Boon Chesson Hired to Coordinate NC Prescribed Fire Training Center Programs
Submitted by Terry Sharpe
The NC Prescribed Fire Council has been working closely with NC Division of Forest Resources (NC DFR), NC Wildlife Resources Commission, US Forest Service, NRCS, Environmental Impact RC&D, NC State Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy and others for the past two years to develop support and funding to establish a prescribed fire training center at Montgomery Community College (MCC) in Troy. The purpose of the center is to provide a central location, facilities, and logistical support to host training opportunities for burners from NC and beyond.
The initiative recently took a big step forward when MCC hired Boon Chesson as the NC Prescribed Fire Training Center Coordinator. The funding for the position was acquired by DFR through a USFS National Fire Plan Mitigation Grant. Boon has an Associate's Degree in Forest Management Technology from MCC and is a NC Certified Burner. He has been a Montgomery County Forest Landowner since 1974 and manages and maintains his long-leaf pine stands using prescribed fire.
Boon will be working part-time helping to coordinate prescribed fire workshops, trainings, and field tours over the coming months. He will be asking for suggestions and help from NC DFR employees and others on topics related to prescribed fire. The Prescribed Fire Training Center Concept is new to NC and Boon will be spending much of his time initially making contacts statewide in the burning community. Please take a minute to offer your contact information to Boon as well as anything you feel might be useful to him as he starts this new role.
Boon can be reached via e-mail at: chessonb@montgomery.edu.