Evaluating Post-Fire Salvage Logging Effects On Erosion,
2011
USDA Forest Service
Evaluating Post-Fire Salvage Logging Effects On Erosion, Peter R. Robichaud, William J. Elliot, Lee Macdonald, James Saveland, Craig Busskohl, Steve Howes, Aaron Everett, Robert Coats, Joseph W. Wagenbrenner, Sarah A. Lewis, Louise E. Ashmun, Robert E. Brown
JFSP Research Project Reports
Legal challenges have delayed numerous post-fire salvage logging operations, which often results in lost economic value of the burned timber and unrecovered legal expenses. The scientific literature has shed little light on the additive effect of salvage logging operations on post-fire runoff, erosion, flooding, and sedimentation. Hence, there is an urgent need to better understand the impacts of post-fire salvage operations so that land managers can evaluate the relative and cumulative effects of different salvage logging practices. Intensive, multi-scale studies are needed because the effects of post-fire logging are superimposed on the effect of wildfires; rates and processes change according …
Evaluation And Improvement Of Smoke Plume Rise Models,
2011
US Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Evaluation And Improvement Of Smoke Plume Rise Models, Yongqiang Liu Dr., Gary Achtemeier Dr., Scott Goodrick Dr., Bill Jackson Dr., John Qu Dr.
JFSP Research Project Reports
The purpose of this JFSP project was to evaluate and improve the performance of Daysmoke in simulating smoke plume rise of prescribed burning. A combined approach of field measurement, numerical modeling, and dynamical and statistical analysis was used. Smoke plume height was measured with a ceilometer for 20 prescribed burns in the southeastern U.S. The measured data was used to validate Daysmoke simulation. An empirical smoke plume rise model was developed based on the RAWS observations. Daysmoke was improved by including the number of multiple updraft cores. Regional air quality modeling was conducted with smoke plume rise provided by Daysmoke. …
Evaluation Of Smoke Models And Sensitivity Analysis For Determining Their Emission Related Uncertainties,
2011
Georgia Institute of Technology
Evaluation Of Smoke Models And Sensitivity Analysis For Determining Their Emission Related Uncertainties, M. Talat Odman Dr., Scott Goddrick Dr., Fernando Garcia-Menendez, Aika Yano
JFSP Research Project Reports
Emissions from wildland (wild and prescribed) fires add to the burden of air pollution and can have adverse impacts on air quality and public health. Numerical models for dispersion and chemical transport, also known as air quality models, can be used to investigate the fire plume evolution and the smoke impacts. However, it is important that the predictive skills of smoke models be evaluated under a wide range of applicable conditions through systematic simulations of past events with existing data. Three models were evaluated in this research: CALPUFF, DAYSMOKE and CMAQ. Different prescribed burn and wildfire episodes occurring throughout the …
Fire And Aquatic Ecosystems In The Context Of Climate Change: A Synthesis For Improved Management,
2011
Rocky Mountain Research Station
Fire And Aquatic Ecosystems In The Context Of Climate Change: A Synthesis For Improved Management, Charles Luce, Penelope Morgan, Kate Dwire, John Buffington, Bruce Rieman, Zack Holden, Matt Dare, Dan Isaak, Claire Mcgrath
JFSP Research Project Reports
Fire will be the proverbial eye-of-the-needle through which many western U.S. mountain, forest, and stream ecosystems will pass as the climate changes. Historic observations show increased dryness and temperatures accompanying more widespread fire and forest die-off. These events may punctuate gradual changes to ecosystems, or may be a mechanism driving stepwise changes in ecosystems. Most western ecosystems are strongly tied to cycles of fire and recovery, and the changing nature of fire will have profound consequences. There is no question that vulnerability assessments of western U.S. ecosystems need to account for fire in their calculus. The biophysical template of the …
Fire Ecology And Management Of Non-Forested Ecosystems In Western North America. Final Report: Description Of Organizational Meetings And Development Of A Publication Plan, Matt Brooks
JFSP Research Project Reports
It has been almost 30 years since the last major book on the ecology and management of fire was published that contained extensive information from non-forested ecosystems across western North America (Wright and Bailey 1982). During subsequent years there have been notable books that have focused largely on forested ecosystems (e.g. Agee 1993), and there was one very recent book that addressed many important grassland, shrubland, woodland, and forest areas, but its geographic extent was confined to California (Sugihara et al. 2006). No single book has since matched the geographic scope associated with non-forested ecosystems in western North America as …
Laboratory Of Tree-Ring Research And School Of Natural Resources And The Environment,
2011
University of Arizona
Laboratory Of Tree-Ring Research And School Of Natural Resources And The Environment, Thomas W. Swetnam, Donald Falk, Elaine K. Sutherland, Peter M. Brown, Timothy J. Brown
JFSP Research Project Reports
Understanding the role of climate variation in governing fire regimes remains one of the central needs in contemporary fire science and management. Ideally, this understanding should encompass both historical and current fire-climatology, and inform both basic science and ecosystem management. In this project, Fire and Climate Synthesis (FACS) we undertook a detailed synthesis of both paleofire and modern fire based on compilations of existing data sets. We also analyzed three major thematic pathways by which climate has impacted fire policy, including direct and indirect climate effects on fire policy. Paleofire. We assembled the largest and most comprehensive data set of …
Fire Regimes Of Montane Grasslands Of The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico,
2011
University of Arizona
Fire Regimes Of Montane Grasslands Of The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, Donald A. Falk, Craig D. Allen, Robert Parmenter, Thomas Swetnam, Clifford Dils
JFSP Research Project Reports
Montane grasslands are an important ecosystem type in Southwestern landscapes, occurring from the forest borders of piñon-juniper woodland to high elevation subalpine and alpine ecosystems. Thus, they often represent a mosaic element embedded in the forest landscape matrix, playing key roles in processing water and nutrients, and providing habitat for unique suites of species, often at higher levels of diversity than those found in surrounding uplands. Soils, local temperature and moisture gradients, and disturbance all play roles in determining the distribution and extent of montane grasslands. Of these factors, fire plays the most dynamic role in regulating the location and …
Synthesis Of Knowledge Of Extreme Fire Behavior: Volume I For Fire Managers,
2011
Northwest Interagency Coordination Center
Synthesis Of Knowledge Of Extreme Fire Behavior: Volume I For Fire Managers, Paul A. Werth, Brian E. Potter, Craig B. Clements, Mark. A. Finney, Scott L. Goodrick, Martin E. Alexander, Miguel G. Cruz, Jason A. Forthofer, Sara S. Mcallister
JFSP Research Project Reports
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group definition of extreme fire behavior (EFB) indicates a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning/ spotting, presence of fire whirls, and strong convection column. Predictability is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously. Alternate terms include “blow up” and “fire storm.” Fire managers examining fires over the last 100 years have come to understand many of the factors necessary for EFB development. This …
Fuel Reduction Treatment Longevity And Crown Response In Interior Ponderosa Pine Forests Of Northern California,
2011
USDA Forest Service
Fuel Reduction Treatment Longevity And Crown Response In Interior Ponderosa Pine Forests Of Northern California, Martin W. Ritchie, Carl N. Skinner, Jianwei Zhang
JFSP Research Project Reports
With increasing interest in fuels treatments to address the high risk of severe fires in the western United States, there is an attendant need to quantify the effectiveness of such treatments. In addition to the immediate effect of reducing levels of combustible material and the attendant impact on fire intensity, resource managers also need to quantify or forecast the longevity of such treatments. Treatments that produce significant, but short-lived reductions in risk of severe wildfire may not be meeting the goals and objectives of managers. This temporal component needs further study and is the subject of this proposal. There are …
Fuel Treatments In Mixed-Pine Forests In The Great Lakes Region: A Comprehensive Guide To Planning And Implementation,
2011
Ohio State University
Fuel Treatments In Mixed-Pine Forests In The Great Lakes Region: A Comprehensive Guide To Planning And Implementation, Eric Toman, Stanley Gehrt, Charles Goebel, David M. Hix, Roger Williams, Robyn Wilson, Sarah Mccaffrey
JFSP Research Project Reports
Fuel management decisions are made within a larger context of resource management characterized by multiple objectives including ecosystem restoration, wildlife management, commodity production (from timber to less traditional forest products), and provision of recreation opportunities and amenity values. Implementation of fuel treatments is strongly influenced by their perceived influence on and compatibility with overarching management objectives. In some cases these objectives may be complementary while in others they may involve difficult tradeoffs. Such tradeoffs are only further complicated by institutional mandates, limited availability of information, and complex ownership patterns. Like natural resource managers across the U.S., those in the Great …
0784: L. D. Fowler Papers, 1900-1920,
2011
Marshall University
0784: L. D. Fowler Papers, 1900-1920, Marshall University Special Collections
Guides to Manuscript Collections
The papers in this collection are both the professional and personal records of L.D. Fowler from 1900-1920 while working out of Durbin, WV. As an employee of the Pocahontas Tanning Company, L.D. Fowler’s business papers relate primarily to timber and the acquisition of bark associated with the tanning process. Among the type of materials included in the collection are correspondences (i.e. letters, telegraphs, and postcards), well-documented business transactions with a wide range of business partners, business cards, diaries, maps, popular culture items (calendars, etc.), and materials related to legal issues and political affiliations. This collection is divided into two overarching …
Improved Understanding Of Climate-Fi Re Relationships
Along North America’S Pacifi C Coast,
2011
US Forest Service
Improved Understanding Of Climate-Fi Re Relationships Along North America’S Pacifi C Coast, Marjie Brown
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
This research expanded our understanding of the climate/wildfi re relationship by identifying major climate controls and translating them into a practical tool, still under development, that managers can use for planning. The focus was on fi reclimate interactions from southern Oregon to Baja California, with emphasis placed on the infl uence of the Pacifi c North American (PNA) climate pattern. Researchers identifi ed and delineated differences in the way fi re activity responded to climate variability on a regional scale with the intent to improve fi re season forecasts along the Pacifi c coast. Strong correlations were found between certain …
Rising Temperatures Trigger Ecological Changes In The Boreal Forest Of Alaska,
2011
US Forest Service
Rising Temperatures Trigger Ecological Changes In The Boreal Forest Of Alaska, Shari Anstedt
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
Fundamentally different from the rest of the forest types in the United States, Alaska’s boreal forest covers a signifi cant amount of acreage in an increasingly variable climate. With its high latitude location, predictions reveal that this region will be the first to experience the effects of global climate change. In fact, natives of this region are already dealing with warmer temperatures and a changing landscape. As a result, researchers conducted a study to help gather more information about this area and to better understand the effects of climate change and how those effects influence fire and fuels management. An …
Mastication On Red Mountain: Investigating Fuel Loads And Fire Effects,
2011
US Forest Service
Mastication On Red Mountain: Investigating Fuel Loads And Fire Effects, Shari Anstedt
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
Although complete fire exclusion is a thing of the past in the Sierra Nevada, fire and fuel managers must still contend with dense forests and higher fuel loads that have built up over time. Controlled fire is a helpful fuel reduction method, but it can be tricky to manage, especially in an area with excessive fuels, or in plantations with trees having smaller diameters and lower crowns, which are more susceptible to heat damage. Mastication can also be a useful fuel treatment and has become a popular alternative, but includes its own set of drawbacks and uncertainties. Since little research …
Assessing Post-Fire Treatment Effects And Burn Severity On The Sandy Loam Soils Of Oregon,
2011
US Forest Service
Assessing Post-Fire Treatment Effects And Burn Severity On The Sandy Loam Soils Of Oregon, Shari Anstedt
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
Fire helps reduce dead and accumulated vegetation and enriches the soil by releasing nutrients bound in litter. But when fuel loads are too high and wildfi res burn too hot, problems may arise. A perfect example of this is the 2003 Booth and Bear Butte (B&B) fire in central Oregon, which consumed more than 90,000 acres of mixed conifer forest. On the surface, the effects on trees and vegetation seemed obvious, but what about the wildfi re effects on what we don’t see? How do post-fi re management activities support or impede forest recovery? Furthermore, how were the soils, and …
Ok-Fire: Weather-Based Decision Support For Wildland Fire Management,
2011
US Forest Service
Ok-Fire: Weather-Based Decision Support For Wildland Fire Management, Shari Anstedt
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
There’s a lot of wildland in Oklahoma—and as a result, a lot of potential for fire. To help prepare for wildfire and perform fi re management activities, land managers previously used weather, fire danger, and smoke management products provided by the Oklahoma Mesonet, the state’s automated weather station network. But unfortunately, the products were not easily found or easy to use, and very little user training was provided. Fire managers also expressed the need for multi-day forecasting capabilities to help anticipate periods of high fire danger and severe wildfi re conditions and to improve pre-burn planning and management. These critical …
Fire History Study Reveals Surprises About Mixed-Pine Ecology In Eastern Upper Michigan,
2011
US Forest Service
Fire History Study Reveals Surprises About Mixed-Pine Ecology In Eastern Upper Michigan, Joy Drohan
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
Mixed red and white pine forests in eastern Upper Michigan saw frequent fires, about every 50–60 years, before Euro-American settlement. Post-settlement, the fire cycle has lengthened and forest composition has shifted to include more jack pine and fi re-sensitive deciduous trees, increasing fuel loadings and changing wildlife habitat along the way. In cooperation with researchers and land managers at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, researchers at The Ohio State University are working out details of combining mechanical treatments with prescribed fire to restore mixed-pine forests dominated by red and white pine. In particular, their findings about red pine ecology could change …
Assessing Mechanical Mastication And Thinning-Piling-Burning Treatments On The Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Of Southwestern Colorado,
2011
US Forest Service
Assessing Mechanical Mastication And Thinning-Piling-Burning Treatments On The Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Of Southwestern Colorado, Shari Anstedt
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
New knowledge of fire regimes in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the interior western United States has altered management views. Once known as being at low wildfire risk, these woodlands are now at a higher risk for severe wildfires because of high tree densities exacerbated by ongoing drought and region-wide bark beetle (Ips confusus) infestation. To help reduce fuels and fi re hazards and to create defensible space in the wildland urban interface, regional land managers have conducted thinning-piling-burning treatments. Recently, however, a different treatment has been used—mechanical mastication. Although mechanical mastication is typically more cost effective, there is concern about …
Following The Smoke Trail,
2011
US Forest Service
Following The Smoke Trail, Jake Delwiche
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
Public land administrators and air quality managers need better information on the potential contribution of wildland fires vs. anthropogenic sources on possible exceedances of air quality standards. To obtain more precise information in California, a composite network was established for monitoring ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ammonia (NH3), gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) and particulate matter (PM). The network was located in the Sierra Nevada region of central California. The network provided data for estimates of distribution of air pollutants from urban and agricultural activities, and measured contributions of area wildland fi res on ground levels of pollutants. Information was also …
Fish And Forest Management: Not Necessarily At Odds,
2011
US Forest Service
Fish And Forest Management: Not Necessarily At Odds, Joy Drohan
Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)
Resource managers of lands harboring sensitive aquatic species face tough choices. They could manage forests to reduce their wildfire potential, while possibly harming the sensitive species habitat, or they could leave forests untreated for wildfire, risking an uncharacteristic fire that may drastically alter critical aquatic species habitat. This study sought to develop a decision support framework to help managers understand the potential impacts of fire and resulting disturbances, such as debris flows, in this puzzle. The resulting fish population persistence model, Integrating Forests, Fish, and Fire (IF3), relies on existing geographic information system (GIS) data to discern where human impacts …
