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North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council |
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As we exit a fall wildfire season that will live in the tails of bell curves for drought and suppression activity, the proverbial “iron” is hot for when hazard reduction “strikes” are most effective. It is during this time that we must be thoughtful in our actions and our words to maintain the social license for the use of prescribed fire and further develop smoke-ready communities. At the Cohesive Strategy Workshop last month, there were stories of eroded public trust showing up in the forms of bumper stickers in New Mexico and crowded public meetings for the roll out of the Wildfire Risk Explorer in Oregon. I experienced it firsthand one night at dinner, unknowingly chatting with a resident who’d lost their home in the Hermit's Peak fire. One common theme in Santa Fe was a focus on the listening part of the communication chain. Whether it’s sharing success stories like TNC’s Pulp Road Wildfire StoryMap or footage featuring Anderson Creek County Park and Pilot Mountain State Park on YouTube… only do so after understanding where your conversation partner (or target audience) is coming from. Wishing you all many successes with your burns, your communications, and of course a joyous holiday season with friends and family!
- Wesley Sketo
2023 - 2024 President
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The North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council has had a productive 2023. Check out some of our Committee highlights for the year below! |
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Membership Committee
We have 214 members and are still growing!
- 106 Lifetime Members
- 104 Annual Members
- 5 Student Members
We are proud to say our membership spans a variety of sectors and represents burners from all across North Carolina. Check out our membership breakdown below:
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Annual Meeting Committee
We had so much fun at the last Annual Meeting and can't wait for the next one!
Planning has begun for the 2024 Annual Meeting. This year, it will be in the mountains and there have already been musings about location… Brevard, Boone, Black Mountain…What will it B?
We are requesting your feedback on timing. Please fill out this Google Form to indicate your preference between early August, late August, early September, or late September.
If you are interested in being a part of the planning team, we have many roles that need filled. Planning meetings will begin in January. Please reach out to Dakota Wagner, dakota@forestguild.org, for questions and suggestions.
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Implementation Committee
The Implementation Committee put together a Virtual RT-130 in the Wildland Fire Learning Portal, hosted an Blended S-130/190 Course with North Carolina State University, and assisted with the State Certified Burner Field Day with the North Carolina Forest Service. |
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Education & Outreach Committee
We saw you at a few prescribed fire events this past year:
- Fire in the Pines
- Bug Fest
- Lake James Fire Festival
You'll also notice our Council website and newsletter have been revamped to streamline access to prescribed fire resources.
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Development Committee
The year saw an increase in Council funds by $1,751. We brought in $10,781.00 and spent $9,030.00, with income and expense breakdowns below. This brings our total available funds up to $32,965. |
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Policy Committee
The Policy Committee is celebrating the provision of the North Carolina Farm Act of 2023 that establishes a standard of gross negligence for determining liability. Now, landowners and burners that comply with the North Carolina Prescribed Burning Act will have greater protections from liability for damages caused by smoke and fire.
We will continue working with regulatory agencies and legislators to identify and resolve barriers to prescribed burning.
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Wildfire Management for Resource Benefit
Written By: Nathan Burmester
The Pulp Road Wildfire near Wilmington NC made national news in June as the biggest wildfire in the
nation at the time. The 15,642 acre wildfire blanketed the area in thick smoke and burned through The Nature Conservancy’s Green Swamp Preserve, which is world renowned as a biological hotspot and is home to about 30% of all known wild Venus flytraps. Many viewed the wildfire as a bad thing, damaging this truly unique place. However, the plants and animals that live there are amazingly adapted to fire and the recovery has been incredible! Check out our Pulp Road Wildfire StoryMap that we created, as well as the video above, showcasing the recovery of the Green Swamp Preserve.
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Southern Blue Ridge Training Exchange - Good Fire
Written By: Jonathan McCall
The organizers of Southern Blue Ridge TREX, scheduled for the first weeks of November, watched nervously as drought developed along the Blue Ridge Escarpment of the Carolinas and Georgia. The event planned to conduct prescribed fire training throughout upstate South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina, but as the event drew closer, cooperators scrambled to find opportunities as drought forced planned burns off the list. A unique reversal of rain patterns brought burns on Sandy Mush Game Lands in Buncombe County to the top of the list. As wildfires began to burn in Cherokee County, the participants of SBR TREX conducted 3 successful burns promoting shortleaf pine savanna ecosystems. The success of these burns helps to highlight how proper planning and execution can create success even as wildfires begin to spread.
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Burn Bans Lifted in Western N.C.
Effective November 22, the burn bans in place for 30 Western North Carolina counties were lifted. Burn bans were issued due to hazardous forest fire conditions in the area.
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Awaiting Wetter Weather With El Niño's Return
We spent the past three winters in a La Niña pattern, which favors warm and dry weather for North Carolina. If this year’s El Niño is on the stronger side, then that could mean good news for drought relief.
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Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine
The Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine (2025-2040) is the second iteration of the Conservation Plan developed to guide continued efforts to reach the goal of eight million acres of longleaf pine forest in the Southeast.
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New Fire Learning Network Website
The Fire Learning Network and broader Fire Networks partnership have created a common platform to share stories, news, and resources related to wildland fire.
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Prescribed Fire Aids Wildfire Suppression
In April and May 2023, North Carolina’s Great Lakes Fire on the Croatan National Forest became a prime example of how multiyear prescribed fire treatments aid wildfire suppression.
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Green River Game Lands Learn-and-Burn
Date : TBD, Mid-January to Mid-March
Time : TBD
Location : Saluda, NC 28773
Join the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and the Forest Stewards Guild for an opportunity to observe a live controlled burn at Green River Game Lands. We will be burning predominately warm season grasses within a shortleaf pine savannah restoration area.
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Holmes Educational State Forest Learn-and-Burn
Date : TBD, Spring of 2024
Time : TBD
Location : Hendersonville, NC 28739
Join the NC Forest Service and the Forest Stewards Guild for an opportunity to observe a live controlled burn at Holmes Educational State Forest. We will be burning in a white pine-oak heath forest to maintain and restore structure and habitat, and reduce white pine seedling density.
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Engine Academy
Date : March 3-9, 2024
Location : Haw River State Park, Browns Summit, NC 27214
The NCPFC is proud to coordinate an upcoming Engine Academy in collaboration with our partners. This course includes S-211 Portable Pumps and Water Use and S-214 Southern Area Engine Operations. Participants learn engine tactics related to prescribed fire and wildfire, pumping operations, repair, hose-lays and engine safety.
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2024 North Carolina Certified Burner Courses
Date : May 20-22, October 21-23
Time : TBD
Location : TBD
We got the inside scoop on some of the 2024 Certified Burner Course dates, but the specifics of the courses are still being worked out. Keep an eye on the website to learn more about registration dates.
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PRESCRIBED FIRE AWARENESS MONTH |
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February is Prescribed Fire Awareness Month, as decreed by Governor Roy Cooper in 2022. As part of the month-long awareness campaign, the N.C. Forest Service hosts a FLAME week, which stands for Fire Learning and Mitigation Education.
The second annual FLAME Week will be held February 5-10, 2024 and will include in-person and live webinar activities throughout the week. A fire-focused Project Learning Tree workshop for educators is part of the event. There is also a Smokey Bear and friends event for families on Saturday.
This week-long event presents opportunities for landowners and natural resource professionals to learn about using fire as a tool for land management and the effects of wildfires and prescribed burning on forest health. It also presents opportunities for the general public to learn how weather impacts wildfires in North Carolina as well as the current weather outlook for 2024.
Event registration information, dates and times will be available in early January.
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What's In The Can?
On a burn, there are all kinds of fuel cans you'll come across. Sometimes they are labeled, but sometimes they aren't... In order to prevent putting the wrong fuel in your torch, pump, or chainsaw, you should ask "What is in this can?"
Please note: These are not hard and fast rules, ratios, and regulations. Be sure to read labels carefully and always label your fuel cans. If you aren't sure what is in the can, don't use it. |
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Common Options:
1. Straight Gasoline, ideally ethanol-free gas, which is labeled with a red tag and is used to fuel four-stroke pumps (and anything else you'd use regular gas for).
2. Driptorch mix, commonly labeled with a blue tag. The ratio for driptorch mix is about 4 parts diesel, 1 part regular gasoline.
3. Straight Diesel, ideally labeled with a green tag or stored in a yellow can. Diesel is fuel for heavy equipment and used to make driptorch mix.
4. 50:1 Mixed Two-Stroke, labeled with a yellow tag. The ratio for two-stroke mix comes out to about 2.6 ounces per gallon. Two-stroke is used to fuel small engines like leaf-blowers, chainsaws, and weed-eaters.
5. 24:1 Mixed Two-Stroke, which may be labeled the same as 50:1 two-stroke. This fuel is used for two-stroke pumps like the Mark III and Wick 375. |
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A Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) is a group of landowners and other concerned citizens that form a partnership to conduct prescribed burns. Association members pool their knowledge, man-power and equipment to help other people in their association conduct prescribed burns.
The Council keeps track of active associations on our website. If there are new PBAs that should be listed, let Laurel Kays know at laurel.kays@tnc.org. |
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Piedmont
Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Davie, Rowan, and Cabarrus counties
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Bladen Lakes Area
Bladen, Robeson, Cumberland, Sampson, Pender, Brunswick, New Hanover, and Columbus counties |
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Down East
Craven, Onslow, Dublin, Carteret, Jones, Lenoir, Beaufort, and Pamlico counties
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Eastern NC
Nash, Edgecomb, Wilson, Franklin, Green, Wayne, Warren, Northampton, and Halifax counties
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NC Sandhills
Moore, Richmond, Scotland, Hoke, Harnett, and Cumberland counties
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Southern Blue Ridge
includes, but not limited to, Buncombe, Madison, Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, Caldwell, Burke, and McDowell counties |
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HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR MEMBERS |
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The Council would like to celebrate the retirees and honor the memory of those lost in 2023. Their contributions to our community have been invaluable and we are grateful for their dedication to getting good fire on the ground.
We want to especially recognize long-time Council supporter, Jim Gray, who passed away this summer. He was our very first Lifetime Member and was a pivotal member of the establishing team, dedicating his time and personal resources to helping get the Council on it's feet. We are fortunate to have known him and he will be dearly missed. |
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Fire Trivia
What percent of North Carolina is wildland urban interface?
Hint : We rank #1 in the nation for acres designated as wildland urban interface.
Last Edition's Answer : North Carolina's Prescribed Burn Act was passed in 1999. |
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The Next Generation
Pictures from this year's Fire in the Pines Festival.
Photos by Alan Cradick |
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Jason Allen
Janice Allen
Thomas Ammons
David Andres
Andrew Bailey
Chris Baranski
Dwight Batts
Brady Beck
Pete Benjamin
Eli Beverly
Jon Blanchard
Ryan Bollinger
John Bratton
Kenneth Bridle
Clinton Brooks
Margit Bucher
Chet Buell
Rachel Burnett
Peter Campbell
Richard Clark
William Clark
Crystal Cockman
Sarah Crate
Thomas Crate
Thomas Crews
Gary Curcio
Chance Curnutte
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Dub Davis
Chris Dawes
Paul Dean
Jimmy Dodson
Kelly Douglass
David DuMond
Scott Dunnagan
Dillon Epp
Patrick Farrell
Jennifer Fawcett
Jeff Fisher
Matthew Flint
Preston Floyd
Carla Freeman
Cecil Frost
John Fulk
Aaron Gay
Randy Gillen
Gary Gilreath
James Gray
James Gregory
Kenny Griffin
Matthew Harrell
John Henry Harrelson
Jonathan Hartsell
Kevin Harvell
James Hunsucker
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John Isenhour
Bill Jackson
Katie Jones
Jim Kellenberger
Jason Kiker
Wally King
Robert King
Jeff Marcus
Jonathan McCall
Mark Megalos
Robert Mickler
Chris Moorman
Jack Muncy
Andrew Mynatt
Wib Owen
Randall Patterson
Shane Paxton
Jason Payne
Greg Philipp
Scott Pohlman
James Prevette
Laura Prevatte
Brandon Price
Johnny Randall
Barbara Rhoads
Wilson Ricks
Don Riley
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Christa Rogers
James Rogers
Joe Roise
Monica Rother
Will Ruark
Terry Sharpe
John Ann Shearer
Dean Simon
David Smith
Judson Smith
Ryan Smith
David Sprunt
Donnie Stafford
Jeff Stewart
Johnny Stowe
Keith Suttles
Hannah Thompson-Welch
Jackie Trickel
Chris Turner
Cynthia Van Der Wiele
Phil Wallace
Seth Ward
Cierra Ward
Jesse Wimberley
Gary Wood
Andrew Zachman
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RECOGNITION OF COLLABORATION |
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A special thank you to the following people for their contributions to the newsletter!
Kayci Willis - NC Prescribed Fire Council, Newsletter Editor
Debbie Crane - The Nature Conservancy, Communications Director
Wesley Sketo - N.C. Forest Service, Wildfire Mitigation Forester
Dakota Wagner - Forest Stewards Guild, Southeast Program Manager
Laurel Kays - The Nature Conservancy, Fire Learning Network Manager
Nathan Burmester - The Nature Conservancy, Coastal Plain State Stewardship Manager
Jonathan McCall - N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission, Southern Mountains Forest Manager
Thomas Crate - N.C. State Parks, Fire Management Officer
Dr. Monica Rother - UNC Wilmington, Assistant Professor
Christie Adams - N.C. Forest Service, Information and Education Branch Head
John Ann Shearer - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Coordinator for N.C. |
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