{"id":33589,"date":"2025-01-25T20:25:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T01:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/?page_id=33589"},"modified":"2025-04-07T13:24:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T17:24:32","slug":"2025-mswc-session-k-wildfire-resilience-in-maines-forests-and-communities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-proposed-sessions\/2025-mswc-session-k-wildfire-resilience-in-maines-forests-and-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 MSWC Session K &#8211; Wildfire Resilience in Maine\u2019s Forests and Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6{margin-bottom:0px;}.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:0px;row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6{background-image:linear-gradient(130deg,rgb(8,46,88) 22%,rgb(65,118,161) 69%);}.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.00;background:linear-gradient(222deg,rgb(65,118,161) 0%,rgb(8,46,88) 100%);mix-blend-mode:darken;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6{margin-top:0px;}.kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id32237_d27d80-b6 alignfull kt-row-has-bg um-UMBHHeaderWithImage wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-layout-overlay kt-row-overlay-gradient\"><\/div><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column32237_69b960-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column32237_69b960-6b\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36{margin-bottom:-7px;}.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:20px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id32237_43a590-36 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-row kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:150px;padding-left:150px;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:flex-start;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:40px;padding-right:35px;padding-bottom:35px;padding-left:35px;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:35px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:center;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column32237_7d0637-96 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column32237_7d0637-96\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db\"]{margin-top:0px;text-align:left;font-size:45px;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-family:Abel;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db\"]{text-align:center!important;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db\"]{padding-right:25px;padding-left:25px;font-size:40px;text-align:center!important;}}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db wp-block-kadence-advancedheading has-white-color has-text-color\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_bcc84c-db\">2025 Maine Sustainability &amp; Water Conference<\/h2>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_101710-84\"]{margin-top:0px;font-size:20px;line-height:32px;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-family:'Open Sans';}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_101710-84\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-size:20px;line-height:32px;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_101710-84\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_101710-84\"]{text-align:center!important;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_101710-84\"]{padding-right:25px;padding-left:25px;text-align:center!important;}}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading32237_101710-84 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading has-white-color has-text-color\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading32237_101710-84\" data-aos-duration=\"1200\" data-aos-once=\"true\">Thursday, March 27, 2025<br>Augusta Civic Center<br>Augusta, Maine<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c{position:relative;}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c:not(.specificity){margin-right:-15px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c:not(.specificity){margin-left:-15px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c:not(.specificity){margin-right:-25px;margin-left:-25px;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column32237_0577a2-6c\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image32237_f4243f-40 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.wp-block-kadence-image.kb-image32237_f4243f-40:not(.kb-specificity-added):not(.kb-extra-specificity-added){margin-right:-20px;}}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image32237_f4243f-40 size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-32756\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm.jpg 800w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-105x59.jpg 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-317x178.jpg 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-423x238.jpg 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-634x357.jpg 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/293\/2024\/12\/sustainability-graphic-sm-320x180.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id33589_9d2935-01 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-right-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:0px;padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:rgba(142, 209, 252, 0.23);}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column33589_285cbf-52 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column33589_285cbf-52\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_667766-71\"]{margin-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-family:Abel;color:#003263;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_667766-71\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_667766-71\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading33589_667766-71 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_667766-71\">Conference Menu<\/h2>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kb-btns33212_bd98e1-61{gap:var(--global-kb-gap-xs, 0.5rem );justify-content:flex-start;align-items:center;}.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-button{font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;}.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0{margin-right:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button{color:#555555;border-color:#555555;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{color:#ffffff;border-color:#444444;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button::before{display:none;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns33212_bd98e1-61 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{background:#444444;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn kb-buttons-wrap kb-btns33212_bd98e1-61\"><style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_3632b1-f6.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_3632b1-f6.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_3632b1-f6.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_3632b1-f6.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_3632b1-f6 kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-maine-sustainability-water-conference\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Conference Home<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_b5610d-fe.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_b5610d-fe.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_b5610d-fe.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_b5610d-fe.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_b5610d-fe kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-registration\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Registration<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_aeceb2-97.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_aeceb2-97.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_aeceb2-97.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_aeceb2-97.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_aeceb2-97 kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-agenda\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Agenda<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_c24c4c-63.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_c24c4c-63.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, 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kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-proposed-sessions\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Concurrent Sessions<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_da841f-c5.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_da841f-c5.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_da841f-c5.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_da841f-c5.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_da841f-c5 kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-poster-session\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Poster Session<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_04cd04-cd.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_04cd04-cd.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_04cd04-cd.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_04cd04-cd.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_04cd04-cd kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-sponsors\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Sponsors<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_030850-ac.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_030850-ac.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_030850-ac.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_030850-ac.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_030850-ac kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-exhibitors\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Exhibitors<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_7691c8-15.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_7691c8-15.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_7691c8-15.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_7691c8-15.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_7691c8-15 kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/2025-mswc-organizing-committee\/\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Organizing Committee<\/span><\/a>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_ea5e37-df.kb-button{width:initial;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_ea5e37-df.kb-button{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_ea5e37-df.kb-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn33212_ea5e37-df.kb-button:focus{color:#003263;background:#8ed1fc;}<\/style><span class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn33212_ea5e37-df kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-full kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">E-Newsletter Sign up<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col{row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column33589_0a42c4-85\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1\"]{padding-bottom:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:45px;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-family:Abel;color:#003263;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_b89201-d1\"><strong><strong>Session K &#8211; Wildfire Resilience in Maine\u2019s Forests and Communities<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Please reach out to individual speakers if you are interested in viewing PowerPoint presentations from this session. Due to limited staffing, we are unable to post the presentations to the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Afternoon Session<\/strong><br>Kennebec Room, First Floor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Credits<\/strong>: This session is approved for two Category 1 CFEs through the Society for American Foresters. Sign-up sheets will be available in the session room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Session Co-chairs<\/strong>:<br><a href=\"mailto:David.Ludwig@maine.gov\">David Ludwig<\/a>, Senior Planner, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation &amp; Forestry<br><a href=\"#nelson\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#nelson\">Kent Nelson<\/a>, Forest Ranger Specialist, Maine Forest Service<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the 2024 Sustainability &amp; Water Conference, attendees were introduced to wildland fire history, ecology, management, and possible futures in Maine based on climate modeling. We will build on those foundations at the 2025 session while incorporating new topics and updates since the last conference.<br><br>In the last year, Maine has been awarded funding for several Community Wildfire Protection Plans. We will provide updates on these projects and lessons learned so far for other communities to build on. We will also review fire activity from 2024. Fueled by drought, between October and the first few weeks of November, nearly 200 wildfires occurred in Maine, which is ten times higher than the average for that time of year. At the same time many fires, ranging from 100 to over 5,000 acres in size, burned across the northeast. We will discuss ways that communities can mitigate wildfire risk. We will also highlight the role that prescribed fire is playing in southern Maine to maintain rare plant communities and wildlife species. We will build on topics introduced last year, providing more details about fuels reduction projects underway in Maine along with more up to date information regarding climate modeling and fire ecology. Finally, we will introduce attendees to biochar and some of its uses as a potential soil amendment and a value-added product that could be derived from vegetation management projects.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_529920-8f .kt-block-spacer{height:10px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_529920-8f .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_529920-8f\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96\"]{padding-bottom:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-lg, 2rem);font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-family:Abel;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading33589_7d105b-96\">Session Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Afternoon Session<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#p1\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#sbp1\"><strong>1:30PM-1:35PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<em><em><em>Introduction and Session Overview<\/em><\/em>&nbsp;| Presenter: David Ludwig<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#p2\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#p2\"><strong>1:35M-1:58PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<em><em><em>Potential future changes in wildfire risk in Maine\u2019s forests&nbsp;<\/em><\/em>| Presenter: Andrew Whitman<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#p3\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#p3\"><strong>1:58PM-2:21PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 <em><em><em><em>Fire restoration and management in Maine<\/em><\/em><\/em> | Presenter: Jon Bailey<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2:21PM-2:51PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 <em>Afternoon Break<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#p4\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#p3\"><strong>2:51PM-3:14PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 <em><em><em><em><em>Lessons learned from New England&#8217;s 2024 wildfire season<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em> | Presenter: Kent Nelson<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#p5\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#p3\"><strong>3:14PM-3:37PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 <em><em><em><em><em><em>Engaging our communities in wildfire protection planning<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em> | Presenters: Allen Kratz, Jesse Minor<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#p6\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#p3\"><strong>3:37PM-4:00PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 <em><em><em><em><em><em><em>Effects of Biochar in Improving Soil Moisture in Wild Blueberry Fields<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em> | Presenter: Swikar Karki<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_376e06-63 .kt-block-spacer{height:10px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_376e06-63 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_376e06-63\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<a id=\"p1\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>Presenters are indicated in <strong>bold font<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1:30PM \u2013 1:35PM<\/strong><br><strong><em>Introduction and Session Overview<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong><br><br><a href=\"mailto:David.Ludwig@maine.gov\"><strong>David Ludwig<\/strong><\/a>, Senior Planner, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation &amp; Forestry<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_9fcc71-64 .kt-block-spacer{height:10px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_9fcc71-64 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_9fcc71-64\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<a id=\"p2\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1:35PM \u2013 1:58PM<\/strong><br><strong><em>Potential future changes in wildfire risk in Maine\u2019s forests&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><br><br><strong>Andrew Whitman<\/strong>, Maine Forest Service, Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, <a href=\"mailto:Andrew.whitman@maine.gov\">Andrew.whitman@maine.gov<\/a><br><br>Climate change is increasing forest fire risk everywhere, affecting weather and vegetation patterns.&nbsp; Increasing air temperatures are projected to contribute to greater drought risk and reductions in soil moisture that can lead to greater fire risk. The backlash effect of climate change can also increase vegetation growth in rainy years, leading to above-average fuel loads in drought years. The dynamics of wildlife in forests are driven by four factors: weather and climate, fuels (i.e., flammable vegetation), ignitions, and human activities (e.g., fire management and land use). In Maine, projections can help explain how these four factors might affect fire risk in Maine.&nbsp; Climate change is projected to slightly increase the frequency of low soil moisture events and drought and forest fuel flammability. It so is likely to be the most important future fire factor.&nbsp; Human populations are predicted to increase in some areas of Maine, which may increase ignition rates in areas with past wildfire history. Climate may shift ranges of tree species and forest types leading to local changes in forest composition that change the composition, types, and hence flammability of forest fuels. Large catastrophic fires are unlikely to become much more frequent in Maine. These changing conditions support the need for applying fire risk management strategies that increase wildfire resilience, especially in areas where the extensive wildland-urban interface already creates concern for wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_508818-3b .kt-block-spacer{height:10px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_508818-3b .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_508818-3b\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<a id=\"p3\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1:58PM \u2013 2:21PM<\/strong><br><strong><em>Fire restoration and management in Maine<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong><br><br><strong>Jon Bailey<\/strong>, Fire Manager, The Nature Conservancy in Maine. <a href=\"mailto:jbailey@tnc.org\">jbailey@tnc.org<\/a><br><br>Since the first 30-acre prescribed fire in 1991 at the Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area; The Nature Conservancy in Maine has been dedicated to a collaborative approach to implementing safe and productive controlled burns also known as prescribed fires. Natural fires have been part of the Maine ecosystems from lightning strikes to Indigenous communities using fire to shape our landscapes for more than a millennium.&nbsp; Join us on an overview of TNC&#8217;s Fire Management Program traveling from Maine&#8217;s largest protected sandplain grassland, wounder deep within the majestic globally rare Pitch Pine Barrens to getting your boots wet at Maine\u2019s best example of a northern Domed Bog. Learn why these unique ecosystems are disturbance-based and how good fire can be safely used to balance the health of the landscapes while protecting nearby communities.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_f77079-03 .kt-block-spacer{height:10px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_f77079-03 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_f77079-03\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<a id=\"p4\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2:51PM \u2013 3:14PM<\/strong><br><strong><em>Lessons learned from New England&#8217;s 2024 wildfire season<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong><br><br><strong>Kent Nelson<\/strong>, Forest Ranger Specialist, Maine Forest Service. <a href=\"mailto:kent.nelson@maine.gov\">kent.nelson@maine.gov<\/a><br><br>Due to seasonal droughts, Maine and New England\/the Mid-Atlantic Region experienced an increase in wildfire activity in the fall of 2024. Maine recorded nearly 100 wildfires statewide in the month of October. During that same time, several wind-driven wildfires over 100 acres in size occurred in New York, New Jersey, and southern New England.&nbsp;<br><br>Although wildfires are still likely to occur in the future, much of the damage caused by these wildfires could be mitigated through fuel reduction and wildfire prevention education.&nbsp; Homeowners and community leaders are encouraged to work together to reduce flammable vegetation near residential areas. Creating firebreaks, thinning nearby forested areas and providing brush pile drop off locations are the key to reducing the frequency and intensity of wildfires.&nbsp;<br><br>Wildfire prevention education helps homeowners understand the need to remove, reduce and replace highly flammable vegetation (i.e., softwood trees and shrubs). These softwood trees and shrubs are easily ignited by airborne firebrands from nearby wildfires or structure fires. They, in turn can ignite structures and threaten lives and property.<br><br>In 2024, the Maine Forest Service was active with helping several communities complete Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP\u2019s). These regional fire plans help community leaders and Fire Departments work together to reduce to wildfire risk. They also help obtain federal grants for implementing forest fuel reduction projects.&nbsp; Planning, preparing and working together is what is needed for communities to become more resilient to wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_9bfdb4-ee .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_9bfdb4-ee .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_9bfdb4-ee\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<a id=\"p5\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3:14PM \u2013 3:37PM<\/strong><br><strong><em>Engaging our communities in wildfire protection planning&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><br><br><strong>Allen Kratz<\/strong>, Project Administrator, Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan, <a href=\"mailto:resilienceworksllc@gmail.com\">resilienceworksllc@gmail.com<\/a><br><strong>Jesse Minor<\/strong>, Project Administrator, Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan, <a href=\"mailto:resilientmaine@gmail.com\">resilientmaine@gmail.com<\/a><br><br>Awarded $250,000 of US Forest Service funding for wildfire protection planning from Congressionally Directed Spending, nine towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula in Hancock County are starting an 18-month process of engaging members of their communities, firefighters, emergency responders, health-care providers and town officials in recommending best practices for reducing wildfire risk.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>A multi-disciplinary consulting team will undertake a broad scope of services for the Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan with oversight provided by a committee appointed by the towns&#8217; Select Boards.&nbsp;<br><br>For example, the consulting team will work with towns to establish locations to which property owners can transport and deposit combustible vegetation that they have removed to create defensible perimeter space.&nbsp; In addition, consultants will explore ways of achieving economic value from discarded combustible vegetation.&nbsp; Similarly, the project will explore ways in which discarded combustible vegetation can be mixed with organic maritime waste as a composting medium that diverts maritime waste from trash transfer facilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>One of the goals of the project is to pay particular attention to community members who are most at risk of wildfire because of socio-economic factors (high-ignitability dwellings, distance from fire-response facilities\/personnel, limited or no access to robust broadband-based fire alerts, etc.).&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>The presenters are eager to gather input from conference attendees as the Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan project gets underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_ea1526-01 .kt-block-spacer{height:10px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_ea1526-01 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_ea1526-01\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<a id=\"p6\"><\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3:37PM \u2013 4:00PM<\/strong><br><strong><em>Effects of Biochar in Improving Soil Moisture in Wild Blueberry Fields<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Swikar Karki<\/strong> (student)<sup>1<\/sup>, Ling Li<sup>2<\/sup>, Yongjiang Zhang<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>School of Forest Resources, University of Maine<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:swikar.karki@maine.edu\">swikar.karki@maine.edu<\/a>, <a href=\"mailto:ling.li@maine.edu\">ling.li@maine.edu<\/a>, <a href=\"mailto:yongjiang.zhang@maine.edu\">yongjiang.zhang@maine.edu<\/a><br><br>Sandy soils, common in wild blueberry fields, are vulnerable to moisture loss due to their low water-holding capacity. Conventional drought management approaches, such as irrigation, are often costly and depend on the availability of water resources. Thus, there is a need to explore innovative approaches to improve soil moisture retention. To this end, we investigated 1) the impact of biochar, as a soil amendment, on soil water holding of wild blueberry soils, 2) how biochar can improve soil moisture conditions in the field, and 3) how biochar can save irrigation water when irrigation is available for wild blueberry fields. A laboratory test of a mixture of soils with biochar (50:50) significantly increased the water-holding capacity, while a further increase in biochar proportion did not result in further significant increases in water-holding capacity. Our field tests of applying biochar and biochar-compost-mixture on the top of wild blueberry fields showed an increase in soil moisture content in dry periods, but not in wet periods. Further, in a greenhouse study, we compared the amount of irrigation needed to maintain consistent soil moisture with and without biochar. The results showed that the control group (no biochar) required an average of 1,755 mm of water per month to keep the soil at the right moisture level. In contrast, the plots treated with biochar only needed 274 mm of water per month, saving 85% of the irrigation water. Overall, our study showed the potential of biochar in improving soil moisture in wild blueberry fields.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_dc7c7c-ee .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-33589_dc7c7c-ee .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#003263;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-33589_dc7c7c-ee\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-left\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">91¸£Àû the Session Chairs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"nelson\"><a href=\"mailto:Kent.Nelson@maine.gov\">Kent Nelson<\/a> is a forest ranger specialist with the Maine Forest Service. He began working for the Maine Forest Service as a Forest Ranger in 2001. After working in the field four years, he was promoted to Forest Ranger Specialist and now focuses on wildfire prevention and mitigation. He helped develop and refine Maine\u2019s wildfire risk assessment process and has completed hundreds of wildfire risk assessments. Data from these risk assessments has been used in dozens of community fire plans. He is also a nationally qualified wildland firefighter and Public Information Officer. Most of his public relations efforts are in Maine, but he continues to mobilize as a PIO on western wildfires.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conference Menu Session K &#8211; Wildfire Resilience in Maine\u2019s Forests and Communities Please reach out to individual speakers if you are interested in viewing PowerPoint presentations from this session. Due to limited staffing, we are unable to post the presentations to the website. Afternoon SessionKennebec Room, First Floor Credits: This session is approved for two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2387,"featured_media":0,"parent":32714,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33589","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"nhashey","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/author\/nhashey\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2387"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33589"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34140,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33589\/revisions\/34140"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}