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2022 WTREX
Women-in-Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (WTREX)
Overview
What is WTREX?
This training exchange is designed to increase diversity in the talent pool and elevate perspective to address these problems. The training exchange engages all-genders in building a support network for female fire practitioners working to advance their leadership in wildland fire management.
We believe that the groups who are generally under-represented in fire, including women, have unique talents and perspectives, and that they can play a critical role in advancing fire problem solving.
WTREX is an intensive two-week training exchange that combines practical live-fire training with indoor learning and discussion to advance participants’ qualifications and experience in wildland fire operations.
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Key things to know about WTREX:
WTREX engages fire practitioners across all genders, agencies and backgrounds in building a support network for female fire practitioners working to advance their leadership in wildland and prescribed fire management.
WTREX fosters a diverse group of fire professionals and aims to include groups that are regularly under-represented in the fire community.
WTREX participants worked together to accomplish necessary prescribed burning in the fire-adapted ecosystems of Southeast Virginia, the northernmost range of the longleaf pine savanna.
The WTREX serves as an opportunity to elevate diversity in perspective, background, and talent in order to create solutions for today’s complex fire problems.
WTREX is always co-hosted by several primary partners as well as additional collaborators. Primary participating organizations include: the Fire Learning Network, University of California Cooperative Extension, the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina State Extension, the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the California Fire Science Consortium, and ESRI.
Many local organizations and partners were also involved in the 2022 event.
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Locations
The 2022 WTREX was based at the Airfield Conference Center | 4-H Educational Center located near Wakefield, Virginia, on Airfield Lake.
The Airfield site was chosen because of its size, central location and ability to host this size of event.
WTREX 2022 Location Map
All WTREX Locations
The first WTREX in 2016 was held in Northern California in several locations near Hayfork.
In 2017 the second WTREX was held in Southern California in Mariposa County.
The 2019 event was held in various locations in northern Florida and Southern Georgia and was based out of Tall Timbers Research Station.
The 2022 event took place in Southeastern Virgina and was based out of Airfield 4-H Center in Wakefield, Virginia.
WTREX Attendees
Participants, guest speakers, VIPs and cadre (incident management team) come from all over the world to attend and support this event.
2022 Burn Units
Artwork
For every WTREX event, an image is developed as a T-shirt design and sometimes is used for stickers and other printing. For 2022 this design was created by a fabulous artist and shows the ties between ecology and prescribed fire.
Local Ecology
At every WTREX, burning for ecological benefit is an important part of the mission. The state of Virgina include several ecoregions making it among the more biodiverse states in the U.S. If you are interested in learning more about these regions visit this site . Much of the Virgina ecology benefits greatly from low intensity fires.
The area where WTREX participants burned was primarily in the longleaf pine forests. View this StoryMap from the Virgina Department of Conservation and Recreation about longleaf pines.
Look for this button to open the StoryMap in a new window/tab.
Longleaf Pine Habitat in Virginia
Activities
Each WTREX event has unique activities but there are some that are included year after year.
The activities shared here all took place during 2022.
Participants learned about the amazing area from local TNC employee Bobby Clontz and had a visit from local wildlife.
There are hands-on sessions such as care of equipment, chainsaw skills, and engine training.
VIPs who visited gave talks or had fireside chats in the evenings such as this one with Jen Morris, The Nature Conservancy CEO.
Other evenings, the participants gave flash presentations.
In The Media
Due to the uniqueness of this event there have been many media engagements. Here are a few articles and videos from the various WTREX events.
Thank you to all who make this event possible.