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Shown in this image is a California-hazel-stem basket holding tanoak acorns that were collected from the 2015 Klamath River Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) burn area. Also shown is a Karuk woman’s “work” basket cap and an acorn cooking paddle made of Pacific maple. These are a few of the resources used by Karuk women to gather and prepare acorn soup. This burn reduced acorn pests, cleared out surface and ladder fuels to improved acorn gathering, and maintained the tanoak cavity at the base of this older tree. Cavities like this are important habitat for animals that hunt small game that eat acorns. Credit: Frank Lake, USDA Forest Service and Karuk Tribe.
Jan 11, 2018
The Karuk Tribe’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and belief systems are constructed and preserved in the form of stories, practices, performances and ongoing… Read More
Topic: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Watershed protection / management
Type: Essay
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Alison Green works with communities throughout central Oregon on wildfire resilience issues. Here, she's talking with a landowner. Credit: Project Wildfire
Jan 09, 2018
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,… Read More
Topic: Communications / Outreach Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Wildfire recovery
Type: Interview
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"It is a horrific moment when you realize that the worst case scenario, the thing you had been theoretically preparing for, is actually happening." Dave Lasky shares six lessons learned regarding the catastrophic Four Mile Canyon Fire. (Photo: satellite image of the Four Mile Canyon Fire perimeter. Green and black indicate burned areas. White spots are destroyed homes. Credit: DigitalGlobe)
Jan 04, 2018
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… Read More
Topic: Communications / Outreach Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Wildfire
Type: Fantastic Failure
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Meet Austin Fire Department's Wildfire Fuels Mitigation Crew. They work to help residents living in Austin's wildland-urban interface live more safely with wildfire. Photo credit: Nia Henry, Austin Fire Department
Dec 27, 2017
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… Read More
Topic: Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire
Type: Interview
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Dec 21, 2017
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… Read More
Topic: Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Learning networks Planning Resilience Wildfire Wildfire recovery
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Lenya gives us a refresher on the science behind why some homes burn more readily than others, with a reminder that even the most knowledgeable practitioner can always do more. Modification of photo by U.S. Department of Energy shared via Flickr Creative Commons
Dec 19, 2017
I was nine years old when my dad’s family home burned in the Oakland Hills Fire. As a country kid from one of the most fire-prone counties in northern California, I was no… Read More
Topic: Defensible space / Firewise Ignition-resistant home construction Wildfire
Type: Research Synthesis
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Learn about a pilot program that assigns "stars" based on the number of defensible properties within Firewise USA™ Sites. Credits (front to back): Gary Marshall, Project Wildfire; Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization
Dec 14, 2017
In 2015, several Project Wildfire steering committee members attended the National Fire Protection Association’s Backyards and Beyond Conference. A common theme of the… Read More
Topic: Defensible space / Firewise
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"In our area, most homes are surrounded by continuous tree cover, fine fuels, abundant flammable shrubs and ladder fuels. Not only are these homes at risk, but they’re our greatest opportunities for mitigation. We hence redefined our WUI to include the built environment, as we realized that there isn’t a line where fire adapted communities stop and fire resilient landscapes begin." Modification of a photo by Don Graham shared va Flickr Creative Commons
Dec 12, 2017
While looking through an old hard drive, I found a homework assignment from an undergraduate silviculture class. The assignment was simple: develop a prescription for a full… Read More
Topic: Planning Wildfire risk assessment
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Aja Conrad, Karuk tribal descendant, holding the line in a white oak stand. Credit Stormy Staats, Klamath-Salmon Media Collaborative
Dec 07, 2017
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… Read More
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"It is all too easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what we lack. Sometimes this acts as reasoning for why we aren’t making progress. Or, it can lead us to work feverishly to compete for 'our piece of the finite pie.' Here’s what scarcity thinking doesn’t do: allow for creativity, incentivize giving, encourage experimentation, or let us feel satisfied, fulfilled and whole." Credit: Modification of photo by Stephanie shared via Flickr Creative Commons
Dec 05, 2017
The Sunday after Thanksgiving I started having procrastination-anxiety. I recognized it immediately. My interest in vacuuming and folding the laundry was the giveaway.… Read More
Topic: Learning networks
Type: Essay
Editor's Note: All blog entries are reviewed and edited for length and clarity by Network staff before approval
for posting.