"Empowering Excellence, Uniting Expertise: Igniting Tomorrow's Fire Practitioners"

help us send these students to burn!!!

ENHANCE SKILLS

Our scholarship program provides financial support to help fire practitioners access essential training, improving their skills in wildfire management, prescribed fire techniques, and other critical areas. This ensures they are well-equipped to handle the complexities of modern fire management and contribute to safer, more effective wildfire prevention efforts in their communities.

DONATE NOW!!!

PROMOTE FOREST RESILIENCE

We aim to strengthen fire practitioners' ability to implement sustainable fire practices that promote ecosystem health. By offering training and resources, we help them reduce wildfire risks, restore vital habitats, and foster long-term forest resilience. These efforts are crucial in mitigating the effects of climate change and preserving vital natural resources.

ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY

The scholarship program prioritizes accessibility by supporting underrepresented individuals and those facing financial hardships, ensuring they have equal opportunities to access crucial training. By removing financial barriers, we enable a more diverse group of fire professionals to gain the knowledge and expertise needed to advance wildfire management, benefiting communities and ecosystems alike.

Applied Forest and Fire Ecology Lab

Motivated by undergraduate interest and the initiation of a Student Association of Fire Ecology (SAFE), two graduate assistants in the Applied Forest and Fire Ecology lab (AFFEL) at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) designed an immersive cross-country spring break course. This course aims to transcend the classroom and put students in the boots of prescribed fire practitioners, working alongside professionals in the Southeast region where prescribed fire is prolific.

Unfortunately, with the new administration’s halt to federal aid through the Office of Management and Budget, which paused all grants until mid-February, the grant that facilitated student travel and food has been frozen. Without these funds the financial burden imposed on students is threatening participation. Please help us keep the torch burning! Students from SUNY ESF represent a future generation of natural resources professionals, eager to broaden their experiential knowledge of fire, fuels and forestry.

QUICK FACTS:

Nine day trip from Syracuse, NY to Southeast region where students will act as a burn crew, working with agency, non-profit, and private organizations. Two travel days including stops at federal and state lands to learn about their approach to fire management. Five days of being an “on call” burn crew for the Georgia/Florida area, working with the Georgia Interagency Burn Team.
Two FFT1 crew leads: graduate students pursuing research within the Applied Forest Fire Ecology Lab, with a combined 15+ years of practical field experience in wildland fire and fuels management
Six FFT2 crew members: undergraduate students (juniors and seniors) pursuing degrees in Sustainable Resource Management, Environmental Forest Biology or Conservation Biology.

DONATION GOAL: $5,000