TNC NL Winter25-final - Flipbook - Page 8
Training
New Leaders
in Fire Management
A TNC-led event fosters collaboration for more
effective—and safe—ecological management with 昀椀re
Despite the day’s heat, all the people gathering in small groups at
The Nature Conservancy’s Wells Barrens Preserve in southern
Maine are clad in dark green heavy 昀椀re-retardant pants and bright
yellow long-sleeved shirts, with hard hats atop their heads. As the
logos on the pickup trucks in the parking lot show, today’s
participants have traveled from as far away as Maryland and work at
a broad range of organizations, from state and federal agencies to
environmental nonpro昀椀ts. They’re gathered together here for two
weeks to hone their skills at managing prescribed 昀椀res.
Many ecosystems, including the sandplain grasslands at Wells
Barrens, are 昀椀re-adapted—meaning that the native plants depend
on periodic burning. Without regular 昀椀res, the grasslands at Wells
Barrens would be quickly overgrown with gray birch, red oak and
other non-昀椀re-tolerant trees—and the rare birds and snakes who
nest in the grasslands would be out of a home. Prescribed burns are
an important tool for land management—but they are complex, so
rigorous training is essential to ensure safety.
The 30 participants are gathered here for a Prescribed Fire Training
Exchange, known as TREX for short—a two-week opportunity for
昀椀re management practitioners to learn from each other and apply
established procedures and best practices to their work. Tomorrow
is going to be a burn day, and today is dedicated to reviewing roles,
responsibilities and procedures. TREX participants work with
mentors to learn new roles in 昀椀re management leadership: from
昀椀re昀椀ghters to squad leaders to burn bosses, and ultimately,
incident commanders—the one in charge on the burn site.
Learning From Each Other
On this day, Jon Bailey, TNC Maine’s Southern Preserves Manager,
is serving as the actual incident commander.
“We always say that we’re always students of 昀椀re,” says Bailey. “And
so, wherever you are in that learning approach, from the new
person to the most senior, they always need to be absorbing and
learning and adapting to stay safe and to meet the objectives for
the burn.”
8 | The Nature Conservancy in Maine
Bailey is also serving as a mentor for Chase McLean, TNC’s
Conservation Steward in Maryland. McLean is working toward
certifying as an incident commander and sticks close to Bailey as
he practices managing the signi昀椀cant responsibilities of this
leadership role.
“All of the best learning and growing happens on the 昀椀re line,” says
McLean. “And it all happens under the mentorship and guidance of
someone that knows a little bit more, who has a little bit more
knowledge and skills and experience.”
Standing nearby, Forest Ranger Aliesha Black of the Maine Forest
Service is here to mentor a burn boss and adds:
“When you’re mentoring somebody, you’re given this opportunity to
give them perspective from your side—which is not always the
same as theirs and it’s not always the same as the way they were
taught, and that can be really helpful.”
Once a plan for the day has been discussed, the circle of
participants breaks back into small groups that begin walking
around tomorrow’s burn sites, talking about expected tasks,
procedures, wind and weather monitoring, safety
precautions and many more considerations necessary to
run a successful “incident.”
“We use the incident management system, which is
what the National Wild昀椀re Coordinating Group uses,”
Bailey explains. “So, if you went on a wild昀椀re out west
or you went to a 昀椀re in Florida, we’re all speaking the
same language.”
Managing Fire Adapted Places
So why do we do this work at all?
Sasha Berleman, Appalachians Fire Director for TNC,
explains why it’s important for her work this way:
“Ninety percent of North America’s ecosystems are 昀椀re
adapted, and that’s true in the Appalachians as well.
