JFSP Project Information
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.
Demonstration Sites, Admin. Studies and Local Needs
Select a fiscal year for when the Announcement for Proposal was issued for the project:
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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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03-3-3-13: Assessment of Top Down and Bottom Up Control on Fire regimes and Vegetation Abundance and Distribution Patterns in the Southwestern Texas Borderlands: A Hierarchical Approach |
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Ann Camp |
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This project will investigate top down (climate) and bottom up (species composition, topography, environment, and human activity) controls on fire regimes in Big Bend National Park, the Davis Mountains, and the Maderas del Carmens Protected Area. Local-, landscape-, and regional-scale fire and vegetation dynamics will be derived from data on historical climates, fire regimes, forest structure, and species composition. This information will be used to implement fire and vegetation management practices and to predict effects of recent changes in climate and fire on ecosystem structure and function. |
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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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03-3-3-26: Effects of wildland fires on buff-breasted flycatchers and other forest birds in southeastern Arizona |
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Courtney Conway |
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This project will evaluate the effects of recent wild and prescribed fires on populations of buff-breasted flycatchers and other forest bird species by repeating surveys on established bird survey routes (both burned routes and unburned control routes) in 2003 and 2004. We will compare post-burn data of presence and abundance with pre-burn data collected on these survey routes in 2000. Results from this study will provide managers from various federal and state agencies with vital information regarding the effects of fire on populations of buff-breasted flycatchers in the United States. Should fire increase the presence and/or abundance of buff-breasted flycatchers, we will have documented the importance of fire as a management tool to help restore habitat and increase population size for this extremely rare species. In addition to information on buff-breasted flycatchers, we will provide managers with data on the effects of fire for the entire avian community, including several other priority species of local management concern (e.g., elegant trogon [Trogon elegans], northern goshawk [Accipiter gentiles], and band-tailed pigeon [Columba fasciata]). Finally, results from this study will shed light on the effects of long-term fire suppression on the structure and composition of forest bird communities in the Southwest. |
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03-3-3-28: Effects of season of prescribed fire and grazing on understory plant communities in a ponderosa pine forest |
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Becky Kerns |
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In Region 6, prescribed fire is being applied to almost 100,000 acres, and 85 % of those acres are in the ponderosa pine type. Much of this forest type is also used for livestock grazing. A critical question facing forest managers is how timing of prescribed fire and grazing impact understory plant communities and exotic species. There is a great need for research examining grazing and fire effects. To address this issue, we established relatively large (0.03 ha), randomly located cattle exclosures on four stands as part of an ongoing season and interval of burn study. Our objective is to examine understory response to spring and fall 5-year interval reburns with and without cattle grazing. The study site consists of stands in a mixed-aged ponderosa pine forest with scattered western juniper in the Malheur National Forest in the southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. Understory vegetation was measured (2002) prior to the 5-year reburns in all stands, including plots inside the cattle exclosures that were built. The 5-year fall reburns were successfully completed in October 2002, and spring reburns are scheduled for 2003. Presently, we lack sufficient funds to measure post-treatment response for the cattle exclosure plots built in 2002. Because of the importance of the question and urgency of taking advantage of the 5-year burn (fall 2002) and existing data, we were able to work with cooperators to plan this study and establish the exclosures. However, we are requesting funds to measure understory response within these exclosures in 2003 and to remeasure all plots (exclosure and non-exclosure plots) in 2004. Our proposed research addresses local scientific knowledge gaps that are significant to fire management program implementation and will provide critical insights into the complex relationships between season of burn, intensity of burn, grazing, and site level variables. Results from our study will improve our ability to predict changes in successional pathways and exotic species introduction and spread. |
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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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03-3-3-46: Stereo Photo Series for Quantifying Natural Fuels in the Prairie Forest and Northwestern Great Plains |
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Mitch Maycox |
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The objective of this research project is to compile a sequence of single and stereo photographs with accompanying vegetation and fuels characterization data that will provide a quick and easy means for quantifying and describing existing fuel properties for the vegetation types of the northwestern Great Plains, including forest, shrub and grasslands. The photo series is expected to be applicable to an area of at least 58,000 mi2 in central and eastern Montana and will probably extend into North Dakota. The photo series will cover a range of composition and structure from dense ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir-juniper to rhizomatous grassland with and without sagebrush to riparian shrubland. Approximately 30 sites will be selected and photographed during this study and printed in one volume. The photo series project will use methods similarly to those employed in previous photo series, although new data will also be collected (e.g. crown bulk density) using protocols formulated from previous Joint Fire Science Projects. Twin Hasselblad, medium format cameras will be used to photograph the sites and appropriate fuels inventory methods determined from the literature will be used to quantify the fuels. This photo series will fill a gap in scientific knowledge that is significant to fire management implementation in the northwestern Great Plains (AFP-2003-3, task #3). |
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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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03-3-3-58: Effects of Fuel Management Treatments in Piñon Juniper Vegetation at a Site on the Colorado Plateau |
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Matt Brooks |
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This is the first of a two-phase project. Phase 1 will compare the cost effectiveness of two types of mechanical and one type of chemical thinning treatments, alone and when combined with seeding treatments, and evaluate the abilities of these treatments to: (1) reduce densities of post-settlement piñon and juniper trees; (2) increase cover and seedbank density of annual plants and perennial grasses; (3) increase plant species diversity; (4) minimize cover and seedbank density of invasive alien plants; and (5) create a fuelbed that promotes the re-establishment of historic low to moderate intensity ground fires. The second phase, pending additional funding beyond the scope of this proposal, will add fire as a management treatment and compare fire behavior among previous thinning and seeding treatments. Virtually all previous studies of piñon-juniper fuels treatments have been unreplicated and largely descriptive, comparing adjacent treated and untreated areas. This proposed study would be a replicated, randomized experimental study with quantitative response variables for vegetation seedbanks, and fuels, allowing for the rigorous evaluation of treatment effects needed to develop sound management plans. |
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