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2007 Herbert Stoddard, Sr. Award
DR. ALAN J. LONG
Dr. Alan Long, is Professor of Forest Operations, Fire, and Forestry Extension at the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation. Dr. Long has served the community of fire professionals in the southeastern United States for over 20 years, as an educator, community organization leader, fire use practitioner, and researcher.
 Following in Stoddard’s footsteps, Dr. Long has perpetuated the use of prescribed burning in fire-adapted forests for restoration and maintenance, and has used prescribed fire to manage southern forests for over 15 years. His fire-related activities include original research, extension publications and workshops, leadership in professional societies, and hands-on prescribed fire use. He has responsibilities in managing the 2400 acre Austin Cary Memorial Forest and the University of Florida’s Natural Areas Teaching Lab forest, where fire is used in a variety of forest types and conditions for demonstration, restoration, teaching, and research purposes. These locations also serve as venues for the countless Forestry Extension services Dr. Long provides. Examples include pile burning certification courses, and continuing education classes for forestry practitioners across the SE region (fire in the wildland-urban-interface, forest health, dendrology, forest stewardship, agroforestry). Also following in Stoddard’s footsteps, Dr. Long’s extension program focuses on educating non–industrial private forest landowners to manage their forests for long-term sustainability using a combination of fire and silviculture.
Dr. Long’s reputation as a devoted, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable educator serving the region’s fire professionals is unparalleled. He has received countless awards for his professional service in fire and forestry extension, including the Project Administration Award for Excellence from the Southern Extension Forest Resource Specialists, the C. Hux Coulter Award for contributions to the profession of forestry (Society of American Foresters), the Forest Conservationist of the Year Award (Florida Wildlife Federation), and others. In addition, Dr. Long’s success in teaching Fire in Natural Resource Management, a popular undergraduate course at the University, has contributed to his being awarded multiple Teacher of the Year accolades at both the University and School levels.
Based on his research of fire in the South’s wildland-urban-interface (WUI), Dr. Long’s outreach publications and activities have significantly impacted fire management in the southeast. Dr. Long worked with colleagues at the School to design a “Fire Education Toolkit”, which has been distributed to county extension agents, foresters, and local fire and rescue agency staff to use for training workshops. Dr. Long also created a wildfire risk assessment and mitigation guideline booklet, designed for individual homeowners to evaluate their fire risk and fire mitigation options in the WUI. Both of these products have received awards and recognitions, and are used throughout the region. His current research in WUI fuels flammability and burn properties with the National Institute of Standards and Technology will further supplement this work, and continue to help homeowners make informed decisions about fire risk mitigation in the WUI
Dr. Long is an exceptional fire use educator, with a deeply rooted sense of stewardship for the forests of the US, especially those of the southeastern region. He is highly deserving of the Herbert Stoddard Sr. Award from the Association of Fire Ecology, for his multiple decades of service, leadership, and imparted knowledge on the importance of prescribed burning in sustaining ecosystem across the southern region. |
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