JFSP Projects in Progress
You may search JFSP Project Information by the following: Project Number, Title, Principal Investigator, Cooperators or key words contained in a brief description of the project.
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00-2-02: Fire Hazard Reduction in Chaparral Using Diverse Treatments |
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James Dawson |
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Chaparral is a fire-adapted vegetation type that is common at mid-elevations throughout the state of California. A very high fire hazard is associated with this vegetation type because of the nature of the chaparral foliage, low summer fuel moisture contents, and often steep terrain which chaparral occurs. Prescribed burning has been one the most commonly used techniques for the reduction of fuel loads in chaparral. However, complexities associated with prescribed burning of chaparral such as burning near housing developments, concerns over smoke production, and uncertainty about ecological impacts of burning in the winter and spring when soil moistures are high, have tempered use of this tool in recent years. Scientists’ efforts are targeted at comparing the efficacy of reducing the fuel levels using prescribed burning with mechanical (mastication and chipping) methods. The study will address the effects of season of treatment on (1) fire hazard reduction, (2) recovery of vegetation, (3) resurgence of fuels, and (4) costs of different treatments. Results of the study will be shared with fire managers and landowners through publications, short courses, and establishment of a demonstration area at the research site that will enable people to see first hand the impacts of these two methods. |
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00-2-04: Integrating Fuel and Forest management: Developing Prescriptions for the Central Hardwoods Region |
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Edward Loewenstein |
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The oak dominated forests, woodlands, and savannas in the Ozarks of southern Missouri have evolved under the influence of fire for thousands of years. Fire exclusion and timber harvesting in the last 50-100 years have led to increased fuel loads and changes in vegetation structure. While many federal, state, and non-governmental organizations are using prescribed fire as a tool to restore Missouri Ozark forests, little information is available on fuel loads, fuel reduction, and fire behavior on these sites. Researchers plan to quantify fuel loading, fire behavior, and cost effectiveness of four fuel reduction treatments (prescribed fire with overstory thinning, prescribed fire alone, thinning alone, and a no burn no harvest control). Three, 60-acre blocks of the study area will be developed into demonstration areas where managers and other interested parties will be able to see and evaluate the relative effects of these treatments. |
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00-2-05: Kings River and Lake Tahoe Basin Demonstration Sites for Fuel Treatments |
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Carolyn Hunsaker |
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Two sites - one a ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forest in the southern Sierra Nevada and one a mixed conifer forest in the Lake Tahoe Basin - will be set aside to serve as demonstration areas allowing for ready comparisons of the effects of prescribed fire and thinning with untreated (control) plots. These sites will be available for public viewing for a minimum of 15 years and will include signs and other interpretive material describing the management actions taking place. At the same time, researchers will use these sites to monitor changes in wildlife abundance and productivity, snags, stream flow and chemistry, nutrient cycling, soil properties, and vegetation before and after fuel treatments. |
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00-2-06: Conversion of Upland Loblolly Pine-Hardwood Stands to Longleaf Pine: Does it Influence Fuel Load, Restore Native Forest Cover, and Reduce Fire Danger |
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James Haywood |
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Without fire, wildland fuels accumulate quickly in the Southeast United States and understory vegetation soon shifts from a grass-dominated fine fuel cover to a woody plant cover of highly flammable shrubs. Recent efforts to restore native longleaf pine trees on sites now covered with loblolly pine and hardwood species have been problematic because it is difficult to get rid of the midlevel shrubs that change fire intensity and behavior and out-compete longleaf pine seedlings. Research is aimed at evaluating how different combinations of mechanical and controlled burning treatments effect the development of forest fuels and vegetative composition in sites being restored to longleaf pine. The study will continue over a period of 15 years and study sites will serve as demonstration areas for different fuel treatment options. |
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00-2-13: A Comparison of Silvicultural Practices for Controlling Mountain Laurel in the Mixed-Oak Forests of Pennsylvania |
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Patrick Brose |
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Fire suppression in mixed-oak forests of the Appalachian Mountains has allowed the shrub species, mountain laurel, to expand and create dense thickets that have the potential to burn intensely and by doing so change the species composition of stands. Foresters are unsure on what approach to take to economically control shrub growth while promoting oak regeneration and the growth of a variety of herbaceous species. Scientists plan to establish demonstration areas in two places in Pennsylvania that will showcase seven different treatment/treatment combinations for addressing the mountain laurel problem. The effects of these treatments on forest floor and shrub vegetation will be monitored for at least 7 years. |
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00-2-15: A Demonstration Area on Ecosystem Response to Watershed-Scale Burns in Great Basin Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands |
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Jeanne Chambers |
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Historically, much of the big sagebrush steppe in the Intermountain region was composed of open stands of shrubs with long-lived perennial grasses and forbs dominating the spaces between shrubs. Since the 1870s, pinyon and juniper woodlands have been encroaching on the sagebrush communities due to a number of human actions. More recently these areas have been invaded by exotic annual grasses. Together these vegetation changes have led to increases in fire frequency and severity in this region putting human life and property at risk. The reintroduction of fire is considered necessary for restoration of native ecosystems and reduction of hazardous fuels. Researchers will establish a demonstration area on national forests in central Nevada to study the costs and ecological impacts of implementing large scale prescribed burns in areas where pinyon and juniper populations are increasing in native Great Basin ecosystems. |
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00-2-19: Stand and fuel treatments for restoring old-growth ponderosa pine forests in the Interior West (Boise Basin Experimental Forest) |
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Russell Graham |
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The forests of the interior West have changed significantly over the past 100 years due in large part to timber harvesting and fire exclusion. The large, mature, ponderosa pine trees that have social as well as ecological and economic value are decreasing in number while dense stands of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir are increasing. Researchers are looking into the effects of various mechanical and fire treatments for reducing fuel hazards created by these dense understory stands while restoring and maintaining old growth ponderosa pine. The study is being conducted on the Boise Basin Experimental Forest, established in southern Idaho in 1933 for the purpose of conducting research on interior ponderosa pine forests. |
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00-2-20: Treatments that enhance the decomposition of forest fuels for use in partially harvested stands in the moist forests of the Northern Rocky Mountains (Priest River Experimental Forest) |
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Russell Graham |
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The moist forests in the Northern Rocky Mountains present a challenge for land managers desiring to reduce fuel levels using prescribed burning or mechanical treatments. This is a function of the low fire tolerance of many of the tree species, the presence of endangered species in these forests, and the complex mosaic of wildland urban interface in which these forests occur. Researchers are looking for alternatives to prescribed fire, piling and burning, and chipping as methods to reduce high fuel loads in the urban interface while maintaining forest values. The Priest River Experimental Forest, established in 1911 in Northern Idaho, is the site where a variety of mechanical treatments are being applied to moist forests to collect information on the ecological, social, and economic feasibility of these treatments and demonstrate innovative methods for managing forest fuels. |
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00-2-23: Managing fuels and forest structure in the Southern Boreal forest on Minnesota’s national forests |
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Marty Christensen |
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Minnesota’s northwoods are in a state of ecological, silvicultural, and social transition, and there are many competing views on what the forest should be. Maintenance of a healthy, diverse forest and clean lakes is critical to the regions economy. In the past, disturbance, including fire, wind, insects, snow, and ice interacted to create pre-settlement forests. Today human activities play a much larger role in the character of the forest. Researchers are developing and applying stand level fuel treatments for managing fuels in a way that maintains or restores critical structural, functional, and compositional features of fire dependent ecosystems in Minnesota. Information gained in this effort will help managers in selecting fuel treatment alternatives that meet forest structure objectives and forest health goals. |
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00-2-25: Demonstration plots for comparing fuel complexes and profile development in untreated stands versus stands treated for the management of spruce beetle outbreaks |
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Elizabeth Hebertson |
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Spruce beetle activity has increased dramatically on the National Forests in the Intermountain Region and resulted in considerable spruce mortality. To reduce the susceptibility of these stands to beetle attack, management treatments need to be applied to reduce forest density. However, these treatments could result in the production of large quantities of down and dead woody fuels and even greater fire hazards than that caused by the beetles. Researchers plan to establish permanent demonstration plots in Utah to compare responses of spruce-fir stands that have undergone density management treatments with those left untreated. Results of this study will be used to make appraisals and develop and implement fuel modification strategies including prescribed burning and mechanical treatments. |
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00-2-33: The Lick Creek Demonstration – Forest Renewal Through Partial Harvest and Fire |
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Ben Zamora |
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Silvicultural and harvesting practices used in Washington’s Umatilla National Forest in the 1960s and 1970s have led to current conditions where stands are overstocked with small diameter, shade-tolerant tree species (grand fir and Douglas fir) that are competing with the more desirable ponderosa pine and western larch. Understory vegetation that is important for elk and other wildlife species is being suppressed and surface and ladder fuels have accumulated to the point of creating a severe wildfire hazard. Current plans call for partial harvesting in combination with prescribed fire to achieve a more desirable stand structure and composition. Scientists are developing a visual demonstration of the use of selective, partial harvest combined with prescribed fire to renew forest health and reduce fire hazard. The demonstration area will provide the opportunity for the public, professionals and students to observe first hand how treatments affect the ecological relationships among species. |
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01-3-2-02: Tree regeneration response to fire restoration in mixed-conifer forest |
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Andrew Gray |
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In the mixed-conifer zone of the Sierra Nevada, selective harvest and fire suppression over the past 70 years have resulted in increased abundance of dense thickets of white fir and incense cedar resulting in changes in species composition, increased stem density and ladder fuels. Fire cannot be safely reintroduced into the ecosystem without first reducing stem densities and ladder fuels through thinning. However, the fundamental ecosystem response to thinning and thinning plus burning has not been systematically examined. Scientists will examine the effects of alternative fire re-introduction and fire surrogate techniques on tree and shrub regeneration and mortality. Particular attention will be paid to how changes in availability in soil moisture and light affect these stands following treatments. Results from this study will help managers in selecting suitable fuel treatments for achieving specific project objectives. |
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01-3-2-03: Prescribed fires in mid-Atlantic coastal plain forests |
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Oliver Pattee |
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Prescribed fire is being implemented in mid-Atlantic coastal plain forests to reduce hazardous fuel loads, however no studies on the effectiveness of these treatments in reducing fuels and their ecological impacts have been conducted in the mid-Atlantic. Researchers will conduct prescribed burns and examine the effects on hazardous fuel levels, on the ground and shrub vegetative layers, on density of the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel, and on invasive weed cover. Results from this study will help managers plan and implement programs to maximize fuel reduction, minimize spread of invasive plants and maximize benefits to the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel. |
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01-3-2-08: Risk assessment of fuel management practices on hillslope erosion processes |
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Peter Robichaud |
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The urban-wildland interface is becoming a major concern not only for fire suppression, but also post-fire rehabilitation. Millions of dollars are spent annually on mitigation measures after wildfires, but the effectiveness of these measures has limited documentation. Managers need the ability to compare the impact of pre- and post- fire management options on hillslope erosion. Scientists will gather information on the effectiveness and limitations of a variety of treatments and will compare effectiveness in response to large storms following wildfire. Results of this work will be incorporated into the existing Erosion Risk Management Tool to extend its usefulness for managers in making decisions about pre- and post-fire treatments including the option of no treatment. |
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01-3-3-13: Fire and forest structure across vegetation gradients in San Juan National Forest, Colorado: a multi–scaled historical analysis |
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Peter Brown |
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Profound changes in forest structure in many forests of the western United States have resulted from fire exclusion and land use that accompanied Euro-American settlement. To better document the impacts of fire exclusion and land use on different forest types, specific quantitative data are needed to compare and contrast forest conditions at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Researchers intend to reconstruct past fires and resulting forest structure of forests in the San Juan National Forest in southern Colorado using state of the art dendrochronological methods. Results of this work will have direct applicability to on-going and proposed forest restoration and fuels treatments in the San Juan and adjacent national forests. |
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01-3-3-30: Including fire effects information in a manual of California vegetation |
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Michael McCoy |
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Synthesized information on the interactions of fire and vegetation and how these vary across ecoregions and vegetation types is lacking for many parts of California. Most of the information exists in locations and formats not readily available to land managers. Researchers will conduct workshops in California with local botanists, ecologists, fire scientists, and fire ecologists to fill in gaps in information on the characteristic plant species and fire regimes for various vegetation alliances. This along with other information from published and unpublished documents will be synthesized and published in a revision of A Manual of California Vegetation that should serve as a valuable resource for fire managers, biologists, ecologists and others who prepare fire management plans. |
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01-3-3-32: Changes in fire regimes and the successional status of table mountain pine (Pinus pungens Lamb.) in the Southern Appalachians |
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Henri Grissino-Mayer |
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Table mountain pine is an ecologically valuable species found only in the Appalachian region of the United States and is heavily dependent on repeated surface fires for successful regeneration. Alterations to fire regimes in the southern Appalachians due to fire exclusion policies may be preventing the establishment of new pine seedlings, leading to concerns that the species may eventually be extirpated. The site-specific fire history of table mountain pine stands remains unknown. Scientists will use dendroecological techniques to investigate both the age structure and fire history of table mountain pine populations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding national forests. Results will provide managers with information critical for reintroducing fire into forests where this pine species exists. |
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01-3-3-34: Effects of fire on biological soil crusts and their subsequent recovery at the great basin Pinyon-Juniper Demonstration Area |
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Steven Warren |
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Biological soil crusts, composed primarily of cyanobacteria, algae, and lichens play essential roles in soil stability and nutrient cycling in many arid and semiarid ecosystems in the western U.S. Information on the effects of fire on biological soil crusts in the pinyon-juniper ecotype is missing. Researchers will document the effects of fire on biological soil crusts and their subsequent recovery following a prescribed burn on Forest Service and BLM land in central Nevada. Results of this study will provide a better understanding of long-term consequences of wildfires on soil biological communities. In addition, insights may be gained into how to facilitate recovery of these crusts. |
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01B-3-2-01: Impacts of Prescribed Burning on the Survival of Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine in the Boise National Forest |
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Robert Progar |
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There is a scarcity of information on the direct (fire related) and indirect (insect related) effects of prescribed fire on the health of Douglas fir and ponderosa pine forests. Researchers are seeking to fill these information gaps by conducting a study to compare tree mortality on burned and unburned plots over a three-year post-burn period. Results of the study will provide fundamental information to forest managers in the Intermountain west who use prescribed fire to manage forest fuel loads. |
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01B-3-3-06: Interactions of Burn Season and Ecological Condition on Ecosystem Response to Fire in the Mountain Big Sagebrush Communities: Information Necessary for Restoration and Postfire Rehabilitation |
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Boone Kauffman |
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The vegetative structure of big sagebrush communities has been significantly altered over time due primarily to fire exclusion and grazing. Invasions by exotic annual grasses such as cheatgrass and encroachment by juniper species have led to increases in fire size and frequency. Restoring these sagebrush communities to a more natural fire regime and species composition requires knowledge of what fire conditions will enhance or deter native plant establishment. Scientists are studying how areas dominated by exotic species or by native species respond to prescribed fires conducted in different seasons. Study results will help to unravel the linkages between fire and ecosystem characteristics and be of value in developing protocols for successful ecological restoration. |
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01B-3-3-18: Fire regimes of forests in the Peninsular and Transverse Ranges of Southern California |
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Carl Skinner |
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The science of dendrochronology has been used in many areas of the United States to reconstruct fire frequency, fire season, and fire extent from past fires. Some areas of California (southern Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe Basin) have been extensively sampled for fire history but similar research in the southern California mountains has not been done. Researchers are working to analyze fire history information from the four national forests in southern California (the Cleveland, San Bernardino, Angeles, and Los Padres). Results of this research can assist in development of fire management and forest plans that will be revised in response to the recently released Southern California Mountains and Foothills Assessment. |
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01B-3-3-24: Development a methodology for Building Long-term Fire History in Great Basin Valley landscapes |
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Pat Barker |
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One goal of land management is to preserve landscapes in their natural state, yet it remains unclear what the natural state of much of the Great Basin, is, was, or should be. In addition, much of the valley areas are now dominated by exotic fire adapted species like cheatgrass that thrive on frequent burning. Land managers interested in reducing frequent fires and establishing fire intervals that support continued existence of sagebrush ecosystems need baseline data on the pre-European fire history. Scientists are developing methods for collecting and analyzing data so that they can reconstruct the fire history of the sage-grass landscapes providing managers with the information they need to better manage fire in these landscapes. |
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01C-3-1-02: Armells Creek prescribed fire demonstration project |
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Clayton Marlow |
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01C-3-3-01: An integrated assessment of the historical role and contemporary uses of prescribed fire in southern Appalachian ecosystems |
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James Vose |
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01C-3-3-02: Implications of fire and fire surrogate treatments on fisher habitat in the Sierra Nevada |
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Richard Truex |
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01C-3-3-10: Restoration of dry, montane meadows through prescribed fire, vegetation, and fuels management: A program of research and adaptive management in western Oregon |
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Frederick Swanson |
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01C-3-3-12: Effects of fire on Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus fendleri variety kuenzleri), and endangered species in the northern Chihuahuan desert |
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David Wester |
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01C-3-3-17: Evaluation communication strategies and local partnerships: Methods for reducing fuels, sharing responsibility, and building trust |
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Bruce Shindler |
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01C-3-3-21: Characterizing moisture regimes for assessing fuel availability in North Carolina vegetation communities |
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Roberta Bartlette |
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01C-3-3-25: Fire regimes and forest reference conditions for prescribed fire management of relic mixed conifer forests in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas |
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Ellis Richard |
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03-3-2-04: Prescribed burning to protect large diameter pine trees from wildfire-Can we do it without killing the trees we’re trying to save |
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Kevin Ryan |
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This study addresses Task 2 of the RFP by implementing an administrative study to meet the local land management need of knowing how to best prescribe burn in areas of large-diameter and old-growth trees to reduce fuels without killing desirable trees. The study will 1) evaluate the economic feasibility and biologic effectiveness of removing duff mounds away from trees to reduce large tree mortality and 2) develop prescribed fire guidelines to reduce damage to large-diameter ponderosa and Jeffery pine in areas of deep duff. By removing duff, managers could potentially burn under a wider range of weather conditions and different season, leading to more acres treated with less large-diameter tree mortality and fewer bard beetle attacks. This effort will give prescribed fire managers and line officers better criteria when making prescribed burn decisions for areas containing large diameter trees. |
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03-3-2-05: Effects if Prescribed Burning on Mycorrhizal Fungi in Crater Lake National Park |
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Kermit Cromack, Jr. |
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This study will utilize the replicated prescribed burn study by Dr. James Agee and Dr. Mark Huff funded by JFSP, and established in 2002 in Crater Lake National Park. Treatments are early and late spring and fall burns plus nonburned controls. Fungus plots will be placed within each burn treatment replicate for collection of data in spring and fall over 3 years, beginning in 2003, as follows: number of species of mycorrhizal fungi, number and biomass of fruit-bodies by species, and area occupied by mycorrizal mycelial mats in the soil. Both epigeous (mushroom forming) and hypogeous (truffle forming) species will be collected. Data on explanatory variables collected by Dr. Agee and us will be shared to expand the statistical analyses and interpretive value of both studies. The results will be interpreted in terms of effects of the treatments on fungal fruiting populations with special reference to providing managers with information for scheduling prescribed fire to minimize damage to mycorrhizal fungi and their ecosystem functions. |
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03-3-2-06: Effects of Mechanically Generated Slash Particle Size on Prescribed Fire Behavior and Subsequent Vegetation Effects |
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Richy Harrod |
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This administrative study is designed to assess mechanical fuels treatment of non-merchantable trees with mastication equipment. We propose to use an experimental design to quantify relationships among mastication effort, different sized activity fuels resulting from different mastication effort, fire behavior, fire effects, soil effects, and vegetation response. We propose to test the effectiveness of different mastication efforts on fire behavior and potential soil impacts in replicated dense stands of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests. Fuels will be measured utilizing standard methods at grid points, vegetation will be measured in four plots per stand, soil organic matter and nutrient availability will be measured at grid points, and production rates and costs will be determined for each replicated stand. The results of the study will be used to provide a management-oriented guide for developing thinning prescriptions using mastication systems and the subsequent prescribed burning. In addition, scientific publications will be published describing effects of mastication thinning and burning on fuels and fire behavior, forest vegetation, soils, and economics. The results of the study will be applicable to current management strategies on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests as well as other Forests throughout that are managing dry forest vegetation. |
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03-3-2-07: Fire effects on Yuma Clapper Rails and California Black Rails on the Lower Colorado River |
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Courtney Conway |
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This project will evaluate the effects of fire on Yuma clapper rails and California black rails in the southwestern U.S. We will utilize a BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) experimental design to assess the effects of fire on bird abundance, preferred habitat, and food availability. We will collaborate with land managers, fire specialists, and research scientists in the region from USFWS, AGFD, USGS, BLM, and BOR. This project addresses the needs outlined in Task Statements 2 and 3 of AFP2003-3. The results of the project will help determine whether prescribed fire can be used as a management tool in wetlands in the southwestern U.S. to enhance rail habitat without adversely affecting endemic endangered and threatened birds using those wetlands. The results will also ensure that land manager’s proposed (and current) management activities do not adversely affect populations of these endangered birds. |
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03-3-3-11: Evaluating Effects of Fuels Treatments on Native Flora and Fauna: Restoration in Weed-invaded Landscapes of the Northern Rocky Mountains |
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Yvette Ortega |
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This project will build an on going study to evaluate the effects of combined prescribed fire and herbicide treatments on big game, small mammals, birds, and habitat conditions associated with open forests. Established study sides on the Lolo NF in Montana were treated with herbicide in September 2002, to be followed by prescribed burning in spring 2003. Post-treatment sampling of flora and fauna using standard protocols at 8 treatment and 8 no-treat control sites is funded through FY 2003. We request funds for FY 2004-2005 to complete quantification of treatment effects. Because pre-treatment datasets have already been compiled and extensive financial support has been obtained, research costs are greatly reduced, and definitive results will be available to wildland management in the northern Rocky Mountains, providing comprehensive information on the ecological effects of combin3ed burning and herbicide treatments on native plants and animals. |
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03-3-3-15: Relationships of an Alien Plant, Fuel Dynamics, Fire Weather and unprecedented wildfires in Hawaiian Rain Forests: Implications for Fire Management at Hawaii ’s Volcanoes National Park |
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Rhonda Loh |
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In this study, we will examine the relationships among the alien sword fern and fuels, fire weather, fuel chemistry, and moisture dynamics in tropical rain forests of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . We will quantify fuel loads, fuel moisture dynamics, and in-stand microclimate in unburned native-dominated stands and in those that have been invaded by sword fern. We will also measure these parameters in recently burned stands (stand-replacing fires) that had been dominated by sword fern and those that had been free of sword fern. We will relate changes in fuel loads and microclimate to changes in plant composition and diversity. Microclimate and fuel data are important to know if, and to what magnitude fuels and microclimate feedbacks are facilitating frequent fire and hence creating a barrier for rain forest recovery. We will use the above empirical measures to determine fire potential behavior under invaded and un-invaded scenarios as well as in pre-and post –fire conditions of each scenario using the BEHAVE program. |
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03-3-3-36: Fuels reduction in oak woodlands, shrub lands and grasslands of SW Oregon: Consequences for native plants and invasion by non-native species |
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Patricia Muir |
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Decades of fire suppression have led to an unnatural accumulation of fuels and changes in many ecosystems, including those of the oak woodlands, shrub lands, and grasslands of Southwestern Oregon. Land managers on the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in this region, much of which is in urban/wildland interface, are attempting to decrease fuel-loads and restore ecosystems that have been altered by fire suppression using several methods, including mechanized “slash busting,” hand cutting of brush and small trees followed by piling and burning, and prescribed fire. In addition, much of the treated area is being seeded with native grasses to minimize the threat of invasion by nonnative plants and stabilize soils. These treatments have been applied to over 5,000 acres since 1995 in the Ashland Resource Area (ARA) of the BLM alone. However, little is known about the consequences of these treatments for native plant communities (which include several sensitive species and which, in many cases, have been substantially altered from their natural condition by fire suppression-induced changes in vegetation), invasion by exotic plant species, or subsequent fire behavior and effects. We propose to study these consequences in oak woodlands, shrub lands and grasslands, working largely in the Applegate Valley Adaptive Management Area of the ARA using a combination of retrospective and prospective approaches. The work is directed towards Tasks 2 and 3 from AFP 2003-3 and Task 4 from AFP 2003-1. Results are expected to yield effective stand-level treatments that reduce fire hazard while simultaneously fostering the restoration of native plant communities, minimizing invasion by exotic species, and allowing for safe reintroduction of fire to the landscape. The work will benefit land managers by providing information on outcomes of the various fuels treatments that will enable them to make informed decisions for future management. Results will also be used to inform the public about the utility of recommended approaches and will contribute to our basic scientific understanding of processes that affect plant and animal communities in these and similar areas. |
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03-3-3-57: The Effects of Prescribed Fire Season and Fire Surrogates on Crown-Fire Adapted Knobcone Pine Forests |
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James Dawson |
Other Cooperators: Scott
Stephens, University of California |
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The objective of this study is to contrast the efficacy of prescribed burning in different seasons, mechanical methods and fire, and mechanical methods alone in regenerating knobcone pine forests. This work will assist in the development of land management plans for the BLM Cow Mountain National Recreational Area. In achieving the primary objective several secondary objectives will be addressed including the effect of the season of fire and fire surrogates on (1) fire hazard reduction, (2) recovery of competing vegetation, (3) resurgence of fuels, and (4) costs of the different treatments, and (5) identification of the most effective treatment for regeneration of knobcone pine that is least intrusive to air quality. An experiment is proposed at the Bureau of Land Management Cow Mountain Recreation Area using a complete randomize design with replication (3 replicates for prescribed fire treatments including spring and fall burns, 3 replicates of mechanical and fire treatments including felling and lop and scatter followed by prescribed fire in spring and fall, and 3 replicates of mechanical only in spring and fall). Pre-treatment vegetation and fuels data will be collected in all units and post-treatment tree, shrub, and fuel variables will be measured. Technology transfer will occur with a combination of written materials, a world wide web site, and short courses for manages. The University of California Extension services will be used to disseminate results. |
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04-2-1-06: Fire in the Southern Appalachians: Fuels, Stand Structure and Oaks |
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David Loftis |
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This proposal addresses these knowledge gaps through studies that examine the effects of frequent and infrequent prescribed fire on stand structure, response of seedlings, recruitment, and residual trees, and fuels. We initiated a small study with limited university and Forest Service funding starting in 1995, and more recently initiated a more comprehensive study with JFSP funding. As part of the technology transfer component of our JFSP-funded project we held meetings with managers and researchers in which managers articulated the need for quantification of fuels and bole damage. As a result we incorporated measurements of fuels, bole damage, and health class of crowns into our study design prior to implementation of burning in 2003. |
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04-2-1-14: Effects of disturbance history, landscape pattern, and weather on wildfire severity in southwestern Oregon: Implications for management of a fire-prone landscape |
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Thomas Spies |
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The project has three major objectives: 1) Determine how fire severity in stands is influenced by history of management actions and wildfire; 2) Evaluate the relative contribution of vegetation structure, topography, landscape pattern, and weather to variation in the fire severity and 3) Characterize the spatial pattern and spatial correlation of vegetation changes resulting from the fire. We will conduct an analysis of fire severity using pre- and post-fire aerial photography, a managed stand data base, stand exams, FIA plots and other GIS layers. Fire severity will be measured in terms of damage to tree cover. We will use an existing vegetation change analysis conducted with TM imagery to characterize general spatial patterns of fire severity. Logistic regression and spatial statistics will be used to test hypotheses about the relative importance of different factors in explaining the variation in fire severity. |
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04-2-1-17: Effects of Fuel Reduction Treatments on Rocky Mountain Elk |
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John Kie |
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Many western forests are characterized by overstocked stands, high fuel loads, and a high percentage of mortality from insect outbreaks. Recently passed federal legislation such as the Healthy Forests Initiative will allow land managers to intensively reduce fuel loadings on hundreds of thousands of acres. Little is known, however, about such treatments on many species of wildlife. One such species is Rocky Mountain elk, populations of which occur throughout most of the intermountain west, and provide an important recreational resource to both consumptive and non-consumptive users. We propose to examine how elk respond to a fuel reduction program consisting of mechanical treatments and prescribed fire. |
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04-2-1-27: Multi-Jurisdictional Application of Forest ERA Landscape Decision Support Tools in North-Central New Mexico |
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Thomas Sisk |
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The agencies involved in forest and fire planning in north-central New Mexico have formed a collaborative to develop landscape-scale data and to conduct a multi-jurisdictional scientific analysis of wildfire risks and treatment alternatives and priorities. This project will provide a common scientific foundation for working together to strategically plan, prioritize and collaborate on fuels reduction and restoration treatments. This application of ForestERA will address the specific objectives and information needs of the project partners and sponsors, develop locally specific data, synthesize the data using innovative spatial analytical techniques, and provide a diversity of planning tools in a “seamless” manner that is powerful, yet transparent, flexible, and reasonably user-friendly. The scientific toolbox that is developed will be linked to a planning process that empowers the local managers to use the science in a helpful and responsible manner. |
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04-2-1-33: Epidemic Southern Pine Beetle Attacks: A Problem of Fuel-Loading or an Opportunity for Management |
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Thomas Waldrop |
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The Piedmont Region of South Carolina has experienced one of the heaviest attacks of southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) in history over the past 3 years. Separate managers with both commercial objectives and restoration objectives have requested information on how prescribed burning or mechanical treatments can be used to reduce the heavy fuels resulting from these attacks, without neglecting their primary management objectives. Prescribed burning is of concern because intensities are expected to be high and fires may damage soils, neighboring trees, or target vegetation. Methods of predicting fire behavior and fuel consumption are unavailable. Mechanical treatments will reduce fuels but are expensive and may not control vegetation that would out-compete planted pines, oak sprouts, or other target vegetation. This project will use beetle-killed areas on a commercial forest, a national forest, and a national military park as treatment areas to compare winter burning, summer burning, and mechanical fuel reduction. Response variables will include vegetation inside and outside of beetle-killed areas, soil fertility and structure, fire behavior, and fuel reduction. Resulting analyses will provide local managers a better understanding of the tradeoffs between prescribed fire and mechanical fuel reduction in areas with unusually heavy fuel loads. |
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04-2-1-35: Effects of 40 years of prescribed fire on pine regeneration and productivity |
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Carl Trettin |
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The central question of this study is derived from a pilot study that showed that the long burning history has adversely affected site productivity. Why does the regenerated stand show an effect from the legacy of fire treatments when there was no apparent soil damage from the fires? That result suggests that (1) fire affects studies in mature stands is not representative of long-term responses, and (2) that regeneration may be more sensitive to changes in soil chemical and physical properties. This proposal supports a detailed assessment of the vegetation, productivity and soil biogeochemistry in an attempt to address these critically important questions, and it provides the benchmark for continuing the fire treatments, now that the stand is of sufficient stature. The findings from this work may have significant repercussions with respect to interpreting short-term fire effects studies, and cause us to rethink our approaches for measuring and monitoring site responses. |
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04-2-1-52: Productivity and Habitat Use of Spotted Owls in relation to fire severity in southwestern Oregon: Can prescribed burns be used to reduce fire hazards in spotted owl habitat |
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Robert Anthony |
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There is little information available on the effects of prescribed fire on the nesting, foraging and roosting requirements of spotted owls.This proposal will gather post-wildfire occupancy and reproductive success data at known spotted owl territories where pre-fire data exists at three study areas in southwestern Oregon. We will radio-tag a sample of spotted owls at one study area where an earlier radio telemetry study was conducted and compare pre to post-fire habitat utilization. We will use statistical analyses to relate spotted owl occupancy, reproductive success, nesting, roosting, and foraging relative to the pattern and severity of wildfire. We will use data from wildfire affected landscapes to develop guidelines that will assist land managers in planning and implementing prescribed fire in spotted owl territories in southwestern Oregon. |
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04-2-1-71: Quality Assurance of Weather Data and the Probability of Favorable Weather for Prescribed Fire in Alaska |
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Narasimhan Larkin |
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At the request of the Alaska Wildland Fire Coordinating Group (AWFCG), as and the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry Northern Region, we will correct data availability and quality assurance problems surrounding the Alaskan Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) and other weather station data, as well as the lack of prescribed fire and forecast tools associated with the lack of quality assured weather station data. The sum total of this work will not only directly benefit Alaska, but will also provide a suite of tools that can be distributed to provide benefits in other locations. |
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04-2-1-75: A Landscape Level Approach to Fuels Management Through Ecological Restoration: Developing a Knowledge Base for Application to Historic Oak-Pine Savanna |
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Bart Johnson |
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We propose to develop an analytical framework and directly applicable data for the ecological restoration of historical oak-pine savanna communities at both site-specific and landscape scales to reduce fuel loading and wildfire risk at the wildland-urban interface in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. A reduction in fire frequency, along with other factors, has resulted in the conversion of many oak-pine savanna communities to conifer forests with high fuel loadings and increased probability of catastrophic fires. This approach maximizes societal benefits from management actions by simultaneously protecting communities and natural resources from catastrophic fire while restoring key native ecosystems that have been identified as conservation priorities. Project objectives include (a) analysis of oak-pine distribution, health, and threats to persistence in relation to soils, site physiography, fuel loading, and vegetation using multivariate statistical techniques in the southern Willamette Valley, (2) analysis of the spatio-temporal patterns of succession from oak-pine savanna to Douglas-fir forest in relation to edaphic and site physiographic features, (3) evaluation of the potential for combining oak-pine savanna restoration with fuels reduction management, and (4) development of recommendations for the joint process of restoration and fuels management across a range of key historical and contemporary oak-pine community types. |
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04-2-1-77: Using Cattle as Fuel Reduction Agents in Annual and Perennial Grass Stands in Northern Nevada |
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Christopher Call |
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There is a need for low-cost methods to reduce the fuel loading/fire spread in these cheatgrass-dominated and crested wheatgrass-dominated areas. The purpose of this project is to work with local ranchers and land managers in the BLM Winnemucca District to determine the effectiveness of using cattle as fuel reduction agents. Specific objectives are to: 1) evaluate intensive cattle grazing as a method for reducing the fire hazard of cheatgrass and crested wheatgrass stands; 2) evaluate intensive cattle grazing as a method for reducing the seed bank of cheatgrass; 3) determine the cost effectiveness of cattle grazing as a fuel reduction treatment; and 4) disseminate experimental results and management implications to land managers and other interested individuals. |
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04-2-1-80: Development and demonstration of smoke plume, fire emissions, and pre- and post-prescribed fire fuel models on North Carolina Coastal Plain forest ecosystems |
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Robert Mickler |
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The proposed research will provide fire management tools to land managers that integrate fuel loading, fire emissions, and smoke plume measurements and modeling. The objectives are to (1) Inventory, map, and model live and down woody debris/fuels biomass utilizing USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis P2 and P3 field plot protocols, develop fuel loading formulas for fire behavior models in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Air Force Dare County Bombing Range in the North Carolina Coastal Plain, and incorporate data from Coastal Plain forest types into the fuel characteristic classification (FCC) system and the FARSITE fire behavior model; (2) Validate the USDA Forest Service PB-Coastal Plain smoke model, the BlueSky smoke prediction system, and the BlueSky Rapid Access Information System (BlueSkyRAINS) for the near-coastal land-water interface, including differences in vegetative land use; (3) Characterize photochemically active and radiatively important trace gases as well as PM emissions from prescribed burns in Coastal Plain forest types and histosol soils, and (4) Deliver personal computer and web-based decision support tools for estimating inputs of live biomass and down woody debris/fuels into a fire behavior model, real-time smoke plume models, and an emissions model for prescribed burns for use by federal and state land managers in North Carolina specifically, and other users throughout the Coastal Plain of the southeastern US. |
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04-2-1-84: Translating SPLATs from a theoretical to a real world landscape: The implications of fuel management strategies for Sagehen Creek Basin, Tahoe National Forest |
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John Battles |
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The primary goal of the proposed administrative study is: To evaluate the effectiveness of strategically placed area treatments (SPLAT) in reducing fire hazard at Sagehen Creek Basin. Our approach is first to build a field-parameterized version of the fire behavior model, FARSITE, and simulate alternative fuel management designs. The performances of these designs would be evaluated in terms of slowing fire spread and reducing fire intensity. The data needed to develop the map layers for FARSITE would be obtained from a network of geo-referenced field plots where we would measure the fire-relevant attributes of the vegetation and the surface fuels. Since these attributes are not only heterogeneous but also resistant to measurement via remote sensing, we will explore innovative, efficient field methods for assessing fuel loads. We will capitalize on the long-term monitoring record at Sagehen to quantify the recent trends in forest change and use the results to inform fuel management strategies. Our hope is that the specific lessons learned during this intensive study of one landscape will help guide planning for other management units in the Tahoe National Forest and other forest in the Sierra Nevada. The presence of Sagehen Creek Field Station provides vital infrastructure support to extend these results to both professional managers and the interested public. |
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04-2-1-85: Does season of burn and burn interval affect soil productivity and processes in a ponderosa pine ecosystem |
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Darlene Zabowski |
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Prescribed burning is currently in use in many forests to restore fuel loads to historic levels and return forests to pre-fire suppression burn intervals. A study is currently underway in the southern Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon that is examining the effects of season of burn and fire return interval on forest growth, insect and disease mortality, understory vegetation and fuel consumption. This project has 5 treatments: spring burning at 5-year interval, spring burning at 15-year interval, fall burning at 5-year interval, fall burning at 15-year interval, and a no-burn control. To date, 2 of the 5-year burns have occurred (with the most recent burn in 2002), and 1 has been implemented 6 years ago in the 15-year burn interval plots for both spring and fall burning. No examination of prescribed burning effects on soils has been done at this site, yet prescribed burning may have substantial effects on soil properties. The forests of this semi-arid region could experience changes in both soil water availability and nutrient availability, which could affect forest health. We propose to examine season of burn and burn interval effects on soil moisture, soil temperature, and nutrient availability and compare these with growth, insect and disease mortality, and understory vegetation. |
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04-2-1-86: Measurement of mercury mobilization and accumulation in fish in response to prescribed fire in a boreal forest ecosystem |
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Randall Kolka |
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Mercury (Hg) has been identified as one of today's most important environmental contaminants. Mercury contamination in fish is well known in the Great Lake States as well as in the northeast U.S, Canada, and northern Europe, even in remote wilderness areas. Although we are beginning to understand the Hg cycle in forested systems and the important Hg species that lead to bioaccumulation in the food chain, little is known of how wildland or prescribed fire affects Hg cycling processes and thus there is a significant data gap in land management decisions regarding use of prescribed fires in fuels management and in response to wildfires. In this study we will address that data gap by assessing Hg cycling processes in both pre- and post-burned watersheds in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area located in the Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota. The prescribed burning program on the Superior National Forest was developed in response to a major blowdown event that occurred in 1999. The study area provides a rare opportunity to study fire/ecosystem Hg interactions in a wilderness that is dominated by lakes and wetlands. We will select undeveloped lakes in both burned (5 treatment lakes) and unburned (5 control lakes) watersheds and measure total-Hg, methyl-Hg (bioaccumulative form of Hg) and other important ions in precipitation, throughfall, soil, lake water and in 1+ year fish (perch) both pre-burn and post-burn, to assess sources of Hg and determine if changes in sources alters the concentration of Hg in fish. Our hypothesis is that prescribed fire will have a significant effect on Hg cycling within a watershed. In the short term (months to years) increased mobilization and transportation in burned watersheds may result in an increase in fish Hg concentrations. The research proposed here fits well with priorities listed in task statement #1 regarding studies to address locally important data gaps associated with planning and implementation of fuels treatment and post-fire implications. The results of this study will be critically important as federal agencies, especially the USDA Forest Service, ramp up efforts to control fuel loads across the nation. If prescribed fire enhances the watershed transport and bioaccumulation of Hg in fish, other fuel reduction techniques and/or post-fire management should be considered, especially in sensitive regions such as the boreal region where high levels of Hg in fish is already a concern. |
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04-2-1-89: Effects of Prescribed Burning, Mechanical, and Chemical Treatments to Curtail Rhododendron Dominance and Reduce Urban Interface Fuel Loads |
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Shep Zedaker |
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After more than a century of fire exclusion in the Appalachian Mountains, the distribution of rhododendron and its dominance of forest understories have increased. Rhododendron's expansion has been enhanced by shifts to partial cutting as clearcutting is reduced on both public and private land. Rhododendron is also a favored landscape plant for people living in the urban interface because it is green year-round and has beautiful flowers. This administrative study is aimed at determining the cost and effectiveness of prescribed fire, mechanical cutting, herbicides, and combinations of these treatments on rhododendron fuel reduction. |
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04-2-1-94: Effects of Fire Severity and Distance from Unburned Edge on Mammalian Community Post-fire Recovery |
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Jay Diffendorfer |
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This study will rely on a substantial pre-fire database and original field studies to document patterns of reestablishment by mammal species and communities following the October-November, 2003, wildfires in San Diego County. These processes will be examined as functions of pre-fire fuel status, burn severity, and distance from fire perimeter in order to inform future fuel management decisions in this hotspot of biological diversity and fire-prone habitats. With extensive collaboration between federal agencies (USFS, USGS, BLM, Military) and University and NGO scientists, we will build on an extensive pre-fire database of mammal species distributions that has been collated for the San Diego County Mammal Atlas project. Using standard field sampling methods (live-trapping, Anabat recorders, track transects) we will resample mammal communities in burned and unburned plots where we have existing pre-burn mammal data on federal and nonfederal lands. We will also sample in areas of varying burn severity, different habitat types, and at varying distances inside the burn perimeter, to ascertain how pre-fire fuel conditions (e.g., as a result of previous fires or fuel treatments) and distance from unburned refugia affect patterns of reestablishment for various mammalian taxa. This information can help guide decisions on the size, location, and intensity of prescribed fires in various habitats so as to avoid conflicts with wildlife management goals in this biodiversity hotspot. |
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04-2-1-95: The influences of post-fire salvage logging on wildlife populations |
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John Cissel |
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Large fires in recent years have increased interest in post-fire salvage logging to recoup some of the economic benefits from the forest. However, despite considerable concern and interest, there is relatively little empirical work evaluating the ecological effects of post-fire logging. We propose to evaluate the influences of two intensities of post-fire salvage on populations of small mammals, bats, and birds. Our work will be among the first to use a replicated manipulative experimental design to evaluate wildlife response to post-fire salvage logging. |
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04-2-1-96: Refinement and Development of Fire Management Decision Support Models Through Field Assessment of Relationships Between Stand Characteristics, Fire Behavior and Burn Severity |
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Ann Camp |
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The first objective of this research is to develop a flammability curve model for black spruce boreal forest types using currently available datasets of seral stage stand characteristics and appropriate fuel attributes followed by testing this curve with data collected from wildfire and prescribed fire events. This process will serve land management agencies well in creating long-term natural resource management plans that balance ecological and social needs by providing a faster, reliable method of defining fuel hazards at a landscape scale. The second objective of this research is to assess two black spruce fuel type fuel model inputs for decision support models widely used in Alaska through direct field measurements of fire behavior. This objective will add an additional degree of confidence to the application of these models and any discrepancies between actual fire behavior and model predictions will be used to recommend specific changes to improve the model’s application in the Alaskan black spruce boreal forest type. Data obtained from fire events are unique and will have broader potential applications for improving a host of forest simulation models used for boreal forests. This project will realize significant cost savings by merging data collection efforts with Roger Ottmar’s current JFSP project (AFP 2003-2 Task #1). Products will be distributed through web page dissemination, published materials and workshops with Alaska fire and land managers. |
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04-2-1-97: The effect of spring prescribed fires on nitrogen dynamics within riparian and stream ecosystems |
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Kathleen Kavanagh |
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This replicated study will investigate causal mechanisms that regulate nitrogen (N) dynamics between intermittent headwater streams, riparian vegetation and soil following a spring prescribed burn by (a) measuring the magnitude and origin of soil N and C pools in burned and unburned watersheds, (b) determine gross N mineralization and nitrification rates in burned and unburned water sheds, (c) measuring plant biomass and N concentration in trees, shrubs and herbs pre and post-fire and on burned and unburned watersheds and calculating a N retention index (ratio of biomass loss : N loss) for different plant groups, (d) tracking source and fate of N within the stream biotic communities and (e) monitoring N output downstream in burned and unburned watersheds. We theorize that N retention rates in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are very high in these N-limited systems thus minimizing net ecosystem N loss due to fire. Existing grant funds have been used to collect pre-burn data in 2002-2003 and will be used to collect limited post-burn data in six headwater watersheds on the Emmett District of the Boise National Forest. |
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04-2-1-106: Understanding the influence of local and landscape conditions on the occurrence and abundance of Black-backed Woodpeckers in burned forest patches |
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Richard Hutto |
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Wildfire is the predominant disturbance agent in the Northern Rockies. The nearly annual occurrence of wildfire at some point in a larger landscape has served as the environmental backdrop against which our native wildlife species have evolved. A number of native species have, in fact, become dependent on wildfires or wildfire-created habitats and are nearly restricted in their distribution to such conditions. The suppression of wildfires during the past 70 years may have placed many of these fire-dependent species at risk. Excessive fire suppression in the past has also let to the occurrence of more severe fires than would have occurred historically, necessitating fuels reduction treatments to prevent unnaturally sever fires in the future, restore site productivity on heavily burned areas, and protect residual live trees within the burned area perimeter. These activities must be accomplished in the face of meeting the needs of fire-dependent species as well. |
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04-2-1-110: Learning from the past: retrospective analyses of fire behavior in Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks |
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Carol Miller |
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Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks have identified a critical need to be able to understand and track the consequences of their fire suppression decisions. To address this local research need, we will use retrospective fire behavior modeling and risk-benefit assessments for suppressed lightning ignitions that have occurred since 1991 in the two Parks. For the first time, the Parks will be able to quantify the consequences of their suppression decisions. We will determine where lightning ignitions would have spread had they not been suppressed and we will assess the effects that would have resulted from these fires. The proposed project combines fire behavior modeling technology with the information contained in the Parks’ fire records and the local experience of the current fire management staff to better understand and quantify the consequences of suppression decisions. Results from our analyses will be compiled and presented in a GIS data library that will allow easy reference for managers during the fire season when making the decision whether or not to suppress, when preparing Stage III Wildland Fire Implementation Plan (WFIP) analyses, and when developing appropriate management response on suppression incidents. Furthermore, the project will develop methodology and step-by-step procedures for conducting these retrospective analyses so that Park fire management staff can update and add to this information resource annually. The information and understanding generated by this research will improve the prioritization and planning of fuels management activities by supplementing the Fire Return Interval Departure analysis that is routinely done by both Parks. The results of our analyses will allow park managers to frame future decisions and cost-benefit analyses in the context of past experiences, to track the cumulative effects of suppression, and to communicate tradeoffs to the public and other governmental entities. As all land managers need to understand and track the consequences of their fire management decisions, the methods we develop will have broad national applicability and will provide a template for conducting similar analyses. |
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04-2-1-112: Effectiveness of litter removal in preventing mortality of yellow barked ponderosa pine in northern Arizona |
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James Fowler |
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We propose to measure the effectiveness of removing deep litter/duff in preventing yellow barked ponderosa pine mortality due to prescribed fire. Our study will utilize six sites on three National Forests where deep litter/duff has accumulated around the lower tree bole due to decades of fire suppression. Our experiment is designed to separate the mortality effects of litter/duff removal from the mortality effects of prescribed fire. |
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04-2-1-115: Historic fire regimes of the Willamette Valley, Oregon: Providing a long-term, regional context for fire and fuels management |
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Cathy Whitlock |
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The proposed project will develop a transect of 2000-yr-long fire records based on lake- and wetland-sediment records in the Willamette Valley on BLM, state and private land, where dendrochronological records do not exist. Knowledge of historical and current fires regimes will provide information on the range of stand composition, structure, general fuel characterisitics and landscape pattern, required to implement National Fire Plan goals and objectives. Changes in fire regimes through time help us assess hazardous fuels, forest health, and sustainability issues; prioritize projects; and determine appropriate types and timing of treatments for restoration and hazardous fuels reduction. Our first objective is to reconstruct regional variation in historical fire regimes based on sediment and tree-ring data collected from the eastern foothills of the Coast Range, the Willamette Valley, and the foothills of the western Cascade Range for the last 2000 years in an effort to understand the synergistic effects of land-use and climate change. Our second objective is to reconstruct historical vegetation changes, including major shifts in plant community composition and structure arising from changes in climate and fire regimes. Our third objective is to communicate our findings to land managers and researchers through oral presentations, written reports and peer-reviewed publications. |
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04-2-1-116: Influence of prescribed and wildfire on forest structure and fire severity |
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Theresa Jain |
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The overarching goal of this study is to provide information on the three local data gaps discussed above. The specific objectives of this study by which the goals will be met are 1) To examine the relationship between forest structure and fire severity distributions created by prescribed fires (implemented 1998 through 2003) versus relationship between forest structure and fire severity created by wildfires (2003) that burned through and around prescribed fires through a retrospective study (local data gap 1); 2) To evaluate the influence of time since a prescribed fire was implemented and its effectiveness in altering wildfire behavior and/or severity (local data gap 2), and 3) To use these results to design and test fire prescriptions (local data gap 3). The results from this study will supply information for fire and silvicultural prescriptions for use in the dry forests of the western United States. |
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04-2-1-118: Effects of fuels treatments and wildfire on understory species and fuels in the ponderosa pine zone of the Colorado Front Range |
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Paula Fornwalt |
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We are proposing a holistic ecosystem evaluation of the changes in forest overstory and understory structure and fuel characteristics that result from restoration actions and wildfires. This objective stems directly from the rapid increase in fuel treatments and the need to know that these treatments will succeed and be ecologically and socially acceptable over time. This project has two specific objectives: 1) To assess the effects of restoration (mechanical thinning) and wildfire on understory species composition and surface fuels; 2) To evaluate the effects of restoration versus wildfire on forest overstory and understory structure, fuels, and long-term fire behavior characteristics. |
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05-2-1-05: Management Options to Control Exotic Invasive Plant Species in Association with Fuel Reduction Treatments in a Wildland Urban Interface |
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Becky Kerns |
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This study will compare herbicide, hot foam, and native seeding management options for controlling weed establishment and spread within the Liberty WUI Fuel Reduction Project currently being planned under HFRA authority. The Liberty WUI project is located along the eastern slopes of the Cascades on the Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests. Planned fuel reduction activities will be conducted in an area that has been already been invaded by noxious weeds such as diffuse and meadow knapweed (Centaurea diffusa, Centaurea pratensis). We will compare the efficacy and cost effectiveness of herbicide, hot foam, and native seeding experimental treatments to suppress and control weeds prior to and after fuel reduction activities and to enhance native plant diversity and community resilience. We will also examine the effect of fuel reduction activities and weed suppression treatments on plant community structure. |
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05-2-1-07: Post-Fire Studies Supporting Computer-Assisted Management of Fire and Fuels During a Regime of Changing Climate in the Alaskan Boreal Forest |
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Scott Rupp |
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We propose to further develop Boreal ALFRESCO by filling important data gaps and expanding its ability to model climate change. This work will benefit the implementation of the FRCC and LANDFIRE programs in Alaska. Land managers have identified several data gaps regarding fire regimes in Alaska. One gap concerns the relative importance of stand age, stand type, and fire weather/climate in determining burn severity. The first goal of our proposed work is the post-fire assessment of the factors controlling burn severity using the extraordinary 2004 fire season as a natural laboratory. Another gap in our understanding of the boreal forest is the effect of climate change on the fire regime. High latitude forests like Alaska’s are predicted to be affected first and most drastically by anthropogenic climate changes. Our second goal is to enable Boreal ALFRESCO to predict changes in fire regime and fire hazards based on changes in climate. |
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05-2-1-08: Evaluating the Effects of Pinyon Juniper Thinning Treatments at a Wildland/ Urban Interface |
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Matt Brooks |
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This project will examine the effects of salvage logging operations on soil productivity and young tree growth on 7 replicate sites, salvage logged 1 year after the Booth and Bear Butte (B&B) fire. The recent harvest of these timber sales, approved prior to the fire, provide a unique and timely opportunity to study the impacts of salvage logging. Within each site, we will measure the impacts of 3 treatments (burning with no further disturbance, compaction from heavy equipment, and compaction followed by subsoiling) on soil biological, chemical, and physical properties critical to soil productivity and growth of planted tree seedlings. To examine effects of repeated fire, we will continue measuring impacts of burn severity on soil recovery (soil microbe diversity, soil biological activity, soil nutrients) and growth of planted tree seedlings in a subset of 25 previously established paired plots of detrimentally burned and less severely burned soils. This work is critical to successful recovery projects on the B&B and other fire sites in mixed conifer forests throughout central Oregon. |
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05-2-1-45: Does Prescribed Burning in Southern Forests Release Significant Amounts of Mercury to the Atmosphere? |
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Ralph DiCosty |
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This study will: 1) to estimate local and South-wide emission of Hg due to prescribed fire, and 2) to test the hypothesis that Hg in ashen fire debris is leached into and subsequently retained in mineral soil. Increased retention of Hg in mineral soils as a result of fire may mitigate the environmental impact of fire-related emissions because Hg vitalization during future fires would be reduced and the retained Hg would be less likely to enter surface waters as runoff. We plan to estimate emissions by measuring Hg amounts in the forest floor and surface mineral soil soon before and immediately after individual prescribed fires. We will assess fire’s influence on Hg storage in mineral soil by determining Hg in the mineral soil and forest floor of paired areas that have been managed with or without prescribed fires for many years. We intend to make these estimates of Hg release of retention under different local conditions, such as fuel loads, fire regimes, and Hg content of the forest floor and mineral soil. |
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05-2-1-70: Comparison of Live Fuel Moisture Sampling Methods for Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata spp.) in Utah |
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Philip Omi |
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This research aims to improve local knowledge by determining the most appropriate sampling procedures for assessing Live Fuel Moisture (LFM) in Utah’s sagebrush. This will involve analyzing how variability in data collection affects LFM values and recommending a methodology. Sampling methods suggested in the literature as well as those most commonly utilized by field technicians will be compared and statistically analyzed to detect significant differences in resultant LFM values. In addition, final values from each method will be run through the National Fire Danger Rating System to determine if there are differences in fire danger indices and staffing levels using various collection methods. By developing scientifically-sound, standardized methods fire managers will benefit from improved accuracy and comparability of LFM values. Finalized sampling protocols will be published and disseminated to fire and fuels technicians and managers throughout the Great Basin, and field training on the procedures will be accomplished across Utah. |
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05-2-1-81: OK-FIRE: A Weather-Based Decision Support System for Wildland Fire Managers in Oklahoma |
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J. D. Carlson |
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The overall objective of OK-FIRE is to develop a weather-based decision support system to aid wildland fire managers in Oklahoma in their prescribed burning and wildfire anticipation/suppression activities. To this end, the project will have a three-fold emphasis: (1) an expanded suite of products for fire weather, fire danger, and smoke dispersion which incorporate a 3-day predictive component; (2) a dedicated OK-FIRE wildland fire management web site to act as the delivery mechanism for the above products; and (3) regional training and customer support activities for the user groups involved. OK-FIRE will serve as a model for other states or regions which wish to develop decision support systems for wildland fire managers. |
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05-2-1-86: Restoration-Based Fuel Reduction Recommendations for Mixed Pine Forests of Upper Michigan |
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Charles Goebel |
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This project supported by USFWS, BIA, USGS, and USFS, that will 1) develop a better understanding of the fire history regimes, fuel loadings, and forest composition and structural characteristics of pre-European settlement and post-settlement mixed-pine forests; 2) analyze current fire hazard and forest management planning efforts of the different agencies responsible for the stewardship of mixed-pine forest ecosystems; and 3) develop restoration-based fuel reduction recommendations for mixed-pine forest ecosystems of eastern Upper Michigan. These recommendations will be developed through a series of workshops involving a panel of experts and agency representatives and using the data from objectives 1& 2. The outcomes of this research will be disseminated through a variety of outlets, including a workshop of local and regional stakeholders, written reports, an interactive website, and an informational package developed for agency regional offices and visitor centers. |
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05-2-1-87: Effect of Brush Mastication on the Belowground Mycorrhizal Community in a Mixed Hardwood Chaparral |
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Darlene Southworth |
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This project will examine the effect of brush mastication and the burning of masticated debris on the below-ground mycorrhizal community associated with plant roots. Roots will be sampled in soil cores from established plots treated by brush mastication followed by burning. Mycorrhizas will be described by morphological descriptions and by DNA analyses. Hypogeous fungi will be sampled by scuffling set areas. The results will provide information to evaluate the effect of brush mastication on mycorrhizal fungi and to determine its potential benefit or harm to soil organisms. |
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05-2-1-88: Effects of fuel treatments and wildfire on the avifauna of the pine rockland ecosystem in southern Florida |
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Gary Slater |
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Specific objectives of this study are to: 1) determine the relationship between fire management activities and abundance and distribution of breeding and wintering birds and their habitats; 2) determine the effects of different fuel treatments (mechanical thinning, prescribed burning) on the abundance and distribution of breeding and wintering landbirds; and 3) determine the role of fire on the abundance of snags, an important wildland fuel and habitat for wildlife. Results from this study will provide science-based support to land managers in south Florida who are developing fire management strategies aimed at reducing hazardous fuels while maintaining the ecological integrity of this imperiled ecosystem. |
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05-2-1-92: Why Burning Brings Beetles: Fire-Bark Beetle Interactions |
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James Agee |
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Old-growth ponderosa pine have been observed across the West to be dying in greater than expected numbers from the reintroduction of prescribed fire, even with the fires are within expected intensity limits. Mortality is via bark beetles 2-4 years after burning. These trees are important forest structural elements that are important to retain as live trees after fuel treatments. Previous work hinted that season of burning may be responsible, and a previous demonstration project in our area documented mortality in the first two years after burning. This project will carry forward the measurement activity on over 1800 large ponderosa pines, investigate beetle defenses via resin flow measurements, and couple resin flow and quality data to actual mortality. Experimental treatment of trees via burning and artificial pruning and root damage, with associated resin measurements, will attempt to understand these effects as they occur. Results will be linked to management practices and disseminated through a variety of technology transfer outlets. |
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05-2-1-94: Response of Birds, Butterflies, and their Habitats to Management of Wildland Fuels and Fire Regimes |
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Erica Fleishman |
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The proposed project will meet the information needs of local land managers by evaluating responses of birds, butterflies, and their habitats to fire and fuels treatments in Great Basin pinyon-juniper woodlands at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We will leverage existing capacity of JFSP projects and increase understanding of transferability of results by comparing the response of birds to fire in pinyon-juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests. By integrating remote sensing and field data, we will evaluate whether the distribution of pinyon-juniper and riparian woodlands and woodland-associated birds has changed during the past 20–25 years. In collaboration with land managers, we will develop and implement efficient methods for transferring spatially explicit data, results, and inferences for applied management. |
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05-2-1-98: Effects of fuels/fire risk reduction treatments using hydro-mow or thinning on pinyon-juniper ecosystem components within the wildland-urban-interface |
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Gerald Gottfried |
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This study is designed to compare soil and vegetation changes among sites within wildland–urban-interface areas treated by a mastication technique using “hydro-mow” equipment or by thinning, and an untreated control. The three treatments will be replicated on three separate sites within the jurisdiction of the Dolores Public Lands Office in southwestern Colorado. Results will be applicable to the immediate Forest Service/BLM lands but will have broader implications since mechanical mastication treatments are currently being applied or planned for other pinyon-juniper interface areas throughout the West. |
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05-2-1-101: Predicting Burn Severity in the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico: Meeting Local Need for Potential Impact of Fire on Fish and Streams |
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Penelope Morgan |
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This research will investigate the broad-scale factors associated with burn severity in the Gila Wilderness, NM. A key question in fire science remains where and under what conditions fires are likely to burn severely. Concerns about the potential impacts of recent, large (49,000 ha) Wildland Fire Use fires in the Gila Wilderness on critical threatened and endangered Gila trout and Gila chub populations, which are now restricted to small, geographically isolated streams in the wilderness, have raised questions about the long-term future of one of the most active and long-term Wildland Fire Use programs in the US. Successful management of Wildland Fire Use programs while protecting critical resources in the Gila Wilderness and elsewhere requires a better understanding of the landscape and vegetation characteristics that are associated with burn severity. We propose two research tasks to address this question. Task 1- Using pre and post-fire high-resolution satellite imagery and ground measures of burn severity, we will address the following questions: 1) how do factors like pre-fire vegetation structure, landscape and topographic position influence the occurrence of high burn severity? 2) How well can comparison of pre and post-fire high-resolution images map burn severity, compared to dNBR and ground measures of severity? 3) how do post-fire effects such as vegetation damage and tree mortality vary with prior treatments? Task 2- Using Landsat satellite imagery, we will build an historical burn severity atlas with which we will assess relationships between landscape factors (slope, aspect, elevation, vegetation type, prior fire history) and burn severity. |
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05-2-1-105: Delayed Tree Mortality Following Fire in Western Conifers |
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Sharon Hood |
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Tree mortality is a large factor in post fire treatment actions, including post fire salvage logging. The Fire Sciences Lab has been studying delayed tree mortality following fire for the past twenty-five years. Forest Health Protection in Region 5 has also tracked mortality following fire for ten years. While many papers have resulted from the studies, there is a large amount of data that has never been analyzed nor reported in the literature. This is an opportunity to extensively analyze the largest dataset on tree injury and mortality following fire in existence. The Fire Lab and FHP have worked cooperatively on tree mortality for the past three years. RMRS and FHP’s close partnership and familiarity with the data place them in a strong position to combine and analyze the data to produce robust mortality models for western coniferous species. |
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05-2-1-106: Comprehensive Fire Effects of Biomass Reduction and Fire for Fuels and Ecosystem Enhancement on a First-Order Watershed in the Southeastern Wildland-Urban Interface |
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Carl Trettin |
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President Bush signed the Healthy Forests Restoration
Act (HFRA) in 2003 for forest ecosystem restoration and protection
from catastrophic wildfire. Since then, the administration pledged
its support for record amounts of high-priority fuel-reduction
projects in our nation’s forests. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo
destroyed many of the stands in South Carolina’s Francis
Marion National Forest (FMNF). Since then, much of the area
has succeded into stands that are susceptible to disease, wildfire,
and threatened and endangered wildlife habitat due to fire exclusion.
These conditions are particularly dangerous for these forests
with respect to their proximity to the wildand-urban interface
as Charleston, SC (expected to triple in size over the next
30 years) is about 20 miles southwest of the forest. |
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