JFSP Project Information

FY 2001 Projects

01-3-1-05: Demonstrating the ecological effects of mechanical thinning and prescribed fire on mixed conifer forests

Malcolm North
U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station,
2081 E. Sierra Ave.
Fresno, CA 93710
Phone: 559-323-3203
E-mail: mnorth@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Nathan Williamson, USFS, Pacific Southwest Research Station

The Teakettle Experiment begun in 1997 is a fire experiment that has an emphasis on basic ecological processes and the feedback between disturbance and biotic response. It was designed to compliment the fire surrogate study by focusing on how finer-scale fundamental ecological processes are impacted by fire and thinning. The experiment is located on the Teakettle Experimental Forest, a 3200 acre watershed located 50 miles east of Fresno, California. Researchers have completed study treatments. Now efforts will be focused on developing annual workshops, tours, brochures and outreach so that the experimental area may serve as a demonstration site for thinning and burning treatments.

01-3-1-06: Two demonstration sites in Northern Arizona for forest thinning, fire use, and fire surrogate treatments in the ponderosa pine type

Edward Smith
The Nature Conservancy
2601 N. Ft. Valley Rd.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: 520-774-8892
E-mail: ebsmith@flagstaff.az.us

Other Cooperators:
Linda Wadleigh, USFS

In Arizona, a number of efforts are underway to look at the effects of different fuel treatments to reintroduce fire and restore ecosystem processes. Researchers plan to develop two of these sites into demonstration sites to promote thinning, prescribed burning, and fire surrogate treatments in the national forests in Arizona. One of the demonstration sites is located in the Flagstaff Wildland-Urban Interface and the other is at the Nature Conservancy’s Hart Prairie Preserve. Through these efforts researchers hope to improve technology transfer among researchers and land managers related to fuels reduction activities, to improve public outreach related to restoring ecosystem processes, and to increase opportunities for ecological fire use training.

01-3-2-02: Tree regeneration response to fire restoration in mixed-conifer forest

Andrew Gray
USFS, PNW
P.O. Box 3890
Portland, OR 97205
Phone: 503-808-2041
E-mail: agray01@fs.fed.us

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.

01-3-2-03: Prescribed fires in mid-Atlantic coastal plain forests

Oliver Pattee
USGS
11510 American Holly Drive
Room 108 Merriam Lab
Laurel, MD 20708
Phone: 301-497-5741
E-mail: Hank_Pattee@usgs.gov

Other Cooperators:
John Morton, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Laura Mitchell, Primehook National Wildlife Refuge

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.

01-3-2-08: Risk assessment of fuel management practices on hillslope erosion processes

Peter Robichaud
USFS, RMRS
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
1221 South Main
Moscow, ID 83843
Phone: 208-883-2349
E-mail: probichaud@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Jan Beyers, USFS, PSW
Frederick Pierson, Agricultural Research Service
William Elliot, USFS, RMRS

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.

01-3-2-09: Prescribed fire for fuel reduction in northern mixed grass prairie: influence on habitat and population dynamics of indigenous wildlife

Robert Murphy
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
8315 Hwy 8
Kenmare, ND 58746
Phone: 701-848-2722
E-mail: bob_murphy@fws.gov

Other Cooperators:
Todd Grant, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Elizabeth Madden, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and other reserves have been established to conserve examples of native grassland ecosystems. In NWRs in the Dakotas and eastern Montana approximately 10,000 hectares of mostly mixed grass prairie is burned annually to reduce accumulating fuels and risk of catastrophic wildfire. The effects of these fires on prairie wildlife, especially migratory birds, are not well understood. Researchers will document the effects of prescribed burning of northern mixed grass prairie in North Dakota on migratory birds, small mammals, and vegetation structure. Study results will provide information that will help land managers evaluate use of prescribed burning in achieving wildlife refuge goals.

01-3-2-12: Weed invasions following fire in Southwestern Colorado: long-term effectiveness of mitigation treatments and future predictions

Lisa Floyd-Hanna
Prescott College
220 Grove Ave,
Prescott, Arizona 86301
Phone: (520) 778-2090
E-mail:
lfloyd-hanna@prescott.edu

Other Cooperators:
George San Miguel, NPS, Mesa Verde National Park

Over the past 30 years, changes in fire regime on the Colorado Plateau have resulted in post-fire succession becoming increasingly dominated by non-native weeds. Extensive fires in 1989 and 1996 were followed by serious weed invasion—especially in dense, old growth pinyon-juniper woodlands. Following the 1996 fire, researchers developed a weed-risk model that based predictions on proximity to weed sources and competition from residual vegetation. In the current effort, researchers will look at the impacts of a variety of other factors such as pre-fire disturbances and precipitation patterns that could predispose an area to weed invasion. Results would serve to refine and expand use of the model to a wider range of habitats in the pinyon-juniper ecosystem of the Colorado Plateau.

01-3-2-14: Effects of prescribed grazing and burning treatments on fire regimes in alien grass dominated wildland urban interface areas, Leeward Hawaii

Michael Castillo
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pacific Islands Office
300 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96850
Phone: (808) 541-3441
E-mail: mick_castillo@fws.gov

Other Cooperators:
David Weise, USFS, PSW
Mike Nakahara, Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Joel Godfrey, U.S. Army

The northwest leeward part of the island of Hawaii once harbored one of the most unique tropical dry forest ecosystems in the world. Alien grass-fueled wildfire has led to conversion of these dry forest and shrublands to more open savannas and grasslands. The dry forest ecosystems have been reduced to remnant patches. In addition, as a result of fire and other factors 31 dry forest plants, 3 species of birds, and one bat are in danger of extinction. Researchers will assess the feasibility of a variety of fuel treatments (including grazing, burning, herbicides or combinations of the three treatments) in managing these dry forests and restoring more historic fire regimes.

01-3-3-12: Identifying reference conditions for prescribed fire management of mixed conifer forests in Yosemite National Park, CA

Kara Paintner
Yosemite National Park
Fire Management Office
PO Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
Phone: 209 372-0480
E-mail: kara_paintner@nps.gov

Other Cooperators:
Alan Taylor, Pennsylvania State University

National Park policy directs managers to maintain natural environments that evolved with natural processes as opposed to processes associated with human actions. However, there are considerable scientific challenges in identifying reference conditions in highly altered ecosystems and in using reference conditions to establish restoration goals. Scientists will identify pre fire suppression forest structures and fire regimes in two mixed conifer forest landscapes in Yosemite National Park in California. Results will be used to develop and integrate cross-agency objectives for prescribed fire use with the adjacent national forests.

01-3-3-13: Fire and forest structure across vegetation gradients in San Juan National Forest, Colorado: a multi–scaled historical analysis

Peter Brown
Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, Inc.
2901 Moore Ln.
Ft. Collins, CO 80526
Phone: 970-229-9557
E-mail: pmb@rmtrr.org

Other Cooperators:
Rosalind Wu, USFS, San Juan National Forest

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.

01-3-3-14: Fire and oak regeneration in the Southern Appalachians

David Loftis
USFS, SRS
1577 Brevard Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: 828-667-5261
E-mail: dloftis@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Mary Arthur, University of Kentucky
Rex Mann, USFS, Daniel Boone National Forest

Throughout the Southern Appalachian region and beyond, the documented failure of oak forests to regenerate themselves has been attributed at least in part to the lack of fire in the last 50 years. Managers are increasingly turning to prescribed fire as the management tool of choice in oak dominated forests, however, there is a lack of convincing data showing that prescribed fire effectively promotes oak regeneration. Researchers will conduct studies to test whether or not fire (frequent or infrequent) can modify stand structure sufficiently to increase the competitive ability of oak seedlings. Results of this study along with oak regeneration prediction models will help clarify the consequences of prescribed burning treatments on oak regeneration.

01-3-3-18: Evaluating the effects of prescribed fire and fuels treatment on water quality and aquatic habitat

Steve Wondzell
Olympia Forestry Sciences Lab
3625 93rd Ave. S.W.
Tumwater, WA 98512
Phone: 360-753-7691
E-mail: swondzell@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Caty Clifton, USFS, Umatilla National Forest
Deanna Stouder, USFS, PNW

In the interior Columbia Basin, treatments to reduce long-term risks from wildfire are often motivated by potential threats to water and threatened and endangered salmonids. Management plans for the basin assume that direct effects of wildfires and wildfire related erosion are greater threats to water quality and fish habitat than are the effects of fuel treatments. However empirical data to support this assumption is scarce. Researchers will study the effects of mechanical fuel treatments and prescribed fire on surface erosion and stream sedimentation in two watersheds in Oregon. Information from the study will be used to refine erosion and sediment delivery models used in planning and assessing management activities.

01-3-3-20: Experimental studies of the role of fire in restoring and maintaining arid grasslands

Carl Edminster
USFS, RMRS
2500 South Pine Knoll Drive
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: 520-556-2177
E-mail: cedminster@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Charles Curtin, Arid Lands Project
Ben Brown, Animas Foundation

Southwestern grasslands and savannas are structured by the interaction of several biotic and abiotic variables, two of which can be manipulated by land managers -- fire and grazing. Because both fire and grazing modify the distribution and volumes of fine fuels, they are inextricably linked, and it is difficult to understand the landscape effects of fire without placing fire studies within the context of livestock grazing. In 1998, scientists began installation of replicated landscape level experiments in southwestern New Mexico to better understand the interaction of fire and herbivory. In the current effort, the effects of fire and grazing by native herbivores and livestock, both singularly and in combination, on the structure, composition and productivity of arid grasslands is being studied. This information will assist managers in reintroducing fire into working rangelands.

01-3-3-27: Jeffrey pine-mixed conifer fire history and forest structure with and without fire suppression and harvesting

Carl Skinner
USFS, PSW
Silviculture Laboratory
Redding, CA. 96001
Phone: 530-242-2463
cskinner@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Scott Stephens, University of California, Berkley
Sam WIllbanks, USFS, Tahoe National Forest

The absence of fire in the 20th century combined with past harvesting practices have modified the structure and ecosystem processes of California forests resulting in a decrease in forest sustainability. Ecosystem structure existing prior to European settlement is commonly used as a target condition for restoring these ecosystems but there is a scarcity of unmanaged forests in the western U.S. that could serve as references. Researchers will collect and compare information on stand structures in an unmanaged Jeffrey pine-mixed conifer forests in the Sierra San Pedro Martir in northern Mexico with similar managed forests in California and Nevada. Results from this work will be used to describe forest stand structures that could be used both as targets for fire hazard reduction treatments and forest restoration work.

01-3-3-29: Assessing anthropogenic changes in fire regimes using relict areas in El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico

Henri Grissino-Mayer
University of Tennessee
Department of Geography
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: 865-974-6029
E-mail: grissino@utk.edu

Other Cooperators:
Herschel Schulz, El Malpais National Monument

Ecosystem processes that maintained Southwestern forests during pre-settlement times are currently operating outside the normal range of historical variation. One challenge in restoring these areas to more natural conditions is that few un-impacted sites exist to serve as management references or targets. Relic, minimally impacted, natural areas found in isolated locations in New Mexico may be able to meet this need. Researchers plan to reconstruct the fire history from fire scars collected from pines growing on selected kipukas in El Malpais National Monument in New Mexico. Results of this work can be used by park personnel in development of management guidelines and policies consistent with the restoration of fire as an ecosystem process.

01-3-3-30: Including fire effects information in a manual of California vegetation

Michael McCoy
Information Center for the Environment (ICE)
Dept. of Environmental
Science and Policy
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: (530) 754-9171
E-mail: mcmccoy@ucdavis.edu

Other Cooperators:
Neil Sugihara, USFS, PSW

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.

01-3-3-32: Changes in fire regimes and the successional status of table mountain pine (Pinus pungens Lamb.) in the Southern Appalachians

Henri Grissino-Mayer
University of Tennessee
Department of Geography
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: 865-974-6029
E-mail: grissino@utk.edu

Other Cooperators:
Michael Jenkins, Great Smokey's National Park

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.

01-3-3-33: Predicting the invasion and survival of exotic species Paulownia tomentosa following burning in pine and oak-pine forests

Michael Jenkins
Great Smoky Mountains NP
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Phone: (865) 430-4742
E-mail:
mike_jenkins@nps.gov

Other Cooperators:
Peter White, University of North Carolina

The use of prescribed fire has greatly increased on Forest Service and National Park Service lands. While prescribed fire is a valuable management tool, detrimental effects such as invasion of exotic species sometimes counterbalance its positive ecological effects. In areas of Tennessee and North Carolina (including Great Smoky Mountains National Park and 3 national forests) heavy invasions of the exotic tree species, Paulowina tomentosa have been observed following prescribed burning. Researchers seek to determine what geographic areas are more susceptible to Paulownia invasion and how susceptibility varies with season of burn. Understanding these factors will allow managers to better plan the timing and location of prescribed burns to reduce establishment of Paulownia.

01-3-3-34: Effects of fire on biological soil crusts and their subsequent recovery at the great basin Pinyon-Juniper Demonstration Area

Steven Warren
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80526
Phone: 970-491-7478
E-mail:
swarren@cemmi.colostate.edu

Other Cooperators:
Paul Kugrens, Colorado State Univ.
Larry St. Clair, Brigham Young Univ.
Jeanne Chambers, USFS, RMRS
Robin Tausch, USFS, RMRS

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.

01B-3-1-01: The Flomaton Natural Area: Demonstrating the benefits of fuel management and the risks of fire exclusion in an old-growth longleaf pine ecosystem

John Kush
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Auburn University, AL 36849
Phone: 334 844-1065
E-mail: kushjoh@auburn.edu

Other Cooperators:
Ralph S. Meldahl, Auburn University
Charles K. McMahon, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station

One of the few remaining virgin, old growth longleaf pine stands remaining in the Southeast is the Flomaton Natural Area in Alabama. The stand of 200+ year-old trees was burned regularly until 1950 when all burning and management activity ended. Since 1995, cooperating partners have conducted four low-intensity prescribed fires at this site. Scientists are developing a fuel management demonstration area on the site that will include interpretive signs and other educational material to show landowners and managers how these treatments have served to reduce unnatural fuel loads. Scientists will also monitor the response of trees, understory shrubs, and soil to the prescribed fires and develop guidelines for fuel management.

01B-3-1-03: Dormant-Season Prescription Fires to Reduce Hazardous Fuel Loads on the South Carolina Coastal Plain: Establishing a Demonstration Area on a 40+ year study

Ken Outcalt
USFS, SRS,
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
320 Green St.
Athens, GA 30602-2044
Phone: (706) 559-4309
E-mail: koutcalt@fs.fed.us

In 1958, a 40-acre study site was established on the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina to compare the value of different prescribed burn intervals for reducing hazardous fuels buildup on Lower Costal Plain sites. Today, scientists are working to develop signs, displays, maps and other educational materials at the site for communicating results of research studies and describing the role of fire in the ecosystem. The location of the site within easy driving distance of three major urban centers (Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and Columbia, SC) makes it an especially good venue for sharing information on fire ecology and management with urban residents.

01B-3-1-04: Long-term Dormant-Season Burning Interval Study in the Palmetto/Gallberry Fuel Complex: Establishing an Adjacent Growing-Season Burn Study and Making Both Demonstration Areas

Ken Outcalt
USFS, SRS,
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
320 Green St.
Athens, GA 30602-2044
Phone: (706) 559-4309
E-mail: koutcalt@fs.fed.us

The Osceola National Forest in Florida contains a unique set of long-term prescribed burning plots in an 85-year old natural stand of longleaf pine. Fuel and vegetation data have been collected pre- and post-fire since 1958 when the plots were established. Researchers are developing a comprehensive demonstration area at the site that includes signs, displays, and maps. Growing season burn plots will be established on an adjacent area to demonstrate seasonal effects of burning. The area will be used to show professionals and laypeople the effects of dormant-season and growing-season burn treatments and allow them to compare these to control plots.

01B-3-1-05: Frequency and Season of Prescription Fires to Reduce Hazardous Fuel Loads on the Lower Piedmont of Georgia: Establishing a demonstration area on a 12 year old study

Ken Outcalt
USFS, SRS,
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
320 Green St.
Athens, GA 30602-2044
Phone: (706) 559-4309
E-mail: koutcalt@fs.fed.us

In 1989, a study was begun on an upland mixed pine/hardwood stand in the Brender Demonstration Forest in central Georgia. The study was designed to examine how effective various fire-return intervals, seasons of burning, and methods of burning were in reducing hazardous fuel accumulations, controlling understory shrubs, and sustaining biodiversity. Today, scientists are working on converting a portion of the study site into a demonstration area to communicate with the public about the benefits of frequent low intensity prescribed fire. Scientists also plan to document changes in the site over the 12-year study period and conduct annual bird surveys.

01B-3-2-01: Impacts of Prescribed Burning on the Survival of Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine in the Boise National Forest

Robert Progar
USFS, Boise National Forest
1249 S. Vinnel Way
Boise, ID 83709
Phone: 208-373-4226
E-mail: rprogar@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Kathy Geier-Hayes, USFS
Tom Jackson, USFS
Tammy Cook, USFS

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.

01B-3-2-07: Management of fuel loading in the shrub-steppe

Steven Link
Washington State University
2710 University Drive
Richland, WA 99352
Phone: 509-372-1526
E-mail: slink@tricity.wsu.edu

Other Cooperators:
Randal Hill, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
Eric M. Hagen, hanford reach national Monument/Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge
Mike L. Pellant, Bureau of Land Management
Dr. Alan Schreiber, Agriculture Development Group, Inc.
Dr. Ron Crockett, Monsanto Company
Dr. Joe Vollmer, BASF Corporation

The invasion of the exotic weed, cheatgrass, into the Colombia National Wildlife Refuge in Washington has led to increased fire frequency. More frequent fires give further competitive advantage to cheatgrass at the expense of native species. Scientists are looking at the impacts of herbicides, prescribed fire, and post-fire seeding on reducing cheatgrass populations. Results of the study will assist land managers and planners in designing and implementing fuel management treatments to cost effectively reduce fire frequency and encourage native plant growth.

01B-3-2-08: Pre-Fire Fuel Manipulation Impacts on Alien Plant Invasion of Wildlands

Jon Keeley
U.S. Geological Survey
Sequoia National Park,
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271
Phone: (559) 565-3170
E-mail: jon_keeley@usgs.gov

Other Cooperators:
Jan Beyers, USDA Forest Service

Natural and prescribed fires play a role in stimulating the invasion of alien plants on many federal lands. However, pre-fire fuel manipulation techniques, such as the construction of fuel breaks, may also worsen invasive weed problems. Of particular concern is the degree to which these fuel breaks act as a source of alien weed seeds following fire. Scientists are conducting vegetative surveys on fuel breaks in southern California, the central coast, and the Sierra Nevada to understand the contributions of these fuel breaks to weed species populations in adjacent wildlands. Information from this research will help managers to develop fuel management strategies that accomplish fuel hazard reduction goals and minimize alien plant threats.

01B-3-2-10: Determining the ecological effects of fire suppression, fuels treatment, and wildfire through bird monitoring in the Klamath ecoregion of Southern Oregon and Northern California

John Alexander
Klamath Bird Observatory
PO Box 758
Ashland, Oregon 97520
Phone: 541-201-0866
E-mail: jda@KlamathBird.org

Other Cooperators:
C. John Ralph, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station
John Menke, University of California at Davis

Large-scale fire management practices can lead to habitat alterations such as changes in vegetation and the availability and type of food resources. These changes can have significant impacts on bird communities. Researchers working in the Klamath Ecoregion of Southern Oregon and Northern California are studying how bird distribution and abundance has been influenced by fire and various fuel treatments. They are also developing and implementing a multi-year monitoring plan to assess bird distribution and abundance after intensive wildfires. Information from this study can help managers in planning fuel management treatments that minimize the impacts on birds.

01B-3-3-01: Effects of fire and rehabilitation seeding on sage grouse habitat in the pinyon-juniper zone

Jeannie Chambers
USFS, RMRS
920 Valley Road
Reno, NV 89512
Phone: 775-784-53229
E-mail: jchambers@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Robin Tausch, USFS
Robert Blank, USFS
Erica Fleishman, Stanford University

Since settlement of the Great Basin region about 130 years ago, pinyon and juniper trees have been expanding into sagebrush ecosystems resulting in the progressive elimination of sagebrush, grass, and forb species. These changes, in combination with expansion of invasive annual grasses, have led to dramatic increases in fire frequency, severity, and size. Managers are working to mitigate these fire impacts with fuel management treatments and post fire rehabilitation seeding. However, management plans need to consider the effects of these activities on species such as sage grouse, a bird under consideration for listing as a threatened or endangered species. Researchers are studying the effects of fire and rehabilitation seeding on sagebrush habitat and bird species to help inform and guide management decisions in this fire prone area.

01B-3-3-03: Effects of prescribed fire on the invasion of northern mixed-grass prairie by non-native plant species: implications for restoration of an endangered ecosystem

Fred Giese
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Des Lacs NWR Complex
Box 578
Kenmare, ND 58746
Phone: 701-385-4046 x 25
E-mail: Fred_Giese@fws.gov

Other Cooperators:
Cory Rubin, USFWS
Dave Walker, USFWS
Tad Weaver, Montana State University
Jennifer Hartz-Rubin, Montana State University

Fire management practices have been implemented at the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in the northern Great Plains over a number of years, but there are few published data on their effectiveness at reducing non-native plants and enhancing conditions for native species. However, the history of fire management at these NWRs provides an ideal setting for measuring long-term effects in a short time. Scientists’ efforts are directed at determining how prescribed fire implemented under a variety of conditions (i.e. different grazing levels, seasons) affects native and non-native species. Findings will serve as the basis for developing prescribed fire guidelines that are specific to cool-season dominated prairies and serve to enhance native grassland species.

01B-3-3-05: Fuel Reduction Effects on a Key Sierra Food Web

Malcolm North
USFS, PSW
One Shields Ave.
Univ. of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 530-754-7398
E-mail: mnorth@ucdavis.edu

Other Cooperators:
Doug Kelt, University of CA, Davis
Marc Meyer, University of CA, Davis

In the Sierra Nevada, the California spotted owl depends on a food web that involves linkages between trees, ectomycorrhizal fungi and the truffles they produce, and small mammals that feed on the truffles. These small mammals are in turn prey for the owl. Fire fundamentally changes a forest’s composition and function but little is known about its effect on the food web structure. Researchers are gathering information to help managers design forest management and fuel reduction policies that minimize impacts on the threatened California spotted owl.

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

Boone Kauffman
USFS, PSW
Pacific IslandForestry Inst.
1151 Punchbowl RM 323
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808-522-8230
E-mail:
boonekauffman@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Mary Rassmussen, NPS, Crater Lake NP
Robin Wills, National Park Service
Al Augustine, National Park Service

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.

01B-3-3-13: Quantification of fuel in Baccharis (coyote bush) shrub types: Assessing fuel loading using destructive and non-destructive methods

Barbara Moritsch
National Park Service
Point Reyes National Seashore
1 Bear Valley Road
Point Reyes, CA 94956

Prescribed burning is the most commonly used tool for hazardous fuel reduction in the coastal shrub regions of California. If a prescribed burn is successful fuel loading should be reduced. However, there is currently no accepted quantitative method to assess fuel loading, or reduction in fuel loading in shrub vegetation. Researchers are working to develop simple effective indirect (non-destructive) methods for measuring fuel loading in this vegetation type. More accurate estimations of fuel loading used in conjunction with vegetation maps will enable managers conducting prescribed burns to more accurately predict fire behavior and resulting air quality impacts across the landscape.

01B-3-3-15: Integrating prescribed fire into management of mixed-oak forests of the mid-atlantic region: Developing basic fire behavior and fuels information for the silvah system

Patrick Brose
USFS, NERS
PO Box 267
Irvine, PA 16329
Phone: 814-563-1040 pbrose@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Thomas Schuler - USDA-FS, NERS
Jeffrey Ward

The near elimination of the natural fire regime of mixed-oak forests of the Mid-Atlantic region has led to several undesirable changes. One of these is the inability of oaks to regenerate on their own. Managers are increasingly interested in using prescribed fire to create conditions that will sustain mixed-oak forests but there is a lack of knowledge about fire behavior and fire effects in these ecosystems. Scientists are evaluating the applicability of existing hardwood fuel models to a wide variety of fuel conditions in mixed-oak forests. A photo-series illustrating fuel conditions not well represented by existing fuel models is also being developed. Prescribed fire planning and implementation in these forests will become more effective and safer with this information.

01B-3-3-16: Effects of season and interval of prescribed burns in a ponderosa pine ecosystem

Walter Thies
USFS, PNW
3200 SW Jefferson Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541-750-7408;
E-mail: wthies@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Christine G. Niwa, USDA-FS, PNW Research Station
Becky K. Kerns, USDA-FS, PNW Research Station

Many ponderosa pine stands are currently past their historic fire return interval and are at high risk for catastrophic wildfire. Prescribed burning is being used as a management tool to reduce fuel loads and restore ecosystem function, however, the consequences of different prescribed burning regimes on levels of tree injury and tree mortality due to insects and disease are not well understood. Moreover, a critical question facing forest managers is how timing of prescribed fire impacts understory plant communities and invasive exotic species. Building upon an ongoing study in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, researchers are looking at the effects of burn intervals and season of burn on tree growth and mortality, understory vegetation, and fuel levels. Researchers will determine the parameters that best predict (1) which fire injured trees will be killed by insects and diseases, and (2) patterns of understory vegetation recovery and exotic species under different burning regimes. Information gleaned from this study will assist managers in decisions about wildland fuel management.

01B-3-3-18: Fire regimes of forests in the Peninsular and Transverse Ranges of Southern California

Carl Skinner
USFS, PSW
Silviculture Laboratory
Redding, CA. 96001
Phone: 530-242-2463
e-mail cskinner@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Dr. Scott Stephens, University of California
Dr. Mark Borchert, , USFS Los Padres National Forest
Richard Hawkins, USFS Cleveland National Forest
Michael Dietrich, USFS San Bernardino National Forest
Donald Feser, USFS Angeles National Forest
Patrick Pontes, USFS Los Padres National Forest

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.

01B-3-3-24: Development a methodology for Building Long-term Fire History in Great Basin Valley landscapes

Pat Barker
BLM, Nevada State Office
1340 Financial Blvd.
Reno, NV 89502-7147

Other Cooperators:
Sandy Gregory, BLM
Dr. Stephanie Livingston, Independent Contractor
Dr. Scott Mensing, University of Nevada, Reno
Dr. Franco Biondi, University of Nevada, Reno

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.

01B-3-3-26: Fire Knowledge for Managing Cascadian Whitebark Pine Forests

Michael Murray
Crater Lake National Park
P.O. Box 7
Crater Lake, Or 97604
Phone: 541-594-3016
Email: michael_Murray@nps.gov

Whitebark pine forests are an important feature of the Cascade Mountain Range. These fire-dependent forests are declining from an introduced disease and possibly fire exclusion. Managers in the region are mandated to maintain these forests within National Parks and Wilderness Areas where they are valued by tourists, recreationists, and wildlife. Although current Fire Management Plans are calling for increased prescribed fire, they lack any science-based objectives for fire frequency, severity, and size pertaining to these forests because no formal research has been conducted in the Cascades. Knowledge of fire regimes is critical for burn unit planning. This project will provide a baseline of knowledge by documenting fire regimes and conditions for the different whitebark pine fuel types. These research findings and management guidelines will be articulated in a general technical report aimed at better preparing managers to complete fire planning for Cascadian whitebark pine forests.

01B-3-3-27: Fuels management and non-native plant species: an evaluation of fire and fire surrogate treatments in chaparral plant community

Tim Bradley
National Park Service
P.O. Box 188
Whiskeytown, CA 96095
Phone: 530-242-3457
tim_bradley@nps.gov

Other Cooperators:
Jennifer Gibson, National Park Service

In California’s Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, as in many natural areas, the exclusion of fire, along with grazing, mining, and timber harvests of the twentieth century has resulted in deterioration of fire adapted plant communities. Park managers are proposing to carry out fire surrogate treatments, such as prescribed burning and thinning, as part of a progressive and ambitious fuels management program. However there are concerns that the combination of fire and ground disturbing activities associated with mechanical treatments will create conditions favoring the invasion of non-native plant species. Researchers are examining the effects of four different fuels reduction treatments on soil, vegetation, and other site factors. Results from this research will enable fire managers to more effectively manage sites for forest productivity while minimizing the spread of invasive plant species.

01B-3-3-28: Fire Effects on Rare Flora and Fauna in Southern California National Forests

Jan Beyers
USFS, PSW
Riverside Forest Fire Lab
4955 Canyon Crest Dr.
Riverside, CA 92507
Phone: 909-680-1527
E-mail: jbeyers@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Marcia Narog, USFS, PSW

The four southern California National Forests (Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino) and adjoining areas are home to at least 60 threatened and endangered plant and animal species. The Forest Service lists another 164 species in this area as sensitive. While fire is a natural habitat component for most of these species, little is known about the types of fire regimes to which they are adapted. At the same time, prescribed fire and other fuel treatments are increasingly being applied in these areas. Scientists are working to compile information about potential fire responses of these species via review of scientific literature, field surveys and experiments. Information gathered will provide additional data for the national Fire Effects Information System database (FEIS) that managers use in planning fuels management projects.

01C-3-1-02: Armells Creek prescribed fire demonstration project

Clayton Marlow
Montana Agricultural
Experiment Station
Animal and Range Sciences Department, 119 Linfield Hall
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT, 59717-2900

Other Cooperators:
Joe Frazier, BLM Lewistown Office
James Knight, Montana Cooperative Extension Service
Jay Rotella, Department of Ecology
Mitch Maycox, Central Montana Fire Zone, BLM
Brad Sauer, Central Montana Fire Zone, BLM
Jennifer Walker, Central Montana Fire Zone, BLM

01C-3-1-05: Managing fuels in Northeastern Barrens

William Patterson
University of Massachusetts
National Park Service
P.O. Box 34210
99 Marconi Site Road
Amherst, MA 01003-4210
Phone: 413-545-1970
E-mail: wap@forwild.umass.edu

Other Cooperators:
David Crary, NPS, Cape Cod National Seashore

01C-3-3-01: An integrated assessment of the historical role and contemporary uses of prescribed fire in southern Appalachian ecosystems

James Vose
USFS, SRS
Coweeta Hydrologic Lab
3160 Coweeta Lab Road
Otto, NC 28763
Phone: 828-524-2128 ext. 114
E-mail: jvose@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Katherine Elliott, USFS, SRS
Theodore Gragson, Univ. of Georgia
Wallace Covington, Northern Arizona Univ

01C-3-3-02: Implications of fire and fire surrogate treatments on fisher habitat in the Sierra Nevada

Richard Truex
USFS, PSW
2480 Carson Rd
Placerville, CA 95667
Phone: (530) 409-1282
E-mail: rtruex@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
William J. Zielinski, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Station

01C-3-3-09: Fire Regimes and successional dynamics of yellow pine (pinus) stands in the Central Appalachian Mountains

Charles Lafon
Department of Geography
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
Phone: (979) 862-2677
E-mail: clafon@geog.tamu.edu

Other Cooperators:
Henri Grissino-Mayer, Univ. of Tennessee
Elaine Sutherland, USFS, RMRS
Steven Croy, USFS
Douglas Raeburn, National Park Service

This project will investigate the fire history, age structure, and successional dynamics of yellow pine stands in the Central Appalachian Mountains. We will use dendrochonological techniques to date fire scars and assess the frequency, seasonality, spatial extent, and climatic relations of past fires.

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

Frederick Swanson
USFS, PNW
3200 Jefferson Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541-750-7355
E-mail: fswanson@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Charles Halpern, Univ. of Washington
John Cissel, USFS

01C-3-3-12: Effects of fire on Kuenzler's hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus fendleri variety kuenzleri), and endangered species in the northern Chihuahuan desert

David Wester
Department of Range,
Wildlife, and Fisheries Management
Texas Tech University
Box 42125
Lubbock, TX 79409
Phone: 806 742 2843
E-mail: david.wester@ttu.edu

Other Cooperators:
Carlton Britton, Texas Tech University
Tye Bryson , BLM, Carlsbad, NM

01C-3-3-13: Effectiveness of postfire seeding to reduce cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) growth and reproduction in recently burned sagebrush steppe

Matt Brooks
USGS, WERC
6770 South Paradise Rd.
Las Vegas, NV, 89119-3721
Phone: (702) 914-2206 x225
E-mail: matt_brooks@usgs.gov

Other Cooperators:
Todd Esque, USGS
Mike Pellant, BLM
Mike Whalen, BLM

The positive relationship between cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and fire frequency is a major concern for land managers in semi-arid shrublands throughout western North America, particularly in Great Basin sagebrush steppe. Management tools are needed to break this cycle, and this project will evaluate the use of postfire seeding to suppress the growth and reproduction of cheatgrass in low elevation sagebrush steppe dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush (artemisia tridentata ssp. Wyomingensis). Evaluations include the seeding of introduced vs. native seed mixes and grasses vs. grasses plus leguminous forbs, and postfire soil conditions such as nutrient level and seedbank composition that may influence the effectiveness of postfire seeding treatments. Effects of seeding on the species composition and abundance of native plants will also be evaluated. The information obtained will be presented as a set of recommendations for land managers to use when designing postfire seeding protocols, and as a set of working hypotheses for research scientists to use when formulating new studies to improve knowledge of fire and invasive species ecology and management in sagebrush steppe.

01C-3-3-17: Evaluation communication strategies and local partnerships: Methods for reducing fuels, sharing responsibility, and building trust

Bruce Shindler
Dept. of Forest Resources
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: (541) 737-3299
E-mail: Bruce.Shindler@orst.edu

Other Cooperators:
Dr. George Stankey, USDA Forest Service PNW Research Station
Dr. Edward Starkey, USGS

01C-3-3-21: Characterizing moisture regimes for assessing fuel availability in North Carolina vegetation communities

Roberta Bartlette
USFS, Fire Sciences Lab
P.O. Box 8089
Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: 406-329-4820
E-mail: rbartlette@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
James Reardon, North Carolina, Division of Forestry
Gary Curcio, NC Div of Forest Resources

01C-3-3-22: Fire regimes & forest structure of Utah & eastern Nevada: A multi-scale history from tree rings

Emily Heyerdahl
USFS, Fire Sciences Lab
P.O. Box 8089
Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: 406-829-6939
E-mail: eheyerdahl@fs.fed.us

Other Cooperators:
Stanley Kitchen, USFS, RMRS
Peter Brown, Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research

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

Ellis Richard
National Park Service
Guadalupe Mountains
National Park
HC 60 Box 400
Salt Flat, TX 79847
Phone 915-828-3251
E-mail: ellis_richard@nps.gov

Other Cooperators:
Alan Taylor, Pennsylvania State Univ.
Tim Stubbs, National Park Service
Richard Gatewood, National Park Service
Paul Schmidtke, Carlsbad Interagency Fire Organization
Fred Armstrong, National Park Service
Kathy Davis, National Park Service