Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

Northeast Region
Wildland fire in NJ 2014
Resilient Landscapes - Fire-Adapted Communities - Safe and Effective Wildfire Response 
The Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC) provides executive leadership, coordination, and guidance to carry out the Northeast Regional Action Plan while providing a forum for members to guide strategic direction for fire and land management activities. The NE RSC continues to collaboratively recognize, support, and help with National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy goals and implementation efforts.

NE RSC Chair: Brad Simpkins, New Hampshire State Forester
In This Issue
Training Opportunities

P410 -- Fire Prevention Education Team Leader

November 17-20, 2014

This course is sponsored by the Northeast Forest Fire Compact.

 

There is no tuition cost for this course. However, there will be a $175 registration fee to cover breakfast, lunch, and breaks.  

 

Click here for more details or contact Tom Parent (207) 968-3782.

Quick Links

Fire Adapted Communities Coalition
 


Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy Key Contacts

Brad Simpkins

Chair

New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands

172 Pembroke Road

PO Box 1856

Concord, NH 03302-1856

 

Terry Gallagher

Technical Working Group Lead

US Forest Service, Eastern Region

 

Maureen Brooks

Communications Working Group Lead

US Forest Service, Northeastern Area S&PF

 

Larry Mastic

Coordinator, Northeast Region

Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

 

The Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC) delivers articles and stories each month that demonstrate the collaborative efforts of agencies, organizations and communities supporting and promoting the three goals of the Cohesive Strategy: Restoring Resilient Landscapes, Creating Fire Adapted Communities and Responding to Wildfire. 

 

This news update is our primary communication tool with our partners and the public. Looking for more Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy information or past published news update issues? Click here.

Does your agency, organization, or community have a project or event you'd like to see featured in the NE RSC News Update? 

Tell us about it! Just contact Larry Mastic.
Top

September 2014

Smokey Bear to Celebrate 70th Birthday, with No Plans on Retiring
1960s era Smokey Bear Poster
Emily Wickwire, TODAY, Aug. 6, 2014 at 4:31 PM ET

 

Even after decades, Smokey Bear's popularity doesn't seem to have smoldered: On Aug. 9, the iconic forest fire prevention bear is turning 70, and can proudly say his message is still going strong.

This poster from the U.S. Agriculture Dept. web site shows Smokey Bear in a 1960s-era poster. 

 

"He's one of the most popular icons throughout this country," Tom Tidwell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, told TODAY.com about the bear, who is actually known as "Smokey Bear," not "Smokey the Bear," as many people think. "And he's well-recognized internationally because of the success of this campaign."

Read more about Smokey Bear's 70th Birthday.

Smokey Bear 70th Celebration in New Hampshire
Hillsborough, New Hampshire

Smokey Bear hot air balloon
The Prevention Education Working Team (PEWT) of the Northeast Forest Fire Protection Commission (NFFCP) brought the Smokey Bear Hot Air Balloon to this quaint and spirited New Hampshire town's annual hot air balloon festival and fair on July 18-20.
Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Projects Highlight the State's Wildfire History
wayside sign and calendarThe Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) used State Fire Assistance-Hazard Mitigation grant funds on projects that remind the public that the potential for large-scale wildfires exists in Wisconsin. 

One project is a wayside sign on the site of a 1977 wildfire. The Brockway Fire burned 17,590 acres of forest land and 14 homes in 12.5 hours. A sign has been at the site since 1978. Hazard mitigation funds were used to update the sign in 2003 and again this year.

 A second project, a 12-month "Wildfires of Wisconsin" 2015 calendar, highlights project fires in the state's history. Both projects will help remind property owners, recreationists, and visitors that large-scale wildfires are not only possible, but have regularly occurred in Wisconsin. On deck for this year is another sign project near the origin of the Germann Road Fire, which burned 7,500 acres, 23 homes, and 80 outbuildings May 14, 2013.

Contributed by Jolene Ackerman, Wisconsin DNR
Town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, has Active Interagency Prescribed Fire Program

  Prescribed fire

The Town of Plymouth Fire Department and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) Bureau of Forest Fire Control, specifically District #2, headquartered at Myles Standish State Forest, have fostered a strong working relationship that epitomizes the meaning of interagency cooperation. DCR Forest Fire Control has enacted a strong program to address wildfire concerns. Its staff should be commended for its success in treating hazardous fuels as well as the suppression, all hazard response, prevention, and detection assistance given to the Plymouth Fire Department and surrounding communities that make up Plymouth County.


Much great work has been done on this third most combustible pine barren fuel type in the United States. The Plymouth Fire Department regularly participates in most prescribed fire events as both a training tool and to educate new, young firefighters.

Read more.

Wildland Urban Interface Wildfire Mitigation Desk Reference Guide Available

Reference Guide The Wildland Urban Interface Wildfire Mitigation Desk Reference Guide provides basic background information on relevant programs and terminology for community members or agency personnel who are seeking to enhance their community's wildfire mitigation efforts.

 

Mitigation happens at all levels--local, state, tribal, and federal. A combined approach helps communities achieve fire-adapted status. The keys to success are individuals, communities, and organizations working together to share and leverage resources and build partnerships. This guide defines terms and identifies resources that are useful in mitigation planning efforts for all lands. 

Read full report here.

Home

Forestry Career and Education Guidebook Released

Fire Science Online recently launched a forestry career and education guidebook. This guide features career and employment information, internship listings, scholarships, instructor information, and a degree search tool. Accurate and actionable information for forestry fields can be difficult to find. All guides from Fire Science Online are free. Access the forestry guide online. Fire Science Online also recently launched a unique guide for fire science degree programs in New Hampshire. Access the New Hampshire guide online.


Source: Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry News, August 27, 2014

Home

NASF Communities at Risk Report

From the National Association of State Foresters Web Site

 

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) continually surveys all states to determine progress in identifying communities at risk and developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP).  National Association of State Foresters

 

This report helps provide a national snapshot of wildland fire risk, preparedness, and capacity. The FY 2013 data were collected through the U.S. Forest Service's National Fire Plan Operations & Reporting System and reflects data accomplishments through September 30, 2013.

 

State Foresters have made advances in the methods and information used to identify and assess communities at risk (CAR), which has led to the identification of 72,681 such communities. The number of CARs covered by a CWPP (17,060) shows an increase of 2,285 since last year's report, an increase of 15%.

 

According to this report for the Northeast, there are 5,472 communities at risk in the Northeast; 1,299 are now covered by a CWPP and 1,106 are considered to be at a reduced risk to wildfire. Read the report here.

Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry | 304-285-1524 | creger@fs.fed.us | http://www.na.fs.fed.us
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