Better Together: The Power of Relationships in Fire Management

Prescribed Fire for Forest Management Series

Better Together: The Power of Relationships in Fire Management

Recorded Aug. 5, 2026

We face many obstacles in improving fire management: capacity and resources that constrain what we can accomplish, challenging policy environments, and increasingly narrow weather windows are just a few. The solutions to these barriers are nuanced and local, but united by a common theme – the need to work together. This webinar will cover case studies from around the Fire Learning Network that show how focusing first on building trust and relationships leads to authentic, sustained partnerships that are capable of making fundamental change for the better in how we live and work with fire.

Photo Credit: Jose Luis Dulce

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Presenters

Emily Hohman

Director, Fire Learning Network and North America Fire Team Member, The Nature Conservancy

Emily Hohman is the Fire Learning Network Director and a member of The Nature Conservancy’s North America Fire Team. She has worked for TNC for approximately 15 years, including 10 years as a land steward/preserve manager in Michigan and western Iowa. Emily has experience managing multiple ecosystem types, including grasslands, forests, and wetlands in the Midwest, Great Plains, and southwestern US. She also has experience managing cattle and bison grazing on native grassland for conservation objectives, which included invasive species control, prescribed fire planning and implementation, fencing, and bison handling infrastructure. Today in her role with the Fire Learning Network, Emily supports place-based, cross-border collaborations focused on improving our relationship with wildland fire for healthier ecosystems and communities. This work encompasses diverse partners, places, and ecosystems and includes a range of focal areas from policy to prescribed fire implementation. She has a MS in natural resources management and is an NWCG qualified Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2) and Fire Manager (RXMG).

Laurel Kays

Assistant Director, Fire Learning Network and North America Fire Team Member, The Nature Conservancy

Laurel Kays is the Assistant Director of the Fire Learning Network and a member of The Nature Conservancy’s North America Fire team. She has worked for TNC for nearly five years, previously working for NC State University Extension Forestry on wildland fire outreach and education projects across the Southeastern United States, including coordinating outreach for the Southern Fire Exchange. Laurel remains active in her local prescribed fire community in North Carolina burning with local partners and participating in the North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council. She has a diverse background in conservation, outreach, and education that has included work based in Michigan, Wyoming, Tennessee, and North Carolina. She holds an M.S. in Forestry from NC State University and a B.A. in Government & Politics and American Studies from University of Maryland, College Park.