Duff in the Coastal Plains Fire Science Workshop: Lessons from Fire Science Research and Adaptive Management
When: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | 9am - 4:30pm ET
Where: Carolina Beach State Park
1010 State Park Rd
Carolina Beach, NC 28428
Lessons from Fire Science Research and Adaptive Management
Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists and the Southern Fire Exchange will be hosting a Duff in the Mountains workshop on April 15, 2026. The workshop will be hosted in Carolina, North Carolina at Carolina Beach State Park. There will be a field trip portion at the state park following morning presentations.
Description:
Reintroducing fire into long-unburned longleaf pine ecosystems has led to unexpected tree mortality. In many cases, valuable overstory trees, important for wildlife habitat and cultural history, have died following prescribed burns due to duff. Sites with heavy duff loads continue to present persistent and pressing challenges for prescribed fire managers in the montane region of North Carolina. Research funded by the Joint Fire Science Program has revealed that thick layers of dry duff around tree bases ignite and burn slowly, damaging roots, causing stress, and resulting in tree death. These findings shifted fire management strategies toward gradually reducing duff layers rather than immediately restoring open forest structure. This workshop, hosted by Southern Fire Exchange and the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists, will support this approach by providing scientific presentations, field demonstrations, and planning tools to help land managers assess duff conditions, plan effective burns, and protect legacy and economically important trees. Emphasis will be placed on practical, low-cost techniques, like duff moisture testing and multi-stage burns, making fire science accessible and actionable for a wide range of landowners and fire practitioners.
Registration:
Cost $65, Registration closes April 8th
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/duff-in-the-coastal-plain-fire-science-workshop-tickets-1982510569481
Project Management:
Sarah Cain (sacain2@ncsu.edu), Lindsey Hosier (lindsey@cafms.org), David Godwin (drg2814@ufl.edu), and Adam Coates (acoates4@vt.edu) are the project management team for this workshop. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the project management team.