Prescribed Fire Webinar Series Portal

Prescribed Fire and Climate Change

During this webinar, Courtney Peterson and Lenya Quinn-Davidson will discuss how fire will impact and be impacted by climate change.

A Menu of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Managing Fire in a Changing Climate
Courtney Peterson, Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network; Climate Adaptation Specialist, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science; Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department, Colorado State University

Climate change presents new challenges for managing wildland fires in fire-adapted ecosystems and near the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). However, the actions we take to adapt to changing fire regimes will vary depending on the location, the magnitude of climate impacts, the inherent resilience of ecosystems, and the values and resources of local communities. The Southwest FireCLIME, in collaboration with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) and the USDA Forest Service, developed a set of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches designed to help land managers anticipate climate change impacts and identify actionable steps to adapt forests to changing fire regimes. This tool is applicable to fire-prone ecosystems and for fire managers who need to connect the dots between fire ecology, climate science, adaptation intent, and management implementation.

Zoom Link

Click here to join Prescribed Fire and Climate Change at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

Continuing Education

Did you participate in the live webinar? To receive continuing education credit, you must be registered for the series AND you needed to record your attendance in the live session. If you missed the opportunity to record your attendance in the live session, please contact wfc@uwsp.edu​.

Resources

• Fire Menu Publication: Sample, M.; Thode, A.E.; Peterson, C.; Gallagher, M.R.; Flatley, W.; Friggens, M.; Evans, A.; Loehman, R.; Hedwall, S.; Brandt, L.; et al. Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Managing Fire in a Changing Climate. Climate 2022, 10, 58.
• Southwest FireCLIME Adaptation Tools
• The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) Adaptation Strategies
• The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) Fire-Adapted Ecosystems

Presenters

Courtney Peterson, Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network; Climate Adaptation Specialist, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science; Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department, Colorado State University

Courtney Peterson is a Climate Adaptation Specialist with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) and the USDA Southwest Climate Hub, based out of the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department at Colorado State University. One of Courtney’s major roles is to serve as the Adaptive Silviculture​ for Climate Change (ASCC) Program Manager, where she focused on disseminating ASCC project findings and translating them into outreach and training opportunities with land managers and scientists working to manage forests for climate change adaptation. She also provides climate science communication and adaptation planning resources and training to natural resource professionals interested in increasing their skills in applying science-based decisions within an adaptive management context.

Lenya N. Quinn-Davidson, Fire Network Director, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Program Director, Women-in-Fire Training Exchanges (WTREX)

Lenya Quinn-Davidson is the Fire Network Director for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, where she leads a statewide team working on various facets of fire resiliency, from wildland fire management and the built environment to workforce development and community capacity. Over the last 15 years, Lenya’s work has focused in large part on the human connection with fire, and increasing the resiliency of California’s landscapes and communities. Lenya has worked at various scales, including locally with private landowners and community members; at the state level, where she collaborates on policy, research, and training; and nationally/internationally, through her leadership on the Women-in-Fire Training Exchange (WTREX) Program. Lenya is passionate about using fire to inspire and empower people, from ranchers and scientists to agency leaders and young women, and everyone in between.

Moderator

Greg Edge, Forest Ecologist/Silviculturist, Division of Forestry – Bureau of Forest Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Co-Host of SilviCast​

Greg Edge is a forest ecologist/silviculturist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-Division of Forestry. He has worked for the DNR for more than 30 years in a variety of roles, including as a forester, forest geneticist and nursery specialist, and area forestry leader. Greg graduated from UW-Stevens Point with a B.S. in forestry administration and received an M.S. in forest genetics from UW-Madison. Greg has completed the National Advanced Silviculture Program (NASP) and is a Certified Silviculturist through the U.S. Forest Service.

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Case Studies: Prescribed Fire and Red Pine

Dr. Meunier will explore how frequent low to moderate intensity fires shaped mixed conifer forests in ways we never realized. Discover ways to design silvicultural treatments that can increase forest resilience by examining these historic fire-dependent ecosystems. ​

Kyle Gill will present on the collaborative ecocultural fire restoration and relationship building work on Nagaajiwanaang and the U of MN Cloquet Forestry Center. Fire history research, led by Dr. Evan Larson in 2016 and informed by indigenous knowledge holders and 200+ year-old red pine storykeepers, made it clear that the pre-settlement surface fire regime was abundant, human led, and required cross-cultural collaboration for restoration. Our restoration planning took shape in 2019 and commenced on-the-ground in 2022 across 75 acres. General objectives include putting land acknowledgement into action, relationship building between human communities and humans and the Land, and restoring fire as a community member in fire-dependent ecological communities with red pine canopies. Specific objectives vary from unit to unit depending on the age of the red pine and the structure and composition of the community. He approaches land stewardship from training in forestry and disturbance ecology and has been the CFC forest manager since 2015.

Presenters

Jed Meunier, Ph.D., Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Division of Forestry

Jed Meunier is an ecologist and research scientist within the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. His work relates to the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. Jed has expertise in disturbance ecology which translates well into management issues whether that is the harvest of wildlife or timber, understanding natural disturbance like fire, or the use of fire to meet particular management objectives. His dissertation research was on fire ecology in northern Mexico investigating spatial and temporal aspects of fire in relation to climate and land-use over several centuries. Jed received his M.S. in the wildlife ecology department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying the effects of hunting on declining American woodcock populations. Jed considers himself lucky to spend his time asking questions and through applied research to assist in the management of Wisconsin’s many treasures.

Kyle Gill, Forest Manager & Research Coordinator, Cloquet Forest Center & Hubachek Wilderness Research Center, University of Minnesota

Kyle has been the Forest Manager and Research Coordinator for the UMN Experimental Forests properties since 2015. In this role, he seeks to build an active forest management and research program that focuses on forests as complex adaptive systems. His forest stewardship philosophies include (1) Trusting that the only thing that endures is change, (2) The Landscape Triad conceptual framework for balancing multiple objectives, (3) Employing forest treatment techniques that mimic evolutionary-scale forest development patterns to promote the capacity for resilience and adaptation to changes in climate and other forms of abiotic, biotic and human-caused uncertainty, and (4) Recognizing that humans are one part of nature and forest ecosystem communities so need to approach land management with humility and respect to our other community members. He earned his M.S. (2014) in Natural Resources Science and Management and B.S. (2007) in Environment and Natural Resources from the University of Minnesota. For his M.S. thesis, he investigated forest development, dynamics, and relationship to climate of jack pine-dominated forests (FDc12, FDc23, and FDc24) in Minnesota’s central floristic region. In his free time, he enjoys many outdoor recreational activities, including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and wilderness exploration, and philosophizing about life’s great and simple questions.​

Moderator

Eli Anoszko, Ph.D., Vallier Treehaven Ecologist, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Eli Anoszko is the Vallier Treehaven Resident Ecologist at UWSP’s Treehaven field station in Tomahawk, WI where he teaches courses in plant identification and serves as land manager for the 1200 acre field station.  Eli has a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Science and Management from the University of Minnesota where he studied the effects on the Ham and Cavity Lake Fires on the near boreal forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Eli has also worked as a forester and wildland firefighter for the MN DNR and spent several seasons as a research technician with the USFS in the Sierra Nevada of California working on a variety of fire ecology related research projects.  His current research seeks to better understand the dynamics of fire in mixed pine forests of the Lake States.

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Case Studies: Prescribed Fire and Interfering Vegetation

Join Jack McGowan-Stinski and Jim Elleson to explore ways that prescribed burning can help forest managers deal with interfering vegetation.

Jim Elleson’s presentation will address managing oak woodlands with prescribed fire, with examples drawn from his experience with multiple sites in Wisconsin.

Presenters

Jack McGowan-Stinski, Program Manager, Lake States Fire Science Consortium, Ohio State University

Jack is the Program Manager for the Lake States Fire Science Consortium, funded by the Joint Fire Science Program, and administered through the Ohio State University.  His main duties include managing the activities of LSFSC, and liaising with researchers, land and fire managers, and policymakers across the Lake States Region. Jack received a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and a M.S. in Conservation Biology from Central Michigan University.  Jack’s professional experiences include – Fire Manager and Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy, a Consultant/Contractor and Burn Boss, multiple seasonal positions with USFS and State DNRs. Jack is one of the founders of the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council, actively participates on steering committees/boards for the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils, the NE MW Regional Prescribed Fire Council, and MI and MN Councils, and supported the start-up of other State RX Councils in IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, PA, and WI. When not sharing fire and natural resource management stories, Jack will disappear for as long as possible into the wilds of MN and WI to explore, hunt, fish, kayak, snowshoe, and immerse in a wide variety of arts and crafts projects.

Jim Elleson, Founder, Quercus Land Stewardship Services

Jim started Quercus Land Stewardship Services in 2003 with the goal of helping landowners improve the ecological health of their land.  Over the next two decades he helped hundreds of landowners including federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit conservation organizations and land trusts, commercial businesses and private individuals.  He and his crews provided land management services for tens of thousands of acres, including prescribed burning, invasive species control, timber stand improvement, and other activities to promote native plant communities.   Jim led over 500 prescribed burns totaling nearly 13,000 acres for clients from 2004 to 2023.  He stepped down from running the business in 2020, and his “retirement” projects include leading the development of a Wisconsin prescribed fire burn boss certification program for the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council, mentoring the next generation of prescribed fire leaders, and managing his own little corner of Wisconsin’s Driftless area.

Moderator

Michele Witecha, Prescribed Fire Specialist and Forester, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Bio coming soon.

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Workforce Development

Where have all the burners gone? Lee Jensen and Curtis Wayka will discuss strategies to build up the workforce necessary for forest and fire management.

Presenters

Ron Waukau, Forest Manager, Menominee Tribal Enterprises

Ron Waukau has had a long career at Menominee Tribal Enterprises, starting in 1988. Ron has served multiple appointments across Menominee forest operations prior to becoming Forest Manager.

Lee Jensen, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Fire Management Officer, U.S. Forest Service

Curtis Wayka, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Specialist, Menominee Tribal Enterprises

Moderator

Paul Priestley, Wildland Fuels Specialist, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Paul is an alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, graduating in 2017 with a B.S. degree in Wildland Forest Science and Forest Ecosystem Restoration. He spent two years as the Fire Effects Officer with the UWSP Fire Crew. Since his time at University, Paul has worked for the U.S. Forest Service on the Great Lakes Wildland Fire Module, for the Nature Conservancy as a Prescribed Fire Coordinator, and currently works for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa as the Wildland Fuels Specialist.

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Prescribed Burn Associations

Prescribed Burn Associations are critical for restoring fire adapted landscapes, imparting knowledge, and sharing resources. Join us as we discuss ways to regionally encourage and support private landowners to create sustainable and effective PBAs.

Presenters

Geo​rge Jensen, Southwest Georgia Prescribed Burn Association Coordinator, Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy ​

George Jensen, originally from Savannah, Georgia, grew up in Berlin, Wisconsin. George attended the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where he studied Wildland Fire Science and Conservation Biology under Dr. Ron Masters. ​During this time, George had heavy involvement in the UWSP interagency fire crew, where he was an officer for two years; George burned with the crew in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Chicago, Florida, Georgia, and, South Carolina. George also worked for the federal government on a fuels module and helit​​ack crew and did fire with WDNR. Upon graduation, George took a job as a Conservation Biologist for the Endangered Resources section of the WNDR and was also on the state burn team. George was also private lands biologist for the private sector in central Wisconsin. George attended graduate school for forestry at Mizzou under Dr. Ben Knapp. George worked his master’s tenure at the Jones Center at Ichauway, where he researched how Resistance, Resilience, and Transition silviculture treatments affect fire behavior and effects in longleaf pine ecosystems during atypically hotter and drier days. He also studied fine-scale fire effe​cts in patches of longleaf pine. Currently, George works for ​Tall Timbers as the Southwest Georgia Prescribed Burn Association Coordinator and is an Adjunct professor of ecology at Thomas University in Thomasville, Georgia.

Additional presenter TBA soon.

Moderator

Michael Tiller, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Forest and Fire Management, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Michael grew up in Northern California where he enjoyed an active outdoor lifestyle hunting, fishing, camping, and skiing in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains and coastal redwoods. He enjoyed a 10-year career with Cal Fire serving as a Firefighter and Fire Apparatus Engineer. In 2006, he moved to College Station, Texas where he attended Texas A&M University and earned a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. After completing his B.S. degree, he attended Stephen F. Austin State University where he earned an M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Ph. D. in Forestry, both with a research focus on understory fuel flammability in forest and rangeland ecosystems. Michael also served as a Wildland Urban Interface Specialist for the Texas A&M Forest Service for 2-years where he was actively engaged with fuels management and prescribed burning. He recently accepted an Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology position at UW-Stevens Point where he leads the fire science program and serves as an adviser for the UWSP Fire Crew.

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Snapshot of Rx Fire in the Lake States

In December, we will reflect on today’s prescribed fire landscape in the Lake States, examine pinch points, and discuss where we go next.

Presenters

Michele Witecha, Prescribed Fire Specialist and Forester, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Bio coming soon. Additional presenter TBA soon.

Moderator

 Moderator TBA Soon.

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