scholarly journals We’re Not Doing Enough Prescribed Fire in the Western United States to Mitigate Wildfire Risk

Fire ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal A. Kolden
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Southeastern Us ◽  
Wildfire Hazard ◽  
Western Us

Prescribed fire is one of the most widely advocated management practices for reducing wildfire hazard and has a long and rich tradition rooted in indigenous and local ecological knowledge. The scientific literature has repeatedly reported that prescribed fire is often the most effective means of achieving such goals by reducing fuels and wildfire hazard and restoring ecological function to fire-adapted ecosystems in the United States (US) following a century of fire exclusion. This has translated into calls from scientists and policy experts for more prescribed fire, particularly in the Western US, where fire activity has escalated in recent decades. The annual extent of prescribed burning in the Western US remained stable or decreased from 1998 to 2018, while 70% of all prescribed fire was completed primarily by non-federal entities in the Southeastern US. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was the only federal agency to substantially increase prescribed fire use, potentially associated with increased tribal self-governance. This suggests that the best available science is not being adopted into management practices, thereby further compounding the fire deficit in the Western US and the potential for more wildfire disasters.

“Society-Ready” and “Fire-Ready” Forestry Education in the United States: Interdisciplinary Discussion in Forestry Course Textbooks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kindra Jesse De’Arman ◽  
Richard F York
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Native American ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Dimensions ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Fire Science

Abstract Changing environmental and social forestry contexts present new challenges for forestry graduates. In contrast with previous generations, forestry students today must be prepared to handle the impacts of climate change and increasing fire severity and frequency, as well as critical human dimensions, including the need to collaborate with Native American nations. To explore the extent to which social and fire science is taught in forestry programs and how it has changed over time, we conducted a content analysis of prominent forestry course textbooks used in graduate programs in the United States. We found little change between texts published before and after 2000, except for an increase in discussion of climate change. Of the currently used textbooks, we found a significant variation in whether they included discussion of traditional ecological knowledge, prescribed burning, combined economic factors, logging, and whether they recommended prescribed burning and logging. Given that not all programs offer or require courses that specialize in these topics, many forestry students may be missing relevant interdisciplinary social-fire education that is necessary to handle contemporary and changing forestry issues. Study Implications High-severity fires are a pressing concern in the United States and globally. Their frequency and intensity are affected by historical and contemporary land management practices, climate change, and forest use change—factors that are all influenced by social, political, and economic processes. However, our findings, based on an analysis of the contents of prominent textbooks used in US forestry courses, along with other research, show that the connections between fire and socioecological factors are often neglected in forestry higher-education textbooks. This suggests that future forest managers may not be properly prepared to handle changing fire regimes as climate change advances and social, political, and economic forces influence forestry practices. Thus, our research suggests that required forestry curricula course content should be revised to incorporate more coverage of fire science and socioecological factors, particularly traditional ecological knowledge and climate change, to prepare future foresters for the emerging challenges they will face.

scholarly journals Seasonal hydrologic prediction in the United States: understanding the role of initial hydrologic conditions and seasonal climate forecast skill

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 6565-6592 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Shukla ◽  
D. P. Lettenmaier
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
Climate Forecast ◽  
Streamflow Prediction ◽  
Seasonal Climate ◽  
Southeastern Us ◽  
Western Us ◽  
Hydrologic Forecast ◽  
Hydrologic Conditions

Abstract. Seasonal hydrologic forecasts derive their skill from knowledge of initial hydrologic conditions (IHCs) and climate forecast skill (CFS) associated with seasonal climate outlooks. Depending on the type of hydrological regime and the season, the relative contributions of IHCs and CFS to seasonal hydrologic forecast skill vary. We seek to quantify these contributions on a relative basis across the Conterminous United States (CONUS). We constructed two experiments – Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) and reverse-ESP – to partition the contributions of the IHCs and CFS to overall forecast skill. In ESP hydrologic forecast skill is derived solely from knowledge of IHCs, whereas in reverse-ESP (second experiment), it is derived solely from atmospheric forcings (i.e. perfect CFS). Using the ratios of root mean square error (RMSE) in predicting cumulative runoff (CR) and mean monthly soil moisture (SM) of each experiment, we identify the variability of the relative contributions of the IHCs and CFS spatially throughout the year. We conclude that the IHCs generally have the strongest influence on the prediction of CR and SM at lead-1 (first month of the forecast period), beyond which CFS starts to have greater influence. Improvement in CFS alone will lead to better seasonal hydrologic forecast skill in most parts of the northeastern and southeastern US throughout the year and in the western US mainly during fall and winter months; whereas improvement in knowledge of the IHCs can potentially improve skill most in the western US during spring and summer months. We also observed that at short lead time (i.e. lead-1) contribution of the IHCs in SM forecasts is more extensive than in CR forecasts across the CONUS.

scholarly journals Facilitating Prescribed Fire in Northern California through Indigenous Governance and Interagency Partnerships

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Tony Marks-Block ◽  
William Tripp
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
The United States ◽  
Northern California ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
California Department ◽  
State Regulations

Prescribed burning by Indigenous people was once ubiquitous throughout California. Settler colonialism brought immense investments in fire suppression by the United States Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE) to protect timber and structures, effectively limiting prescribed burning in California. Despite this, fire-dependent American Indian communities such as the Karuk and Yurok peoples, stalwartly advocate for expanding prescribed burning as a part of their efforts to revitalize their culture and sovereignty. To examine the political ecology of prescribed burning in Northern California, we coupled participant observation of prescribed burning in Karuk and Yurok territories (2015–2019) with 75 surveys and 18 interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous fire managers to identify political structures and material conditions that facilitate and constrain prescribed fire expansion. Managers report that interagency partnerships have provided supplemental funding and personnel to enable burning, and that decentralized prescribed burn associations facilitate prescribed fire. However, land dispossession and centralized state regulations undermine Indigenous and local fire governance. Excessive investment in suppression and the underfunding of prescribed fire produces a scarcity of personnel to implement and plan burns. Where Tribes and local communities have established burning infrastructure, authorities should consider the devolution of decision-making and land repatriation to accelerate prescribed fire expansion.

Reproductive output of ponderosa pine in response to thinning and prescribed burning in western Montana

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 844-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Peters ◽  
Anna Sala
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Western Montana ◽  
Cone Production

Thinning and thinning followed by prescribed fire are common management practices intended to restore historic conditions in low-elevation ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) forests of the northern Rocky Mountains. While these treatments generally ameliorate the physiology and growth of residual trees, treatment-specific effects on reproductive output are not known. We examined reproductive output of second-growth ponderosa pine in western Montana 9 years after the application of four treatments: thinning, thinning followed by spring prescribed fire, thinning followed by fall prescribed fire, and unthinned control stands. Field and greenhouse observations indicated that reproductive traits vary depending on the specific management treatment. Cone production was significantly higher in trees from all actively managed stands relative to control trees. Trees subjected to prescribed fire produced cones with higher numbers of filled seeds than trees in unburned treatments. Seed mass, percentage germination, and seedling biomass were significantly lower for seeds from trees in spring burn treatments relative to all others and were generally higher in trees from fall burn treatments. We show for the first time that thinning and prescribed-burning treatments can influence reproductive output in ponderosa pine.

Determinants of perceived risk and liability concerns associated with prescribed burning in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 230 ◽  
pp. 379-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omkar Joshi ◽  
Neelam C. Poudyal ◽  
John R. Weir ◽  
Samuel D. Fuhlendorf ◽  
Thomas O. Ochuodho
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
The United States

scholarly journals Local ecological knowledge on the goliath grouper epinephelus itajara (teleostei: serranidae) in southern Brazil

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leopoldo Cavaleri Gerhardinger ◽  
Rosemeri Carvalho Marenzi ◽  
Áthila Andrade Bertoncini ◽  
Rodrigo Pereira Medeiros ◽  
Maurício Hostim-Silva
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Knowledge System ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Local Conservation ◽  
Spawning Aggregations ◽  
Long Line ◽  
Goliath Grouper

The goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara is a large sized (> 400 kg) and critically endangered marine fish, which is protected in many countries, including Brazil. Through the application of semi-structured interviews, we investigated the local ecological knowledge of seven fishermen specialist on catching E. itajara from the Babitonga bay, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Local long-line fisheries for E. itajara seemed to be a disappearing tradition in the studied site, with a detailed inherent local ecological knowledge system, which is also being lost. Our study also showed that fishermen engaged in recent fisheries, such as spear-fishing, can also possess a detailed local ecological knowledge system. Through the analysis of fishermen local ecological knowledge, several aspects of E. itajara life history were registered. This species is found in the inner and outer Babitonga bay, from saline waters to areas with a large input of freshwater, and inhabits submerged wooden substrates and artificial reefs such as shipwrecks, mooring pillars and cargo containers. It is known to spawn in December and subsequent summer months in the studied area. Spawning aggregations are usually seen in December (during full moon), being also eventually observed in January and February by our informants. While lobsters, spadefishes and octopuses seem to constitute the most important food items of inner bay E. itajara, outer bay individuals may feed on catfishes, crustaceans and other fish species. The goliath grouper is regarded as pacific and curious fish, but frequently display agonistic behavior in the presence of divers. Based on the perception of well experienced spear fishermen, we hypothesize that E. itajara undertakes seasonal migrations from the inner to the outer bay during summer, and that the studied population is suffering from growth over-fishing. Our data provides a practical evidence of how joining scientific and local ecological knowledge will likely benefit E. itajara local conservation and management practices by adding important new biological data into the decision-making process.

The making of an uneven shore: How coastal management and housing policies shaped racial inequality in asbury park NJ

2022 ◽  
pp. 251484862110698
Author(s):  
David C. Eisenhauer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Coastal Management ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Housing Policies ◽  
Housing Segregation

Recent work in urban geography and political ecology has explored the roots of housing segregation in the United States within governmental polices and racial prejudice within the real estate sector. Additional research has demonstrated how coastal management practices has largely benefited wealthy, white communities. In this paper, I bring together insights from these two strands of research to demonstrate how both coastal management and governmental housing policies combined to shape racial inequalities within and around Asbury Park, New Jersey. By focusing on the period between 1945 and 1970, I show how local, state, and federal actors repeatedly prioritized improving and protecting the beachfront areas of the northern New Jersey shore while promising to eventually address the housing and economic needs of the predominately Black ‘West Side’ neighbourhood of Asbury Park. This paper demonstrates that not only did governmental spending on coastal management largely benefit white suburban homeowners but also came at the expense of promised spending within Black neighbourhoods. The case study has implications for other coastal regions in the United States in which housing segregation persists. As climate change and sea level rise unfold, the history of racial discrimination in coastal development raises important considerations for efforts to address emerging hazards and risks.

Planning for and Managing iPads in a PreK-4th Grade Independent, Co-Educational Elementary School

2015 ◽  
pp. 156-174
Author(s):  
Natalie B. Milman ◽  
Angela Carlson-Bancroft ◽  
Amy E. Vanden Boogart
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Effective Integration

This chapter chronicles the planning and classroom management practices of the first-year implementation of a 1:1 iPad initiative in a suburban, co-educational, independent, PreK-4th grade elementary school in the United States that was examined through a mixed methods QUAL ? QUAN case study. Findings demonstrate that the school's administrators and teachers engaged in pre-planning activities prior to the implementation of the iPad initiative, teachers viewed the iPads as tools in the planning process (iPads were not perceived as the content or subject to be taught/learned), and teachers flexibly employed different classroom management techniques and rules as they learned to integrate iPads in their classrooms. Additionally, the findings reveal the need for continuous formal and informal professional development that offers teachers multiple and varied opportunities to share their planning and classroom management practices, build their confidence and expertise in effective integration of iPads, and learn with and from one another.

Planning for and Managing iPads in a PreK-4th Grade Independent, Co-Educational Elementary School

2016 ◽  
pp. 683-701
Author(s):  
Natalie B. Milman ◽  
Angela Carlson-Bancroft ◽  
Amy E. Vanden Boogart
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Effective Integration

This chapter chronicles the planning and classroom management practices of the first-year implementation of a 1:1 iPad initiative in a suburban, co-educational, independent, PreK-4th grade elementary school in the United States that was examined through a mixed methods QUAL ? QUAN case study. Findings demonstrate that the school's administrators and teachers engaged in pre-planning activities prior to the implementation of the iPad initiative, teachers viewed the iPads as tools in the planning process (iPads were not perceived as the content or subject to be taught/learned), and teachers flexibly employed different classroom management techniques and rules as they learned to integrate iPads in their classrooms. Additionally, the findings reveal the need for continuous formal and informal professional development that offers teachers multiple and varied opportunities to share their planning and classroom management practices, build their confidence and expertise in effective integration of iPads, and learn with and from one another.

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