The Alaska Wildfire Coordinating Group (AWFCG) asks you to take a few moments to respond to a survey concerning the Alaska Experimental Fire Season Forecast so that AWFCG can evaluate its utility during future fire seasons in Alaska.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WNLWJ82
The survey will be available until February 7, 2014. Please contact Marsha Henderson for more information.
Please join us for 2 very interesting fire science webinars in the coming weeks. Both presentations were planned for our October Fire Science workshop, which was canceled by the government shutdown. If you cannot make the live events, the webinars will be recorded and shared on the AFSC site.
Fire Management, Fire Science, and Climate Change:
Where Do We Go From Here?
Jeremy Littell, Alaska Climate Science Center
Monday, November 25, 10 am AK time
Register now for this webinar
Link to recording <HERE>
Long-term impacts of boreal wildfire on carbon cycling dynamics in Interior Alaska
Benjamin V. Gaglioti (Water and Environmental Research Center, UAF) and
Daniel H. Mann (Geography Department, UAF)
Wednesday, December 4, 2:30 pm AK time
Register now for this webinar
Link to recording <HERE>
The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) needs your help to peer review the many proposals they expect to receive in response to the FY 14 Funding Opportunity Notices (FONs).
Recommendations from peer-review panels are critically important. The JFSP Governing Board uses recommendations from peer-review panels to help make funding decisions. Participation in a JFSP review panel is also a great way to improve proposal development skills.
Please consider your expertise, interests, and availability and let JFSP know if you can conduct a review. It is critical that reviewers have substantial scientific or technical expertise in the scheduled FON topic area.
Visit the AFSC website for more information about the plans for proposal review, including a schedule.
Please respond to Becky Jenison via email, no later than COB November 22 if you are willing to help, or have questions. Please indicate what task statements and dates you are available to participate, and attach a short CV.
Joint Fire Science Program has extended the deadline for proposals to their currently open funding opportunity notices. The new deadline is Wednesday, December 11, 2013. See the Joint Fire Science Program website for more information.
The AFSC events planned for next week have been canceled due to the federal shutdown. We plan to identify alternative ways to share current fire science results and facilitate collaborative discussions among fire scientists and managers in the near future. Please check back soon for news on upcoming JFSP proposal planning meetings and fire science webinars.
Despite the uncertainty associated with the current federal goverment shutdown, we hope to have the AFSC events planned for next week as scheduled. We will make a final decision no later than next Monday, October 7, by noon AK time.
Please check the AFSC website for an announcement on Monday, or contact AFSC coordinator Alison York for more information.
Upcoming Events- October 8-11, 2013
Please join us for a busy week of fire science events, including our 5th annual Fire Science Workshop, which begins with a joint session, co-hosted by the Interagency Fall Fire Review, that features a keynote talk:
Fire Management, Fire Science, and Climate Change: 
Where Do We Go From Here?
Jeremy Littell, Alaska Climate Science Center
Thursday, October 10, 10 am
Here’s a rundown of the week’s events:
Interagency Fall Fire Review, organized by the Alaska Wildland Fire Coordinating Group
Tuesday, October 8 – Thursday, October 10
Fire in Alaska: Free Public Lectures, sponsored by the Alaska Fire Science Consortium
At Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
Fire Ecology Under the Midnight Sun
Randi Jandt, AFSC Fire Ecologist
Tuesday, October 8, 7 pm
Smokey Bear and Prometheus Fistfight in Heaven:
The Past, Present, and Future of Fire and Climate
Jeremy Littell, Alaska Climate Science Center
Wednesday, October 9, 7 pm
Alaska Fire Science Workshop
Thursday, October 10 (joint session with Fall Fire Review) and Friday, October 11 (morning)
Contact AFSC coordinator Alison York for more information.
Mark your calendar for these AFSC events next month, in association with the Interagency Fall Fire Review in Fairbanks (October 8-10)
5th Annual Alaska Fire Science Workshop at the BLM-Alaska Fire Service Training Rooms
Everyone is welcome to join us for AFSC’s open workshop, immediately following the Interagency Fall Fire Review
A detailed agenda will be available in the near future. Workshop presentations will be available on the AFSC website and remote access by phone will be provided.
AFSC will also host 2 free public lectures that week at Morris Thompson Center:
A dessert reception will follow each lecture. Presentations will be recorded and available for later viewing on the AFSC website.
Please email AFSC coordinator Alison York with questions.
On August 2, 2013, the DRAFT of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and Risk Analysis Report (National Strategy) (PDF, 2.8 MB) was posted on the Cohesive Strategy website (http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/leadership/WFEC/index.shtml). This is the third and, when completed, will be the final report in the effort to develop a national collaborative approach for a comprehensive, science-based cohesive strategy that addresses wildland fire management challenges across all lands and jurisdictions as directed by the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act of 2009.
Information on submitting feedback on the draft report is available on the Cohesive Strategy site. The deadline is August 23, 2013.
Note that the Joint Fire Science Program‘s recent announcement of possible topics for FY2014 funding (see our post of June 25, below) references the three goals of the Cohesive Strategy.
ACCAP webinar: Climate Change and Boreal Forest Fires: What does the future hold? Presented by Mike Flannigan, University of Alberta
Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 10:00 AM AKDT.
More information including recordings of the webinar here.
Also see our post of 5/20/2013 about an AFSC Research Brief on Flannigan’s recent work.
Abstract: Wildland fire is a common occurrence resulting from interactions between climate/weather, vegetation, and people. Our climate and associated day-to-day weather may be changing rapidly, due to human activities that may have dramatic and unexpected impacts on regional and global fire regimes. Existing studies suggest a general overall increase in area burned and fire occurrence, although there is a lot of spatial variability, with some areas of no change or even decreases in area burned and occurrence. The onset of climate change has been rapid and more significant in boreal regions as compared to other parts of the world. Fire activity has already been increasing in many parts of the boreal regions, and many studies suggest that this trend will continue and may even intensify. There is a potential for positive feedback as boreal ecosystems contain 30-40% of the world’s terrestrial carbon, with much of this in peatlands that may be vulnerable to increased fire activity and fire severity (depth of burn).
A warmer world means a longer fire season, more lightning activity, which is responsible for most of the area burned in boreal ecosystems, and drier fuels that would contribute to fire occurrence and spread. In terms of fire management, enhanced fire danger rating systems that accurately predict the spatial and temporal variability in fire danger can help us adapt to a warmer world.
AK Fire Science Highlights 