Partners of the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning are recognized in the recent issue of Smoky Mountain Living magazine. The article by Don Hendershot is entitled "A Perfect Storm or the New Norm". To see the multi-page spread and read the article, click on the link below. The article is also available at smliv.com. 

​​SOUTH CAROLINA: THE LAST OF THE STORIES FROM THE POST-FIRE MEDIA TOUR HOSTED BY THE SOUTHERN BLUE RIDGE ESCARPMENT LANDSCAPE IS OUT NOW. THE GREENVILLE JOURNAL ARTICLE “LAST FALL’S FIRE GIVES BIRTH TO A SPRING TRANSFORMATION FOR TABLE ROCK, PINNACLE MOUNTAIN” NICELY COVERS THE ROLE OF FIRE IN THIS LANDSCAPE, AS WELL AS PLANS FOR UPCOMING CONTROLLED BURNS. FOR MORE, CONTACT KRISTEN AUSTIN (KAUSTIN@TNC.ORG). 

Great articles including "The Wildland-Urban Interface: Managing People, Fuels, and Fire" and more...

​North Carolina: In the wake of the severe late-fall wildfire season, partners in the Southern Blue Ridge FLN are conducting a good deal of outreach. At the panel discussion “Before We Burn Again,” organized by Josh Kelly (josh@mountaintrue.org), the audience of about 125 people learned how to be better prepared for the next wildfire season. The Asheville Citizen-Times, which co-sponsored the event, ran a couple of stories, and Blue Ridge Public Radio ran a four-minute segment, “WNC Community Contemplates Upcoming Wildfire Season, Seeks Solutions.”
The Nature Conservancy and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy also held a fire outreach event, speaking to about 45 people about fire, past, present and future. Margit Bucher (mbucher@tnc.org) spoke on fire history and Adam Warwick (awarwick@tnc.org) on the positive impact of controlled burning on wildlife, while other presenters covered climatic impacts, an overview of historical burning in the Grandfather RD, an introduction to Firewise, and other topics. The U.S. Forest Service also hosted an evening event to talk about the 2016 wildfires. For more information, contact Megan Sutton (msutton@tnc.org).

Conferences, Workshops, Training, Etc.  
June 6-8 Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists Road Trip
Gatlinburg, TN – Asheville, NC – northern GA  
Save the date for this summer road trip, with CAFMS is planning a bus tour to share lessons learned from the 2016 wildfire season.    

​Articles: Smoke / Bats
Smoke: The article “Aligning Smoke Management with Ecological and Public Health Goals” outlines a framework to quantify and compare smoke impacts. The authors then used the framework to compare impacts from different kinds of fires: “By specifically evaluating smoke dispersal, our analysis shows that extremely large and intense fires like the Rim Fire presented a disproportionately greater public health hazard than did previous fires managed for resource objectives.”
Bats: Authors of the article “Indiana Bats Roost in Ephemeral, Fire-Dependent Pine Snags in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA” found that “standard landscape-scale management practices that create or preserve large pine snags, such as prescribed fire, coupled with natural or manmade pulsed disturbances, should aid in the management and recovery of the Indiana bat in this region.” The five-year study took place on the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Network Workshops & Field Tours
May 16-18   Southern Blue Ridge FLN Annual Workshop / Hiawassee, GA
This workshop will explore lessons learned from the 2016 fires and next steps to advance resilient landscapes and communities. It will be hosted by the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains landscape.
Information and registration: http://www.sbrfln.com/ws12.html

Conferences, Workshops, Training, Etc.  
June 6-8 Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists Road Trip / Gatlinburg, TN – Asheville, NC – northern GA Save the date for this summer road trip, with CAFMS is planning a bus tour to share lessons learned from the 2016 wildfire season.    

North Carolina: Earlier this month, The Nature Conservancy and NC Forest Service conducted a 386-acre first-entry burn on the Conservancy’s Silver Run Preserve, with assistance from the Great Smokies NP, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Jackson County EMS and the Cashiers-Glenville FD. It was the first aerially-ignited controlled burn in District 9—about 85 percent of the unit burned, which is exceptional and should result in significant top-kill of rhododendron. The team offered special acknowledgement to Tim Howell (NC Forest Service D9 Forester), Paul Pittman (Jackson County Ranger) and Benji Reece (D9 Ranger) for prioritizing this burn on a Southern Blue Ridge FLN demonstration site, and for making it a go on a weekend. In addition, the “resources brought out by the Cashiers-Glenville FD were more than we could have hoped for and that such a tremendous help, and thanks to NPS Smokies folks for coming over and doing the lion’s share of the lighting / crashing through some pretty tough brush.” For more, contact Adam Warwick (awarwick@tnc.org). 

​Jobs: Vets in Fire / Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist / Wildland Fire Crew / WUI Coordinators
Vets in Fire: The USFS Southern Region will hire up to 20 veterans to fill entry-level positions that include training in prescribed fire and suppression. Several of the possible duty locations are in Central Appalachians or Southern Blue Ridge FLN landscapes. Details are in the attached flyer; applications are due March 17.