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This page contains information about the four national-level FLN workshops conducted in 2002 and 2003, and links to exemplary products developed by the site-based projects that were involved in the first phase of the network.
Workshops
Ecological Models and Collaborative Goal Setting
2-4 April 2002, Santa Fe, New Mexico
The first workshop focused on developing the scientific and ecological foundations for fire management planning in multi-partner landscapes. Peer review sessions focused on spatially explicit, multi-scale conceptual ecological models developed for each demonstration landscape and several of the participating landscapes. There was also a half-day interactive session on enhancing collaboration skills.
There were two concurrent all-day field trips that included visits to Bandelier National Monument, Rendija Canyon, Valles Caldera National Preserve, and Santa Fe National Forest. Both field trips included visits to different fuel treatment and fire management areas. Participants worked on an interactive exercise designed to field-test the ecological model for the Jemez Mountains.
Desired Future Conditions
19-22 November 2002, Bend, Oregon
The second workshop focused on desired future conditions and alternative restoration strategies. Plenary talks were given on (1) assessment of fire regime, fire regime condition, and management implications; (2) traditional uses of fire by indigenous peoples; (3) lessons from the 2002 Cheesman Lake (Colorado) fire and implications for restoration of ponderosa pine forests; and (4) biodiversity effects of the Cheesman Lake fire and the 2002 Pass Creek (Wyoming) fire. The meeting also included concurrent sessions on fire use policy, biomass utilization, interactions between fire and invasive species, and tools and techniques for modeling vegetation change and desired future conditions.
Peer review sessions focused on the spatial and non-spatial desired future conditions and alternative management scenarios developed by the demonstration landscape teams.
An all-day field trip introduced workshop participants to three forest management projects in the Upper Deschutes Basin designed to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire through research, education, outreach, and collaboration.
Strategies for Achieving Collaborative Goals
18-21 March 2003, Little Rock, Arkansas
The third workshop focused on overcoming barriers to achieving collaborative landscape-scale goals. Plenary talks highlighted lessons learned from successful collaborative fire restoration efforts in two FLN landscapes: Arkansas' Boston Mountains and Arizona's Galiuro Mountains.
Peer review sessions focused on the critical barriers to effective fire restoration identified by the FLN project teams, as well as three-year implementation plans developed to achieve desired future conditions.
An all-day field trip into the Ozark National Forest highlighted key components of successful demonstration projects. Discussions during the field trip focused on strategies for developing demonstration projects that will illustrate cooperation, garner public and political support, and engage private landowners.
Monitoring and Adaptive Management
2-4 December 2003, Pensacola, Florida
The fourth workshop focused on monitoring and adaptive management, and on planning for the future of the network. Nine landscape teams received peer review on their monitoring plans in both small group and plenary sessions. Like other network products, monitoring plans were developed by the landscape teams through a collaborative process.
The theme of monitoring and adaptive management carried over into a day-long field trip that included stops at two Northwest Florida Water Management District tracts, Blackwater River State Forest, and Eglin Air Force Base.
2002-2003 Products
Below is a sampling of the products developed by the project teams involved in the first phase of the U.S. Fire Learning Network. Contact Wendy Fulks if you are looking for a file that is not here.
Ecological Models
- Arkansas River Valley Prairie/Oak Ecosystem
Models of (1) fire processes for coarse community types, (2) detailed fire processes in the prairie community, and (3) relationships of community types to moisture and edaphic gradients.
- Eastern Nevada
Conceptual ecological model of pre- and post-settlement fire dynamics.
Desired Future Conditions
- Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem
Assessment of desired future conditions for focal conservation targets on
Eglin Air Force Base.
- Shawangunk Ridge
Analysis of current conditions, desired future conditions, and alternative management scenarios.
Implementation Plans
- Loess Hills
Three-year implementation plan outlining priority actions for making progress toward desired future conditions. Includes brief overview of critical barriers to implementation, and priority actions for addressing highest priority barriers, which include highly variable land use patterns (e.g., small tracts, landowners with different needs) and lack of understanding among landowners of the positive agricultural economics associated with grassland restoration/management.
Monitoring Plans
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