NEWFI

Welcome to the National  Extension Wildland Fire Initiative (NEWFI)!

Check out the resources below to help you connect with the community of Extension and outreach professionals working in wildland fire.

Goals

• Promote and facilitate a Cooperative Extension system-wide response to wildland fire issues
• Provide professional development opportunities for ANREP members and non-members through training opportunities to expand members‘ knowledge base so that they are able to more effectively serve their clientele.
• Develop educational materials (using various print and electronic media) to meet the needs of various Extension clientele.
• Help to implement goals and actions within the 2018-2022 RREA Strategic Plan as they relate to wildland fire and natural resources.
• Create opportunities to work together to develop programs, initiatives, and sharing of information on wildland fire Extension programming occurring across the country.
• Increase involvement of Extension professionals in wildland fire issues most relevant to their local areas, including wildfire response and safety and promoting the safe and effective use of prescribed fire.
• Promote involvement of extension professionals in fire research teams and expand dissemination of fire science research results.

What is NEWFI?

On October 17, 2018 the National Extension Wildland Fire Initiative (NEWFI) became the fourth initiative to be endorsed and approved by the ANREP Executive Committee.

Wildland fire issues are a pressing concern for ANREP members and the people they serve across the country. A combination of factors, including the exclusion of fire, drought, and more people living near natural areas, have helped create conditions that allow catastrophic wildfires to burn in diverse places. Meanwhile the need for prescribed fire is increasingly being recognized across the nation, not only to prevent these catastrophic wildfires, but to create and maintain healthy ecosystems.
 
Since Cooperative Extension is tasked with meeting community needs and serves as a trusted resource, Extension can and should play an active role working with landowners and communities on wildland fire issues. There is an urgent and critical need for Extension educators to be willing and able to provide research-based science findings and their meanings to a wide range of Extension audiences.

The new 2018-2022 RREA Strategic Plan also recognizes the need for Extension professionals to engage on wildland fire issues and highlights "wildfire prevention and management" as a critical issue.

Join Us!

NEWFI membership consists of a leadership team, as well as any other ANREP members and other key stakeholders with an interest in supporting the goals and objectives of this Initiative.

If you want to join us in some low-key, highly relevant discussion of topics in wildland fire education and outreach and receive email communications and updates in the future, then please click here to  sign up. If you have any questions, please contact:
 
Jennifer Fawcett, Extension Associate
Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University
jennifer_fawcett@ncsu.edu, 919-515-8288

Resources