casey.matzke – Page 6

Prescribed Fire Training 2024 SCHEDULED DATES

January 3, 2024 by casey.matzke

We have three upcoming fire events in 2024 that you will want to save the date for!

Prescribed Burn School

July 22-24, 2024

San Angelo, Texas

First up is our 2024 in-person, 24-hr Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) curriculum approved Prescribed Burn School. This event will be held in San Angelo, Texas July 22-24, 2024 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center (7887 US HWY 87 North San Angelo, TX 76901). Upon completion of this burn school, you will be able to evaluate fuels, describe fire behavior, plan a prescribed burn, identify proper equipment and safety techniques, mitigate smoke impacts, understand Texas laws and regulations, and evaluate potential burn sites. This school will include the field component implementing a prescribed fire (if conditions allow) and the opportunity to complete the TDA Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager exam as a requirement to apply for the Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager (CIPBM) license from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Any individuals who have completed the online Prescribed Burn School are welcome to attend the field day training and complete the exam (burn day and exam TBD July 22-24). 6 Continuing Fire Training Credits for TDA CIPBM license holders will be offered.

Fire Field Day

December 3, 2024

San Angelo, Texas

If you have completed the online Prescribed Burn School from AgriLife Learn and would like to complete the prescribed burn and take the TDA CIPBM Exam, this is an option for you! This will also be hosted in San Angelo, Texas at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. 6 Continuing Fire Training Credits for TDA CIPBM license holders will be offered.

Great Plains Fire Summit

August 13-15, 2024

Canyon, Texas

Our last Fire event will be our Great Plains Fire Summit that will be held on August 13-15! This event will be held in Canyon, Texas. This Summit is an incredible, practical, and applied prescribed fire conference dedicated to all types of fire practitioners. 6 Continuing Fire Training Credits for TDA CIPBM license holders will be offered at the Fire Summit.

Be sure to save the dates on all three of these events. Registration and more information including detailed agendas are coming soon! For more information email Casey.Matzke@ag.tamu.edu.

Congratulations to Erika Sullivan – Recent RWFM M.S. Graduate!

December 20, 2023 by casey.matzke

Congratulations are in order for Erika Sullivan who received her M.S. Degree in Range Science from the Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management Department at Texas A&M University. Erika who is from Katy, Texas, earned her Bachelors of Science from Texas A&M University in Ecological Restoration where she was secretary of the Ecological Restoration Club.

Patch Burning Improves Nutritional Quality of Two Gulf Coast Grasses

December 13, 2023 by casey.matzke

Gulf cordgrass and seacoast bluestem are native warm season grasses that are found in the Texas Coastal Prairies and Marshes ecoregions. Mature Gulf cordgrass has a nutritional value that is considered poor for grazing animals while the seacoast bluestems nutritional value is considered fair to good in spring and early summer.

Haynes, V.L.; Avila-Sanchez, J.S.; Toomey, A.E.; Ortega-S., J.A.; Campbell, T.A.; Ortega-S., A., Jr.; Rideout-Hanzak, S.; Wester, D.B. Patch Burning Improves Nutritional Quality of Two Gulf Coast Grasses—And Winter Burning Is Better than Summer Burning. Fire 2023, 6, 105. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/fire6030105

Monthly Drought and Weather Update!

December 6, 2023 by casey.matzke

In the past two months, East Texas and the Coast have seen more than two inches of rain. However, the Southern Coastal area and the Northeastern area of Texas have received more than four inches of rain. Far West Texas and the Panhandle have received less than .5 of an inch of rain, coinciding with most of the rest of the state that have received less than normal rainfall over the past thirty days.

2020 Resources Planning Act Assessment

November 29, 2023 by casey.matzke

The Resource Planning Act Assessment reports on the past, present, and future of renewable resources on public and private forests and rangelands. The recent 2020 assessment forecast was released in November and includes the following topics:

Oak Woodlands Fire Science Curriculum

November 22, 2023 by casey.matzke

Did you know that Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium has developed science lessons tailored for grades 9-12 which focus on region-specific fire ecology. These lessons and materials can be downloaded and then adjusted by the educator based on their region.

Snow Hill Fire Lessons Learned

November 15, 2023 by casey.matzke

On August 2, 2023, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Texas A&M Forest Service on a grass fire at FM 946 South and Harrell Road. A dominant upper-level ridge of high pressure resided over Texas from the middle of June through early August. These conditions resulted in flash drought conditions, which was only intensified by the well below normal rainfall.

Monthly Drought and Weather Update!

November 8, 2023 by casey.matzke

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its winter outlook. For Texas, we are looking at near-normal temperatures and wetter-than-normal conditions. While there are some potential drought improvements, it is expected to hang around. Figure 1b below gives us a three-month precipitation outlook.

What Goats Really Eat, With Grazing Menu Tips to Benefit Your Ranch

November 1, 2023 by casey.matzke

Did you know that goats are meticulous eaters? They move across the landscape selectively browsing, picking out desirable pieces of forage, and combing hard to access pastures and areas for their favorite plant parts and species.

Shearwood Creek Prescribed Fire After Action Review

October 25, 2023 by casey.matzke

In the USDA-USFS Angelina National Forest, a prescribed burn was in progress when a wildfire was detected approximately two miles north of the burn. The burn manager released one of the one site dozers and an incident commander to contain the wildfire and secure it before launching the helicopter for continued aerial ignitions for the prescribed fire. Shortly after, another fire was detected adjacent from the prescribed burn on private land outside of the burn unit. With the fire burning aggressively, the burn manager requested contingency resources to be in route for support and to backfill onsite contingencies as they were being utilized.

Photo Credit: USDA Forest Service