Tribal Summit Agenda

DAY ONE
New Mexico Tribal Forest and Fire Summit

NM Tribal Rx Fire Planning Workshop

Interested in prescribed fire on tribally managed lands? Come learn about the process and parts of the burn plan to know what it takes to get from the concept of Rx fire to flames on the ground! 

This workshop will take place on January 30 from 9:30am-2:45pm with time for rest breaks and lunch.

Purpose of workshop: To equip tribal or tribal-affiliated natural resource managers and practitioners with an understanding of the burn planning process to work towards good and thorough surveying, burn plans, and implementation.  Together we’ll learn about elements of prescribed fire planning, which parts of burn plans can be co-created, and BIA’s process for approving burn plans. We’ll share lessons learned from challenges and successes throughout.

Topics to be covered:

• BIA process from concept to completed burn: review necessary elements to get from start to finish

• Identifying the resource need, completing NEPA/cultural surveys and other clearances, writing the burn plan, getting the plan approved by BIA, finding funding, completing the go/no-go, gathering resources, and more.

• Elements of a Burn Plan

• Objectives 

• What can we do with Rx fire and how do we design the burn to accomplish those objectives? 

• Defining objectives, prescriptions, fire modeling, and monitoring. 

• Tactics and Risks 

• What goes into keeping the burn in the box?  

• Holding and firing plan, including resources, notifications, and who to notify and how

• Smoke modeling and management, smoke permits. 

• How to prepare for Rx fire

• NEPA and possible routes to navigate the process

• Burn Unit design and preparation through fuels treatments and line prep 

• Guest Presentation from Gesse Bullock, Fire Management Specialist of Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, on their burning program.

NM Tribal Forestry Methodologies Workshop

Interested in learning more initiatives around forest management and restoration in New Mexico? Come learn about current and future initiatives centered around forest education, reforestation and seed collection opportunities and utilization of technology in this field. 

Workshop sessions will take place on January 30th from 9:30am - 5:00pm with time for breaks and lunch. 

Purpose of workshop:  To provide information and real-world experiences on best practices related to forest health and restoration efforts. The workshop will go through a series of different forest-related topics to enhance Tribal forest managers and crews knowledge of current and future climate-related challenges that will impact forests in New Mexico. 

Topics to be covered:

• Forestry 101 overview - New Mexico State Forestry Division will be providing a basic presentation that will cover fundamentals of forest terminologies, practices and treatments. 

• Technology in Forest Management & Restoration - University of New Mexico Earth Systems Lab will lead a presentation session that highlights the utilization of technology in forest management practices. Topics will include using tech for modeling, monitoring, mapping and reporting for forest-related projects. 

• Best practices for Bosque Restoration - Land managers will present on their approach and practices to bosque management and restoration on Tribal lands. The presentation will cover a recent thinning and Rx project and the best practices they implemented during that process.

• New Mexico Reforestation and Seed Collection initiatives - Reps from New Mexico Highlands and New Mexico State Forestry will provide an overview of these new statewide initiatives to reforest New Mexico forests and establish a workforce around tree planting and seed collection opportunities.