Hands-On Fire Science Methods Workhop
April 7-12, 2024
The workshop is designed for graduate students conducting research in fire adapted natural communities, as well as early-career professionals in research or management positions.
Fire ecology research often lacks critical details about vegetation, environmental conditions during a prescribed fire, and fire intensity, which are necessary to compare results across studies and apply findings to fire management decisions. This workshop covers fire science methods that are valuable for making science more relevant to land managers.
The core science curriculum covers standard methods in connecting fuels, weather, and fire behavior to fire effects in grassland ecosystems. Methods include:
- Destructive and non-destructive sampling to estimate fuel load in grassland vegetation (estimating fuel load for woody fuels is not covered in this workshop)
- Sampling to estimate live fuel moisture
- Logging data to record air temperature, windspeed, and relative humidity on the fireline
- Using thermocouples and data loggers to sample fire temperature and rate of spread within the burned area
There is no application fee or tuition charged for the workshop.
View a recent poster from the Northeast-Midwest Precsribed Fire Science and Management Workshop to learn more and see photos from previous workshops - Northeast-Midwest Prescribed Fire Science and Management Workshop Poster
Application Information
Extended: Apply by close of business, January 16, 2024.
Workshop FAQs
Who can participate?
The workshop is designed for graduate students conducting research in fire adapted natural communities, and can also be relevant for early career professionals in research or management careers. The selection for this workshop will prioritize people working in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna ecosystems. The methods are relevant to other grassland fuel types, and participants from outside of the region are invited to apply.
Where will the workshop be held?
Dunn Ranch Prairie Preserve is located in northwest Missouri. The preserve is a core area in the Grand River Grasslands, a 150,000 acre region in southern Iowa and northern Missouri which has been identified as a place where partners could protect a grassland landscape large enough to support key species that depend on grasslands for survival. The suite of grassland species found at Dunn Ranch includes bison and breeding grounds of the greater prairie chicken.
Prescribed burns may also take place on lands owned by other collaborators in this area, including the Missouri Department of Conservation and Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Are there prerequisites?
Our intent is that all participants in this workshop will be working on prescribed burns led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Therefore, all participants must be certified as a Fire Fighter Type 2 through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (what does this mean?).
What if I am not NWCG certified?
We are making space for all experience levels, and we understand graduate students in particular may not have had previous opportunities to obtain this training and certification. The FFT2 credential will be an asset to any students wishing to work in prescribed fire research or management in the United States.
Participants who do not currently hold Fire Fighter Type 2 certification will be required to complete and pass free online education courses prior to the workshop. Approximately 40 hours of online work is needed to cover the courses and pass online quizzes.
The beginning of the workshop will include a work capacity test and field exercises needed for staff from TNC to certify participants.
Two fitness levels are acceptable for prescribed fire volunteers: to pass the moderate pack test, participants must carry a 25 pound pack, two miles, under 30 minutes; to pass the arduous pack test, participants must carry a 45 pound pack, three miles, under 45 minutes.
All applicants will be asked to share their NWCG certifications during the application process.
Can I be reimbursed for travel related to the workshop?
The TPOS Fire Science Consortium and University of Wisconsin-Madison will administer travel reimbursement funds for participants through our current grant agreement with the Joint Fire Science Program. Applicants are asked to estimate their travel costs and travel support needs to determine overall travel funding needs. No application will be declined based solely on travel support needs. However, we are working with a limited amount of travel funding. There is no application fee or tuition for the workshop.
We cannot reimburse any travel or per diem expenses for federal employees.
Will the workshop be implementing any COVID-19 precautions?
All attendees will be participating as TNC volunteers (unless a member is covered by an MOU with another TNC cooperator). Following TNC policy, participants will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to TNC staff prior to arrival.
TNC’s daily fire management operational decisions take into account local COVID-19 conditions and screen individual crew members for COVID symptoms.
2022 Archive
March 14-18, 2022
Prescribed fire is an essential tool for the Missouri chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Photo by Tom Fielden/TNC.
The workshop is designed for graduate students conducting research in fire adapted natural communities, as well as early-career professionals in research or management positions.
Preview the Application (View or Download a PDF)
Workshop FAQs
Why is this workshop being offered?
Fire ecology research often lacks critical details necessary to compare results across studies and apply findings to management. This workshop covers fire science methods that are valuable for making science more relevant to land managers. This workshop covers standard methods in connecting fuels, weather, and fire behavior to fire effects.
There is no application fee or tuition charged for the workshop.
Who can participate?
The workshop is designed for graduate students conducting research in fire adapted natural communities, and can also be relevant for early career professionals in research or management careers. The selection for this workshop will prioritize people working in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The methods are relevant to other grassland fuel types, and participants from outside of the region are invited to apply.
Where will the workshop be held?
Dunn Ranch Prairie Preserve is located in northwest Missouri. The preserve is a core area in the Grand River Grasslands, a 150,000 acre region in southern Iowa and northern Missouri which has been identified as a place where partners could protect a grassland landscape large enough to support key species that depend on grasslands for survival. The suite of grassland species found at Dunn Ranch includes bison and breeding grounds of the greater prairie chicken.
Prescribed burns may also take place on lands owned by other collaborators in this area, including the Missouri Department of Conservation and Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Are there prerequisites?
Our intent is that all participants in this workshop will be working on prescribed burns led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Therefore, all participants must be certified as a Fire Fighter Type 2 through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (what does this mean?).
What if I am not NWCG certified?
If you are not certified yet, don’t worry! We’re making space for all experience levels and understand graduate students in particular may not have had previous opportunities to obtain this training and certification. This credential will be an asset to any students wishing to work in prescribed fire research or management in the United States.
Participants who do not currently hold Fire Fighter Type 2 certification will be required to complete and pass free online education courses prior to the workshop. Staff from TNC will administer a field day and pack test to certify participants.
Two fitness levels are acceptable for prescribed fire volunteers: to pass the moderate pack test, participants must carry a 25 pound pack, two miles, under 30 minutes; to pass the arduous pack test, participants must carry a 45 pound pack, three miles, under 45 minutes.
All applicants will be asked to share their NWCG certifications during the application process.
Can I be reimbursed for travel related to the workshop?
The TPOS Fire Science Consortium and University of Wisconsin-Madison will administer travel reimbursement funds for participants through our current grant agreement with the Joint Fire Science Program. Applicants will be asked to estimate their travel costs and travel support needs to determine overall travel funding needs. No application will be declined based solely on travel support needs. However, we are working with a limited amount of travel funding. There is no application fee or tuition for the workshop.
Note that we cannot reimburse travel and per diem expenses for federal employees.
Will the workshop be implementing any COVID-19 precautions?
All attendees will be participating as TNC volunteers (unless a member is covered by an MOU with another TNC cooperator). Following TNC policy, participants will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to TNC staff prior to arrival.
TNC’s daily fire management operational decisions take into account local COVID-19 conditions and screen individual crew members for COVID symptoms.
