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 Virginia:
New Advanced Master Gardeners Handbook Addresses WUI Issues
"101 Things to Do with Your Yard Waste besides Lighting It on
Fire," is the nickname of the new Advanced Master Gardeners Land Care
Steward Handbook. National Fire Plan Community Assistance funds made it
possible. Find it at: http://www.advancedmastergardener.org/
Debris burning is a significant source of unwanted fire starts in Virginia
and around the country. Land Care Stewards provides good information on
reducing, reusing and recycling yard waste. This in turn may reduce the number
of debris fires and those that get away. Land Care Stewards also includes a
specific unit, "Living at the Wildland-Urban Interface," with
"firewise" principles and practices. In the fall of 2002, the
Commonwealth of Virginia banned open-air fires in response to extreme drought
and high fire danger. The Shenandoah Valley Interagency Fire Prevention and
Education Team looked to teach people about alternatives to burning. Under those
and other conditions, composting and related activities were more
"firewise" and environmentally friendly than burning or hauling yard
waste to landfills. The Team also recognized that neighbors were sometimes
better messengers than were government employees. Accordingly, they reached out
to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, better known as Virginia
Tech. A horticulturalist there suggested a curriculum guide and resource book
for advanced training of Master Gardeners who are community-based volunteers.
Soon after, the National Park Service Northeast Region got funding through NFP
to support the development of the Land Care Stewards Handbook. The editors were
Francis J. Reilly, Jr. of the Reilly Group; and Sarah Lineberger and Sheri T.
Dorn, both previous State Master Gardener Coordinators. Project directors were
Dave Close, Virginia State Master Gardener Coordinator and Diane Relf, Extension
Specialist, Environmental Horticulture, now retired. Barb Stewart, Fire
Education Specialist for the Northeast Region of the National Park Service was
project monitor. Reviewers included people from the USDA Forest Service,
Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Prince
William County. An extension agent in Hanover County has already embraced Land
Care Stewards and is working with citizens and government officials to reduce
the amount of yard waste taken to the landfill. More people are discovering that
they have a great new tool to help protect homes and communities from unwanted
fires.
Contact: Barb Stewart, National Park Service Fire Education Specialist,
434-977-1375 x3365
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