Wildfire Wednesdays #55: Recreate Responsibly

Hi Fireshed Members,  

We are excited to get outside and enjoy the outdoors this Memorial Day weekend and hope you are too. Although there has been rain recently, New Mexico is still in severe drought and the risk of wildfire remains high. With that in mind, please take precautions and recreate responsibly this weekend to keep families and firefighters safe.  

This Wildfire Wednesdays features:  

• An article on how to safely camp and recreate during fire restrictions. 

• A new mapping tool to check current fire restrictions across the state. 

• Fire prevention messages to share with your friends, family, and neighbors.  

Thanks & enjoy the holiday weekend!

Gabe 

How do I Stay Warm Without a Fire? How to Camp and Recreate Safely During Fire Restrictions 

Photo credit: Sarote Impheng/EyeEm/Getty Images

Having a campfire can feel like an integral part of the camping experience but with fire restrictions in place and increased interest in Leave No Trace ethics, there are times when it is necessary to forgo the fire. There are plenty of ways to stay warm (and even roast marshmallows!) without a campfire plus it can create some unique opportunities, like a better view for stargazing. In this REI blogpost an Outdoor School Instructor shares her tips and tricks for how to make the most of going fire-less.

Click here to read the REI blog post

Know Before You Go: Check Fire Restrictions Using this New Mapping Tool  

Map Credit: Esri, USGS | Esri, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, EPA | U.S. Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico State Office

Before you head out on your next adventure it is critical to know whether there are fire restrictions and how your plans may be affected. This interactive tool allows for you to click on your destination, see what fire restrictions are in place in that area, and learn about what the fire restrictions mean. For example, some of New Mexico’s forests are in Stage 1 fire restrictions (shown in yellow on the map) this means that you cannot have a dispersed campfire but you can have a campfire in a designated firepit at your Forest Service campsite when written notice allows.

Click here to explore fire restrictions

Fire Prevention Messages to Share with your Friends, Family, and Neighbors 

You can be an advocate for fire prevention by sharing these messages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email or platform of your choice! We learn best from those we trust so by sharing these messages on social media you make a big difference within our community.

Know before you go

Encourage your friends to check fire restrictions before your next adventure!

CLICK E TO DOWNLOAD "KNOW BEFORE YOU GO" IMAGE

Check your chains

Making sure your chains don’t drag is a simple way you can make sure not to contribute to the human-caused wildfires in New Mexico.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "CHECK YOUR CHAINS" IMAGE

Do your part

Do your part for fire prevention to protect firefighters and forest communities.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "DO YOUR PART" IMAGE

Wildfire Wednesdays #54: All Hands All Lands Pile Burn Squad - Managing Wildfire for Resource Benefits

Hi Fireshed members,

Wildfire season is underway. To find up-to-date information about wildfire incidents, be sure to follow https://nmfireinfo.com/ for new incidents and https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ for longer, sustained incident information.

This Wildfire Wednesdays features:

• A story map about the All Hands All Lands pile burn squad within the Rio Grande Waterfund area

• Information about the Cuervito wildfire and how it is being managed for resource benefit in New Mexico.

Best,

Gabe

All Hands All Lands Pile Burn Squad

In the Rio Grande Water Fund landscape, the All Hands All Lands Pile Burn Squad has been a successful pandemic adaptation of the All Hands All Lands burn team.

A new storymap describes how the squad was set up, and how it worked to keep good fire work on track in the landscape. For more about AHAL, see the Forest Stewards Guild website, or contact Sam Berry (sam@forestguild.org).

Cuervito Wildfire Managed for Resource Benefit

Location of the Cuervito managed wildfire

Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) are taking advantage of a lightning strike that took place on Mother’s Day to achieve pre-determined resource objectives on about 1,500 acres on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District. Managing the Cuervito Fire will achieve significant benefits on the ground, including safer communities and a healthier forest.

Click here to read the whole press release.

This is a great time to learn a bit more about managing wildfire for resource benefit, and how this is an important component of current and future fire management strategies.

A briefing paper, titled “Managing Wildfire fore Resource Benefit: What is it and Is it Beneficial?” by Carrie Berger, Extension associate; Stephen Fitzgerald, silviculture Extension specialist and professor; Daniel Leavell, Extension agent, Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center and assistant professor (practice); shares the following about managing wildfire for resource benefit:

“In 2009, the Federal Wildland Fire Policy was implemented across agencies to ensure a consistent approach to managing wildfire. The policy allows wildfire to be managed for resource benefit on public land in one area of the fire while actively suppressing it in another area where people, homes, infrastructure, or other values at risk (e.g., ecologically important habitats, historically significant cultural sites) are potentially threatened. Local and state jurisdictions, however, are often bound by law to provide full wildfire suppression to protect private land and values at risk.

Managed wildfire requires extensive, advance land management planning that takes into account the risk of damage or loss from wildfire and the increased probability of positive outcomes. Location, available resources, predicted weather, topography, air quality, and predicted fire behavior are all factors that contribute to fire management decisions within the land management planning process.

So, the question remains: Are managed wildfires for resource benefit beneficial? Under certain circumstances, yes. Managed wildfire has the potential to consume built-up fuels and increase the health and resilience of forests. Reducing fuels may also make the landscape less susceptible to a larger and potentially more severe wildfire later. Additionally, managing naturally ignited wildfires allows fire managers to maintain the important role of fire, where fire is a natural and frequent disturbance component of the ecosystem (see the sidebar case examples). The Science Analysis of The National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy concludes: “Managing wildfire for resource objectives and ecological purposes is a useful tool for managing fire-adapted ecosystems and achieving fire-resilient landscapes, but has limited potential for broad application throughout the nation because of its inherent risk and statutory constraints.”

To learn more about managing wildfire for resource benefit, click here to read the whole briefing paper.

Wildfire Wednesdays #53: Ready, Set, Go! NM - Collaboration to Prevent Wildfires

Hi Fireshed Members,

Wildfire season is off to an early start this year. Are you prepared for wildfire season? If not, take some time this week and to make a couple small actions toward wildfire preparedness. The Ready, Set, Go! guide in this week’s newsletter can help guide you in this process. Remember, we can make a bigger impact toward a wildfire adapted future by working together and following the slogan “each one, teach one.”

This week’s Wildfire Wednesdays features

• The New Mexico Ready, Set, Go! guide

• A brief and informative news article about the need for collaboration to prevent mega fires and the Rio Grande Water Fund

Best,

Gabe

New Mexico Ready, Set, Go!

In New Mexico, fire season is now a year-round reality in many areas, requiring firefighters and residents to be on heightened alert for the threat of wildfires. The tips in this Ready, Set, Go! Guide are designed to help you plan and prepare for a wildfire emergency.

This is a great general resource to help you, your friends, family, and neighbors start to make progress toward wildfire preparedness. When doing work around your house or planning for wildfire, talk to those in your community about what you are doing and why.

To get started on the Ready, Set, Go! Guidebook, click here.

Experts Urge Community Collaboration to Prevent Catastrophic Fires

This article in the Santa Fe New Mexican shares the insight of an expert panel on the importance of collaborative efforts in community fire adaptation work across the state. In addition, the author, Victoria Traxler, shares an introduction to the Rio Grande Water Fund for those that may not be familiar with this innovative approach to forest and watershed health in New Mexico.

The panel was hosted by the Nature Conservancy last week and included representatives of the national Fire Adapted Communities learning network as well as many others.

Be sure to give this article a read and consider sharing this perspective with those in your communities that may not be familiar with these efforts.

To read the article, click here.

Wildfire Wednesdays #51: Fire Prevention through Social Media - Post-Fire Restoration Recommendations

Hi Fireshed Members,

With severe drought conditions across the state of New Mexico, it is especially important for us to focus on reducing human-caused wildfire ignitions this year. Always check fire restrictions before you recreate, use spark arrestors on gas-powered equipment, and make sure to recreate responsibly this spring and summer.

This Wildfire Wednesdays features:

• Fire prevention messages to share on social media

• Post-fire Recovery through indigenous and western science-based knowledge systems

Best,

Gabe

Please Help us Prevent Wildfire! Use these social media posts!

Please help prevent wildfire by sharing these messages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or over email. If this simple step prevents one wildfire, it could save lives and will help keep our first responders safe during the 2021 fire season. Just add the flyer as a photo and use our suggested caption, or create one of your own.

Recreate Safely

Click Here to Download this Flyer!

Suggested Caption: Click Share and Help Prevent Wildfire: We all need your help to prevent wildfires this summer. The statewide average of human-caused wildfires in New Mexico is 48% of all wildfires and most of these fires can be prevented. Don’t drag chains, check spark arrestors on vehicles and equipment and for information about preventing wildfires over The Fourth of July weekend, visit https://nmfireinfo.com/   Suggested Hashtags: #recreateresponsibly #preventwildfire #nmfire #fireadaptednm

Know Before You Go

Click Here to Download this Flyer!

Suggested Caption: Click Share and Help Prevent Wildfire: Know Before You Go! Before you make plans to have any smores over the campfire check for current fire restrictions.  Campfires and fireworks are not allowed on most public and private land throughout New Mexico. For more information, call the Fire Restrictions Hotline: 1-877-864-6985 or visit https://firerestrictions.us/nm/ 

Suggested Hashtags: #recreateresponsibly #preventwildfire #nmfire #fireadaptednm 

Do Your Part, Don’t Let A Wildfire Start

Click Here to Download this Flyer!

Suggested Caption: Click Share and Help Prevent Wildfire: Firefighters and first responders are needed more than ever to keep America safe . Prevent wildfires by following fire restrictions, postponing debris burning, and using campfire alternatives.  

Suggested Hashtags: #recreateresponsibly #preventwildfire #nmfire #fireadaptednm 

Post-fire Management Recommendations: The Western Klamath Restoration Partnership

Has your community or landscape collaborative discussed post-fire restoration? If not, learn from the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership’s (WKRP) recent work on post fire restoration. While some of these recommendations may be locally-specific, there is a lot to learn on this document.

To access the WKRP’s post-fire recommendations, click here.

The April 2021 post-fire restoration recommendations from the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership are a great model of how to develop a plan through collaboration. WKRP is a diverse group of partners including tribal, federal, non-governmental organizations and community members. The WKRP’s planning area is cross-jurisdictional, and includes the Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests, State Responsibility Areas, and spans the Karuk Tribe’s Aboriginal Territory, totaling approximately 1.2 million acres. These best management practices for post-fire restoration are informed by both western science and indigenous knowledge, practice, and belief systems.

The document provides recommendations on the collaborative process in general, post-fire tree felling, fuels and fire restoration, erosion and sediment control, forest heterogeneity, and monitoring. If you are interested in broaching these subjects in your community or landscape collaborative, feel free to reach out the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network for support by contacting gabe@forestguild.org.

Wildfire Wednesdays #50: Montana Wildfire Insurance Panel - Soil Moisture and Wildfire Danger

Hi Fireshed Members,  

Spring is windy in New Mexico. Be sure to check for red flag warnings before you burn debris or operate equipment that may create sparks. Red Flag warnings mean that warm temperatures, low humidities, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger. There are currently red flag warnings across most of New Mexico.  

This Wildfire Wednesdays features:  

• A webinar about insurance industry professionals and wildfire mitigation 

• Using Soil Moisture Information to Better Understand and Predict Wildfire Danger 

Best,  

Gabe 

Insurance Industry and Wildfire Mitigation 

This panel discussion, followed by a public Q&A, covers how we can better align the efforts of community leaders and insurance providers in promoting and expanding wildfire risk reduction efforts. 

Carole Walker of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association moderated the panel, which featured Nicole Mahrt-Ganley of American Property Casualty Insurance Association, Daniel Gorham of IBHS, and Jason Fehr of Chubb Insurance. The panel was hosted by Fire Adapted Montana Learning Network and Missoula County Office of Emergency Management, and was made possible with funding provided by the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. 

For more information, and to view the recording, please click here. 

Using Soil Moisture Information to Better Understand and Predict Wildfire Danger: A Symposium for Researchers and Fire Managers 

This free online symposium will highlight the latest advances in using soil moisture information to better understand and predict wildfire danger. These recent discoveries are revealing the potential for soil moisture estimates from in situ monitoring stations, remote sensing, and models to improve fire danger predictions and to advance our understanding of fire behavior. 

This interactive symposium will provide researchers and fire managers a unique opportunity to connect with others, to learn about ongoing research in this area, and to discuss ways to move forward with new research and end uses. 

The symposium will run from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. CDT and from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. CDT on May 6, 2021. The event agenda, which will be posted shortly on Drought.gov, will feature invited talks, interactive breakout groups, and panel discussions.  

Registration is free. Click here to register by April 30, 2021. 

Invited Speakers: 

• John Bolten, Hydrological Sciences Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 

• J. D. Carlson, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University 

• Nicholas Coops, Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia 

• W. Matt Jolly, Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire Sciences Laboratory, U.S. Forest Service 

• Brian Magi, Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte 

• Brad Quayle, Geospatial Technology and Applications Center, U.S. Forest Service 

• J. T. Reager, Terrestrial Hydrology Group, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

• Angela Rigden, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University 

Sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, with additional programmatic support provided by the U.S. Forest Service, the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network, and NIDIS. 

Organizing Committee: 

• Matthew Levi, Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia (co-chair) 

• Tyson Ochsner, Plant and Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University (co-chair) 

• Stephanie Connolly, U.S. Forest Service, Office of Sustainability and Climate 

• Marina Skumanich, NOAA/NIDIS, National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network 

For more information, please contact Matthew Levi (matthew.levi@uga.edu) or Tyson Ochsner (tyson.ochsner@okstate.edu).