AgriLife Extension debuts Living with Texas Fire educational videos
Prescribed burn series features 20 YouTube releases
Writer: Steve, Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Morgan Russell, 325-657-7317, morgan.russell@ag.tamu.edu
SAN ANGELO – Texas prescribed fire aficionados now have a series of free educational YouTube videos tailored specifically for the Lone Star State, the project’s leader said.
Dr. Morgan Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service range specialist at San Angelo, coordinated the project and garnered funding from the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources to produce the series of 20 short how-to educational clips on everything from planning a burn to transporting a drip torch.
To access the series go to: http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/solutions/living-with-texas-fire/ .
“The Living with Texas Fire video series is meant to showcase the various aspects of both prescribed burning as a cost-effective means of rangeland noxious plant management and for lessening the damage caused by wildfire, known as wildfire mitigation,” Russell said. “The underlying project goal is to empower and encourage Texas landowners to become fire-ready.
“The videos should also be a vital visual resource for the Prescribed Burn Alliance of Texas, prescribed burn associations and prescribed burn schools, AgriLife Extension agents, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel and landowners seeking specific fire behavior and resource information on prescribed fire, but also on wildfire mitigation and wildfire community readiness.”
Russell said the idea for the series stemmed from the lack of Texas-specific resource materials currently available.
“From personal experience and from talking to commercial and agency fire professionals across the state, it’s clear that there just wasn’t much out there that was current and Texas specific, especially West Texas specific, when it came to fire video educational resources,” she said. “Most of the material used for classroom work here in Texas comes from Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University. And while these materials are beneficial, they don’t accurately portray fire work here.
“Specific fire behavior, fire knowledge and fire weather information oriented toward Texas vegetation types and our state’s mostly private land ownership all factor in to implementing a successful prescribed burn or when mitigating wildfire risk throughout the state. So, this project directly addresses the state’s unique ecosystem, its climate variability and land ownership cultural issues.”
The project, which started last August, targets specific vegetation types within West Central Texas, the Rolling Plains and Southwest Texas. The videos, which mostly run three to five minutes, delve into the operational and logistical aspects of fire management through the eyes of professional fire ecologists and area producers, Russell said.
The Living with Texas Fire video series topics include: drip torch handling and maintenance, sprayer know-how, burn plans, fire glossary terms, landowner perceptions, fire tools, weather factors and fire-related contacts.
Other topics include the importance of prescribed burning, fire ecology, home fire mitigation, ignition techniques, fire line communications and what to do when a wildfire breaks out in terms of saving equipment and homes.
For more information on the series or to order free hard copies, contact Russell at 325-657-7317 or Morgan.Russell@ag.tamu.edu. Follow Russell on Social Media: @eXMorganRussell or West Texas Rangelands on Facebook.
