North American Fire Study Tour

Every four years, fire managers from New Zealand and Australia visit Canada, the U.S., and Mexico as part of the North American Forestry Commission Fire Management Working Group’s (NAFC-FMWG) International Study Tour. This year, Australian and New Zealand firefighting organizations joined Forest Service and Department of Interior staff for a tour of fire management-related sites in Utah, Montana, Arizona and California for the 2016 North American Fire Study tour. Tour participants and researchers gathered in Park City, Utah for the International Symposium on Wildland Fire Management. The North American Forestry Commission – Fire Management Working Group in cooperation with the Forest Service sponsored the symposium. They went on to Missoula to visit the Fire Sciences Lab. During the Fire Lab tour, FFS Physical Scientist Faith Ann Heinsch led participants through discussions of the U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System, the FireWorks Curriculum, new research into fire physical processes, and the potential for determining lightning efficiency.