Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative

We had a fantastic day exploring fire science concepts with Armadillo Community Charter School students this summer! Our lessons were paired with a short summer program put on by Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. Students performed defensible space assessments, built and tested defensible space models, and then planted a fire-safe native plant garden on campus!    Our wildfire education curricula can be used for an entire school year or packed into just a few hours. We love to see students getting creative – some go to great lengths to protect their model houses, and some like to see how high the flames will go! How would you rank these three residential models? Which has proper defensible space, and which do not?     Want to bring interdisciplinary fire science curricula to your school? Visit our website for more information: sofrc.org/education  

Jennifer has a natural instinct for teaching – you might recognize her caring presence and warm smile from memories of your favorite teacher. She has taught students of all ages, from Brooklyn, New York to the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Jennifer now leads our wildfire education program, which brings fire science and hands-on wildfire preparedness activities to young people and their families throughout Southern Oregon.  Jennifer, along with a diverse cadre of collaborators including wildland firefighters and OSU Extension agents, developed FireBright, an open-source wildfire science curriculum for 9-12th grades. “It was really rewarding to be part of a big effort,” Jennifer says. FireBright takes students through the basics of fire science, helps them understand fire adaptation and fire history in our local ecology, and gets them into the field to do wildfire preparedness activities, such as fuel reduction.  “It’s more than just learning the skill,” Jennifer says. “When we take the students out in the field, they really are reducing fuel. They really are doing a burn pile. They really are doing a defensible space assessment that someone can use.” Jennifer says that it’s common practice when developing curriculum to start with the academic and work towards the world of applied knowledge – the world of careers and paychecks. But FireBright is different. FireBright brings professionals to the classroom, and brings the students to the world of applied knowledge and hands-on work.   “One of the most important pieces to me is actually teaching the students to teach their community,” Jennifer says. “That’s where we get real change, once they learn this information and see themselves as teachers, ambassadors, leaders – then we’ve done our work.” Like many parents, Jennifer is looking forward to the start of a new school year. This year marks an important milestone – our first cohort of advanced fire science students will graduate next spring with two certifications to jumpstart careers in wildland firefighting. Unfortunately, our education program is still facing uncertainty after a federal grant was unexpectedly terminated this spring. “It’s very encouraging to get support from private foundations,” Jennifer says. “They see the need, they see the value, and they invest in it.” We are so grateful to the Roundhouse Foundation, the Collins Foundation, the Gray Family Foundation and Coalitions and Collaboratives for their support! We are also grateful to our local elected officials who have met with us, heard our situation, and provided information about how we can proceed. Their attention conveys the value that they see in our work.  If you also see value in our work, we encourage you to donate to help us complete the upcoming school year so that more students can be prepared for a fire-prone world. https://lnkd.in/gKaCRrc3  

Defensible space should include evacuation routes. What does it look like when a community comes together to create defensible space along evacuation routes and improve safety for residents and emergency responders? Our latest report 𝑽𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 describes the successful grassroots work of the Prescription for Safety project. We made customized agreements with 66 private landowners in the Applegate Valley to treat evacuation routes. We are proud to say that approx 75% of the project area is now deemed safe! Prescription for Safety was a collaborative effort between Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center, KLAMATH SISKIYOU WILDLANDS CENTER, and Lomakatsi Restoration Project, with support from Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council, Bureau of Land Management (Medford District), Oregon Department of Forestry, and Sustainable Northwest! Read and download the full report on our website: https://lnkd.in/gubp7_mX

Which places are most important to you, and how would you respond if they were impacted by wildfire? Researchers at SOU, OSU, and UO want to know! Calling all those who live OR work in/near Ashland, Phoenix, or Talent ages 13+. Five days remaining to contribute your perspectives through this survey. Researchers will use this information to examine how these valued places might be better protected before a wildfire through mitigation, and during a fire through firefighting response. Survey in English: https://lnkd.in/gQDSeEnT Survey in Spanish: https://lnkd.in/g7jy7cYY

Explore wildfire resilience through the lens of Indigenous knowledge – including cultural fire, indigenous fire stewardship, ecocultural restoration, ecological science, and community action. This event kicks off our fundraising efforts to replace federal funds for our wildfire education program that were terminated this spring. Activities will be led by Lomakatsi Restoration Project, hosted at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum! Belinda Brown, Lomakatsi’s Tribal Partnerships Director, Chair of the Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Partnership, and citizen of the Kosealekte Band of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation (Pit River Tribe), will talk about the cultural uses of fire by local Indigenous nations and the importance of collaborative restoration. There will also be basket weaving activity, native plant identification, and a powerful short film, "Tribal Hands on the Land." Admission is free for ScienceWorks members and SOU students! $10 for the public. You can donate directly to our cause on our website: https://lnkd.in/gKaCRrc3

It's officially fire season in Jackson County - are you ready? Check out this incredible Wildfire and Emergency Resources hub created by our friends at A Greater Applegate! It has everything from preparedness to recovery and ways to get involved locally. Even if you aren't in the Applegate Valley, this is a great collection of information and inspiration for what to look for or initiate in your own community. Great work, AGA! https://lnkd.in/ehxpB7P9

Join us for an evening field tour to learn about active forest stewardship in Williams, OR! We’ll visit an area where restoration treatments have already been completed, then view a site where ecological thinning is scheduled to begin this fall. Learn how our collaborative approach improves forest health and reduces the risk of severe wildfire to the ecosystem and communities. Space is limited, so please register by May 27! More info and registration is available on Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/gGM9iipC

🌟 THANK YOU 🌟 for making Sparking Action 2025 so spectacular! We had a blast demonstrating wildfire science in the dome, mingling with our awesome community organizations, and sharing knowledge about wildfire preparedness and resilience. Huge thanks to ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum for hosting and co-organizing! Thank you to City of Ashland, OR, Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center, The Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project, and Lomakatsi Restoration Project for co-organizing and supporting event activities. Thank you ASHLAND FIRE & RESCUE and our volunteers for serving free hot dogs and snacks! And thanks to our MANY local organizations for sharing resources, knowledge, and smiles with the community. Did you miss it? Catch the recap in the Grants Pass Daily Courier and Ashland.news!

Plan your visit to Sparking Action this Saturday at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum! Many thanks to event sponsors and organizers, including City of Ashland, OR, Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center, Lomakatsi Restoration Project, and to Costco Wholesale, Safeway, and Ashland's Shop'n Kart for helping us to provide lunch at this event! See you there! For more information and to register for the Air Filter Workshop, please visit our website: https://lnkd.in/gBQ4HYJZ

Sparking Action is just two weeks away! We are so excited to connect you with ✨18✨ amazing local organizations and agencies who provide critical information and access to smoke safety, natural resource education, emergency preparedness, and more! The Nature Conservancy in Oregon Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Lomakatsi Restoration Project Rogue Valley Community Organizations Active in Disaster The Crest at Willow-Witt Firebrand Resiliency Collective (FRC) Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center Rogue Action Center Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Jackson County Library Services A Greater Applegate ACCESS American Red Cross Cascades Region Oregon State Fire Marshal U.S. Forest Service- Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest UO's Center for Wildfire Smoke Research and Practice Ashland DEVO Fire Adapted Ashland Whew! That's quite a list. We'll see you at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum May 10th from 10am-4pm! City of Ashland, OR #wildfirepreparedness #wildfireseason #WildfireSeason2025 #wildfireprevention #wildfireeducation #community