New Wildland Fire Education Resources Offer Extension More Ways to Get Involved
State Extension units, the Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) office, and other agencies have several wildland fire resources for use in the southeastern region of the United States with a particular focus on rural wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas.
November 15, 2016, Athens, GA - Wildfires have blazed across the Southeast for the past few weeks, enveloping many urban centers in smoke and consuming thousands of acres of land in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. Unseasonably warm temperatures and a period of prolonged drought are to blame, and a variable and uncertain climate has increased the likelihood of the persistence and recurrence of these conditions in 2017 and beyond.
As firefighters and forestry professionals fight to minimize damage and protect communities, property, and land, we must look to the future and consider the role that we, as Extension professionals, play in wildland fire awareness and prevention. With wildfire risk in the Southeast on the rise, Extension is needed now more than ever to supply the public with vital resources on prevention and protection.
To aid you, the Extension professional, in meeting this increased need, state Extension units, the Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) office, and other agencies have several wildland fire resources for use in the southeastern region of the United States with a particular focus on rural wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas.
We invite you to visit southernwildfire.net, a comprehensive storehouse of such resources that provides links to content generated by SREF, the Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy, and other affiliated organizations.
Additionally, we invite you to get involved by checking out these highlights of southernwildfire.net and valuable resources from other organizations:
The Public Section at southernwildfire.net
This part of the Get Involved section of the main site offers tools for calculating wildfire risk and resources for protecting homes and communities with FireWise principles.
Link: http://www.southernwildfire.net/get-involved/public
The Resources Section at southernwildfire.net
Enter your state or region to discover numerous resources and ways for the public to get involved in making their home and community more fire resilient.
Link: http://www.southernwildfire.net/get-involved/resources
Wildfire Risk Assessment Guide for Homeowners in the SE:
This risk assessment guide allows homeowners to evaluate their particular exposure to fire as well as the critical factors that increase their risk.
Link: https://www.bugwood.org/acrobat/WildfireRAGH.pdf
Fire-Adapted Communities
Information for turning your community into a fire-adapted one.