Wildland Fire in the Appalachians

The Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists and the Association for Fire Ecology co-sponsored the conference on October 8-10, 2013 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists was designed for anyone with an interest in wildland fire in the Appalachian region and provided an unusual approach to sharing information. The objective of the conference was for fire managers and researchers to learn from each other so they could better understand and work together on problems specific to the highly diverse Appalachian Mountains. The conference design was unique: it was neither a research symposium nor a managers' meeting, but rather a synergy of both. Over 40 speakers were invited to discuss research updates, management experiences, and successful technology transfer. Research topics included plant and wildlife ecology, fire history, invasive plants, season of burning, and other topics. Managers shared experiences on how to apply fire to the landscape, how to work with media and the general public, and updates to fire management tools such as smoke prediction models, LANDFIRE, and IFT-DSS. A highlight was success stories from programs such as the Fire Learning Network, State Prescribed Fire Councils, and interagency cooperation. A field trip on the third day shared managers' experiences in applying research results on the ground.