Ninth Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology

18–20 October 2011, Palm Springs, CA

General Information (PDF)

ORGANIZERS

The Ninth Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology, sponsored by the American Meteorological Society and organized by the AMS Committee on Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, will be held 18-20 October 2011 at Hotel Zoso, Palm Springs, California.

IMPORTANT DATES

Abstract Submission Deadadline: May 16, 2011
Acceptance Letters Sent: Around June 17, 2011
Pre-Registration Deadline: August 31, 2011
Hotel Reservation Deadadline, September 23, 2011
No Registration Refunds After: October 2, 2011
Manuscripts Posted Online By: November 18, 2011

ACCOMMODATIONS

All meeting sessions for the conferences will be held at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs. The mailing address for this facility is Hotel Zoso, 150 South Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262. A block of rooms has been reserved at the hotel for meeting attendees at a special rate of $104, plus taxes. This is the current prevailing per diem rate. It is possible that this rate will change in September, 2011. To receive this special rate, attendees must request a room under the AMS room block.

Your special rate includes the $15 resort fee (normally an extra charge) and free wireless internet throughout the hotel. If you need to cancel, please do so more than 72 hours prior to arrival, otherwise you will be assessed 1 night’s room fee. The early departure fee is $50.

Reservations must be made prior to 23 SEPTEMBER and may be accompanied by a one-night deposit. Reservations made after that date will be on a space-available basis. Subject to room availability, these special rates will be available the weekends before and after the conferences. We urge you to make reservations early since space is limited. For reservations, call 1-760-325-9676 and mention the AMS group rate. If you prefer to make a reservation by email, please write to reservations@hotelzoso.net and include the group name (AMS) in the subject line.

REGISTRATION (Please note all speakers must register)

Online Registration. This option is available to all attendees who are paying by credit card or purchase order.

Download the registration form from the AMS Web site. Return the completed registration form by fax (617-249-0272) or mail to: AMS, 9FIRE Registration, 45 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108.

On-site registration. The AMS registration desk at Hotel Zoso will be open for conference registration on Monday, 17 October (times TBD) and Tuesday through Thursday during the hours of the conference.

We urge you to preregister. If you do not have Web access, please contact the AMS Meetings Department at 617-227-2426, press 4 for a registration form. Completed forms must be faxed or mailed to AMS. We do not accept registrations over the phone.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION RATES

Registration includes your badge, a program, admission to all sessions, Formal Poster Viewing/Reception, and Wednesday Luncheon/Banquet

*One-Day registration includes all of the above for ONE CALENDAR DAY (except the luncheon ticket).

Confirmation of registration will be sent once the registration form has been processed at AMS Headquarters. REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT PAYMENT. Payment may be made with check, money order, purchase order, or credit card (MasterCard/VISA/American Express). Checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank and payable in U.S. dollars. Refunds (less a $25 processing fee) will be granted only for cancellations received before 3 OCTOBER.

Fuel Treatment Planning Under Climate Change Workshop
This workshop will introduce planning tools for fuels managers who are challenged to plan and implement fuels treatments that will remain effective under future climate scenarios. We will introduce RAWS data that are downscaled from future climate projections, discuss how these data can be used in FireFamilyPlus to create future climate scenarios, and demonstrate how these future climate scenarios can be utilized in FLAMMAP and ArcFuels to test fuel treatment effectiveness. This workshop is funded by and a product of Joint Fire Science Project 08-1-1-19 "Assessing Fuels Treatment in Southern California National Forests in the Context of Climate Change" and will focus on Southern California national forests, but all are welcome to attend. Participants may bring laptop computers for hands-on practice, otherwise, computers will NOT be provided.

Time: Monday, October 17 from 12:30 - 4:30 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Cost: free, but you MUST register by October 15, 2011.

Wednesday Luncheon/Banquet
The Wednesday Luncheon will be held October 19 in the Marquis Ballroom from 12:00-1:30pm. Jan van Wagtendonk will be speaking on “Federal Fire Policy: A Personal Odyssey”:

In 1886 in Yellowstone National Park, newly arrived Captain Moses Harris of the US Army ordered his men to suppress a fire that was threatening the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Thus began the federal government’s role in fighting fire. The establishment of the Forest Service in 1905 and the 1910 fires in Idaho and Montana further solidified that role. Subsequently, the Forest Service became the premier fire fighting agency, and its suppression policies such as the 10 AM rule dominated other land management agencies. When I began my stint as a fire fighter in 1959 and a smokejumper in 1960, complete suppression was the policy. Not until 1968 did the National Park Service deviate from the policy, taking a more ecological approach. When I began working at Yosemite National Park in 1972, we had the opportunity to implement ecological fire management. The Forest Service followed suit in 1974 and abandoned the 10 AM policy. Lacking, though, was a unified federal fire policy. That policy came in 1995 as an aftermath of the 1994 South Canyon Fire, which killed 14 firefighters and was reaffirmed in 2001 after the 2000 fires in Montana. Today, the implementation guideline for the 1995 policy calls for managing fires for multiple objectives.

Formal Poster Viewing
A Formal Poster Viewing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18 from 5:30-7:30pm in Grand Zoso Ballroom West. A cash bar and light appetizers will be provided. Poster Viewings will continue through the conference during coffee breaks.

Beyond the Meeting
A tour of Joshua Tree National Park will be scheduled for the Friday following the conference. The Joshua Tree National Park conserves one of the most unique ecotypes in North America: the Joshua Tree forest. This field trip will investigate the impacts of climate change and invasive species on the wildfire regime of the Park. Over the past several decades, invasive annual grasses from the Mojave Desert to the south of the Park have begun to invade the Park, subsequently increasing the fire frequency and extent and endangering its namesake tree (scientific: Yucca brevifolia) and associated endemic species. Scientists will discuss future climate and fire impacts at landscape scales with Park fire managers.

Tickets are $45 and can be purchased with your registration package or onsite. The tour is limited to 25 people, so book your ticket as soon as possible.

GROUND TRAVEL

Shuttle: Hotel Zoso offers a complimentary shuttle to and from the airport as well as within a 5 mile radius of the hotel, subject to availability. You can make reservations by calling the hotel at 1-760-325-9676 or emailing reservations@hotelzoso.net.

Car Rental/Driving: Enterprise is the official rental car agency for this meeting and special rates are available. Advance reservations may be made on-line at Enterprise.com. Select “Corporate Account” then “Make a reservation”. Then you simply enter this account # 10AT034 and the first three letters of the account name (AME or by calling Enterprise at 1-800-593-0505. When making a reservation, please mention the AMS Corporate account number.Drive time from Ontario International Airport is about one hour and from LAX about two and a half. It’s an easy freeway drive from most Southern California cities and Las Vegas.

Palm Springs International Airport
As you leave the airport, continue on Tahquitz Canyon Way. Turn left onto South Palm Canyon Drive, turn left on Arenas then turn left on Indian Canyon and Hotel Zoso will be on your right hand side.

Ontario International Airport
Take I-10 East and Exit Palm Springs Highway 111. Continue on highway 111 for 15 minutes and you will arrive in downtown Palm Springs. Go past Tahquitz Canyon Way and make a left on Arenas then turn left on Indian Canyon Drive and Hotel Zoso will be on your right hand side.

Los Angeles International Airport
Take I-10 East and Exit Palm Springs Highway 111. Continue on highway 111 for 15 minutes and you will arrive in downtown Palm Springs. Go past Tahquitz Canyon Way and make a left on Arenas then turn left on Indian Canyon Drive and Hotel Zoso will be on your right hand side.

San Diego
Take I-15 North to I-215 North. Continue to Hwy 60 East to I-10 East exit Palm Springs Highway 111. Continue on highway 111 for 15 minutes and you will arrive in downtown Palm Springs. Go past Tahquitz Canyon Way and make a left on Arenas then turn left on Indian Canyon Drive and Hotel Zoso will be on your right hand side.

Orange County and John Wayne/Orange County Airport
Take Hwy 55 North to Hwy 91 East. Continue to Hwy 60 East and then to I-10 East exit Palm Springs Highway 111. Continue on highway 111 for 15 minutes and you will arrive in downtown Palm Springs. Go past Tahquitz Canyon Way and make a left on Arenas then turn left on Indian Canyon Drive and Hotel Zoso will be on your right hand side

Las Vegas
Take I-15 South to I-10. Take I-10 East exit Palm Springs Highway 111. Continue on highway 111 for 15 minutes and you will arrive in downtown Palm Springs. Go past Tahquitz Canyon Way and make a left on Arenas then turn left on Indian Canyon Drive and Hotel Zoso will be on your right hand side.

Parking: Current parking prices are $20.00 per car per day for overnight guests and daily rates of $8.00.

SPECIAL NEEDS

It is our sincere desire to comply fully with both the letter and the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Attendees with special needs should call the AMS Meetings Department at (617) 227- 2426 ext. 202, 4–6 weeks prior to the meeting to request special arrangements. Special housing needs should be requested when making hotel reservations.

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