In an effort to reach an expanded audience for the Tall Timbers E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database, the Library is helping create a new web-based gateway for fire information called the Southern Fire Portal (SFP). The goal of the SFP is to provide portal users with single point access to fire data, documents, projects, tools, and websites related to fire and natural resource management in the southern United States. A diverse group of federal, national, regional, and state organizations is partnering to create and publicize the SFP. The Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Database and the Southern Research Station’s online Encyclopedia of Southern Fire Science are key components of the SFP. The Joint Fire Sciences Program (JFSP) is a major source of funding for the SFP project. To learn more about the SFP and its Partners and Supporters, please visit the web site at http://frames.nbii.gov/southernfire.

Tall Timbers supports increased visibility for the Tall Timbers E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database which has been accessible on the Tall Timbers web site since 1998. The database provides access to bibliographic records for a unique, extensive collection of fire ecology literature. Citations for all papers (with abstracts) from 22 Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conferences are in the database. The donation of personal research collections from E.V. Komarek and H.L. Stoddard, founders of Tall Timbers, was the original impetus for the Tall Timbers Board of Trustees to mandate creation of a computerized bibliographic database. Since its inception in 1987, the database has been continually expanded under direction of the Tall Timbers librarian. Although international in scope, the database emphasizes the southeastern United States, the USA, and North America. Historical and current works are included. As of January 2008, there are nearly 22,000 citations in the database and nearly 12,000 abstracts. The Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Thesaurus is the tool created by the library for indexing database records.

Document delivery of materials cited in the database is not provided. Users are encouraged to access local library resources or a commercial document delivery service to obtain materials listed in the database. Most URLs in database records lead to publisher’s Web sites. In some recent records, links to PDFs are available.

Purpose

Tall Timbers’ Fire Ecology Conferences were begun in 1962 by Tall Timbers Research Station to provide an international forum for the presentation of new research and discussion of current topics in the area of Fire Ecology. This conference and its proceedings were the first to focus on the emerging new field of Fire Ecology and played a key historic role in the recognition of fire as a natural ecosystem process. Over the years, the conference theme has focused on various current topics and ecosystems where open discourse and sharing of information has been needed to refine research direction and thought. The peer-reviewed proceedings continue to provide a trustworthy resource for scientists and decision-makers seeking the latest advances in Fire Ecology.

Objectives

The objective of the 24th Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference is to present and publish current scientific research on topics that will likely influence the future of prescribed fire. Despite critical dependence of natural ecosystems and wildfire control efforts on the use of prescribed fire, many new challenges to its continued use have developed. These include the expansion of the wildland-urban interface, stricter air quality regulations, and concerns about the effects of fire on carbon sequestration and mercury cycling. Planning for the future of prescribed fire will require science-based information on which to build sound policy that provides for the public good, including protection from wildfire, conservation of natural areas, and provision of a safe and healthy environment. Topics to be addressed during the conference may include:

Venue

Ramada Conference Center
2900 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32303
850.386.1027
Click here for information about Tallahassee, FL

Special Sessions

• Meeting of the National Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils
• Meeting of the Association for Fire Ecology Southeast Chapter
• Panel discussion on future of prescribed fire

In May 2008, a Presidential veto was overridden by the Congress that resulting in passage of the Farm Bill. As one part of the massive Farm Bill, expanded federal tax incentives for donated conservation easements were extended through the end of 2009 and retroactive to January 1, 2008.

The expanded federal tax incentives include:

• Raises the deduction a landowner can take on the value of their donated conservation easement from 30% of their income in any year to 50%;
• Allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100% of their income on the value of the easement; and
• Extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take the tax deductions for a voluntary conservation easement from 5 to 15 years.

The extended federal tax incentives were initially passed in 2006. Easement donors responded enthusiastically to the new incentives. The Tall Timbers Land Conservancy, for instance, was able to save 3 times as much land in 2007 as compared to the previous years, as a result of the initial incentives.

Voting in support of the 2008 Farm Bill were:

• US Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)
• US Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL)
• US Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
• US Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
• US Representative Allen Boyd (D-FL)
• US Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA)

The Whelchel family donated a 600-acre conservation easement to Tall Timbers in 2007 for their beautiful Rocky Ford property in Colquitt County, Georgia.

On January 16-18, 2008 a benchmark event occurred at Tall Timbers. Top representatives from State and Federal agencies with land management purview and various non-governmental organizations and selected representatives from the private sector met to develop a future for fire in 2020 for the states of Florida and Georgia.

Our ability to use prescribed fire in the future is becoming increasingly unsure, given recent EPA regulations and additional issues that practitioners face. The goal of this meeting was to be proactive in securing the ability to use fire in the future. Specific goals for the summit were:

• To discuss the future of fire, given the current state of affairs and direction
• To determine where the future of fire should be
• To discuss media messages
• To define data and information needs
• Identify all issues related to the continued use of prescribed fire
• To determine the questions we should be asking and answering
• Develop an acceptable future

The Summit opened with a series of presentations designed to give participants the background information needed to build a plan for both states. During the next day, Joe Michaels, of Meetings by Michaels, guided participants through intensive sessions to discuss the desired future of fire. Barriers were identified next, followed by sessions on developing strategies to overcome barriers. The final day priorities were developed for the strategies and assignments made for implementation.

Based on group consensus the desired future for fire in Florida and Georgia is one where the public is demanding more fire; the right to burn is protected at Federal, state and local levels; prescribed fire is recognized to protect public health and safety; fire is occurring on the land at appropriate intervals; and future generations share an educated perspective about fire, among others. Major barriers to achieving this future included issues of smoke management; lack of informed public support about the use of prescribed fire; insufficient fiscal resources for agencies tasked with fire management responsibility; increasing urbanization; low agency priority; and lack of credibility about the professionalism among prescribed burners, among others.

The group came up with an amazingly creative set of strategies to overcome the barriers and achieve a successful future for the use of fire. They included: working with EPA to educate them about differences between prescribed fire vs. wildfire emissions; utilizing and making readily available new technology to model smoke plumes and visibility; and an innovative series of communication initiatives. These strategies will be used to further develop specific plans of action for each state.

This meeting was an outgrowth of idea exchanges between Mike Long, Director, Florida Division of Forestry (FDOF), Lane Green, Executive Director, Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy (TTRSLC), and Jim Karels, Assistant Director, FDOF. Because of the close working relationship with Georgia and commonality of certain issues Alan Dozier, Fire Protection Chief, Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC), Neal Edmondson, Prescribed Fire Program Manager, GFC, Greg Findley, District Forester, GFC, Ron Masters, Director of Research, TTRSLC, and Kevin Robertson, Fire Ecologist, TTRSLC were asked to join in forming a steering committee to plan this Summit.

Tall Timbers will continue to work with participants and sponsoring agencies to develop the plans, conduct follow-up s essions and publish proceedings.