February 6 & 7, 2018
2018 Illinois Prescribed Fire Council Winter Symposium
2018 Illinois Prescribed Fire Council Winter Symposium
The 2018 IPFC Symposium was a success, with about 100 attendees! During the conference, Brad Semel and Jesse Riechman were recognized as this year's award recipients.
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The 2018 Leadership Award
The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals with exceptional achievements in the prescribed fire community.
BRAD SEMEL
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Brad Semel has been doing conservation and prescribed fire for over 25 years with IL DNR. He is currently a Heritage Biologist.
Brad keeps an active fire program going with significant acres burned annually and often in challenging urban environments. He has implemented fire work at sites that have not had fire in decades, with several examples of large and ambitious burn units. This year Brad helped burn over 5,000-acres in a single year, a personal best. Brad is generous in helping private landowners with Nature Preserves accomplish their fire work. He also has been on the Illinois Fire Crew for several seasons, where they are deployed on wildfires that typically occur out of state. In Illinois, Brad helps train, mentor and employ fire department staff through the Wildland Fire Crew. He has mentored many fire crew over the last quarter century. “Brad has the experience and confidence to attempt fires that are large and complex", says John Nelson of INPC. |
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THE 2018 Spark AWARD
The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council’s Spark Award recognizes individuals with high achievement early in a career.
JESSE RIECHMAN
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Southern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association (SIPBA) Coordinator
Riechman earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Miami University in Ohio before returning to the Carbondale area for a master's degree in Forestry from Southern Illinois University. Jesse was also an SIU “Firedawg” during his tenure there, working on numerous fire details while a student. Jesse became the coordinator for the Southern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association (SIPBA) in 2012, where as an Illinois Certified Prescribed Burn Manager he oversees the SIPBA prescribed fire program in the 11 southernmost counties of Illinois. Riechman has served as the State Chair of the Society of American Foresters and as a board member for the Friends of Touch of Nature and Friends of the Cache River. He served on the Makanda Township Fire Department for 13 years, earning the rank of Battalion Chief. Additionally, he is a wildland firefighter for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and has served on crews assigned to western wildfires. To date, SIPBA lists these accomplishments:
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
TIME |
SPEAKER/TOPIC |
09:00-09:15 |
Charles Ruffner, SIUC Forestry and local IPFC Director "Welcome and Objectives of the Meeting" |
09:15–10:00 |
Dr Gregory Nowacki, USFS Regional Ecologist, Milwaukee "Current Efforts to Re-Integrate Prescribed Burning across Central Hardwood Forests" |
10:00-10:30 |
Joe Marschall, Coordinator—Oak Woodland and Forest Fire Consortium "University of Missouri Activities and Resources of the OWFFC and the Joint Fire Science Program in the Midwest" |
10:30-10:45 |
BREAK |
10:45-11:15 |
Gurbir Singh, PhD Candidate—SIUC Forest Watershed Dynamics Lab "Rx Burning and Erosion Potential in Mixed Hardwood Forests of Southern Illinois Ozarks" |
11:15-11:45 |
Kevin Rohling— Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA) "Invasive Species Issues with Prescribed Burning" |
11:45-12:00 |
PREPARE FOR LUNCH |
12:00-13:15 |
Group Lunch and Award Presentations, IPFC Leadership |
13:15-13:45 |
Jesse Reichmann, Coordinator—Southern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association "SIPBA Operations Across Southern Illinois and Possible Statewide Expansion Efforts" |
13:45-14:15 |
Jennie Snyder, Coordinator—Makanda Community Wildfire Protection Plan "Issues and Challenges with Implementing a CWPP in Rural Southern Illinois" |
14:15-14:30 |
BREAK |
14:30-15:00 |
Charlie Foor and John Wilker, GIS Specialist and Division of Natural Heritage Biologist, IDNR "Fielding the ArcGIS Locator APP for Mapping Future Prescribed Burn Units Across Illinois" |
15:00-15:30 |
Scott Crist, Fire Management Officer—Shawnee NF "Local National Forest Initiatives and Expanding the Acceptance and Implementation of Landscape Level Fire with our Neighbors" |
15:30–15:45 |
Charles Ruffner—Field trip details and logistics for the coming day "IPFC Leadership Wrap Up" |
15:45–17:00 |
Breakout sessions in the Lounge |
17:00–18:00 |
IL SAF Business Meeting, SAF Leadership |
Wednesday, February 7
TIME |
Activity |
08:15–08:30 |
Field Trip Assembly in Giant City Lodge Parking Lot |
08:30 |
Depart for field trip |
STOP 1—Giant City State Park/Touch of Nature Joint Prescribed Burning Efforts |
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STOP 2--CWPP efforts in Makanda |
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STOP 3--IDNR efforts at Trail of Tears SF Demonstration Areas, Erosion Potential Study |
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STOP 4--TNC/IDNR Efforts with Natural Areas Management at Browns Barrens |
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STOP 5--USFS burning efforts at LaRue Pine Hills and Clear Spring Wilderness Areas |
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13:00 |
Return to Giant City Parking Lot |
13:15 |
Release for home travel |