Atlanta -- The USDA Forest Service recently funded its first-ever tribal Wildland Fire Module, which is a crew that manages prescribed fire and responds to wildfires.
“Fire is essential to maintaining many southern ecosystems. It reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfire and supports healthy forests. It is especially essential for our longleaf and shortleaf pine forests,” said Southern Regional Forester Ken Arney. “We are excited about this new collaboration with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.”
The collaboration is made possible thanks to $1.2 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With these funds, the Southern Region seeks to reduce wildfire risk, create healthy, resilient forests and address equity in the wildland fire workforce.
“This is an avenue to provide our future leadership with the tools, training, and experience they need to create longevity for the program. A win-win for everyone,” said Tom Lowry, senior director of natural resources for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
The primary mission of a Wildland Fire Module is to provide an innovative, safe, highly mobile, logistically independent, and versatile fire crew with a commitment to achieving diverse fire and fuels management objectives.
“These partner-enabled workforce development efforts show how we can quickly and effectively invest in equity and landscape resilience in the south,” said Andy Baker, assistant director of Fire and Aviation Management for the Southern Region.
The Southern Region is home to the largest prescribed fire program in the world, with the region providing beneficial outcomes on more than 6 million acres each year.
“This 8–12-person crew will provide the Southern area, and the country, increased capacity in prescribed fire, fuels and suppression operations during our critical wildfire and prescribed fire seasons,” said Baker.
As the wildland fire environment becomes more complex, the agency has responded by implementing a strategic plan for Confronting the Wildfire Crisis. In part, the plan seeks to provide investments in the tools necessary for success.
The Southern Region’s Fire and Aviation Management program protects more than 58,000 communities and 89 million Wildland Urban Interface acres, restores ecosystems, maintains threatened and endangered wildlife habitat, and guards forested areas that supply drinking water to every major metropolitan area in the South.
Throughout the nation, there are three Native American Country Wildland Fire Modules. This is the first one funded by the Forest Service through a federal grant.