Introduction and fire conservation education needs

[MaryAlice Stoner <mstoner@fs.fed.us>]

Hi, I'm MaryAlice Stoner. I work for the USDA Forest Service in the Northern Region's, Fire, Aviation, and Air staff group.  We've been placing more emphasis on fire conservation education over the past year.  We've identified a number of information needs and see a great potential to share knowledge among the various agencies, NGOs, and individuals.  Libraries should have a significant role in making information readily accessible.  There's a lot of information generally available on the web, but people often don't have the time, or perhaps the skills, to find what they need.  As a result of Fire 2000 in the Northern Rockies, the need for additional work in this area is evident. Information on fire-adapted ecosystems and forest health are key to support for recovery and restoration.  Having libraries involved would enable people to utilize existing information sources and provide a wider base of dissemination.