Participant Expectations

Members of the 2021-2022 Urban WildFIRE cohort will be expected to participate in both the virtual and in-person components of the program, all of which will be delivered Summer 2021 – Spring 2022. Urban WildFIRE will consist of three core components:

1. Summer Virtual Cohort Workshops

From July 19 to August 6, 2021, students will participate in approximately 25 hours of training through which they learn core concepts in urban forestry and wildland fire. These trainings will utilize synchronous and asynchronous lectures, readings, and group discussions to equip students with skills in the core content areas. Synchronous meetings will be led by program staff and leading experts in urban forestry and wildland fire. Students will be required to attend eight 2-hour meetings (6:30-8:30pm Eastern, Mondays and Wednesdays) over this period, with content to be delivered as outlined below:

7 hours on Urban and Community Forestry (including i-Tree Academy co-facilitated by US Forest Service and Davey Institute)
7 hours on Wildland Fire Ecology and Management (including review of online content for Type II Wildland Firefighter certification)
2 hours on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

2. Monthly Cohort Meetings

Through summer 2022, participants will meet monthly (virtually) to track contemporary issues and career-pursuit experiences in urban forestry and wildland fire; meet and learn from content area experts; and strengthen connectivity among participant peer and professional networks. Members of the 2021-2022 cohort will be required to attend these monthly meetings.

3. Immersive Field Experiences

Students will attend field-based wildland fire training, which will be facilitated by program partners from The Nature Conservancy. This training will include setting prescribed fires across the local area, touring active fire management sites, completing FFT2 training, conducting fuel and fire effects monitoring, and more! Location and date of field-based training TBD, but applicants are reminded that all travel and lodging costs will be covered.