It’s hard to forget your first wildland fire. Mine was years before I started fighting fires, and I remember seeing trees explode into flames as they lit up the dark road. I could feel the heat through the windshield of my dad’s utility… Read More

April marks FAC Net’s fifth year of operations. According to some traditions, an appropriate five-year anniversary gift is something made of wood. For FAC Net members and partners, perhaps fewer wooden fences near homes or healthier forests would… Read More

To see dwarf mistletoe seeds is to experience them. These are not typical seeds that gently drop from a mature plant. Rather, they are explosive — forcibly ejected from their fruits at high rates of speed. I remember learning about this in college:… Read More

What did you do prior to working on community wildfire resilience? How did you get into FAC work? Prior to Project Wildfire, I fought fire for the USDA Forest Service, performed recreational site surveys, and worked for a property management… Read More

On the morning of Septemb­­er 2, 2010, the Four Mile Canyon Fire ignited in the Rocky Mountain Foothills, just west of Boulder, Colorado. Eighteen hours later, 168 homes were destroyed, and over 6,000 acres had burned. For me, what started as a… Read More

  Not all fire departments have a wildland fire division. How did yours evolve? As Travis County has expanded into previously rural areas, more of our residents have moved into the wildland-urban interface, or the WUI. As the name… Read More

2017 has been a big year. Natural disasters, including wildfires, struck numerous communities. Technology evolved in novel ways. A total solar eclipse occurred. Bitcoin became the talk of the town. Fidget spinners went viral and out of style. By… Read More

We recently asked our members and partners to tell us about their controlled burning efforts. Seven practitioners shared stories with us; each one presenting a unique twist on prescribed fire. Landowners Take the Lead in Humboldt County By Lenya… Read More

As a young boy, I hiked, hunted and trapped. It was common to hear quail and grouse in young forests as sparrowhawks flew overhead. Today, these birds are rare in New Jersey’s forests and have been replaced by species like pileated woodpeckers,… Read More

Where does your job take you? Just yesterday, I helped lead a field tour in the Zuni Mountains landscape, where I have been working in partnership with the Cibola National Forest and others for 12 years. In that landscape, the Forest Stewards… Read More