The Appalachian Fire Trail A collaboration between CAFMS and the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network, the Appalachian Fire Trail (formerly known as "The Fire Learning Trail") is an enhanced interpretive trail with expansions throughout the Appalachians. Each trail consists of signs on the ground and podcast episodes that correspond to each sign and serve as an audio tour with more in-depth information. When the first AFT went into the ground we also started the social media campaign using #goodfire to discuss the role and history of fire on the landscape. ​ ​ Appalachian Fire Trail Locations Linville Gorge, NC Table Rock State Park, SC Bridgestone Firestone Wildlife Management Area, TN Daniel Boone National Forest, KY New River State Park, NC Episodes of The Fire Learning Trail podcast/audio tour can be found on itunes, soundcloud, spotify, or by clicking here.

Videos View recordings of discussions, presentations, webinars, and field tours below or subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more! Field Tours & Interviews View our full list field tours and interviews here. Webinars View our full list of webinars here. WEBINAR: Synthesis of Appalachian Fire History Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing WEBINAR: Synthesis of Appalachian Fire History 52:27 Play Video Now Playing Webinar: Wave of Fire (Fire History of Pennsylvania) 01:11:47 Play Video Now Playing WEBINAR: Mobile Mapping - An Introduction to Avenza Maps 55:09 Play Video Now Playing WEBINAR: Finding the Best Science Available 56:15 Play Video Discussions View our full list of discussions here. Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion Series Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing Using Fire History to Inform Present Day Management - Fueling Collaboration Season 1, Discussion 1 01:24:50 Play Video Now Playing Using Fire Seasonality to Open the Burn Window - Fueling Collaboration Season 1, Discussion 2 01:26:17 Play Video Now Playing Fire and a Changing Climate -Fueling Collaboration Season 1, Discussion 3 01:25:41 Play Video Now Playing Prescribed Fire and Timber Management - Fueling Collaboration Season 1, Discussion 4 01:26:42 Play Video Presentations View our full list of presentations here. CAFMS/FLN 2022 Workshop Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing The return of fire to a transitioning forest: Fire Effects... 24:38 Play Video Now Playing Mountain Wave Wind Events in the S. Appalachians and their Role in the 2016 Chimney Tops II Wildfire 16:45 Play Video Now Playing Overstory Mortality and Regeneration Following Wildfire and Prescribed Fire 19:32 Play Video Now Playing Fire and Invasives/Pest Management 48:33 Play Video Goodfire through collaboration in western North Carolina Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing Goodfire through collaboration in western North Carolina 21:19 Play Video Now Playing Pinnacle Mountain Fire - Interview with Mike Bozzo, SCFC 03:43 Play Video Now Playing Southern Blue Ridge TREX 05:01 Play Video Now Playing My Southern Blue Ridge TREX Story 05:12 Play Video CAFMS Youtube Channel Scroll through our videos by using the arrow to the right, or visit our youtube channel to browse more content. Play Video Play Video 01:29:59 Successfully Bridging the Gap: Eastern US Models of Fire Science and Management Collaboration Fueling Collaboration 4.4 - Land management programs are frequently confronted with the imperative of incorporating the most advanced scientific knowledge into their decision-making processes along with filling voids in research needed to move along effective management. Nevertheless, the persistent disparities between the realms of science and management often impede effective collaboration. In this panel, we will draw inspiration from successful case studies in the eastern United States, where land managers and scientists have forged pioneering partnerships, yielding tangible advancements in the field Play Video Play Video 01:33:30 Fire and Water - Fueling Collaboration 3.2 Changing climate is reshaping the balance of fire and water in eastern ecosystems. Drought alters soil structure and stability; combined with intense rainfall, this impacts hydrologic dynamics. This panel will explore the interconnections between fire, nutrient cycling, ecohydrology, and climate change. Play Video Play Video 01:28:38 Phenology of Fire: Listening to the Plants and Animals - Fueling Collaboration 4.3 Season of fire. Opening the burn window. Both of these focus on one of the elements that make up a fire regime – frequency, intensity/severity, extent/scale, and seasonality. Decades of spring-and/or autumn-centric fire can cause a site or landscape to respond very differently than when burned repeatedly across all flammable seasons. Summer burns can produce differing fire effects including increased species richness averages, biomass, and stem counts (especially forbs), and breaking up the plant species dominance resulting from dormant season burn windows. Our panelists will bring fresh voices to how we can learn from listening to our fire-dependent plants and animals and let the fire effects lead us toward desired outcomes. Play Video Play Video 01:31:11 The Future Is Smoky- Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion 4 2 With increasing wildfire activity due to changes in climate, smoke will likely become more prevalent and continue to have an effect on society. Earlier this year, smoke from Canada wildfires lowered air quality in the eastern U.S. to its worst levels in recorded history. As the climate heats up and creates drier conditions, smoky skies will grow increasingly common. Health concerns and prescribed burning actions needed to restore functioning ecosystems will be impacted by already smoky conditions across the country. Panelists include research meteorologists, air quality experts, and fire practitioners. Together, they will explore how we can address and adapt to a smoky future. Play Video Play Video 01:30:10 Fire History as a Bridge Between Ecological Knowledge Systems - Fueling Collaboration 4.1 This panel discussion will explore how different types of fire history information (Indigenous Knowledge and physical archives), when considered together, provide improved context for understanding the ecologies and processes that are linked to the restoration and stewardship of fire-adapted communities. The panelists include Indigenous Knowledge holders and practitioners, and experts in tree-ring, sedimentary, and archeological fire history, who have collaboratively used fire history information to bridge cultures and knowledge systems. The discussion will use case studies in the Upper Great Lakes Region where a diverse set of partners wove these types of knowledge together to restore culture fire to the benefit of globally-rare pine barrens communities. Play Video Play Video 47:46 Building the Science for Oaks and Prescribed Fire J. Morgan Varner (Tall Timbers Research Station) gives a plenary talk at the 7th Fire in eastern Oak Forests Conference in Tyler, Texas. This presentation was recorded on May 18, 2023. Play Video Play Video 25:10 Impact of Juniper Encroachment and Removal on Water Quantity/Quality in Water-limited Cross Timbers Chris Zou (Oklahoma State University) presents his research at the 7th Fire in eastern Oak Forests Conference in Tyler, Texas. This presentation was recorded on May 16, 2023. Play Video Play Video 19:56 Long-term Effects of Repeated Crown-fires in Oak-juniper Woodlands - Charlotte Reemts Charlotte Reemts (The Nature Conservancy, Texas) presents at the 7th Fire in eastern Oak Forests Conference in Tyler, Texas. This presentation was recorded on May 16, 2023.

< Back Woodland salamander responses to a shelterwood harvest-prescribed burn silvicultural treatment within Appalachian mixed-oak forests Mahoney et al., 2016 Forest management practices that mimic natural canopy disturbances, including prescribed fire and timber harvests, may reduce competition and facilitate establishment of favorable vegetative species within various ecosystems. Fire suppression in the central Appalachian region for almost a century has contributed to a transition from oak-dominated to more mesophytic, fire-intolerant forest communities. Prescribed fire coupled with timber removal is currently implemented to aid in oak regeneration and establishment but responses of woodland salamanders to this complex silvicultural system is poorly documented. ... Previous Next

Fire Frequency Tool For use with ArcGIS - Prescribed fire is used widely to mitigate wildfires and restore ecosystems. This tool was developed to evaluate fire's cumulative impact, calculate frequency, examine seasonality and estimate fuel accumulation to facilitate decision making in targeting successive prescribed fire application. Fire Frequency Tool 1.0 Register your information here and you will be redirected to a page with a link to download the earlier version of the tool. Fire Frequency Tool 2.0 Register your information here and you will receive a link to download the FF Tool Zip file. Stober & Holden, 2014 Fire frequency matters: development of an ArcGIS fire frequency, fuel accumulation, seasonality and prioritization tool to facilitate prescribed fire decision making in the Talladega National Forest.

< Back Short-term response of reptiles and amphibians to prescribed fire and mechanical fuel reduction in a southern Appalachian upland hardwood forest Greenberg & Waldrop, 2008 We compared the effects of three fuel reduction techniques and a control on the relative abundance and richness of reptiles and amphibians using drift fence arrays with pitfall and funnel traps. Three replicate blocks were established at the Green River Game Land, Polk County, North Carolina. Each replicate block contained four experimental units that were each approximately 14 ha in size. Treatments were prescribed burn (B); mechanical understory reduction (M); mechanical + burn (MB); and controls (C). Mechanical treatments were conducted in winter 2001–2002, and prescribed burns in March 2003. Hot fires in MB killed about 25% of the trees, increasing canopy openness relative to controls. ... Previous Next

< Back Influence of prescribed fire and forest structure on woodland salamander abundance in the central Appalachians, USA Jacobsen et al., 2020 ​ Previous Next

Register using the form below and you will be redirected to a page with download links for the Fire Frequency Tool and the updated version, Fire Frequency Tool (2.0). For more information on how to use the Fire Frequency Tool, download the instructions (PDF) here. Fire Frequency Tool Register using the form below and you will be redirected to a page with download links for the Fire Frequency Tool and the updated version, Fire Frequency Tool (2.0). For more information on how to use the Fire Frequency Tool, download the instructions (PDF) here. Ready to download the Fire Frequency Tool? Fill out the form below to download the ZIP file of the tool First Name Last Name Email Country State Select your state I work for a... Federal/ National Agency State Agency Local (City/County) Agency NGO/ Non-profit Private Company College/University Other (Please describe in Comments) Acreage under fire management Comments Access the Tool

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< Back Response of Reptiles and Amphibians to Repeated Fuel Reduction Treatments Matthews et al., 2010 Recent use of prescribed fire and fire surrogates to reduce fuel hazards has spurred interest in their effects on wildlife. Studies of fire in the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA) have documented few effects on reptiles and amphibians. However, these studies were conducted after only one fire and for only a short time (1–3 yr) after the fire. From mid-May to mid-August 2006 and 2007, we used drift fences with pitfall and funnel traps to capture reptiles and amphibians in a control and 3 replicated fuel-reduction treatments: 1) twice-burned (2003 and 2006), 2) mechanical understory cut... Previous Next

< Back Proceedings of the 4th Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference Dey et al., 2011 Contains 14 full-length papers and 40 abstracts of posters that were presented at the 4th Fire in Eastern Oak Forests conference, held in Springfield, MO, May 17-19, 2011. The conference was attended by over 250 people from 65 different organizations and entities, representing 22 states and 1 Canadian province. Previous Next

Demand for Prescribed Fire on Private Lands in the Mid-Atlantic United States Click here for a PDF version of this research brief. You can find the full article in our research collection here: https://www.appalachianfire.org/_files/ugd/ac1491_bb094992055b4a5883dd039e937dcb09.pdf