Previous Workshops

November 2022

 Minnesota Natural Disturbance Forest Habitat Summit

This workshop was available in hybrid format, both online and at the Cloquet Forestry Center in northern Minnesota.

Foresters try to emulate natural disturbance through silvicultural practices, but often nature has other ideas, confounding well-implemented prescriptions. This workshop was a two-day exploration of connections between natural disturbance, wildlife habitat, and forest management. After a review of key concepts in disturbance ecology, speakers focused on fire, wind, and forest management as disturbance agents, with talks from researchers and practitioners on each. The workshop closed with a handful of on-the-ground case studies related to biotic and abiotic natural disturbances.

For more information, visit https://sfec.cfans.umn.edu/disturbance-summit

Planning partners: Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative, American Bird Conservancy, Lake States Fire Science Consortium, and Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium

 

February and March 2022

Virtual Smoke Tools Workshops

Smoke management and smoke hazards are one of the most important things to plan for and manage when doing a prescribed burn, or to consider during any wildfire suppression. This one day workshop was an active participation “hands-on” virtual workshop where participants worked through exercises using online smoke tools. The topics and tools provide a good introductory workshop for anyone in wildland fire management - those who have not had much smoke modeling and management exposure, or as an excellent refresher for those who have had another smoke course.

Partners

US Forest Service - instructor Trent Wickman, Air Resource Specialist for MI-MN-WI, Eastern Regional Office

Lake States Fire Science Consortium

Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium

 

 

February 2022

8th Annual Burning Issues Workshop & Michigan Prescribed Fire Council Annual Meeting

Burning Issues is an annual wildland fire workshop designed to enable land managers, researchers, resource specialists, biologists, ecologists and fire practitioners an opportunity to hear and learn from different areas of expertise in a format designed to identify gaps in knowledge and communication, and work toward solutions to issues that complicate our collective wildland fire work.

Recorded presentations and other resources are available at the Burning Issues 2022 home page.

 

Feb. 2021

7th Annual Burning Issues Workshop & Michigan Prescribed Fire Council Annual Meeting

 

Burning Issues is convened by partners to further collaborative fire management and research solutions.

 

Recorded presentations and other resources from the 2021 workshop are available. 

Recorded presentations and other resources are available at the Burning Issues 2021 home page.

 

August 2019

Oak Barrens Monitoring to Inform Management - Webinar and Field Day

Part 1 - Webinar

Live - 12 pm, July 22 and on-demand (recorded) July 23-Aug. 5

The webinar covered important background information allowing participants to focus on hands-on activities on August 7. The recording is available on our PrairieFireSci channel on YouTube.

Part 2 - Field Day

Aug. 7, 2019, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

@ Lawrence Creek State Natural Area, Adams/Marquette County, WI

Presenters:

• Ryan O'Connor, Ecologist, Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources (contact: ryan.oconnor "at" wisconsin.gov)
• Amy Staffen, Ecologist, Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources (contact: amy.staffen "at" wisconsin.gov)

Join Wisconsin DNR ecologists for a day to learn about, field test, and provide feedback on a manager-friendly monitoring protocol for oak barrens.

No plots or expert plant knowledge needed! Typically, 1-2 hours per management unit are needed complete the protocol. The monitoring project is designed to support evaluation of oak barrens composition, structure, and condition.

Learning Objectives:

•  Identify oak barrens sites with good restoration potential
•  Develop restoration goals grounded in sound science
•  Adjust management prescriptions over time based on your own monitoring data

1. Monitoring Standard Operating Procedures
2. Monitoring Form
3. Indicator Plant Species Checklist

February 2019

Fifth Annual Burning Issues Workshop and Michigan Prescribed Fire Council Annual Meeting: Decision-Making for Fire-Dependent Systems

Feb. 5-6, 2019 @ Fort Custer Training Center, Battle Creek, MI

This annual wildland fire workshop is designed to enable land managers, researchers, resource specialists, biologists, ecologists and fire practitioners an opportunity to hear and learn from different areas of expertise in a format designed to identify gaps in knowledge and communication, and work toward solutions to issues that complicate our collective wildland fire work.

More Information and Complete Agenda

Previous Workshops

 

Using Fire as a Tool to Manage Oak Ecosystems

July 25, 2018 @ Dodgeville, WI

2018 Wisconsin Winter Fire Workshop

Feb. 16, 2018 at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

 

February 6-7, 2018 @ Fort Custer National Training Center, Augusta, Michigan

This annual wildland fire workshop is designed to enable land managers, researchers, resource specialists, biologists, ecologists and fire practitioners an opportunity to hear and learn from different areas of expertise in a format designed to identify gaps in knowledge and communication, and work toward solutions to issues that complicate our collective wildland fire work.

 

Burning Issues Workshop 2017: In Sickness and In Health - Addressing Tough Decisions in Applying Fire to Degraded Habitats and Declining Species in the 21st Century

 

March 1-2, 2017 @ Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, MI

These sessions are planned with and for the diverse community interacting around fire-related issues, and seek to build the understanding and communication to support further work toward collaborative solutions.

Topics in our plenary panel sessions included

1. The “Perfect” Burn: Defining Success
2. Monitoring Your Outcomes: Plotting to Get the Data You Need
3. Prescribed Fire and Oak Restoration
4. Managing for Fire-dependent Wildlife

 

Exploring the Implications of an Annual Autumnal Fire Regime

 

June 28, 2014 at Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek, Iowa

Site host:

Chad Graeve, Natural Resource Specialist, Pottawattamie County Conservation, Iowa

Instructors:

 

• Laura Reich, Wildlife Biologist with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois
• Dr. Gerould Wilhelm, Director of Research, Conservation Research Institute

 

For details, see our workshop flier.

 

Oak Opening Workshop