Wildfire Wednesdays #21: Aspen Regeneration - Fall Fire and Fuels Youth Corps

Hi Fireshed Members,

Part of living within the Fireshed is understanding the forests that surround our homes and communities, including the role of wildfire within these forests. This understanding can help us learn what to expect during fire season, and make us better prepared to respond and recover from wildfire in our area. Aside from protecting lives and property, we may also gain a more nuanced understanding of the effects of wildfire and other ecosystem disturbances within these forested systems.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features a new resource about Aspen regeneration in forests across the Rocky Mountains of Northern New Mexico.

Best,

Gabe

Aspen Next Generation

In the Rocky Mountains of Northern New Mexico, Aspen trees are especially important, and have an interesting relationship with wildfire. Aspen trees are a favorite to many New Mexicans because they add beauty to landscapes, foster high diversity and productivity of understory plants, provide habitat to many species, and burn with moderate fire behavior.

Some are concerned that Aspen trees and stands are not regenerating well in New Mexico; young cohorts are scarce in many areas. The Aspen Next Generation (ANG) Project aims to foster the future of aspen by pulling together insights from landowners, agency personnel and scientists across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The report features place-based conversation summaries that include Chama and the Jemez Mountains of northwestern New Mexico, Vermejo Park in north central New Mexico, and the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south central Colorado.

To read the insights gathered in their report: click here.

The Forest Stewards Fall Fire and Fuels Crew

As wildfire activity in the Southwest winds down with the arrival of the monsoon season, other parts of the country are just getting going. As a result, many firefighting resources in the Southwest are deployed to other parts of the country, limiting local capacity to implement prescribed burns during prime burn windows. Prescribed fire is a necessary tool used by land managers to reduce wildfire risk and restore resilience to forests. The fall FSYC fire and fuels program helps fill this gap in capacity. This Monday, August 17th, the Forest Stewards Youth Corps began their training for the Fall 2020 season.

The fall FSYC program prepares participants for careers in natural resource management by providing them with training and certifications in:

• National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Basic Wildland Fire Fighting (S-130/190)

• Wildland fire chainsaw use (S-212)

• CPR and first-aid

• Defensive driving

• Forestry

• Leadership development

• Job skills such as resume and cover letter writing, and

• New Mexico Forest Worker Safety.

The Forest Stewards Guild is currently hiring one more crew member to the Mountainair crew. If you know someone in this area between 18-25 that is a certified type II wildland firefighter, please contact Gabe at 509-844-3048.

Wildfire Wednesdays #20: Prescribed Fire on Private Land - Healthy Soils Webinar Series

Hi Fireshed Members  

As we head into the late summer, many land management agencies and private forest owners are preparing to implement prescribed fire. Prescribed fire is a useful tool to help reduce surface fuel loads, decrease wildfire risk, improve understory vegetation growth, and improve forest health in many forest types across New Mexico. The process of planning and implementing prescribed fire is challenging, but not impossible, for private landowners.  

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features: 

• A Forest Stewards Guild publication titled “Prescribed Fire on Private Land in New Mexico” 

• A webinar series about soil health in Piñion-Juniper woodlands 

Best,  

Gabe 

Prescribed Fire on Private Land in New Mexico 

If you have ever wondered about the legal framework for implementing prescribed fire on private lands in New Mexico, please check out the 2019 report by The Forest Stewards Guild titled, “Prescribed Fire on Private Land in New Mexico.” This report is an update to their 2017 report titled, “Controlled burning on private land in New Mexico,” and describes the many programs and authorities that can help a private landowner restore low-severity fire to their property. New Mexico’s state government is working hard to help private landowners gain the support and legal protection required to use prescribed fire as a land management tool.  

To read the full report, click here.  

Healthy Soils Webinar Series 

Soil health determines the trees that grow and the type of fire regime within New Mexico’s forests. To understand how soil health connects to forest systems like Piñion-Juniper woodlands, check out the Healthy Soils webinar series starting tomorrow Thursday, August 13th. 

Jan-Willem Jansens of Ecotone Landscape Planning is hosting a webinar series with The Forest Stewards Guild. This series will provide some soil science basics and help you feel more comfortable monitoring soil health. There are three webinars:

1) Defining Healthy Woodland Soil (Zoom link): 12:00pm -1:30pm, Thursday, August 13th

2) Measuring Woodland Soil Health: 12:00pm - 1:30pm, Thursday, August 27th

3) Managing Woodlands for Soil Health: 12:00pm - 1:30pm, Thursday, September 10th

Click the links above to register for the webinars.

Wildfire Wednesdays #19: Wildfire and Pollinators - Support Navajo Nation Elders

Hi Fireshed Members,

With the monsoon rains in New Mexico, we hope that many of the wildfires start cooling down, and our communities and ecosystems can begin to recover. Wildfire is a natural disturbance in many of New Mexico’s forests. Depending on the fire behavior and severity, we often see species and ecosystems respond well to wildfire. Fuel reduction thinning and prescribed fire are powerful tools that help keep fire behavior and severity within the range that ecosystems are adapted to recover from.  

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday includes: 

• A briefing paper about the relationship between native pollinators and wildfire 

• An opportunity to support The Navajo Nation in a time of need. 

Best,  

Gabe  

Briefing Paper: Pollinators and Wildfire 

Birds and bees and...wildfire? As an introduction to the studies being conducted on pollinating insects and birds and their relationship to wildfire, the Forest Stewards Guild is releasing another briefing paper covering why pollinators are important, and how they are affected by fires of differing severity. Be sure to check out this newest addition of to our series of Briefing Papers! 

To read the briefing paper, click here.  

Support the Navajo Nation in a Time of Need 

In addition to recovering from and actively fighting wildfire, The Navajo Nation is disproportionately struggling with the covid-19 pandemic. One way that you can help is by contributing to the “Chizh for Cheii,” or “wood for grandpa” fund that supports firewood delivery to Navajo Nation elders. Many people on the Navajo reservation, especially elders, live with no running water and electricity. These people rely on firewood to heat their homes, and with winter around the corner and firewood in short supply, they need your help.  

To view the “Chizh for Cheii” go fund me page, click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/chizh-for-cheii 

Wildfire Wednesdays #18: Fire Restrictions Rescinded - Call for Presentations!

Hi Fireshed Members,  

With monsoon rains starting across the state, we are beginning to see a much-needed decrease in fire risk. I hope you all are enjoying the cooling effect of these seasonal rains and the pulse of vegetation growth that comes with it. As we transition into the fall, many land management agencies hope to get some much needed prescribed fire into our fire-adapted forests to restore forest health and protect our communities from future wildfire.  

This Wildfire Wednesday includes 

• An update on fire restrictions on public lands in NM 

• A call for presenters for this year’s Virtual Wildland Urban Fire Summit 

Keep up the good work!  

Gabe 

Fire Restrictions Rescinded! 

Great news! Many land management agencies are beginning to lift some fire restrictions, allowing fire campfires on public lands in time for fall camping. Still, always know before you go and be sure to check ahead of time to make sure this is the case where you are planning to visit. Visit NMFireInfo.com for updates and to firerestrictions.us/nm to see what's still restricted and what has been lifted. 

Here are some updates on fire restrictions: 

• BLM NM statewide rescinded 7/28 

• NM State Forestry rescinded 7/24 

• Northern Forests (Cibola, Santa Fe and Carson) to rescind Stage 2 restrictions today, 7/29.  The Lincoln and Gila had already gone out last week. 

• Park Service units are rescinding, but be sure to check for details. 

• Tribal lands remain in restrictions and they may not be open to the general public due to the pandemic. 

Virtual Wildland-Urban Fire Summit (WUFS): Please Submit Presentation Ideas! 

The New Mexico Wildland Urban Fire Virtual Summit planning committee is soliciting presentations for the upcoming summit to be held October 22-23, 2020. 

This year’s theme is “All Lands, All Neighbors (for wildfire resilience.” If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please email awebb@nmcounties.org for more information on how to submit a proposal.  The proposal deadline is July 31. 

Stay tuned here for more on the summit and save the date: October 22-23, 2020!  The NM Wildland Urban Fire Summit is New Mexico’s premiere venue for wildfire preparedness and planning. Join your peers, community members and leaders, fire service, businesses and nonprofits, colleges and universities, and federal, state and local government to: Create a network of experts and peers that will assist you in your fire resiliency goals, learn new and innovative ways to adapt your community to a wildfire environment, and share successes and lessons learned from “living with fire” in New Mexico. 

Wildfire Wednesdays #17 - Living with Wildfire Webinar - Pinon Juniper Synthesis - Home Hardening Webinar

Hello Fireshed Members,

Although we’ve been getting monsoon rains in parts of New Mexico, the accompanying lightning has also led to more natural ignitions of wildfires. For the most part, these fires have been suppressed quickly by firefighters since they are accompanied by moisture that slows the spread, but it shows that we truly are living in fire adapted ecosystems where wildfires have always had a place! This week spend some time catching up on webinars or take a deep dive into the fascinating world of Pinon-Juniper landscapes.

This week we have:

• Bachechi Open Space Webinar Recording – Living and Adapting with Fire, presented by your blog writer Gabe Kohler of the Forest Stewards Guild

• Pinon Juniper Synthesis –  Ecology, Ecohydrology, Restoration, and Management

• Upcoming Home Hardening Against Wildfire webinar- Tahoe Home Retro Fit Workshop

Best,

Sam 

Living with and Adapting to Wildfire

In case you missed it, check out this webinar recording titled Living and Adapting with Fire. As part of Bachechi Open Space’s Backyard Science webinar series, this talk features an introduction to the fire ecology of various forested systems (bosque and mountain areas) that are common to northern New Mexico. Explore what it means for landscapes and houses to be fire adapted. Understand the ways communities can learn to live safely within areas where fire can run wild. Presenter, Gabe Kohler, is a program coordinator with The Forest Stewards Guild that works on increasing engagement with Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico (FACNM).

To Check out the webinar recording , visit https://www.facebook.com/BachechiOpenSpace/

Pinon-Juniper Management Synthesis

The Synthesis reviews the history of Pinyon and juniper woodlands, to provide the basis for understanding their ecology. Photo: R.Miller, Oregon State University

If you are live or work in Pinon Juniper landscapes this new synthesis will provide fresh insight into this important forest type. “This synthesis is a comprehensive review of the current knowledge of both persistent and newly expanded pinyon and juniper (PJ) woodlands that will be of interest to managers, researchers, and the public,” says Jeanne Chambers, a Research Ecologist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station and synthesis coauthor. Although this synthesis focuses on the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, much of the information will be applicable to New Mexico. Besides the full length report the authors and their partners have created a series of briefing papers on specific topics. Dive into the world of PJ in the links below!

• Science You Can Use – Overview of the PJ Synthesis  

• Ecology Fact Sheet

• History Fact Sheet

• Eco Hydrology Fact Sheet

• Management and Restoration Fact Sheet

• The ecology, history, ecohydrology, and management of pinyon and juniper woodlands in the Great Basin and Northern Colorado Plateau of the western United States. RMRS-GTR-403 – Full Document 

Upcoming Home Hardening against Wildfire Webinar- Tahoe Home Retro Fit Workshop

Jul 28, 2020 06:30 PM

Join experts from California and Nevada for this workshop hosted over zoom about retrofitting your home to be more resistant to wildfires.

Click here to register

Speakers include:

Christina Restaino - Assistant Professor and Natural Resources Specialist with University of Nevada, Reno Extension and the Director of the Living With Fire Program.

Susie Kocher - Forestry Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension Central Sierra and is a registered professional forester

Stephen Quarles - University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor Emeritus and the retired Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Research Center.