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Year in Review
As another year draws to a close, we invite you to take five minutes out of your day and pause in thought. Take a few moments to consider the successes and struggles of 2021. There will certainly be time for imagining what a new year will bring; for now, let’s honor the year that finishes.
As we asked practitioners to reflect on the past 12 months, several key themes emerged. We share some of those themes here and invite you to reflect on your year as well.
We acknowledge the struggle has been real. 2021 was hard. Many experienced personnel changes in their organizations. Others changed jobs, agencies or even left fire altogether. Partners were hard to reach and some struggled to muster capacity to work together in familiar ways. Some practitioners wrestled with stress and burnout; exhausted from the relentless struggle to support change in our communities for the better. Fire “season” marched on, continuing its ever expanding scope and intensity. Work was hard and the pandemic continued to bring forth additional challenges and hardships. No matter where we live or what we believe, 2021 challenged us.
We are grateful for each other. With all of the tension and turmoil, it would be easy to lose sight of one another. Instead, we have seen practitioners laugh together, share insights, send documents, tell stories of failure, tell stories of success, and—in doing so—extend a hand to their counterparts across the country. Underlying it all is a current of gratitude for the companionship and collegiality that allows us to know that none of us are alone in this work. We are grateful for each other; for each other’s work but also for each other’s presence in our work.
We embraced discomfort to create change. Virtual meetings? No problem. Hybrid workshop? Handled. Redesign mitigation and prescribed fire programs for ever-changing COVID protocols? Completed. Meet short timelines to advocate for key legislation? Done. Another season of wildfire recovery? Underway. Time and time again, wildfire practitioners met the moment. Not simply by meeting the challenges, but by using those challenges to push us closer to a fire-adapted future.
We have hope for the future. Talking to practitioners about 2022 is a pretty wonderful thing. Yes, we are tired and there are occasionally tears. But there is also a feeling of optimism that was missing from New Year’s Eve 2020. In many ways, this optimism is reminiscent of the first green shoots of fireweed poking up through fire-darkened ground. Yes, there is a long road ahead, but we are alive. We are ready to meet the new day and the new year. We are together.
With love,
The FAC Net Staff Team
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