Since 2007, the US Forest Service (USFS) has collaborated with Morocco’s High Commission on Water, Forests and Combating Desertification (HC) on several natural resource management programs. Morocco’s forest resources are threatened by reduced rainfall, increased desertification, and wildfire. Forests in northern Morocco are critical to local livelihoods and recreation for residents and international visitors. These forests are also important timber resources for the HC as all revenue generated is returned to the HC budget and to rural communities for development. Because the ecology of forested areas in Morocco’s Mediterranean landscape is extremely prone to fires, the HC requested assistance from the USFS in enhancing fire management programs to improve management of Morocco’s rapidly shrinking forested areas. This assistance has taken many forms since initiated in 2012, including: support in adapting the Incident Command System to Morocco, helping to establish standard operating procedures and fire operations guides for the National Center for Forest Climate Risk Management (CRCF) that opened in Rabat in 2016, and mentoring/shadowing on live fire incidents. In November 2018, a USFS team conducted fire modeling training in Tetouan, Morocco to begin developing estimates of fire potential in Morocco’s Rif region, where 85% of the country’s forest fires have occurred historically. A core group of officials and staff from the CRCF will be visiting the Missoula Fire Lab the week of April 15 to continue work toward implementing fire modeling in Morocco. In this seminar, they will present information about their work in natural resource management and fire management in Morocco.

This presentation was part of the 2018-2019 Firelab Seminar Series.  A video is available at www.firelab.org.