The Dunn Ranch Academy: Developing Wildland Fire Literacy through Hands-on Experience with Prescribed Fire Science and Management

Wildland fire literacy is the capacity for wildland fire professionals to understand and communicate fundamentals of fuel and fire behavior within the socio-ecological elements of the fire regime. While wildland fire literacy is best developed through education, training, and experience in wildland...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fire (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-08, Vol.5 (4), p.121
Main Authors: McGranahan, Devan Allen, Maier, Craig, Gauger, Ryan, Woodson, Chris, Wonkka, Carissa L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Careers
Certification
Conservation organizations
Core curriculum
Ecology
Education
Environmental aspects
FireScienceDIY
Forest & brush fires
Grasslands
learn and burn
Learning
Literacy
Nature conservation
NerdTREX
Prescribed fire
Professional development
Professionals
Science
Training
Wilderness areas
Wildfires
wildland fire science literacy
Wildlife conservation
Workshops
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Summary:Wildland fire literacy is the capacity for wildland fire professionals to understand and communicate fundamentals of fuel and fire behavior within the socio-ecological elements of the fire regime. While wildland fire literacy is best developed through education, training, and experience in wildland fire science and management, too often, development among early-career professionals is deficient in one or more aspects of full literacy. We report on a hands-on prescribed fire methods workshop designed to provide training and experience in measuring and conducting prescribed fire, with a focus on grassland ecosystems. The workshop was held in March 2022 at The Nature Conservancy’s Dunn Ranch Prairie in northern Missouri. It consisted of hands-on training and experience in measuring fuels, fire weather, and fire behavior. Prescribed fire operations training facilitated both hands-on learning and vicarious learning by rotating squad roles among several small sub-units on the first day of live fire exercises. Participants then gained experience as crew members for two larger prescribed burns (60 and 200 ha). We report here on the successes and lessons learned from the perspectives of both participants and the instructor cadre for what was widely regarded as a successful workshop.
ISSN:2571-6255
2571-6255
DOI:10.3390/fire5040121