2024 Hands-On Fire Science Workshop »

During April, the Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium co-hosted the 2024 Hands-On Fire Science Workshop. Dunn Ranch Prairie in northwest  Missouri provided the outdoor classroom, with prescribed burn operations led by The Nature Conservancy Missouri Chapter.

Fire ecology methods taught during the workshop were divided into three modules - fire weather, fuels, and fire intensity. Participants practiced taking weather with the belt weather kit and Kestrel instruments, learned about and practiced methods for sampling grassland fuel load and live fuel moisture, and deployed thermocouples and data loggers optimized for grasslands.

Through a mix of instruction and prescribed fire operations, participants gained experience integrating research methods with burn operations. Below, a thermocouple array and data logger are visible in the foreground at a small reconstructed prairie at Dunn Ranch Prairie.

A mix of mentorship and learning took place as crews worked on burn operations.

With pre-burn briefings, radio communication on the firelines, and post-burn reviews, particpants learned about the human dimensions of integrating fire science and rx fire.

Unit preparation and burn operations were led by The Nature Conservancy Missouri Chapter's fire program, with participants working as TNC volunteers or through MOUs with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Missouri Department of Conservation

Applications for the April 2025 workshop will open this fall. Use the interest to sign up for updates and notification of the application process opening: https://forms.gle/z62CcoG6hdD6rBxJ7