Southern Fire Exchange and Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists Team Up for North Carolina Duff Fire Science Workshops

Sarah Cain, North Carolina State University
David Godwin, Ph.D., University of Florida

This spring, the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) and the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists (CAFMS) teamed up to lead two innovative duff fire science and
A workshop participant holds up a “duff brownie” (thick layer of duff) to better understand its structure and potential for smoldering. Photo Credit: Jenna Abernethy
management workshops in North Carolina—one in the mountain region and one in the sandhills region of the state. Collectively, the workshops brought together 78 natural resource managers and researchers from across the Southeast to learn about duff fire science and management. Participants gained a greater understanding of what duff is, its relationship to fire exclusion, the fundamental challenges it presents to land management, and how to plan prescribed fires in areas with heavy duff loads.
 
Attendees at the "Duff in the Sandhills" workshop observe active duff smoldering from a recent burn at Weymouth Woods State Park. Photo Credit: Jenna Abernethy
Both workshops featured indoor presentations, group discussions, and outdoor field trips to sites where duff-related challenges were present. During the “Duff in the Mountains” workshop field trip to the Green River Game Lands, participants were able to see and feel duff firsthand and observe the results of treatments tested in long-term fire management research plots. During the “Duff in the Sandhills” workshop field trip at Weymouth Woods, participants had the opportunity to observe duff actively burning following a prescribed fire.
The active participation and insightful questions from attendees created highly collaborative learning experiences. The group’s positive energy and engagement underscored the need for continued duff fire science research and future workshops in additional locations facing similar challenges.

The Duff in the Mountains Fire Science Workshop was held at the Henderson County Cooperative Extension Center and the Green River Game Lands, while the Duff in the Sandhills Fire Science Workshop was held at Weymouth Woods State Park. Funding to support the workshops was provided by the Joint Fire Science Program, the Triangle Land Conservancy, and the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina.

SFE is led by staff from the University of Florida IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences; North Carolina State University Forestry Extension; and Tall Timbers. CAFMS is led by staff from the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation and the Clemson University Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation.