Southern Rockies Fire Science Network Gloria Edwards, Program Coordinator -Supporting fire science from Mesas to Mountains -

Welcome!  Background on Joint Fire Science Program  What is Southern Rockies Fire Science Network?  (aka “SRFSN”, “So Rock”)  Region served, growth, need, and products  How do I get fire science support?  How do I participate? Discussion and survey comments – how can we meet your fire science needs??

The Joint Fire Science Program  National and interagency established in 1998  “to provide a scientific basis and rationale for implementing... a national interagency fuels management program … with a focus on activities that will lead to development and application of tools for managers.”  Funds fire science research that is applicable to management

JFSP-Funded Research Key goals: High quality science Address manager-driven questions Effective science delivery and application Focus Fuel treatment Smoke management and air quality Potpourri of related fire science By 2013: >650 projects, $8-16 million/year & thousands of outputs

2009 Program Review  Ten-Year Review  Lots of success with 389 projects funded  BUT, research was not hitting the ground enough  Recommended more science delivery and broader engagement with stakeholders  Thus, the idea for regional consortia Vision - national network to accelerate the awareness, understanding, and adoption of wildland fire science information by federal, tribal, state, local, and private stakeholders within ecologically similar regions

Consortium Network & Guiding Principles Inclusive Impartial End-User driven Collaborative Innovative Facilitative

JFSP Resources

JFSP Funding:  Upcoming deadline for JFSP proposal: December 11th.  Visit or for more information.  SRFSN does not review the proposals but we help disseminate the results.

Why a Southern Rockies Network?  Challenging conditions in the Southern Rocky Mountain region:  Drought, changing climate, shifting winds  Extensive WUI  Changes in forest health  Mission: Supporting fire science from mesas to mountains: ensuring awareness and use of credible fire science between researchers, managers, and communities.  How do we meet that need?  What does this network mean to you? Hayman Fire in 2012

Where Are We?.

Regional Issues: South Dakota  Managing timber needs with prescription and wildfire  Managing robust ponderosa pine regeneration with forest restoration  What was the historic natural structure of Black Hills stands and natural variability of fire and effects?  How does wildfire fit in with Black Hills forestry today? Partners: Black Hills National Forest Wind Cave National Park

Regional: Wyoming  Shortgrass prairie fire ecology  Sagebrush fire ecology  Rx Fire, and fostering forest resilience in beetle-kill areas. Partners: University of Wyoming Medicine Bow National Forest

Regional: Utah  Central and Eastern UT: tamarisk management  issues with re-introducing fire on waterways and watersheds.  Managing for post-fire resilience, aspen regeneration. Partners: USU Forestry Extension US Forest Service Utah Partnership for Conservation Development

Regional: Colorado  Intermountain Colorado  Restoring forest resilience through Rx fire, managing extreme and extensive wildfire events and related effects  Beetle kill, watesheds  WUI studies – understanding home ignition and risk, managing growth and planning for wildfire Partners: US Forest Service NRCS CSFS BLM The Nature Conservancy NoCo Rebuilding NCRES USGS Department of Fire Prevention and Control

 Based at CSU in the Warner College of Natural Resources  Work with Colorado Forest Restoration Institute  Center for Managing WUI Wildfire Risk  Natural Resource Conservation Service  Society for Ecological Restoration  Environmental Learning Center

Science delivery with:  Website  E-news  Twitter  Face-to-face  Networking within region and with other consortia  Research briefs/syntheses

Working Together  Collaboration among the consortia  Work together & promote others’ programs  Learn from each other  Build a community representing dozens of organizations with a commitment to cross pollination and mutually improving knowledge exchange about fire science and management  Collaboration among partners within consortia  Easy in some  Had to bridge divides in others

Support for science exchange: Informational Logistical Financial

Proposal Forms  To apply for our support, in part or in whole, please visit the Event Forms page on our website under the “Events” tab.  Follow the directions to submit your form

E-News  Over 300 followers and growing:  Research  News  Keep up to date with upcoming events: Webinars, workshops, presentations  Your information!  Send us your research, news, events, and photos -  Sign up to subscribe!

@SRfirescience  Who we follow:  Other consortia  Agencies  Researchers  Private companies  Firefighters  Who is following us:  Researchers  Agencies  Managers  Interested people!

Webinars  Numerous webinars per year through SRFSN and collaboration with other consortia and RMRS  Topics include:  Pre and post fire management,  ecology,  smoke management,  Social Science  Wildfire modeling software  Your webinar or what you want to learn!

Face-to-Face:

Proposed 2014 Events and Growth: Black Hills: USFS Roadshow Fort Collins: WUI conference Workshop: West Fork Fire Great Basin Consortium Conference 2014? Yellowstone Fire of ‘88: post Fire ecology roadshow Continued growth in social media, online resources, research summaries, and new ideas.

Let’s work together! Contact Your Regional Consortium  Research supporting sound decisions. So Rock is one of the national science exchange networks of the Joint Fire Science Program. Our region includes wildfire ecozones from deserts of Utah to sagebrush steppes, timberlands, and high forests of the Divide. We serve as a catalyst to bring scientists, managers, and communities together to find solutions to wildfire issues. Support may be logistical, informational, or financial.

Discussion Time!  We want to know about YOUR fire science needs!  (Don’t forget your survey…) DEATH BY POWERPOINT FILLING THE GAP:

Contact Us: SoRock Core Team -  Gloria Edwards, Program Coordinator (970)  Tony Cheng, Principal Investigator (970)  Chad Hoffman, Co-Principal Investigator (970)  Mike Babler, Co-Principal Investigator (303)  Merrill Kaufmann, Co-Principal Investigator