Strengthening Brazil’s capacities on fire management response and prevention - 04/2018

From April 16-20, trainers from U.S. Forest Service (USFS) visited Brazil’s Serra da Canastra National Park to assist and provide fire management training to experienced leaders, from Conservation Units across Brazil, responsible for the park fire program of Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). Course objectives included strengthening abilities to plan and implement prescribed fire so as to reduce catastrophic fire risk and protect sensitive resources.

The application of fire under specific, controlled conditions is a relevant tool for protected area management, including both Cerrado and Amazon units where uncontrolled, human caused fires overwhelm responders at the height of the dry season. Practitioners learned to minimize controlled fire burn area and severity through techniques such as ignition patterns, early season timing, and pre/post monitoring. USFS expertise supports ICMBio’s prescribed fire efforts as a tool to create preventive fire breaks in natural areas, integrate traditional fire management knowledge, and create fire resilient landscapes.

The March and April trainings as well as the upcoming Disaster Management Seminar and October 2018 Prescribed Fire Training Exchange are building institutional capacity and relationship USFS and Brazilian partners.