Using Fire Festivals to Engage Communities

Prescribed Fire for Forest Management Series

Using Fire Festivals to Engage Communities

Oct. 7, 2026 | Noon-1 p.m. CT

Fire festivals are emerging as an innovative way to connect communities with prescribed fire through hands-on learning, demonstrations, and family-friendly activities. This webinar will explore how fire festivals can increase public understanding of prescribed fire, build trust, strengthen partnerships, and foster community support. Presenters will share a national perspective on the growth of fire festivals, followed by a local case study highlighting lessons learned from planning and hosting a successful event.

Photo Credit: Suzette Cook

Presenters

Jennifer Fawcett

Wildland Fire Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University

Dr. Jennifer Fawcett is an Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University, where she develops educational programs related to wildland fire. She has nearly two decades of experience in outreach education and wildland fire, and coordinates regional prescribed fire partnerships across the Southeast. She has led the Fire Festival Learning Group for more than four years, bringing together practitioners from across the country to share ideas, exchange best practices, and advance community engagement through fire festivals.

Nathan Burmester

Southeast Coastal Plain Stewardship Manager, The Nature Conservancy

Nathan Burmester is the Southeast Coastal Plain Stewardship Manager for The Nature Conservancy, based in Wilmington, North Carolina. He leads stewardship and prescribed fire initiatives across diverse coastal plain ecosystems, working to restore and maintain fire-adapted landscapes while balancing conservation, operational, and community objectives. Nathan has extensive experience in prescribed fire planning, implementation, and natural resource management, and is committed to advancing landscape-scale conservation through collaborative partnerships and science-based stewardship practices.

Michelle Ly

Stewardship Coordinator, Wood River Land Trust

Michelle has several years of fire experience in the southeast coastal plain with The Nature Conservancy where she was the lead organizer for the Fire in the Pines Festival. She currently works for the Wood River Land Trust, contributing to stewardship and conservation efforts in the valley and increasing public accessibility to nature.