Brooksville to host wildfire risk reduction workshop

The free training is made possible through the Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan

July 1, 2026

By Staff

BROOKSVILLE—Volunteer firefighters, property managers, contractors, arborists, and interested community members are invited to participate in a fire risk reduction workshop on July 7 at the Brooksville Town House. According to a press release, participants will learn how to identify and reduce the risk of wildfire for homes located in “heavily wooded areas with years of accumulated forest floor debris.”

After a classroom-based training session that morning, participants will visit three nearby homes on Cape Rosier. Each home illustrates a different level of wildfire risk, the release said.

Kent Nelson, a forest ranger specialist and community wildfire/fuel reduction coordinator for the Maine Forest Service, will demonstrate what homeowners can do around the exterior of their homes to increase their resilience to wildfire. 

Rising outdoor temperatures, drought and stronger winds have accentuated wildfire risk in Maine, the release said.

A free online training course—NVFC Learning: Wildland Fire Assessment Program—is also available. The training will be “especially helpful when taken prior to the [July 7 workshop] but is not a requirement to participate,” the release said.

Both trainings are offered free of charge through the Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan, the release said. The protection plan is being developed for Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville Castine, Deer Isle, Isle au Haut, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Stonington and Surry.

Local officials are working on the plan in consultation with SWCA Environmental Consultants, a global environmental consulting firm with offices in southern Maine, the release said. SWCA is helping with data collection, community engagement and risk assessment.

Later this year, SWCA will present municipal leaders with “a set of recommendations that the towns can decide to implement,” the release said. Once the wildfire protection plan is complete, each of the 10 participating towns will qualify for funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. The program is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

The Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan is funded by a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service, the release said. The project is funded through congressionally directed spending secured by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King. An additional $10,000 was provided by the Island Institute to support Isle au Haut's participation, the release said. The Maine Forest Service, a part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, has provided staff support throughout the planning process.

To register for the July 7 workshop, email Debbie Grimmig at dgrimmig@myfairpoint.net. The event will be held rain or shine.