is one of the most pressing management issues in the southwestern US, yet current strategies to intervene and address change often use trial-and-error approaches devised after the fact. This presentation discusses findings on VTC challenges, management responses, and outcomes from the collective experience of managers, scientists, and practitioners across the southwestern US.
Ecological reorganization across the region is not only extensive – it is complex, predominantly driven by high-severity wildfire. By a large margin, affected semi-arid forests convert to shrubland, while chaparral and sagebrush areas nearly always convert to non-native grasses. Management interventions in VTC areas most often attempt to reverse changes, although these efforts cover only a small portion of high-severity burn areas undergoing VTC. Efforts to facilitate VTC are rare but hold the potential to cover large spatial areas.
The presenter’s findings underscore that type conversion is a common outcome of high-severity wildland fire in the southwestern US. As the drivers increase with climate change, VTC appears increasingly likely in many ecological contexts, and may require management paradigms to transition as well.

Communication strategies for range professionals- Webinar series
2022-09-22 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
Who are you talking to?
Rangeland professionals know a lot about rangeland ecology and management, but not about marketing, especially online communication. Online communication is here to stay, investing time now to learn more about it will prepare you for the future.

Drivers of annual grass invasion at local and regional scales
2022-10-18 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
This presentation shares results from a recent region-wide field survey of sagebrush rangelands in Oregon and Idaho, where we examined drivers of annual grass invasion at local and regional scales, and how grazing intensity at different scales can interact with environmental determinants of vegetation.

Communication strategies for range professionals - A webinar series
2022-10-20 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
What are you saying to them and what should they do?
Rangeland professionals know a lot about rangeland ecology and management, but not about marketing, especially online communication. Online communication is here to stay, investing time now to learn more about it will prepare you for the future.

Three years of targeted grazing to reduce wildfire risk
2022-10-25 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
This presentation discusses a pilot project in partnership with the BC Cattlemen’s Association and the Province of British Columbia that uses cattle grazing to reduce wildfire risk in wildland-urban interface areas. Amanda Miller, of Palouse Rangeland Consulting is engaged as the liaison, coordinator, and researcher for the development, pilot, and testing of livestock use models for fine fuel management.

Snag hazard mapping to reduce risk to wildland fire responders with LANDFIRE
2022-10-26 10:00 - 11:00
Webinar recording.

LANDFIRE - Informal office hours recordings
2022-10-26 10:00 - 2022-12-07 11:00
Webinar registration for upcoming.
Recorded Office Hours 2022
Recorded Office Hours Summer and Fall 2021

Resistance and resilience for rangelands: What do they mean?
2022-11-01 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
This presentation discusses the following topics as they relate to rangelands:

Resistance and Resilience are commonly used terms in discussions about agriculture and preparing for the future.
Provide a common understanding of these terms as they apply to the ecology of grazed systems.
Relationships between ecological resistance and resilience, disturbances, and ecological processes will be discussed.

7th Annual SageCon Summit
2022-11-02 - 2022-11-03
The Oregon SageCon Partnership met November 2-3, 2022, in Burns, Oregon. You can access presentations, resources, and recordings using the link provided.
Summit Themes

Connect local, state, and federal partners working toward resilient rangelands in southeastern Oregon and across the Great Basin.
Share information, ideas and resources to leverage our collective knowledge, with an emphasis on strategies for addressing invasive annual grasses in our rangelands.
Inspire action and support collaborative efforts in 2023 and beyond.

Regulating Colorado's WUI
2022-11-07 09:00 - 10:00
Webinar recording.
This webinar features insights and lessons from three communities in Colorado —the City of Colorado Springs, Eagle County, and Ouray County— and their successful approaches to local adoption and enforcement of wildfire regulations. This webinar is based on a new report from the Community Wildfire Planning Center, Regulating the Wildland-Urban Interface in Colorado.

Right seedling for reforestation: Success, partners, and policy
2022-11-09 10:00 - 11:30
Webinar recording.
Climate Impacts on Regeneration-
Hear from three subject-matter experts on seedling success across elevational ranges and with varying genotypes:
Justin Crotteau, Research Forester, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Aalap Dixit, Assistant Professor, New Mexico Highlands University
Bryce Richardson, Research Geneticist, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Indigenous Knowledge Exchange and Work on the Ground!
Hear from two case study experts on utilizing Indigenous knowledge for cultural values on pre- and post-burned landscapes:
James Calabaza, Trees Water People
Nona (Nanebah) Lyndon, Tribal Relations Staff Officer, Tonto National Forest, Kaibab National Forest
Sara Souther, Assoc. Professor, Northern Arizona University
Policy In The Works-
An update on the RePlant Act, and implications for land managers.
Kas Dumroese, National Nursery Specialist & Research Plant Physiologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station

Fueling collaboration: Talking about fire
2022-11-10 08:00 - 09:00
Webinar registration.
From building firelines to researching fire trends over time, fire management and science require great communication to be successful. Our panel will share their experiences and tips on how to effectively talk about fire to gain support and build a collaborative network. We’ll address your questions about fire science communication and discuss best practices for defining objectives, connecting with your audience, and tools/resources that can help along the way.

17th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit
2022-11-11 - 2022-11-18
Conference website.
As it is already set by tradition, the Conference in Coimbra, Portugal, aims to provide an up to date on the developments in forest fire science and technology and an opportunity to meet persons and institutions, to promote international cooperation in this research and management area.
Following its previous editions, the scope of this Conference will cover the main topics related to fire management in a research perspective. There will be six major themes for you to present your work, each of them with several sub-topics, that you can find here on the website. The themes are related to Fire at the Wildland Urban Interface, Fire Risk Management, Decision Support Systems and Tools, Fire Management, Fuel Management and Socio Economic Issues. These themes are not restricted and we are open to other subjects that are proposed, as well.
Two courses, the VI Short Course on Fire Safety and the IX Short Course on Forest Fire Behaviour, will be held before the Conference, as related but separate events.

5th National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop
2022-11-14 - 2022-11-18
Workshop website.
This Workshop is considered “mission critical” for anyone working on these issues in local, state, Tribal and federal agencies, and organizations as well as non-governmental organizations and private companies. There is no other forum in the nation that provides these opportunities.

USFS Wildfire Crisis Strategy Roundtables: Recommendations and next steps
2022-11-14 11:00 - 12:00
Webinar recording.
In the winter and spring of 2022, the National Forest Foundation (NFF), in coordination with the USDA Forest Service, hosted a series of roundtables across the country to gather input on the Wildfire Crisis Strategy Implementation Plan. The NFF distilled these productive discussions with Forest Service employees and partners into regional reports and an overall synthesis report, available at nationalforests.org/wildfire-roundtables.
The purpose of this webinar is to share more information about the report, discuss next steps, and provide an opportunity for Q&A with Forest Service leadership.

Science x Forests USFS webinar series
2022-11-14 11:00 - 2022-11-18 12:00
Webinar recordings.

Monday, November 14 SCIENCE x Forests: Silviculture for the present and future
A compendium of silviculture treatments for forest types in the United States: Silviculture guidance to support modeling, scenario planning, and large-scale simulations, presented by Thomas Schuler
Prescribed burning considerations following mechanical treatments, presented by Sharon Hood
Reforestation in an era of megafires: A wicked problem for the Forest Service in Region 5 and elsewhere, presented by Martin Ritchie
Tuesday, November 15 SCIENCE x Forests: Forests and climate change
Preparing our forests for the future, presented by Mike Battaglia
The Pacific Northwest carbon dynamics research initiative: Co-production to assist land managers and policy makers, presented by Andrew Gray
Sink, swim, or surf: Surging climate change impacts and the role of climate-adaptive silviculture, presented by Alejandro Royo
Wednesday, November 16 SCIENCE x Forests: Innovations in forest research
From the forest to the faucet: Tools and data linking surface water from forested lands to public water systems, presented by Peter Caldwell
Cloud computing advances regional old-growth forest monitoring for the Northwest Forest Plan, presented by David M Bell
What is resilience in frequent-fire forests and how can it be measured?, presented by Malcolm North
Thursday, November 17 SCIENCE x Forests: Urban forestry, community, and wood utilization
The science and practice of urban silviculture, presented by Nancy Sonti and Rich Hallett
Expanding urban wood utilization, presented by Charlie Becker
Not by trees alone: Centering community in urban forestry, presented by Lindsay Campbell
Friday, November 18 SCIENCE x Forests: Invasion and outbreaks in forests
Species home-making in ecosystems: Toward place-based ecological metrics of belonging, presented by Susan Cordell
Invasion and outbreak within an epidemiological model, presented by Rima Lucardi
Mapping Armillaria-killed trees with high-resolution remote sensing, presented by Benjamin Bright

The hydrology of western juniper in central Oregon
2022-11-15 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
Dr. Carlos Ochoa’s research focuses on connections between ecohydrological processes and human interactions in an ever-changing climate. Dr. Ochoa has numerous research projects, one of which is a long term study in central Oregon that has provided critical information regarding vegetation and hydrology interactions in western juniper dominated landscapes. This presentation will discuss some of the learnings from Dr. Ochoa’s work on western juniper.

Communication strategies for range professionals - A webinar series
2022-11-17 12:00 - 13:00
Webinar recording.
How will you deliver your message to the right people?
Rangeland professionals know a lot about rangeland ecology and management, but not about marketing, especially online communication. Online communication is here to stay, investing time now to learn more about it will prepare you for the future.

Increases in large wildfire driven nighttime fire activity observed across the conterminous US
2022-12-06 11:00 - 12:00
Webinar recording.
This presentation discusses the results of 17 years of active fire data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to characterize the daytime and nighttime dynamics of wildfires across the continental US. Whereas daytime fire activity was widely detected regardless of fire type, nighttime fire activity was mainly detected inside wildfires and particularly within large wildfires in the western US. The analysis also found that as fuels dry, there is an increase in larger and more intense wildfires with higher chances that fire activity will persist overnight. Results indicate that increasing trends in nighttime wildfire activity have coincided with increasing wildfire sizes. Nighttime fire activity already poses additional risks to firefighters and communities, and this presentation discussed the probability that projected increases in the frequency of large wildfires will be accompanied by increases in the extent and intensity of nighttime fire activity.

Geo-Fencing Summit
2022-12-07 10:00 - 2022-12-08 15:00
Day 1 Recording
Day 2 Recording

Summit hosts: Matt Reeves – Rocky Mountain Research Station and Dwayne Rice – Region 2 Rangeland Program Manager
Background: Geo-fencing provides some unique advantages over conventional fencing approaches. This is especially true when we consider the devastation to fencing, and other rangeland infrastructure, caused by wildfires. Geo-fencing is increasingly used with public land grazing leases, but the cost-effectiveness of geo-fencing and common challenges are not well understood. Issues such as cost-effectiveness, environmental concerns, animal welfare, and system efficacy remain unclear.
In this Summit, we provide a forum for producers, managers, and USDA Forest Service agency leadership to share their insights, successes, and failures while answering questions in the process. Geo-fencing may have a significant role to play in the future of public land management. In this Summit, we provide a backdrop against which we can come to some common understanding of what the technology affords including the considerations needed prior to implementation.
Summit Scope & Components: The objective is to enable Summit participants to learn from the real-world experience provided by managers, agency leaders, and producers. In this Summit, we discuss geo-fencing through a series of coupled 20-minute presentations followed by a 30-minute live question-and-answer session. In this manner, we aim to engage participants from a wide range of experiences and disciplines.
Deliverables & Benefits:

The meeting itself. It provides an important means of information exchange where we can all learn from each other.
Recorded 20-minute presentations that can be revisited remotely anytime.
Identification of new partnerships between producers, managers, and researchers to foster more effective land management strategies to be developed across more regions.
