Many organizations around the region have organized events relevant to fire ecology and prescribed fire management. Here are the ones that have passed across our desk.
* indicates an event in which the consortium's coordinator or members of the management team or advisory board have actively collaborated or will participate as speakers.
Please contact our coordinator if you have information about events related to fire ecology or prescribed fire that are not listed here.
Upcoming Events
October 7-12 @ Manhattan, KS
Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference
Tuesday, November 12 - Thursday, November 14 @ Duluth, MN
(hybrid options are also available)
Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference
January 19-22, 2025 @ St Louis, MO
Past Events
Illinois Prescribed Fire Council Symposium
September 4-5
Grassland Restoration Network Workshop
Tuesday, September 10- Wednesday, September 11 @ Nashusa Grassland Headquarters
A workshop with tour discussions on prairie plantings, seed harvest, brush work, fire, bison grazing and science.
Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop
September 16- September 19 @ Atlantic City, NJ
Missouri Native Grasslands Summit
April 9-11, 2024 @ Jefferson, MO
A comprehensive meeting focused on Missouri's grasslands. Sessions included:
- Prescribed Fire in Grasslands: Setting Objectives and Monitoring for Success
- PBAs: Improving Habitat on Private Land
*North American Prairie Conference
June 25-29, 2023 @ Des Moines, IA
Conference organizer's goals for what you will take away from the conference include:
- The bigger picture of “the whole prairie” including its relevance, insects, soil, water, resilience — and the people who care for it
- Peer connections & new ideas as you tackle your decisions, actions or studies
- Inspiration, encouragement and camaraderie that sustain you
- Memories of experiencing beautiful natural places with amazing people
Society for Ecological Restoration - Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter Annual Meeting
April 14-16, 2023 @ Baraboo, WI
The Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter is a regional Society for Ecological Restoration chapter serving Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The primary meeting goal is to reflect upon the joy of restoration, celebrate the long tradition of ecological restoration in the Midwest, and learn how new challenges are stimulating novel changes within the field. Their secondary goal is to bring together all who are interested in ecological restoration and contribute to advancing the field of ecological restoration. Their meeting agenda will include technical presentations, symposia, workshops, social events, and field trips.
The Prairie Enthusiasts 2023 Conference
Feb. 10-11, 2023 @ Welch, MN
Hosted by the Minnesota Driftless Chapter. The conference theme is "Reverence for the Land" and will celebrate the role you play as a steward of soils, water, plants, animals, and other members of the land community.
February 10, 8 am to 4 pm - Prescribed Burn School
February 11 - Conference Sessions, Keynote Speaker, and Banquet
Michigan Prescribed Fire Council Meeting and Burning Issues Workshop
Feb. 7-8, 2023 @ Camp Grayling, MI or online
The event will include presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions geared toward protecting, conserving, and expanding the safe use of prescribed fire on Michigan’s landscape and beyond.
Wisconsin Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Jan. 31-Feb. 2 @ La Crosse, WI
Bridging the Gap: Blending Research and Management
New Approaches to Prescribed Fire - Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council
Jan. 28 @ Stevens Point, WI
5th National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop
November 14-17, 2022 @ Asheville, NC
"Keeping Pace with Reality: Boldly Embracing the Challenges and Undertaking the Hard Work"
Who should attend?
This Workshop is considered “mission critical” for anyone working on these issues in local, state, Tribal and federal agencies, and organizations as well as non-governmental organizations and private companies.
North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) Annual Conference
September 30 - October 3, 2019 @ Saratoga Springs, New York
The 2019 Meeting will be a joint conference with the New York Invasive Species Research Institute out of Cornell University.
The conference program will seek to bridge the geographic divide between West to East and North to South, connecting terrestrial and aquatic invasive species management, research, policy, and outreach initiatives and opportunities across North America. Presentations, workshops, tours, and special symposia will highlight successful initiatives that bridge the gap between geographic, political, and and public-private boundaries.
October 8-10, 2019 @ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
*3rd Annual National Cohesive Strategy Workshop
October 21-24, 2019 @ Plymouth, Massachusetts
Society of American Foresters National Convention
Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2019 @ Louisville, Kentucky
The call for presentations and proposals for professional development seminars and workshops is open. Submission deadline - March 31, 2019
Association for Fire Ecology 8th International Fire Congress
Nov. 18-22 @ Tucson, Arizona
Minnesota Native Plant Society Annual Symposium: Prairies and Grasslands of the Lower 48
March 23, 2019 @ Chaska, Minnesota (Minnesota Landscape Arboretum)
*Midwest/Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration Annual Meeting
April 12-14, 2019 @ Pella, Iowa
Meeting registration is open. Early bird registration is available until March 18.
Illinois Prescribed Fire Council Symposium
May 8-9, 2019 @ Palos Hills, Illinois (SW Chicago suburbs)
Field trips - May 9
Featuring Dr. Gerould Wilhelm
Director of Research at the Conservation Research Institute and co-author of Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis
*Wisconsin Wetland Science Conference
Feb. 19-21, 2019 @ Madison, Wisconsin
The Prairie Enthusiasts 32nd Annual Conference
March 2, 2019 @ Menonomie, Wisconsin
*Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference
October 15-18, 2018 @ Rochester, Minnesota
*The Wildlife Society's Annual Conference
October 7-11, 2018 @ Cleveland, Ohio
July 21-27, 2018 @ Toronto, Canada
*Midwest/Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration Annual Meeting
April 20-22, 2018 @ Stevens Point, Wisconsin
*Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference
January 28-31, 2018 @ Milwaukee, Wisconsin
This annual event will attract over 1,000 biologists and students from state, federal, and tribal natural resources agencies from the Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and Canadian provinces. Highlights include: nearly 400 technical presentations, poster displays, plenary sessions, networking opportunities and social events.
Igniting Exchange: Bridging the Gap between Science and Management
January 30-Feb. 1, 2018 @ Portland, Maine
The Northeast Forest Fire Protection Compact and the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange are holding a partners meeting, Igniting Exchange: Bridging the Gap between Science and Management.
A true EXCHANGE designed to expose fire managers to useful scientific studies and expose scientists to the implications of their science. Presentations will be relevant to fire managers and scientists in the North Atlantic region of the United States and Canada.
Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference
July 30-August 2 @ Madison, WI
Conservation Connections: Creating Pathways to Sustainability
This year’s conference provided a forum for interdisciplinary discussions that are essential to the success of conservation, a field that depends upon understanding relationships and interconnectedness. TPOS Coordinator Craig Maier shared a poster on Monday, July 31: "Where is the Oak Ecosystem in Models for Corn Belt Conservation?" Field trips included a tour of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, which manages a mosaic of prairies, wetlands and oak savannas using prescribed fire.
Grassland Restoration Network Workshop
July 11-12 @ Manhattan, KS
This year’s workshop demonstrated how science at this National Science Foundation-funded Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site has deepened our understanding of drivers influencing pattern and process in tallgrass prairie. Discussions focused on how science can inform grassland restoration.
This GRN blog post shares some highlights from the workshop, including a watershed that has not been burned in 20 years. Researchers will now study the effects of annual burning on reducing the current woody species cover.
Iowa Invasive Species Conference
March 28-28, 2017 @ Honey Creek Resort State Park, Moravia, IA
The goal of the Iowa Invasive Species Conference (IISC) is to strengthen the management of invasive species, especially prevention, control, and containment.
*Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference
October 17-19, 2016 @ La Crosse, WI
The goal of this conference is to strengthen management of invasive species. TPOS organized a special session on fire and invasive species: "Prescribed Fire in Modern, Altered Landscapes– Improving Our Understanding and Use of an Important, Imperfect Tool." This session combined presentations from practitioners and researchers and a panel discussion.
*2016 North American Prairie Conference
July 17 -20, 2016 @ Illinois State University
The 24th North American Prairie Conference included more than 70 invited and contributed oral papers and a poster session on many aspects of prairie ecology, restoration, management and some innovative ideas on working lands. Field trips visited large scale restoration sites, including Nachusa Grassland (3,000-acres & Bison), and Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands (7,000-acres), where prescribed fire has been integral to establishment and maintenance of newly planted prairies and remnant plant communities.
Check out the highlights thanks to the tag #prairie16 on Twitter (you do not need to be a Twitter user to view):
*Overcoming Challenges to Ecological Restoration in the 21st Century
April 1-3 @ Bloomington, IN
The Eighth Annual Chapter Meeting of the Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration will be held at Indiana University. The Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium will be there with an exhibit booth and Coordinator Craig Maier will present on the consortium's efforts to collect land manager observations of fire effects on invasive plant species.
20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference
3/28-4/1 @ University of Missouri-Columbia
The Central Hardwood Forest Conference is a biennial meeting dedicated to the sustainability and improvement of the Central Hardwood forest ecosystem. The conference objective is to bring together forest managers and scientists to discuss research and issues concerning the ecology and management of forests of the Central Hardwood Region. The conference will be hosted by the University of Missouri and the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
*Minnesota Chapter of the Wildlife Society 2016 Annual Meeting
February 9-11, 2016 @ Mankato, MN
Highlights will included a plenary session on fire ecology.
Illinois Prescribed Fire Council 2016 Symposium
February 10, 2016 @ Illinois Fire Service Institute, Champaign, IL
A day of talks with time for discussions about fire ecology, fire operations, and safety.
February 2-3, 2016 @ Augusta, MI
The Burning Issues Symposium is organized around the challenges of integrating multiple prescribed fire objectives in land management and restoration. Organizing partners represent the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council, Michigan DNR, Army National Guard, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Lake States Fire Science Consortium, and Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium.
Prairies from Scratch: a Symposium
January 12 @ Fergus Falls, MN
Sponsored by the Prairie Reconstruction Initiative Advisory Team.
The Prairie Reconstruction Initiative Advisory Team will host a seminar for professionals who are engaged in prairie reconstruction. They will share a sneak peek at results from a retrospective study of several 4 - 14 year old plantings, comparing seeding methods (seed mix and planting technique) with the resulting plant community. A new prairie reconstruction database designed to document planting conditions, management actions and monitoring results will also be highlighted. This will be followed by an audience interactive panel discussion with some top prairie reconstruction experts. The day will conclude with an open discussion designed to explore and identify the most important next steps to build on past work and address uncertainties of prairie reconstruction.
*6th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress: Advancing Ecology in Fire Management
November 16-20, 2015 @ San Antonio, TX
The theme of the Association for Fire Ecology's 6th Fire Congress is “Advancing Ecology in Fire Management.”
"We continue to make a lot of progress in the development and dissemination of new information. Our challenge is to continue to bridge the ecology of fire with fire management, and facilitate more collaboration among researchers, educators and managers. The opportunity to meet with each other face-to-face in a conference setting is invaluable to meeting this challenge."
November 3-5 @ Little Rock, AR
July 21-23, 2015 @ Hawley, MN
The Grassland Restoration Network organized presentations and discussion on restorations at scale and use of high diversity local ecotype seed. Field trips included tours through several stages of grassland reconstruction at Bluestem Prairie and Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.
2015 Iowa Prairie Conference: Working Prairies
July 15-17, 2015 @ Cedar Falls, IA
The Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa hosted the 2015 Iowa Prairie Conference.
5th Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference
May 27-29, 2015 @ Tuscaloosa, AL
The goal of the Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference is to improve land stewardship through transfer of knowledge and technology of fire as a management tool and its role in a historical context. The conference brings together noted experts in research and management to present state-of-the-art information, perspectives, and syntheses on key issues and provides learning and networking opportunities to over 300 participants.
The Prairie Enthusiasts Annual Prairie Conference and Banquet
March 21, 2015 @ Stevens Point, WI
Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference
October 20-22 @ Duluth, MN
The Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium and the Lake States Fire Science Network co-organized a special session on fire and invasive species.
Deeply Rooted in Restoration - 41st Annual Natural Areas Conference
October 15-17 @ Dayton, OH
2014 Ohio Prairie Conference - "Northwest Ohio Prairies: Making Connections"
September 13 @ Toledo, OH
Sustaining Oaks in the Chicago Wilderness Region
September 11 @ The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL
The partners in Chicago Wilderness are developing a plan to sustain oaks, both in urban sites and in natural areas. At this conference, the first draft of the Chicago Wilderness Oak Recovery Plan will be presented to gain feedback from a wide range of stakeholders who have an interest in the future of oaks.
September 9-11 @ Nachusa Grasslands, IL