Wildfire Wednesdays #83: How to Talk About Wildfire

We recognize the many wildfires which have ignited recently and are threatening homes and communities across the state. Our hearts go out to those who have been forced to evacuate, experienced destruction of property, or are otherwise impacted. Sign up for New Mexico State Forestry Division’s wildfire alert system here or visit NM Fire Info’s During a Wildfire webpage for more information and resources. Those who have been evacuated can find a Red Cross disaster shelter using this tool.

Hello and happy Wednesday, FACNM readers!

The blustery winds of spring are blowing in change both across the landscape and in the FACNM community. My name is Rachel and I work for the Forest Stewards Guild, a forestry nonprofit out of Santa Fe. I have contributed to this blog a few times in the past and will be helping out with the Wildfire Wednesdays project into the future. I look forward to getting to know this virtual community of curious and passionate folks!

Today we will be talking about talking - specifically, how to talk to kids about wildfire. Hotter drier days and those strong spring winds mean that wildfire season is here and smoke is on the horizon. Although wildfire is a natural phenomenon in the desert Southwest, it still poses a risk to our homes and communities and can be a pretty scary subject, especially for our youngest FACNM’ers.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Teaching: how to talk about fire ecology - the science behind wildfire

  • Preparation: how to get your kids ready for wildfire

  • Coping: how to talk to kids about upsetting news and current events

  • Plus a wildfire graphic novel and coloring book for kids or the young at heart, upcoming FACNM events, and more!

Best regards,

Rachel

Teaching: breaking down fire ecology

What is fire?

Triangle displaying oxygen, heat, and fuel on its three sides, making up the components necessary to create fire

The Fire Triangle: illustration courtesy of Oregon State University

Before we can talk about how fire spreads, we need to understand what fire is. We can feel its heat, smell its smoke, and see its light, but fire is actually not a solid, liquid, or gas. Rather, it is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion. Combustion is the process by which a substance called fuel reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat. There are three components needed for ignition and combustion to occur. A fire requires fuel ­to burn, air to supply oxygen, and a heat source to bring the fuel up to ignition temperature. Heat, oxygen and fuel form the fire triangle. Fire’s heat is the result of super-excited molecules releasing energy in the form of heat as they break and reform their atomic bonds. Smoke is the result of organic material in the fuel being heated to the point that it converts from a solid to a gas. Light is the result of that released energy incandescing, or glowing, and giving off visible light waves at a very high temperature.

How does fire spread?

“After combustion occurs and a fire begins to burn, there are several factors that determine how the fire spreads. These three factors include fuel [what burns], weather [such as temperature and how dry the air is], and topography [the flatness (such as a grassland) or steepness (such as a mountain slope) of the ground]. Depending on these factors, a fire can quickly fizzle or turn into a raging blaze that scorches thousands of acres” (How Wildfires Work).

Fire ecology: the study of fire as a natural part of the ecosystem

Preparation: getting ready for wildfire

Preparing an evacuation kit

Illustration of an emergency supply kit: a box with rations, radios, and other evacuation necessities inside

Illustration courtesy of CalFire

When a wildfire is spreading quickly and your family receives orders to evacuate, your safety is the top priority. This means you probably won’t have time to go through the house and decide what you want or need to take with you, you will just need to get moving. One key to readiness is “having an emergency supply kit ready to grab on the go, long before a wildfire or other disaster occurs. Keep it easily accessible so you can take it with you when you have to evacuate [and] plan to be away from your home for an extended period of time.” Follow the link to learn how to assemble your kit.

Making a family plan

Figure out before a disaster strikes how the whole family will react. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated, establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find, consider the specific needs of your household, and practice ahead of time! Learn how to make a plan today.

Staying up-to-date on wildfires near you

Now that you’re prepared with an evacuation kit and a plan, you need to know where to find accurate information on a wildfire burning nearby.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) maintains InciWeb, a website where official responding agencies such as the US Forest Service and NM Forestry Division can announce new wildfire ignitions and update wildfire incidents with location, containment status, acres burned, and evacuation notices. Search by incident name or find an incident on their national map (InciWeb).

New Mexico Fire Information (NM Fire Info) is an interagency effort by federal and state agencies to provide timely and accurate fire and restriction information for the entire state. The aim is to maintain one website where the best available information and links related to wildfire and restrictions can be accessed. Find updates on wildfires in the state, links to other helpful sites, and information on fire restrictions and smoke management (NM Fire Info).

Coping: how to talk about challenging subjects

illustration of adult talking to and comforting child

“After disturbing incidents like… natural disasters, feelings of panic and fear increase. Extensive news coverage and posts on social media can heighten those feelings, especially in kids and teens. As adults grapple with how to move forward in the aftermath these events, it's important to help kids and teens process them, too.” Follow these General Guidelines for helping your kid(s) cope and find security in the face of upsetting current events.

During and following a wildfire, “routine is disrupted and one's sense of security is undermined. Families and communities should not underestimate the accumulative effects of evacuation, displacement, relocation, and rebuilding”. Talking to your child, providing them with facts and explanations of what fire is and why it happened, and allowing them time to process and ask questions can all help them cope with the stress and fear associated with living through a wildfire. Visit this link to learn how to help children impacted by wildfires.

Additional resources

Graphic novel: create an account on Dark Horse to access this open-source graphic novel. Follow along as Meghan and Alexx encounter a wildfire, experience what it is like to be evacuated, and talk about fire safety in Without Warning! Wildfire Safety Comic.

Coloring book: educational wildland fire coloring sheets, available for download from The Smokey Generation (Wildfire Coloring Sheets).

Upcoming Events

Join us as we celebrate National Wildfire Preparedness Day all through the month of May!

Upcoming webinars:

Research Survey:

Barriers to Biochar Production

There is little research directly considering barriers to individual- and community-scale biochar production, and the region’s socioecological context may present unique barriers to adoption different from those reported elsewhere. Click here to fill out the survey and support this research that will promote biochar.

Wildfire Wednesdays #82: SW Wildfire Awareness Week

Happy Wednesday FACNM community!

This week, March 31st - April 2nd, is Southwest Wildfire Awareness Week. This year’s theme is “Don’t Wait for Wildfires to Start, Prepare and Be Aware.”

Historically, New Mexico’s fire danger is highest in the spring, when red flag conditions are common. It is important to be prepared before the onset of red flag conditions and reduce your property’s wildfire risk. Taking steps now to harden your home and create defensible space is the best way to reduce the threat of wildfire to you, your family and your community.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Red Flag days

  • Meaningful projects that you can complete in as little as 10 minutes

  • Home Ignition Zone Webinar: Thursday, March 31st at 2pm

  • Upcoming events: Women’s Chainsaw safety workshop

Best,

Gabe

Red Flag Warnings

A Red Flag Warning means warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.  Keep an eye on your local weather or call into your local fire department to learn if a red flag warning is in effect in your area. Follow the National Weather Service’s guidance on red flag days:

 - If you are allowed to burn in your area, all burn barrels must be covered with a weighted metal cover, with holes no larger than 3/4 of an inch.

 - Do not throw cigarettes or matches out of a moving vehicle. They may ignite dry grass on the side of the road and become a wildfire.

 - Extinguish all outdoor fires properly. Drown fires with plenty of water and stir to make sure everything is cold to the touch. Dunk charcoal in water until cold. Do not throw live charcoal on the ground and leave it.

 - Never leave a fire unattended. Sparks or embers can blow into leaves or grass, ignite a fire, and quickly spread.

Improve Fire Outcomes in your Community

Meaningful projects you can complete in as little as 10 minutes

Even small actions can have a big impact on fire outcomes for your home, family and community. Whether you have 10 minutes or 10 hours to dedicate to wildfire preparedness, use that time increase your safety, strengthen community resilience and improve fire outcomes. Not sure where to start? Click here to review this list of project ideas from the national Fire Adapted Communities learning network!

Home Ignition Zone webinar: Tomorrow at 2pm!

Click here to register for Zoom, or tune in live on the FACNM Facebook live page.

In this 60 minute webinar, Megan Fitzgerald-McGowan of the National Fire Protection Association will show you how to prepare your home for fire season. Research has shown that there are simple and easy actions you can take in the areas closest to your home to drastically lessen the chances of it catching fire in a wildfire. Tune-in to learn about the Home Ignition Zones and find out what you can do! Register now to attend the webinar via Zoom, or tune in on the FACNM Facebook live page.

Upcoming Events

Women’s Chainsaw Safety Fundamentals

April 30th - May 1st in Chama, NM

If you don’t typically use a chainsaw, have a healthy fear of them, or are not sure you’re up for handling one, then this course is designed for you! It’s also for women with experience who might like to brush up on safety skills and build extra confidence in a supportive group of fellow female land stewards. The first day will cover most of the content and include hands-on practice, and the second day will provide additional opportunities to build proficiency.

Click here to learn more!

Wildfire Wednesdays #81: Fuel Reduction Treatments

Happy Wednesday FACNM community!

We hope you’re enjoying the first glimpses of spring and have been taking some time to prepare your home and property for fire season (you can visit our resident resources page to learn what steps you can take now). Forestry and fire science are constantly evolving fields as new research provides insight into best practices and climate change projections. We wanted to share with you some new scientific research that will inform forest management and restoration decisions made in our region.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Overview of fuel treatment effectiveness

  • Updates on new fuels-reduction research

  • Upcoming webinar series of interest: Science You Can Use

Best,

Liz

Overview of fuel treatment effectiveness

What are fuel reduction treatments?

Photo credit: Deschutes National Forest

A fuel reduction treatment is a carefully selected treatment to “help reduce and rearrange the amount and continuity of fuel within a forest stand and across the landscape”. These treatments can include “thinning, prescribed burning, pruning, and mechanical understory treatments, such as mastication or mowing” and often include a combination of these treatments. These treatments reduce and rearrange surface fuels, increase the vertical and horizontal distance between tree crowns, retain large-trees, and promote fire-adapted forests while retaining wildlife habitat (OSU extension).

What do we know about fuel reduction treatments?

Through both on-the-ground wildfire and modeling, there is a scientific consensus that fuel reduction treatments have the ability to change fire behavior. Certain treatments, such as thinning and leaving behind slash, can actually create more extreme fire behavior, whereas other treatments, like thinning and surface fuels reduction, can moderate fire behavior. A 2016 meta-analysis of 56 studies concluded that thinning followed by burning treatments had positive effects in terms of reducing fire severity, tree mortality, and crown scorch. Fuel reduction treatments are an important component in protecting the wildland urban interface (WUI). Thinning and fuel breaks can modify fire behavior and protect homes and values at risk and also provide a safer environment for firefighters to protect resources. Fuel reduction treatments, and particularly prescribed fires, are critical to combat the increased frequency, size and severity of wildfires that we’ve experienced in recent decades.

This summary was based off the “Fuel treatment effectiveness” memo from the Forest Stewards Guild written by Dr. Zander Evans.

New fuel-reduction literature

Landscape-scale forest restoration decreases vulnerability to drought mortality under climate change in southwest USA ponderosa forest

“Drought-induced tree mortality is predicted to increase in dry forests across the globe as future projections show hotter, drier climates. This could potentially result in large-scale tree die-offs, changes in species composition, and loss of forest ecosystem services, including carbon storage. While some studies have found that forest stands with greater basal areas (BA) have higher drought mortality, many have not evaluated the extent to which forests restored to lower densities via restoration activities affect drought mortality. The southwestern USA is particularly susceptible to tree mortality due to the predicted increases in temperature, drier soils, and forests with high density.” This paper examined the modeled effect of ponderosa pine mortality in response to a landscape-scale forest restoration project in northern Arizona (Four Forests Restoration Initiative). The results from this paper indicate that forest restoration projects have the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change and subsequent tree mortality.

Highlights:

• Dry western US forests are at risk of large-scale tree die-offs due to hot-drought.

• We modeled forest restoration effects on future ponderosa pine drought mortality.

• Without thinning, mortality will increase 45–57% over current rates by mid-century.

• With thinning, mid-century mortality rates remain near or below contemporary rates.

• Lower tree density can mitigate the effects of climate change on drought mortality.

Effectiveness of fuel treatments at the landscape scale: State of understanding and key research gaps

This literature review synthesized 127 studies related to landscape-scale fueld treatment effectiveness in North American ecosystems. This summary “generally provided evidence that fuel treatments reduced negative outcomes of wildfire and in some cases promoted beneficial wildfire outcomes, although these effects diminished over time following treatment and were influenced by factors such as weather conditions at the time of fire. The simulation studies showed that fuel treatment extent, size, placement, timing, and prescription influenced the degree of effectiveness. Empirical studies, though limited in scope, provided evidence that fuel treatments were effective at reducing the rate of spread, progression, extent, or severity of actual wildfires both within and outside of treated areas. Case studies documented outcomes of specific wildfire events and contained managers’ evaluations of fuel treatment effectiveness. Across the three study types, the importance of treating multiple strata to reduce fuels contributing to fire spread and severity was emphasized. Fuel treatments contributed to fire suppression efforts by reducing costs and facilitating suppression activities such as fireline construction.”

Objectives:

  • Evaluate the extent to which landscape fuel treatments:

    • Mitigate adverse effects of wildfire.

    • Provide opportunities to manage fire for beneficial effects of wildfire.

    • Provide opportunities for cost efficient fire suppression strategies and maximize firefighter safety.

    • Provide results to inform future fuel treatment planning.

  • Identify research gaps.

Science You Can Use Spring 2022 Webinar Series

“Join us for the Spring 2022 Science You Can Use webinar series featuring seven land-manager focused webinars presented by Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists and collaborators. These one-hour sessions will begin with concise presentations followed by Q&A and discussion. Webinars will be hosted on Zoom. Recordings will be posted on this page as soon as they are available.”

Upcoming webinars:

  • March 30, 10:00 - 11:00 MT

    Recent Megafires Provide a Tipping Point for Desertification of Conifer Ecosystems

  • April 6, 10:00 - 11:00 MT

    Accounting for the Benefits of Public Lands

  • April 13, 10:00 - 11:00 MT

    Effects of Forest Management and Climate Scenarios on Biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

  • April 20, 10:00 - 11:00 MT

    Effective Communication about Wildfire Management:  Observations from 20 years of fire social science research

WILDFIRE WEDNESDAYS #80: Home Hazard Assessment

Happy Wednesday FACNM community!

It’s March, and with the warmer weather comes windy and dry conditions that can lead to an early fire season. In Northern New Mexico, some fire restrictions have already been put in place which is a good reminder that wildfire preparedness is year-round. Now is a great time of year to take care of some things around your home and property to prepare for wildfire season, check out the resources below to learn how!

This Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Home Hazard Assessment Guide & Worksheet

  • Firewise USA Community Wildfire Risk Assessment Tutorial

  • "How To Prepare for Wildfire Season in New Mexico 2022“ Webinar Series

  • Home Ignition Zone Webinar

Best,

Liz

Home Hazard Assessment Guide & Worksheet

The prospect of preparing your home for fire season can seem overwhelming, since planning for any disaster means imaging the worst. So, to get started the best thing to do is to create a plan and then begin with the easiest tasks. To assist in making a plan we’d like to present the Home Hazard Assessment Guide. With this guide and the accompanying worksheet you can assess the areas of your home that could use improvement and then keep track as you work to improve them. This short guide covers all the areas that you might be concerned about that might cause your home to ignite. This guide provides homeowners with tools to assess your home's wildfire risk and prioritizes actions you can take to reduce that risk. The assessment worksheet included with this guide is intended to help you understand your risk and where vulnerabilities on your property may lie. Every home is different in terms of wildfire risk and hazards. The goal for this worksheet is not to get a hazard rating of zero, but simply to address certain vulnerabilities that present a wildfire risk to your home. Where you choose to reduce risk on your property is specific to your property's unique features. Start by inquiring with your local fire department about wildfire risk in your area. Your community may have a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) which will provide you with a CWPP ranking and recommendations for reducing risk in your community.

Firewise USA Community Wildfire Risk Assessment Tutorial

The Community Wildfire Risk Assessment Tutorial from Firewise provides an overview of the wildfire risk assessment process. You will learn how to evaluate your community’s strengths and vulnerabilities to wildfire as well as use that knowledge to inform your assessment.

Upon completion of this tutorial, you should be able to:

  • Identify environmental features that impact ignition resistance in a wildfire

  • Using environmental features observations, record findings in the Firewise USA® Community Wildfire Risk Assessment template, and

  • Use recorded findings to draft a multi-year action plan to reduce site risk from wildfire

How To Prepare for Wildfire Season in New Mexico 2022 Webinar Series

Each Thursday in March NMSU Extension Forest and Fire Specialist Doug Cram is presenting the “Learning to Live with Fire: How to Prepare for Wildfire Season in New Mexico 2022” Free Extension Webinar Series.

Schedule:

  • March 3rd: Wildfire! You have 5 minutes to evacuate. What should I do?

  • March 10th: Proactive steps for individual and family preparedness.

  • March 17th: Steps to safeguard your home, yard, and neighborhood.

  • March 24th: Farm and ranch considerations

  • March 31st: Post-fire response.

Home Ignition Zone Webinar

In this 60 minute webinar, Megan Fitzgerald-McGowan of the National Fire Protection Association will show you how to prepare your home for fire season. Research has shown that there are simple and easy actions you can take in the areas closest to your home to drastically lessen the chances of it catching fire in a wildfire. Tune-in to learn about the Home Ignition Zones and find out what you can do! Register now to attend the webinar via Zoom, or tune in on the FACNM Facebook live page.

Wildfire Wednesdays #79: Biochar

Happy Wednesday FACNM community,

We hope you’re doing well and enjoyed the slightly warmer weather we’ve had across northern New Mexico! Biochar may be a term you’ve heard recently as its use is becoming increasingly popular. Today we’re sharing some background information on biochar as well as some resources for land managers and land owners on how to utilize this resource!

Today’s Wildfire Wednesday features:

  • Background on Biochar

  • Webinars on biochar topics

  • Upcoming biochar workshops

Additionally:

  • How to Prepare for Wildfire Season in New Mexico 2022 Free Extension Webinar Series

  • Fire & Ice: success story on collaborative prescribed burning

  • Hiring announcement: Wildland Coordinator and Wildland Firefighters

Best,
Liz

Background on Biochar

What is biochar?

“Biochar is a charcoal-like material that is produced from plant materials such as grass, agricultural and forest residues that are decomposed at high temperatures, often during renewable energy production. During the process, the physical and chemical properties of the plant material change into a highly porous, stable, carbon-rich material known as biochar. Recent research suggests it has the potential to be used as a soil conditioner and as a container substrate amendment in agriculture and horticulture, and it may improve several soil and substrate physical, chemical and biological properties. (What is Biochar and How Different Biochars Can Improve Your Crops)”

Uses for biochar:

“The carbon component in biochar is relatively stable, and, hence, biochar was originally proposed as a soil amendment to store carbon in the soil. Biochar has multifunctional values that include the use of it for the following purposes: soil amendment to improve soil health, nutrient and microbial carrier, immobilising agent for remediation of toxic metals and organic contaminants in soil and water, catalyst for industrial applications, porous material for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and odorous compounds, and feed supplement to improve animal health and nutrient intake efficiency and, thus, productivity. (Multifunctional applications of biochar beyond carbon storage)”

Click on any of the resources below to learn more:

Webinars on biochar topics

Biochar Workshop Part 1: How to Make Biochar

Watch the whole day of the Biochar Workshop led by Bob Wells, soil scientist Jon Nilsson and Patryk Battle. Learn how to make biochar and its many beneficial uses including greatly enhancing soil life and fertility. Discover innovative ways to maximize its uses for dynamically carbon negative farming and gardening. Visit our website for workshops and many free resources for growing food organically at http://www.livingwebfarms.org

The webinars below come from the Biochar Market Opportunities Webinar Series by Dovetail Partners

Biochar Use in Viticulture:

Biochar has been successfully used in viticulture to boost productivity through improved plant and soil health without negative effects to the grape or wine flavor. Learn about biochar’s potential, including how biochar is being used and can solve problems, during this webinar. Information provided will be applicable for biochar producers, users, practitioners, and investors.

Biochar Use with Livestock and Poultry

This Biochar Use with Livestock and Poultry webinar includes topics on biochar’s potential and how biochar is being used to solve problems. Information provided is applicable for biochar producers, users, practitioners, and investors.

Biochar Use in Stormwater Management

Over the last decade biochar has begun to play an ever-expanding role in managing and decontaminating stormwater. Learn about biochar's potential, including how biochar is being used and can solve problems, during this webinar.

Upcoming Biochar Workshops

COME LEARN ABOUT BIOCHAR!

“Biochar is an important emerging tool for productively dealing with organic wastes such as thinned woods, giving land stewards additional options for mitigating fire risk. Additionally, biochar can be used as an organic amendment that can help build productivity and is aligned with the healthy soil principles according to the NRCS.

In this workshop, attendees will *ideally* watch and participate in a biochar kiln burn led by Preston Englant. Weather conditions the day of the workshop will determine if a burn is possible, but attendees will participate in the preparation of a biochar kiln and review safety precautions and process either way. A good resource on biochar is Kelpie Wilson’s YouTube channel.

Workshop attendees will be provided with a workbook of instructions and considerations for making biochar in the southwest, and may have access to biochar kilns to borrow through the Quivira Coalition for conducting their own burns. Our hope is to establish a network of technical service providers who can supervise burns in New Mexico. This workshop is free to attend. Please bring your lunch. There will be some snacks and extra water.”

How to Prepare for Wildfire Season in New Mexico 2022 Free Extension Webinar Series

Fire & Ice: success story on collaborative prescribed burning

(Source: William Melhado)

“While schools and government offices closed due to the snow, a fire crew saw a perfect opportunity to eliminate hazardous fuels. The Forest Stewards Guild on Wednesday led a team to burn hundreds of piles on Glorieta Adventure Camp’s property to minimize the potential for high-severity fire events.

Dangerous and unhealthy fires—the consequence of suppression efforts by the Forest Service up until the 1970s—pose a threat to communities and ecosystems given the buildup of hazardous fuels and dense landscapes, advocates of controlled burns say. Along with forest thinning, prescribed burns reduce the danger communities face in the event of a large fire, which would pollute water sources and significantly disrupt the ecosystem.”

While the Forest Service can burn on private land, it’s easier for organizations like the Forest Stewards Guild to coordinate prescribed burns with landowners, explains Gabe Kohler, southwest program manager. ‘We use our crew to get some of those private land chunks done, but we also try and use it to demystify fire,’ Kohler tells SFR. Through hands-on training and a youth program, Kohler hopes to ‘get folks out here and show people, ‘You can do this.’ A private landowner could, with 10 guys, come out here and do a lot of good stuff,’ he says.”

Click here to read the full story from the Santa Fe Reporter

Hiring Announcement: Wildland Coordinator and Wildland Firefighters

From the Angel Fire Fire Department:

We are hiring!  Seeking an experienced Wildland Coordinator and an additional 3 Wildland Firefighters.  Please see attached job descriptions.  Hourly rate dependent on experience and training.

The Wildland Coordinator can be full time or part-time (subject to the candidate/experience), and the wildland firefighters can go to work immediately doing slash burning until the fire season begins.  We do intend to be deployable in and out of state in 2022.

For more information please contact Chief Henson directly @ khenson@angelfirenm.gov.

Wildfire Wednesdays #78: New Mexico Fire Round-Up

Hello FACNM community!

We hope you stay safe and warm this week with the upcoming storm. While we may not always love the cold and snow, the moisture is great for the forest and creates optimal conditions for safe pile burning, a form of prescribed fire. Make sure to check out (or subscribe!) to the New Mexico Fire Information webpage to learn about upcoming prescribed fires. If you have concerns about smoke from fires near you, visit our Smoke & HEPA Filter Loan Program page to learn about what you can do to remain healthy during times of smoke. There has been a lot going on this season related to fire in New Mexico and we wanted to share with you some important and useful updates!

This Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Recent prescribed fires in NM

  • Funding opportunities

  • Updates to the New Mexico Vegetation Treatment Database

  • The upcoming Women Owning Woodlands virtual conference

Best,

Liz

Recent prescribed fires in NM

Pacheco Canyon pile burn

Liz Bailey of the Forest Stewards Guild walks away after lighting a pile during the Pacheco Canyon prescribed fire.

From the Forest Service News Release: “The recent prescribed pile burn in Pacheco Canyon on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) 7 miles northeast of Santa Fe was a great example of shared stewardship across ownership boundaries to reduce wildfire risk and protect communities and other assets in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), SFNF Supervisor Debbie Cress said today.

Crews completed a total of 443 acres of piles of slash and woody debris on Forest Service lands and another 111 acres on the Pueblo of Tesuque’s Vigil Grant. The two prescribed pile burns were implemented by the SFNF, Pueblo of Tesuque, Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico Forestry Division, Santa Fe County Fire Department, City of Santa Fe Fire Department and the All-Hands All-Lands Burn Team, a collaboration by Forest Stewards Guild, The Nature Conservancy and Rio Grande Water Fund, with additional support from the Carson National Forest.”

Read more the rest of the press release by clicking here

Coyote Ranger District pile burn

Clip from the Albuquerque Journal’s “A friendly forest fire” article.

Visit this article, “A friendly forest fire” from the Albuquerque Journal to learn more about the pile burns that are happening across the Santa Fe National Forest this winter.

“Forest Service workers as well as others spend much of the spring trimming or cutting down trees and making huge piles of wood. Then, when there is enough snow to prevent a fire from creeping around on the forest floor, they light the piles.”

Funding opportunities

Wildfire Risk Reduction Program for Rural Communities

Background: The New Mexico Association of Counties is pleased to announce the 2022-2023 Wildfire Risk Reduction Program for Rural Communities that assists at-risk communities throughout New Mexico in reducing their risk from wildland fire on non-federal lands.

Grant funding categories include:

  • CWPP Updates up to $20,000/project

  • Education and Outreach Activities up to $15,000/project

  • Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects up to $75,000/project

Eligibility: Eligible applicants must be a county government or municipality, a 501(c)(3) organization in New Mexico, a statutorily recognized political subdivision such as a Soil & Water Conservation District, or a Native American tribe working on behalf of one or more communities at risk of wildfires in New Mexico.

Deadline: March 7, 2022

AIM Program Grant

Background: This funding opportunity is open to organizations working to advance wildfire risk reduction. The AIM grant is available for a wide variety of capacity-building activities, including personnel, planning efforts and wildfire risk reduction work on non-federal lands. Coalitions and Collaboratives Inc. (COCO) funds organizations across the country with a focus on programs and projects that increase communities’ ability to overcome barriers to successful community wildfire mitigation, multiplies the efforts, achieves quantifiable outcomes, supports equitable and inclusive community wildfire mitigation programs across the fence, and supports place-based solutions.

Eligibility: The organization must have a nonprofit (501c3) status or have a nonprofit or local government fiscal sponsor that may include:

  • Conservation District

  • Regional and local collaborative efforts

  • Fire Safe Councils and/or Wildfire Councils

  • Non-profit groups that promote hazardous forest fuel reduction treatment projects in partnership with local, state or private entities

  • Fire departments

  • Tribes

  • City or county government

Deadline: February 18, 2022

Updates to the New Mexico Vegetation Treatment database

The New Mexico Vegetation Treatments database has recently been updated with new planned, in progress, and completed projects from USFS, NM State Forestry, NM Shared Stewardship Portal, and Taos Pueblo DNR. The NM Vegetation Treatment geodatabase was created by the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute (NMFWRI) for the Forest and Watershed Health Coordinating Group. If you’re interested in learning about what vegetation treatments have been completed or are upcoming in a certain area and increasing your awareness of efforts to improve forests and watershed in New Mexico, this is a very valuable tool.

Women Owning Woodlands virtual conference

In March 2022, the National Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) Network is hosting a Virtual Conference for women woodland owners, stewards, and enthusiasts. Join women forest stewards from across the country for a conference focused on forging connections between women and forest stewardship. Click here to learn more

Wildfire Wednesdays #77: Women in Fire

Hello FACNM community,

We hope you’ve been staying warm and healthy! This week we are focusing on a growing subset of the fire workforce. Women currently make up less than 10% of fire professionals and bring valuable skills and perspectives to the field while facing certain challenges that their male counterparts may not experience.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • History of women in fire

  • Identifying & overcoming challenges for women working in fire

  • Resources for women in fire

  • Female fire professional spotlight: Sarah DeMay

  • Upcoming webinars of interest: Using Biochar Series

Best,

Liz

History of women in fire

The majority of women in the fire service will remain unknown, their names lost to history.

1818

Women have been fighting fires in the US for over two centuries. The first account of a female firefighter was Molly Williams who was a member of the Oceanus Engine Company #11 and fought fires until she was in her seventies. Molly was a former slave and it is unclear whether her “volunteer” work as a firefighter was entirely of her own volition as her former enslaver was also a volunteer firefighter for Oceanus 11. Her involvement in fire began by cleaning the firehouse and tending to the firefighters but in 1818 when many of the men were bedridden with illness, Molly picked up a pumper and began to put out fires herself.

1836

Lillie Hitchcock Coit was just 15 years old in San Francisco when she helped pull the Knickerbocker Fire Engine Company No. 5 up a slope to get to a fire on Telegraph Hill. She was made an honorary member of the Knickerbocker Company and attended most of the fires for the engine company until she was married. When Lillie died in 1929 she left a third of her inheritance to the City of San Francisco and the money was used to build Coit Tower on top of Telegraph Hill.

1940’s

During World War II many women in the US volunteered for the fire service to take the place of men who had been called into the military. In 1942, the Forest Fire Fighters Service (FFFS) was created which consolidated resources to recruit and train residents of forested areas to serve in a fire capacity. Women eagerly volunteered for the FFFS, one mother of a solider said, “I can swing an ax with most men, and if those Russian women can shoulder rifles and march with their men, I guess I can eat smoke here in this forest where I've lived all my life."

1960’s

The first all-women volunteer fire companies were established in King County, California and Woodbine, Texas. In King County, these female crews provided firefighting and first-aid services during the day when male volunteers were unavailable. The women in Woodbine formed their own volunteer fire department due to a lack of services available in their town, they hosted raffles and bake sales to raise money to buy a 1942 Ford pumper and receive training.

1971

The first women known to be paid for fire suppression were on wildland firefighting crews for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. In 1971 in Alaska one woman applied to work for a BLM crew, the agency agreed that she could work as long as she recruited 12 other women for the crew. She successfully found 24 women to work on an all-female crew that summer.

Identifying & overcoming challenges for women working in fire

All fire professionals face work-related risks and challenges, however, due to the lower proportion of women in the fire workforce, their specific needs and risks have been typically overlooked in scientific research and fire programs. Research examining firefighting often exclude women from their analyses due to their “small sample size” (Jahnke et al., 2012). Increased research and equipment development focused on the needs and risks for female firefighters is needed.

  • Fire culture (source: Emerging Health and Safety Issues Among Women in the Fire Service).

    • “One factor that may contribute to the higher number of injuries among women is a woman firefighter’s resistance to break away from a task and/ or the resistance to ask for help from male counterparts during strenuous tasks. This resistance may stem from the fear of being viewed as weak by their male counterparts. It is important for department leadership to create a culture where women firefighters feel comfortable speaking up about unsafe conditions and are able to ask for help from male counterparts without fear of judgment”

    • “The long-time male-dominated culture of the fire service may lead to barriers for the success of women in the fire service. Male firefighters with negative attitudes toward women being in the fire service can be a barrier for women joining a department and create difficulty in developing a positive work culture... Women firefighters are at risk of higher levels of anxiety, exposure to sexism, lower job association, and higher levels of coworker conflict…Organizations that invest in creating a positive culture can increase job satisfaction and retention in the fire service.”

  • Health concerns (source: Emerging Health and Safety Issues Among Women in the Fire Service)

    • While there has been some indication that occupational exposures might impact reproductive health for female fire-fighters, there has been minimal research conducted to determine the extent to which this may be true.

    • 58% of women surveyed reported that they were given ill-fitting gear, including breathing apparatus face pieces. The majority of gear for firefighting has been designed for male bodies and are not appropriate for female firefighters.

    • “When compared to their male counterparts, women firefighters tended to be younger, more educated, more likely to be single, more likely to use tobacco products, and to have healthier body compositions”

    • The injury rate among women firefighters is 33 percent higher than their male counterparts.

Resources for women in fire

Female fire professional spotlight: Sarah DeMay

Sarah DeMay surveys the damage with her child after a wildfire ripped through their family property in the Jemez Mountains.

Sarah DeMay is an active member of the Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) program as well as a fire professional. Her fire career began shortly after she graduated college when she moved to New Mexico for an internship working with the Fire Ecology program at Bandelier National Monument. Since then, she has taken on many different roles as a fire professional, land steward, and mother. A recent interview with Sarah about her experiences as a fire professional and land steward is featured here on the WOW website.

“There are more women in fire now than when I first started out, but women are still in the minority and still experience the inherent challenges within any male-dominated culture. In the early years, I felt like I had to be tougher, stronger, better. I was constantly combating being the “token woman”. Eventually I did break free from this emotional shackle; I was good at my job, confident, respected- but it was not an easy journey to get to this place. I think that the increase in women within the workforce has changed the culture in some very good and enduring ways, including more of an emphasis on emotional health and higher value on skills and education. Despite the extra challenges they face, women who work in wildland fire really want to be there, truly love it, and excel because of this. Women do make fire better. ”
— Sarah DeMay

Upcoming webinars of interest: Biochar

The Using Biochar Webinar Series has two upcoming webinars remaining in their series. Learn about biochar’s potential in three market sectors, including how biochar is being used and can solve problems. Applicable information for biochar producers, users, practitioners, and investors.

Jan 26: Biochar with Livestock and Poultry
Feb 9: Biochar for Stormwater Management

Wildfire Wednesdays #76: Resolve to be Ready for Wildfires!

Happy New Year FACNM community!

We hope you enjoyed the holidays and are excited for the new year. The devastating Marshall fire in northern Colorado the day before New Year’s Eve was a harsh reminder that wildfire preparedness is something to be considered year-round. As you’re forming resolutions for this upcoming year, now is a great time to think about improvements you can make and good habits you can continue to be more prepared for wildfires.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Planning for wildfire

  • Where to additional find resources to learn more and get new ideas

Best,

Liz

Planning for Wildfire

As was the case in the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2021 Marshall Fire, residents sometimes must evacuate with a moment’s notice. The steps you take before the threat of wildfire are critical to your family’s ability to evacuate effectively, protecting your home and property, and ensuring the safety of your neighbors and community. Check out this study published in 2021 examining the factors that influenced the survival or destruction of structures in the 2018 Camp Fire, demonstrating that actions can be taken to increase the likelihood of your home surviving a wildfire. Preparing for wildfire may seem like a daunting task but below are several resources that can serve as planning templates and break down the different stages/aspects of wildfire preparation.

Living with Fire

Since 1997, the Living with Fire Program has provided “recommendations to residents on preparing for wildfire and reducing wildfire threat to homes and communities.” A collaborative effort between “federal, state, local firefighting agencies, and resource management agencies”, the Living with Fire Program provides resources to a variety of individuals in addition to their community events and peer-reviewed publications. Their website includes a plethora of resources for different stages of wildfire preparedness planning such as: fire hazard assessments, improving defensible space, creating an evacuation plan, and more.

Ready, Set, Go!

Cal Fire provides a great resource for wildfire preparedness plans and action items. Their Ready, Set, Go! Campaign emphasizes the different stages of wildfire evacuations and preparation:

  • Be Ready: Create and maintain defensible space and harden your home against flying embers.

  • Get Set: Prepare your family and home ahead of time for the possibility of having to evacuate. Ensure you have a plan of what to take and where to go – evacuation plans will be different this year due to COVID-19. Ask friends or relatives outside your area if you would be able to stay with them, should the need arise. If you do need to evacuate and plan to stay with friends or relatives, ask first if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have people in their home at higher risk for serious illness. If that is the case, make other arrangements. Check with hotels, motels and campgrounds to learn if they are open. Also get set by learning about your community’s response plan for each disaster and determine if these plans have been adapted because of COVID-19.

  • Be Ready to GO!: When wildfire strikes, go early for your safety. Take the evacuation steps necessary to give your family and home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.

Even though the video below and resources above were designed for California residents, the lessons are applicable across the Western US.

Ready.gov

The “wildfires” section of the Ready.gov website has some practical and important advice to make your life easier during an evacuation, such as: making electronic copies of important documents, downloading the FEMA app to receive National Weather Service alerts, and designating a room that can be closed off from outside air in case you need to shelter in place from smoke.

Additional Planning Resources

If you’ve already improved your defensible space and created an evacuation plan you may think you’re done enough, but there is always something more you can to be prepared for wildfires!

Wildfire Wednesdays #75: Post-fire Water Impacts

Happy Holidays, FACNM Community!

Today’s guest writer, Rachel Bean of the Forest Stewards Guild, joined us back in September to discuss the connection between forest health and healthy water. Click here to revisit that blog post and refresh your memory on the basics of a watershed. Today, Rachel will be examining potential post-wildfire impacts on water.

This Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Post-fire debris flows

  • Water-supply reservoir impacts

  • Water quality following a wildfire

Fire and Floods

Schematic diagram courtesy of Larramendy and Soloneski, 2019

Soil comes in all shapes and sizes. More specifically, soil comes in all different textures (particle size), porosities (the amount of space between particles), and structures (the way particles of different sizes are arranged in layers). The combination of all of these physical factors determines how much water the soil can absorb when it rains or snows and how much water it can hold in the form of soil moisture. A complete soil profile is made up of a mixture of minerals, organic matter, water, and air.

Soils are important components of ecosystem sustainability because they supply air and water, nutrients, and mechanical support for plants. In turn, plants stabilize the soil with their vast root systems. By absorbing water during infiltration, soils provide water storage as well as delivering water slowly from upstream slopes to drainages and channels where it contributes to streamflow (Neary et al. 2005).

Schematic courtesy of American Forestry Foundation in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture

When a wildfire burns through an area with lots of fuel (combustible organic material such as tree leaves and needles, grasses, twigs, branches, and logs) on the ground, it sets the stage for that fire to burn hot and then smolder. This transfers quite a bit of heat downward into and through the soil. The greatest increase in temperature occurs at, or near, the soil surface. The more the soil heats, the more likely it is to experience destruction of its organic material and large changes in its mineral layer.

Ash and organic oils from burned plants coat the soil mineral particles, creating what is called a hydrophobic soil. This means that water is no longer absorbed into the soil, but rather runs off it along the surface. Instead of acting like a sponge, the soil acts like the basin of a kitchen sink.

As water runs off the soil and gathers momentum, it also gathers dirt, ash, rocks, sticks, and larger material. A trickle becomes a muddy flood called a debris flow. While debris flows can be triggered by events other than wildfire, they are more likely to occur following a high-severity wildfire which renders the soil hydrophobic.

“In the southwestern Rocky Mountains, moderate to severe forest fires can increase the likelihood of debris flow events by consuming rainfall intercepting canopy, generating ash, and forming water-repellant soils resulting in decreased infiltration and increased runoff and erosion. Debris flows, a destructive form of mass wasting, create significant hazards for people, and cause severe damage to watersheds and water resources”
— Manuel Lopez, US Geological Survey

Impacts on Water-Supply Reservoirs

Debris flows can overfill riverbeds and drainages, tear out trees and move boulders, and can destroy homes, businesses, and entire towns in a slurry of sludge. They can also fill water-supply reservoirs with a heavy load of sediment, taking the reservoir off-line in the short-term and forcing municipal water suppliers to rely on a secondary water source for residents, shortening the reservoir lifetime, increasing maintenance costs, and potentially rendering reservoirs unusable for storage or potability. Several municipalities across the state of New Mexico have had to spent millions of dollars to dredge their reservoirs following sedimentation events. Visit the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition’s Source Water webpage to learn more.

Post-fire Water Quality

Water quality can be compromised by wildfires both during active burning and for months and years afterward. As discussed above, burned watersheds are prone to increased flooding and erosion, which can negatively affect water-supply reservoirs, water quality, and drinking-water treatment processes.

Sediment which is transported off of the land and into waterways during post-fire flooding and erosion often contains a lot of nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, major ions, and metals. These elements can make treating water to make it safe for drinking more difficult; they can also result in algae outbreaks, which reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen available to fish and other aquatic species. The use of fire retardants during suppression of a wildfire could also have significant effects on downstream nutrients.

Runoff from burned areas contains ash, which may have significant effects on the chemistry of receiving waters such as lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, rivers and. Runoff from burned areas also produces higher nitrate, organic carbon, and sediment levels, warmer temperatures, and more unpredictable streamflows. The increased turbidity (cloudiness caused by suspended material) of this runoff leads to changes in source-water chemistry that can alter drinking-water treatment. Heightened iron and manganese concentrations may increase chemical treatment requirements and produce larger volumes of sludge, both of which raise water-treatment operating costs.

Wildfire Wednesdays #74: FEMA Grant Programs

Hi FACNM Community,

As temperatures continue to drop, and we head into Winter, it is a great time to do some planning for next year. Winter offers us some time to get proactive by planning wildfire adaptation projects and applying for funding to support this work. With that in mind, this edition of Wildfire Wednesdays shares some information about the well-funded grants that are administered through FEMA.

This Wildfire Wednesdays shares information on:

  • The variety of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants

  • The process for applying to FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants

  • Eligibility requirements for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants

  • Resources for learning more about FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants

Best,

Gabe

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants

The Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA HMA programs present a critical opportunity to reduce the risk to communities from natural hazards while simultaneously reducing reliance on Federal disaster recovery funds. The HMA program includes three grant types for qualifying mitigation activities, especially those that mitigate flood risk in areas that previously experienced losses and help prevent future damages. Within the HMA program, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program will be receiving a substantial increase in available funding that can support wildfire mitigation projects.

FEMA offers both pre- and post-disaster funding opportunities. Pre-disaster mitigation opportunities allow communities to plan for future disasters and enjoy the benefits of achieving a more resilient landscape before a natural disaster strikes. Post-disaster mitigation opportunities allow communities to take advantage of larger pots of funding that may become available in the aftermath of a federally-declared disaster.

Non-disaster/annual grants

  • Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

  • Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)

Disaster grants

  • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

  • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program – Post fire

From The Nature Conservancy’s report: “Promoting Nature-Based Hazard Mitigation through FEMA Mitigation Grants.

“Natural Hazard Mitigation – any sustainable action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from future natural disasters.”

Two types of activities within Hazard Mitigation Assistance:

  • Planning – breaks the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage

  • Projects – are long-term solutions that reduce the impact of disasters in the future

These grants require substantial administrative capacity and provide additional funding (up to 10%) to support this workload. There is funding within the HMA grant program to support project scoping in the years leading up to an application.

How to Begin the Application Process

In state of New Mexico FEMA funds pass through the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) as sub-grants. Because of this, it is important to have early communication with the State Hazard Mitigation Officer, and the state agency’s grants team, to develop consensus on project approach.

State Hazard Mitigation Officer and Unit Manager: Chelsea Morganti, chelsea.morganti@state.nm.us

You will want to reach out to the State Hazard Mitigation Officer before August because a Notice of Interest are typically due in early October for the annual programs (BRIC and FMA). Although this deadline is a ways out, get started with project planning early and make sure that you are working with an entity with a current FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan. A hazard mitigation plan for the applicant or sub applicant is essential to all HMA programs.

Eligibility

Talk to the State Hazard Mitigation Officer early to discuss eligibility. In general, a current FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan for the project area is a core requirement. Many county governments have FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plans and are eligible applicants.

From The Nature Conservancy’s report: “Promoting Nature-Based Hazard Mitigation through FEMA Mitigation Grants.

Learn More!

To gain a better understanding for how HMA grants are a viable funding source for nature-based solutions to hazard mitigation, read The Nature Conservancy’s report, “Promoting Nature-Based Hazard Mitigation through FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grants.”

Watch this video with Chelsea Morganti (@ timestamp: 3.00.00 ) , New Mexico’s Hazard Mitigation Officer with the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management from the 2021 Wildland Urban Fire Summit.

Check out the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance webpage.

Reach out to Gabe Kohler, gabe@forestguild.org, with the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network for support.

Wildfire Wednesdays #73: The Ecological Role of Fire

Hello FACNM community,

Happy Wednesday and a happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! This year we’re feeling particularly grateful for the beautiful landscapes of Northern New Mexico that we live and recreate in and the fire personnel that keep our ecosystems and communities safe. While we often share resources on how to prepare for or cope with wildfire, this week we wanted to share with you information regarding the ecological role of fire. The role of fire varies across landscapes and many ecosystems have evolved to have specific and beneficial relationships with periodic wildlife. Keep reading to learn more!

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • How fire benefits ecosystems

  • Fire adapted species

  • Fire return intervals

Best,

Liz

How fire benefits ecosystems

Periodic, low-intensity fire can have many positive effects across ecosystems, keep reading to learn more or click on any of these sources to dive deeper: Benefits of Fire (Cal Fire); Fire Effects on Soil (NAU); Fire Ecology (BLM); Fire’s Natural Role (USFWS); The Ecological Benefits of Fire (National Geographic).

Photo credit: Sharon Hood

  • “Cleans” the forest floor

    When low-intensity fire travels through the understory it removes the layer of dead or decaying plants. By removing this debris, it opens up space on the forest floor where growth of new plants is encouraged and it reduces the likelihood of high-intensity wildfire.

  • Returns nutrients to soil

    Although overall some nutrients on-site are lost during a fire, fire actually increases the amount of available nutrients in an ecosystem. Soil fertility increases after low-intensity fire as the fire chemically converts nutrients in dead plants that would otherwise take much longer to decay and return to the soil.

  • Increases diversity

    When a forest is without fire it leads to over-crowding, preventing sunlight from reaching the forest floor and creating intense competition for water and available nutrients. In the aftermath of low-intensity fire, gaps in the canopy are created allowing sunlight through and there is more available nutrients and water. Low intensity fires can also eliminate invasive/noxious weed infestations, allowing an opportunity for native plants to grow and establish. Some native species actually require fire for seed germination!

  • Creates new habitat

    Fire removes thick brush, maintains open meadows, and thins out dense forests, all creating new habitat for animals and birds. Additionally, those trees that do not survive fire create new habitat for insects and cavity nesting birds and animals.

  • Kills pests and diseases

    Fire kills populations of beetles, mites and other harmful pests which reduces disease and keeps forests healthier.

Photo credit: Harvey Mudd College

Fire adapted species

Many of our beloved plant species are fire-adapted, meaning that they have “life history traits that help them survive wildfire or to use resources created by wildfire.” There are different categories of fire-adapted plants based on the traits that allow them to survive or flourish with wildfire (from Fire Ecology by the Bureau of Land Management)

  • Resisters are the species that can survive moderate to low-intensity fires with little to no damage. Some adaptations of Resisters include: thick bark to shield them from fire; deep roots protected from fire; the shedding of their lower branches to prevent fire from climbing; and moist, short needles or leaves that are hard to burn. Some examples include: ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and Douglas-fir.

  • Sprouters are the species that endure fire. Sprouters resprout from their roots, trunks, limbs, and/or crown after a burn. Many shrubs are sprouters. Some of these species also have hard shelled seeds relying on fire to crack them open. While the parent plant may be injured in a fire, the new sprouts are able to grow in nutrient rich soil and have less competition. Some examples include: oak, aspen, and madrone.

  • Seeders are adapted to evade fire by shedding lots of seeds that sprout after fire. These sprouts thrive from the rich nutrients recycled into the soil. Right after a fire is a prime time for a plant to disperse its seeds and germinate because there is more space to grow and less competition for resources like sunlight, water, and nutrients. Many Seeders are dependent on fire to create the habitat needed for their seedlings to sprout and grow. Seeders are not invaders because they already inhabited the area before the fire and their population does not spread as rapidly as invaders. Some examples include: buckbrush, lodgepole pine, and manzanita.

  • Invaders take over recently burned areas. Their populations are either limited or unknown prior to fire. Invaders tend to have seeds that are highly dispersive by wind, animals, or people. Many invaders are noxious weeds that take over areas after disturbances such as a fire, flood, or development. Some examples include: star thistle, fireweed, scotch broom, and lupine.

  • Avoiders are least adapted to fire because they grow in areas where fire does not normally occur. They are typically found near water or in high elevations. Avoiders are a late successional species, thus they are not found in recently burned areas. Avoiders have thin bark, shallow roots, and lots of resin, which can help a fire spread. Few avoiders survive moderate to high intensity fires. Some examples include: white fir, vine maple, western red cedar, and western hemlock.

Ponderosa pines, an example of a “resister” fire-adapted species (Credit: John Marshall)

Aspen resprouting after a recent fire in Utah (Credit: Karen Mock)

Lodgepole pines, an example of a “seeder” species, requires fire for their seeds to germinate.

Filling the “invader” niche, lupine will take advantage of recently burned areas (Credit: NPS)

White fir trees are “avoiders”, they tend to grow in areas where fire does not frequently occur.

To learn more about the different traits plants develop to survive wildfire or use it to their advantage check out this Britannica article “Playing with Wildfire: 5 Amazing Adaptations of Pyrophytic Plants”

Fire Return Interval

A fire return interval is the (historical or natural) time between fires in a defined area, usually at the scale of a point, stand or relatively small landscape area. For example, fires in ponderosa pine communities burned naturally on a cycle of one fire every 5 to 25 years. This frequent fire burned the grasses, shrubs, and small trees, and maintained an open stand of larger ponderosa pine trees.

Check out this table from the Forest Service detailing fire regime characteristics for different ecosystem types in the Southwest.

Map showing the historic fire return interval in years for Arizona and New Mexico (Credit: HISTORIC FIRE RETURN INTERVALS FOR ARIZONA and NEW MEXICO: A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE FOR SOUTHWESTERN LAND MANAGERS)

Application Deadline Nov. 16 for NM Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Program

New Smokey Bear fire danger sign off Shroyer Drive and Highway 95 in Laguna Vista, NM.

November 15, 2021                           

Application Deadline is November 16 for the New Mexico

Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Program

More than $200,000 awarded to rural fire departments in 2021 

Santa Fe, NM – The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), Forestry Division reminds the public that the deadline to apply to the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Program is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. Rural fire departments from across the state can use the funding to help protect their communities from catastrophic wildfire.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), volunteer fire departments makeup 70 percent of the firefighting force across the nation and protect 50 percent of the population. Many of the women and men who volunteer are also doing it part-time and have other jobs. The focus of VFA funding is to strengthen the local government’s organizational capability to respond to wildland fire, including training, equipment, and fire prevention resources.

In 2021, 17 rural fire departments received $214,573 in funding through the VFA Program. The Laguna Vista Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) in Rio Arriba County is one of the many success stories. The department used $19,000 in grant money to purchase personal protective equipment for firefighters, supplies to equip fire engines, and two large Smokey Bear signs to alert drivers of current fire danger levels.

 

“Volunteer fire departments are a vital part of New Mexico’s Resource Mobilization Plan,” said State Fire Management Officer Vernon Muller. “They are the first line of defense in the battle against wildfires as they start. Without these brave women and men volunteering their time, it would take much longer for resources to reach fires, which could lead to larger, more destructive, and potentially deadly incidents. They deserve our gratitude and support.”

Funding for the VFA Program is provided by the USDA Forest Service (USFS). To qualify, each VFA recipient, or local government representing multiple fire departments, must serve rural communities with populations of 10,000 or less and provide a cost-share of 10 percent using state or local funds. 

The application period began October 17 and ends by 5:oo p.m. Tuesday, November 16. If you need assistance, call your local Forestry Division District office. Applications may also be obtained via email from Robert Brown, Program Coordinator, at Robert.Brown@state.nm.us.

Wildfire Wednesdays #72: Wildland Urban Fire Summit (WUFS) Wrap-Up

Hello FACNM community,

Happy Wednesday! We hope you’re having a good week and enjoying the nice weather we’ve been having. Many prescribed burns are occurring throughout Northern New Mexico at the moment, check out NM Fire Info to stay informed and read our previous blog post on prescribed fires to learn more on why these burns are important. If you’re experiencing smoke from the prescribed burns, visit our Smoke & HEPA Filter Loan Program page on the FACNM website to learn more. This week we’re reflecting and sharing resources from the recent New Mexico Wildland Urban Fire Summit: Community Resilience & Recovery (WUFS). There were a lot of great resources shared so keep reading to learn more!

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features:

  • Talks of interest from WUFS 2021

  • The recent Wildfire Science and Values Peer Learning Session

Best,

Liz

New Mexico Wildland Urban Fire Summit: Community Resilience & Recovery

The NM Wildland Urban Fire Summit is an forum for wildfire preparedness and planning where a network of experts and peers share successes and lessons learned from “living with fire” in an effort to assist one another with fire resiliency goals and learn innovative ways to adapt communities to wildfires. At this year’s summit, presenters included those academic researchers, private business owners, hazard mitigation officers, fire instructors, forest service personnel and more. To see a full agenda from both days of the conference click here.

Talks of interest

Turning Up the Heat: Tools for Understanding, Exploring, and Reducing Wildfire Risks (Keynote), Presented by Kimiko Barrett, Ph.D.

Screenshot of Dr. Barrett’s talk on tools for reducing wildfire risk

  • Dr. Barrett, wildfire researcher and policy lead for Headwaters Economics, shared tools for long-term community resiliency that have been developed with federal, state, local and private partners. The tools discussed include the Wildfire Risk to Communities website and the Unequal Impacts of Wildfire Risk tool which uses data to show in which counties people could be disproportionately impacted from wildfires.

Beyond Grant-Writing Panic: Building the Collaborative Infrastructure to Bolster Long-Term Forest and Community Resilience from Wildfire in Taos County, Presented by J.R. Logan, Taos County WUI Coordinator.

  • This talk highlights the work being done in Taos County on improving the infrastructure to move money efficiently to high-priority forestry projects despite administrative hurdles and planning obstacles. Collaborative, community groups have been coordinating to “look at specific areas in a specific geography with specific partners and start picking away at treatments” and the county is working on aligning local priorities with those from federal agencies and building those into the CWPP.

Find the above talks and others here - Day 1, Part A (Dr. Kimiko Barrett @ 11:23 minutes; J.R. Logan @ 58:14 minutes)

Achieving Landscape Scale Piñon-Juniper Ecosystem Treatment Efficiency: Seeking a Smarter Use of WUI Dollars in PJ Stewardship. Presented by Jan-Willem Jansens, Ecotone Landscape Planning, LLC

  • Jan-Willem addresses several questions regarding the current state of piñion-juniper ecosystems, the challenges being faced, and how to effectively manage these ecosystems.

Find the above talk and more here - Day 1, Part B (Jan-Willem Jansens @ 3:37 minutes)

Firehorses: How Individuals, Communities, Fire Personnel, and Governments can Plan, Prepare, and Execute Equine Evacuations Safely. Presented by Madeleine Carey, Graduate HA, Watermelon Mountain Pony Club

  • Madeleine shares her lessons learned from helping with horse evacuations during the Las Conchas fire and her experiences with the Watermelon Mountain Pony Club. Her presentation contains many resources that may be of interest to individuals looking to prepare for equine evacuations in the case of wildfires. You can find her powerpoint presentation with links here.

Wildland Fire in the Middle School Classroom. Presented by Christine Mares, Wildland Fire Instructor, Southwest Fire Science Consortium & Mollie Parsons, Cerise Consulting.

  • This presentation shares information on the Fire Ecology Learning Lab Middle School Curriculum that is in development. The curriculum includes low/no-cost lessons for middle school classrooms with themes including biotic communities, wildland fire, and wildland fire management.

Hazard Mitigation Funding Opportunities in New Mexico. Presented by Chelsea Morganti, CFM, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, NMDHSEM

  • Chelsea introduces the different funding opportunities available in New Mexico for hazard mitigation. She explains what is a natural hazard in New Mexico, what qualifies as hazard mitigation, the pathways of grants, who is eligible to apply, match requirements, project types and more. This is a great resource for anyone interested in funding opportunities for various types of hazard mitigation, you can find her powerpoint presentation here.

Find the above talks and more here - Day 2 (Madeline Carey @ 2:03:52; Christine Mares & Mollie Parsons @ 2:14:32; Chelsea Morganti @ 3:00:41)

Wildfire Science and Values Peer Learning Session

Hosted by the National Forest Foundation in partnership with the Montana Forest Collaboration Network

During this peer learning session, speakers will:

  • Build understanding about the spectrum of complementary actions, based on available science, to protect the built environment and community values from wildfire, improve the ecological resilience of our landscapes, and improve the safety and effectiveness of wildfire management;

  • Discuss the concepts of landscape resilience, the wildland urban interface and the home ignition zone, fire management options, and the roles they play in reducing fire risk;

  • Address why fire needs to be restored to the landscape;

  • Consider the values that could be lost and how they relate to fire; and

  • Discuss how to increase the options for fire managers to implement integrated active management.

Moderated by Dr. Colin Hardy, U.S. Forest Service, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. Speakers include:

  • Dr. Mark Finney, U.S. Forest Service Fire Lab;

  • Dr. Jack Cohen, U.S. Forest Service Fire Lab (ret.); and

  • Barbara (Bea) Day, U.S. Forest Service Portland NIMO Incident Commander.

Prescribed Fire Announcement: Little Coyote Creek Prescribed Burn Could Begin as Soon as November 8, 2021

view as PDF

Release Date: November 1, 2021

Contact(s): Eytan Krasilovsky, Forest Stewards Guild

Black Lake, NM - Firefighters from the New Mexico State Land Office the Forest Stewards Guild and The Ember Alliance have been continuing to monitor conditions for a prescribed fire in the Little Coyote Creek area. Currently, they are looking at burning Monday, November 8 through November 12, 2021. Burning may not occur every day as fire managers must meet specific weather conditions in order conduct a prescribed fire. The goal of this prescribed burn is to reduce fuel loading, improve forest health and lessen the impacts from severe wildfires. The burn targets ponderosa pine forests and meadows.

The burn units are located south of Angel Fire, New Mexico. Burn operations could include up to 700 acres near Black Lake. Firefighters successfully burned 500 acres in this area in 2016. Work has been occurring at the project site to prepare for the burn, and fire personnel will be in the area during the month of November to continue that work.

Before managers ignite a prescribed fire, specific conditions called a prescription, must be met. Fire managers carefully monitor these conditions which include: a favorable weather forecast (wind, precipitation, relative humidity), fuel moisture, smoke dispersal conditions and available personnel. Throughout a prescribed fire, weather is monitored. If it falls outside of the required conditions, burning will be stopped until favorable weather returns.

Residents and visitors should expect to see and smell smoke during the burn. Smoke may be visible from as far away as Raton or Taos, NM. The burns will be done in a way to minimize the impact to residents, hunters, and other visitors. Signs will posted to show where work is occurring. Please respect all signs.

Specific burn days will be announced social media on Angel Fire Fire Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @theemberalliance To be included to the email notification list for this project, please send an email to eytan@forestguild.org with the subject line “Little Coyote Creek.”

Landowners interested in learning more about Fire Adapted Communities can visit: https://facnm.org/

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. More information about smoke impacts is available at https://nmfireinfo.com/smoke management/

Wildfire Wednesdays #71: Community Wildfire Protection Plans

Happy Wednesday FACNM community!

We hope you’re enjoying fall and are excited to safely celebrate Halloween this weekend! Many prescribed burns are occurring throughout the state this month, check out NM Fire Info to stay informed and read our previous blog post on prescribed fires to learn more on why these burns are important. This week we’re sharing information on Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) which are an important tool in protecting communities from wildfire risk and damage.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • What is a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)?

  • Recent New Mexico CWPP Guidance

  • An active forest management success story: 2020 Medio Fire

  • Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition’s “Fighting Fire with Fire: Policy Options to Increase the Use of Prescribed Fire on National Forests”

  • Coyote Creek prescribed fire announcement

What is a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)?

From the National Wildfire Coordinating Group:

“A plan developed in the collaborative framework established by the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and agreed to by state, tribal, and local government, local fire department, other stakeholders and federal land management agencies managing land in the vicinity of the planning area. A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) identifies and prioritizes areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and recommends the types and methods of treatment on Federal and non-Federal land that will protect one or more at-risk communities and essential infrastructure and recommends measures to reduce structural ignitability throughout the at-risk community. A CWPP may address issues such as wildfire response, hazard mitigation, community preparedness, or structure protection - or all of the above.”

Source: NM EMNRD

From the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD):

Community Wildfire Protection Plans have 3 primary components:

  1. Collaboration with all stakeholders throughout the CWPP process,

  2. Identification and prioritization of hazardous fuel reduction areas, and

  3. Addressing the treatment of structural ignitability within the CWPP area.

“A CWPP should identify areas that need vegetative fuels removed to reduce wildfire risk and severity, suggest methods to reduce structural ignitability, and evaluate a community’s firefighting capacity. This planning process helps unite communities by identifying their risk to wildfire, their community values, and their critical infrastructure. Factored together, these concerns should produce a prioritized list of vulnerable areas to be treated, as well as the potential treatment options.”
— 2020 Communities at Risk Assessment Plan (NM EMNRD)

New Mexico CWPPs

Click here for 2021 CWPP guidance from New Mexico State Forestry.

All of the counties in New Mexico either have a complete CWPP in place or are in progress of developing a complete CWPP. CWPPs in New Mexico must be approved by the Fire Planning Task Force which consists of “of local, state, federal, and tribal cooperators who assist Forestry to identify and protect areas most vulnerable to wildfires.” CWPPs are reviewed by the 1st of December each year so keep an eye out for updated CWPPs coming out soon!

An active forest management success story: 2020 Medio Fire

“The Medio Fire was a lightning-caused fire reported on August 17, 2020, on the Española Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. During the first couple days, the Medio Fire made significant sustained runs as a high-intensity crown fire. These runs resulted in 16% high-severity burn within the total burned area. But thanks to pre-fire treatments that mitigated fire behavior, 49% of the fire burned at low severity. The 4,010-acre Medio Fire was managed with a suppression strategy, consistent with national USFS policy during the 2020 wildfire season. The 2019 Pacheco Rx (a prescribed fire) and fuel break thinning treatments played the biggest role in reducing fire intensities and preventing further fire progression to the south and east. Two large scale collaborative projects led to the treatments that mitigated fire behavior. These projects encompass all three of the priorities laid out by the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy: 1) landscape resilience, 2) fire adapted communities, and 3) safe and effective fire response.”

Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition’s “Fighting Fire with Fire: Policy Options to Increase the Use of Prescribed Fire on National Forests”

“This report provides an overview of the current science and need for prescribed fire, describes barriers to the use of prescribed fire on public lands in the western U.S. managed by the Forest Service, and described policy options to overcome these barriers… prescribed fire is unique in serving to both reduce the risks associated with wildfire and to help restore ecological function in natural systems.”

Coyote Creek Prescribed Fire Announcement!

Wildfire Wednesdays #70: Understanding Wildfire Risk

Hi FACNM Community,

As the weather begins to change, it is a great time to take action by educating ourselves and our friends, family, and neighbors about wildfire risk. This week’s Wildfire Wednesdays newsletter shares some great opportunities for you to learn more about the relationship between New Mexico’s landscapes and wildfire.

This Week’s Wildfire Wednesdays features:

  • Take a look at the Wildfire Risk to Communities tool to better understand the wildfire risk in your area.

  • Register now for the 2021 virtual Wildland Urban Fire Summit

Best,

Gabe

Wildfire Risk to Communities

To explore this interactive tool and better understand your wildfire risk, click here.

“Wildfire Risk to Communities is a free, easy-to-use website with interactive maps, charts, and resources to help communities understand, explore, and reduce wildfire risk. It was created by the USDA Forest Service under the direction of Congress and is designed to help community leaders, such as elected officials, community planners, and fire managers. This is the first time wildfire risk to communities has been mapped nationwide.”

Register now for the 2021 virtual Wildland Urban Fire Summit

Click the play button on the video above to hear from members of our planning committee about the 2021 summit!

Register NOW for the 2021 New Mexico Wildland Urban Fire Summit! The event takes place on October 28th and 29th from 9am-1pm MST.

This years theme is Community, Resilience & Recovery 

The Wildland Urban Fire Summit (WUFS) is one of New Mexico’s leading events for wildfire preparedness and planning. Join your peers, community leaders, fire service professionals, and federal, state, tribal, and local governments for this FREE virtual summit. Learn from communities adapting to a wildfire environment about the latest techniques, strategies, and resources for wildfire adaptation and resilience. Expand your network of peers and experts to assist you in your fire/disaster resiliency goals.

Click HERE for more information about the 2-day agenda and list of summit speakers.

 

Wildfire Wednesdays #69: Prescribed Fires

Hello FACNM community!

Happy Wednesday, we hope you’re enjoying this cooler weather and the start to Fall here in Northern New Mexico! With Fall comes the start of another season; prescribed fire season. Fire adapted forests historically experienced low-severity wildfire in a way that protected them from widespread mortality and land-type conversion across large acreages. While it is essential that we put fires out to protect our homes and communities, our effectiveness at putting fires out over the last 100 years or so has largely removed fire from these forests. To reintroduce low-severity fire, land managers across New Mexico use prescribed fire under carefully planned conditions that typically align with Fall weather. Keep reading to learn more!

This Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • What are prescribed/controlled burns?

  • Effects of prescribed fires

  • Lessons learned on prescribed burning from the Southeastern US

  • An upcoming pile burning workshop opportunity

Have a great week!

Liz

Prescribed burns

What is a prescribed burn?

“Prescribed fires, also known as prescribed burns or controlled burns, refer to the controlled application of fire by a team of fire experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire.” (Forest Service)

What are the outcomes of a prescribed burn?

From the Forest Service:

Photo from an All Hands All Lands prescribed burn in 2019

Photo from an All Hands All Lands prescribed burn in 2019

  • Reduces hazardous fuels, protecting human communities from extreme fires;

  • Minimizes the spread of pest insects and disease;

  • Removes unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem;

  • Provides forage for game;

  • Improves habitat for threatened and endangered species;

  • Recycles nutrients back to the soil; and

  • Promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants.

What are the types of prescribed burns?

Photo from an All Hands All Lands pile burn in 2021

Photo from an All Hands All Lands pile burn in 2021

  • Broadcast burning: “Broadcast burning involves fire applied across a predetermined area ranging in size from an acre or less to tens of thousands, generally after an area has not received precipitation for some amount of time to encourage fire movement” (NW Fire Science Consortium)

  • Understory burning: “A prescribed fire ignited under the forest canopy that focuses on the consumption of surface fuels but not the overstory vegetation. Underburning is generally used following a pre-treatment such as thinning and /or pile burning to further reduce the surface fuels, help maintain the desired vegetation conditions and enhance the overall health and resiliency of the stand.” (Bureau of Land Management)

  • Pile burning: “A prescribed fire used to ignite hand or machine piles of cut vegetation resulting from vegetation or fuel management activities. Piles are generally burned during the wet season to reduce damage to the residual trees and to confine the fire to the footprint of the pile. Pile burning allows time for the vegetative material to dry out and will produce less overall smoke by burning hot and clean.” (Bureau of Land Management)

  • Jackpot burning: “A modified form of underburn or broadcast burn where the target fuels to be ignited are the concentrations (or jackpots) of vegetative fuel. The result is a mosaic burn pattern. This technique works well when surface fuels loading is very high following vegetation treatments such as juniper encroachment removal used to improve rangeland ecosystems.” (Bureau of Land Management)

  • Cultural burning: Cultural burnings have been performed by aboriginal and indigenous peoples across the world for millennia and are practiced by many tribes today. These burnings can have many different objectives but what sets cultural burnings apart from other prescribed fires it that the cultural burnings and the resources they affect are “pertinent and substantial to their cultural livelihood”. Visit last week’s Wildfire Wednesday blog to learn more!

How are prescribed burns planned?

“Specialists write burn plans for prescribed fires. Burn plans identify – or prescribe – the best conditions under which trees and other plants will burn to get the best results safely. Burn plans consider temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. Prescribed fire specialists compare conditions on the ground to those outlined in burn plans before deciding whether to burn on a given day.” (Forest Service)

Effects of prescribed fires

There are many public concerns regarding prescribed fires, particularly around air quality and wildlife, but the benefits of prescribed fires far outweigh any negative side effects. Click on the resources below to learn more about how prescribed fire effects these areas of concern.

“Prescribed fire can result in significant benefits to ecosystems and society. Examples include improved wildlife habitat, enhanced biodiversity, reduced threat of destructive wildfire, and enhanced ecosystem resilience. Prescribed fire can also come with costs, such as reduced air quality and impacts to fire sensitive species. To plan for appropriate use of prescribed fire, managers need information on the tradeoffs between prescribed fire and wildfire regimes. In this study, we argue that information on tradeoffs should be presented at spatial and temporal scales commensurate with the scales at which these processes occur and that simulation modeling exercises should include some realistic measure of wildfire probability. To that end, we synthesized available scientific literature on relationships between prescribed fire and wildfire regimes, and their associated ecological and societal effects, focusing specifically on simulation modeling studies that consider wildfire probability and empirical and modeling studies that consider prescribed fire and wildfire regimes at spatial and temporal scales beyond individual events.”

Lessons learned from the Southeastern US

Although we typically hear more about wildfires and prescribed burns occurring in the Western US, there are approximately 45,000 wildfires in the Southeastern US each year. From 1998 to 2018, about 70% of all prescribed burns in the United States occurred in the Southeast (Kolden, 2019). To learn more about fire in the Southeast visit the Wildland Fire in the Southeast webpage.

Why is the Southeast so far ahead in their utilization of prescribed burns? While in the Western US the approach of fire suppression was widely practiced, European settlers in the Southeast learned prescribed burning from the indigenous people and integrated that into their own relationship with the land. Prescribed burning, and selective logging, have been culturally accepted by communities in the Southeast and have been a part of land management since its early inhabitance. Learn more about the history of prescribed burning in the Southeast by reading this paper: The Historical Foundations of Prescribed Burning for Wildlife: a Southeastern Perspective.

To learn more about how Western states are learning from Southeastern fire practices check out:

Upcoming pile burn workshop

pile burning wksp..png

Wildfire Wednesdays #68: Cultural Forest Practices

Hello FACNM community!

We’re halfway through September and we hope you’re looking forward to fall as much as we are! Today we wanted to share with you some information about cultural forest practices and the complex relationship humans have had with forest management for millennia. It is a common misconception that that the American West was “shaped entirely by natural forces” prior to arrival of Europeans, however, burning and logging have played a significant role across our landscape for nearly 15,000 years. Read on to learn more about these forest management techniques and the indigenous peoples who practice them today.

This Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Cultural burning

  • Ancestral logging practices

  • Upcoming opportunity to be involved in (or learn more about) a prescribed burn!

Have a great week,

Liz

Cultural Burning

“Cultural burning by Native Americans interconnected them not only to the
land but to their animal, reptile, bird and plant spiritual relatives.
Therefore, conducting a cultural burn relates to what they burned, how
they burned it, and why they burned it”
— Ron W. Goode, Tribal Chair, North Fork Mono Tribe

What is cultural burning?

Cultural burning falls within the broader category of prescribed (or controlled) burns. What sets cultural burning apart is that within indigenous communities, these burnings are “pertinent and substantial to the cultural livelihood”. Anthropologists have found identified more than 70 different purposes for using fire within indigenous and aboriginal cultures. Some uses of fire include communication across long distances, reduction of pest populations, opening forests to attract game species, and moving herds in desired directions. To learn more about cultural burning watch this video by The Nature Conservancy “Revitalizing Cultural Burning practices, New Mexico and Beyond” or visit the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network for more resources.

History of cultural burning

As stated above, indigenous peoples have been using fire for many purposes across the American West for thousands of years. With the arrival of Europeans to the Western U.S. came the notion that all fire was bad and should be suppressed, a mentality that has taken generations to overcome. Only in the past few decades has the movement for revitalization of cultural burning practices and integration of indigenous peoples’ knowledge into policy and management gained traction. Click on the buttons below to check out academic papers detailing the history of cultural burning practices in the American West.

Cultural burning success stories

Photo credit: Kiliii Yuyan

Photo credit: Kiliii Yuyan

The Yurok tribe in California has been working to restore their cultural relationship with fire and “reclaim their right to use fire”. An internal assessment of community needs identified restoring the use of fire as the number one priority for tribal members. To address this, the Cultural Fire Management Council was created to return fire to Yurok lands. Since the establishment of this committee, there have been many Yurok TREXs (Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges) to share knowledge with collaborators and train tribal members. Click here to read the in-depth article from The Nature Conservancy about the Yurok Tribe and their “rekindling of the ancient art of controlled burning”

Mono tribe cultural burning (video below): “For thousands of years, California Indians used fire as a tool for managing natural resources. Throughout the state, Native peoples conducted cultural burns on a wide range of plants and it was their fire regimes that created diverse habitat mosaics that sustained meadows, coastal prairies, and grasslands. The careful application of fire increased fruit and seed production, caused new growth that was better suited for making baskets, and reduced the fuel load that could be burned by naturally occurring wildfires. But starting with the Spanish conquest and continuing today in the form of Forest Service and Cal Fire policies, fire suppression has drastically limited cultural burning. As a result, the forest has become incredibly dense and we are now facing a situation in the Sierras where drought is causing many trees to die. This massive tree mortality has brought the forest to a tipping point where large scale wildfires threaten to alter the Sierras permanently. In this video, we explore how cultural burning is being practiced today and what lessons it holds for the future of the forest. We visit the area just south of Yosemite National Park where two tribes are working to bring fire back to the land, the North Fork Mono Tribe and the Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians.”

Photo Credit: Central Oregon Fire Info

Photo Credit: Central Oregon Fire Info

Our final success story comes from Washington and Orgeon where the Bureau of Land Management have been collaborating with tribal leadership to develop prescribed burning projects. This year they have already noticed a difference in the fire severity in the areas that were treated with controlled burns versus areas that were not treated. This collaboration is yielding positive outcomes, however, tribal members also want to be more than just consultants on these projects and hope to be allocated resources to carry out this kind of management on their own lands. Click here to read the article “Indigenous practice could be key to taming wildfires”

Ancestral Logging Practices

Screenshot 2021-09-15 161742.png

The original wildland-urban interface in New Mexico was on the Jemez Plateau nearly 12,000 years ago where inhabitants practiced a form of selective logging. “Life on the Jemez Plateau required all the fine fuels that villagers could get their hands on. In roof construction alone, villagers cut hundreds of thousands of small-diameter timbers for supportive vigas, while understory growth went for fuelwood. Outside of villages, trails and agricultural fields acted as firebreaks.” There were actually more fires burning on the Jemez Plateau during this time compared to today, however, in part due to these forestry practices the fires were small and low in severity. Visit this 2017 High Country News article or read the paper below to learn more!

Upcoming Zuni TREX

IMG_0374.jpg

In October 2021 The Forest Stewards Guild, Mt. Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest and other partners will lead a collaborative burn that will provide opportunities for local practitioners to build experience and contribute to the ecological resilience of these fire-adapted forests.

Wildfire Wednesdays #67: Water & Fire

Hello and happy September FACNM community! 

Announcement kick-off: Wildfire Wednesdays is changing to become a bi-monthly post. We remain committed to bringing you useful and pertinent information and resources in this shift. Please continue to share widely! 

Today we have a guest writer, Rachel Bean, who is a project coordinator with the Forest Stewards Guild. Rachel will be diving into the connection between forest health, wildfire resiliency, and the water which fuels our community. Continue reading to learn more about source water and its relationship with wildfire preparedness. You can also check out the newly launched Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition source water webpage here where you will find useful links, videos, and opportunities to get involved with watershed health and protection in your community. 

This Wildfire Wednesday features information on: 

  • Watersheds and forest health 

  • The connection between fire resiliency and source water 

  • Treatments that protect water

  • The “Local Communities Adapting to Fire” webpage from TNC featuring the Santa Fe fireshed

Watersheds and Forest Health

Image Credit: Delaware County Conservation District

Forested ecosystems play a big role in supplying water for drinking and agriculture, from rural houses to small towns to large cities. They capture and retain snow in the winter at high elevation. This snow melts in the spring to feed streams and rivers, called surface runoff, flowing into our communities. They also act as a sponge, absorbing snow and rainwater into their soils to recharge wells, aquifers, and to feed acequias. Much of the water which comes out of the forests is stored in man-made reservoirs where it is treated for contaminants and transported into the municipal waterways, straight to your kitchen tap. From the highest peaks collecting snow to the mouth of the canyon where the reservoirs sit, these geographic areas which capture and supply water are called watersheds. The natural processes which take place in forested ecosystems provide the cleanest, cheapest, and most renewable form of drinking water in the southwest.

Fire Resilient Forests

An intact forest absorbs more water in its soils, holds more snow in the winter, and leads to a consistent source of potable water for communities. When a forest becomes overcrowded with trees and brush, the vegetation uptakes more water from the soil. The trees begin to compete for resources and may become water-stressed, making them more vulnerable to pests and disease. Overcrowded and stressed forests are also more vulnerable to wildfire, with a thick closed canopy which fuels the fire and allows flames to move quickly across the landscape. When a forest burns hot and fast it can no longer serve as that absorbent sponge – there are no trees to filter the rainwater, no vegetation to insulate and hold the snowpack, and the scorched soil becomes hydrophobic and unable to soak up water. In order to protect our rivers and drinking water, it is essential that we ensure ecological integrity and long-term resiliency of our forests.

Protecting the Water 

As climate change reduces the reliable arrival of snow and rainfall and a growing population increases the demand for water, protecting our source water and the watersheds which supply it is critically important to New Mexico. Forest thinning projects, prescribed burns and wildfires managed for resource objectives, and community protection projects all play a role in increasing forest resilience to pests, disease, and wildfire.  These treatments can create a natural and functional forest structure while stimulating grasses and shrubs. Plants stabilize the soil, reducing surface runoff and increasing water quality. Treated areas also burn at lower severity and are less likely to experience flooding and debris flows following a wildfire. Like a wise retirement investment, proactive protection of our source water ensures a vibrant and sustainable future. Learn more about watershed health and the projects taking place in your community to protect it! 

Local Communities Adapting to Fire

Photo credit: Christi Bode

From The Nature Conservancy’s Land and Water Stories is a new webpage, “Local Communities Adapting to Fire”. This page features several communities that are working towards becoming more fire adapted, including one of our local firesheds in Northern New Mexico, the Santa Fe Fireshed! Click here to visit The Nature Conservancy’s “Local Communities Adapting to Fire” page