Forest Management Commons^™

Development Of Modeling Tools For Predicting Smoke Dispersion From Low-Intensity Fires, Warren E. Heilman, Shiyuan Zhong, John L. Hom Dr., Joseph J. Charney

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Of particular concern to fire and air-quality management communities throughout the U.S. are the behavior and air-quality impacts of low-intensity prescribed fires for fuels management. For example, smoke from prescribed fires, which often occur in wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas and in areas where forest vegetation has a significant impact on the local meteorology, can linger for relatively long periods of time and have an adverse effect on human health. Smoke from wildland fires can also reduce visibility over roads and highways in the vicinity of and downwind of these fires, reducing the safety of our transportation system. The planning for …

Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory: Documenting And Preserving The Past For The Future Of Wildland Fire Research, Kristine Lee, Diane Smith

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory’s Documenting and Preserving the Past for the Future of Wildland Fire Research has 1) identified early Rothermel and Anderson research records from the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s; 2) cataloged research data, correspondence, draft manuscripts, and photographs; 3) using archival-quality supplies, re-filed the materials in a secure storage area; 4) scanned and copied all slides and photo documentation discovered to date (more than 4500) to the Fire Lab’s “O” drive; and 5) entered references to all catalog databases and photographs into the Metavist program. Research data and documentation discovered to date include one of the earliest …

Does Season Of Burning Affect Fuel Dynamics In Southeastern Forests?, Clinton S. Wright, Robert E. Vilnanek, James B. Cronan, J. Kevin Hiers, Brett Williams, Eugene Watkins, Greg Titus, Jennifer Hinckley

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Land managers in the southeastern United States (U.S.) have actively used prescribed fire, primarily in the winter or dormant season, as a tool to control the growth of understory vegetation since the middle of the last century. There is evidence, however, that burning during the growing season may have different, and in some cases more desirable effects on ecosystem processes, vegetation structure, vegetation composition and, by virtue of these factors, understory fuels and potential fire behavior. We conducted an experiment to document and test for potential differences in the rate of fuel re-growth and accumulation following prescribed fires during the …

The Economic Effects Of Large Wildfires, Cassandra Mosley Dr., Krista Gebert, Pamela Jakes Dr., Laura Leete Dr., Max Nielsen-Pincus Dr., Emily Jane Davis Dr., Autumn Ellison, Cody Evers, Branden Rishel, Shiloh Sundstrom

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Large wildfires disrupt the lives of workers, families, and employers. However, fire suppression and recovery efforts may provide economic opportunities. Unlike with other natural hazards, there has been little research about how wildfires affect local economies. The purpose of this project was to analyze the effects of large wildfires on labor markets and examine how fire suppression spending may mediate these effects. Main findings from this research suggest that (1) in the short term, labor market impacts from large wildfires are positive during the course of a fire, (2) in the long-­‐term, large wildfires lead to greater economic instability by …

Effectiveness And Longevity Of Fuel Treatments In Coniferous Forests Across California, Nicole M. Vaillant, Erin Noonan-Wright, Scott Dailey, Carol Ewell, Alicia Reiner

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Longevity of fuel treatment effectiveness to alter potential fire behavior is a critical question for managers preparing plans for fuel hazard reduction, prescribed burning, fire management, forest thinning, and other land management activities. Results from this study will help to reduce uncertainty associated with plan prioritization and maintenance activities. From 2001 to 2006, permanent plots were established in areas planned for hazardous fuel reduction treatments across 14 National Forests in California. Treatments included prescribed fire and mechanical methods (i.e., thinning of various sizes and intensities followed by a surface fuel treatment). After treatment, plots were re-measured at various intervals up …

Effects Of Stand-Replacing Wildfire On Ecosystem Carbon Pools In Lake States Jack Pine Forests, David E. Rothstein, John Bradford, Richard Corner, Katherine Chumack, Michael Cook, Ehsan Razavy-Toosi

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

A key barrier to resolving uncertainty about the effects of fire on ecosystem C balance is the fact that fire effects on ecosystem C budgets are manifested over decadal time scales, meaning that we are largely forced to draw inferences using space-for-time substitution, or chronosequence, studies. Whereas chronosequences allow us to study processes occurring over long time scales, they are almost never re-sampled to verify the temporal trajectory of response variables, raising questions about the validity of chronosequence estimates of post-fire C dynamics. We re-sampled a well-studied fire chronosequence of jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in Michigan, providing a unique …

Evaluating Post-Fire Successional Trajectories After A Large High-Severity Wildfire, Peter Z. Fule, Carolyn Hull Sieg, Kristin L. Shive

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This study took advantage of permanent plots in the then-largest severe fire in the Southwest to assess fire effects on (1) successional trajectory, (2) plant community changes, including persistence of post-fire seeding and presence of non-native species, and (3) and fuel dynamics. Each objective resulted in a separate study and publication. Abstracts summarizing each objective studied are presented below. (1) Simulating post-wildfire forest trajectories under alternative climate and management scenarios. (2) Pre-fire fuel reduction treatments influence plant communities and exotic species 9 years after a large wildfire. (3) Pre-wildfire fuel reduction treatments result in more resilient forest structure a decade …

Experimental Determination Of Secondary Organic Aerosol Production From Biomass Combustion, Jeffrey Collett, Allen Robinson, Timothy Larson, Sonia Kreidenweis, Bret Schichtel

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project, a collaboration between Colorado State University (CSU), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the University of Washington (UW), and the National Park Service (NPS), investigated the atmospheric aging of biomass burning plumes in order to examine changes in both primary particle emissions and the production of additional, secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Included in the project were chamber studies to directly study smoke aging as well as analyses of ambient samples to look for evidence of smoke aging and SOA formation in the ambient atmosphere. CMU conducted smog chamber studies to investigate the atmospheric evolution of fine particle and organic aerosol …

Fire And Fish Dynamics In A Changing Climate: Broad- And Local-Scale Effects Of Fire-Induced Water Temperature Changes On Native And Nonnative Fish Communities, Michael K. Young, Lisa Eby, Lisa Holsinger, Daniel J. Isaak, Robert E. Keane

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Fire is a key natural disturbance that affects the distribution and abundance of native fishes in the Rocky Mountain West. In the absence of migratory individuals from undisturbed portions of a watershed, persistence of native fish populations depends on the conditions of the post-fire stream environment. Stream temperatures typically warm after fire, and remain elevated until riparian vegetation recovers. An additional threat to native species is that nonnative fishes have invaded many waters, and these species tolerate or prefer warmer water temperatures. Thus, forecasting the long-term effects of fire on native fish populations requires an understanding of fire dynamics (size, …

Fire Effects On Seed Banks And Vegetation In The Eastern Mojave Desert: Implications For Post-Fire Management, Matthew L. Brooks, Steven Ostoja, Robert Klinger

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Area burned has increased during the past few decades in the Mojave Desert due in part to increased dominance of highly flammable invasive non-native annual grasses. Management responses such as post-fire seedings have been implemented during the first 3 post-fire years to suppress the growth of the invasive annual grasses, promote recovery of native species, and facilitate the restoration of plant species diversity and abundance. Although there is a fair amount of information available on the effects of fire on plant diversity, density, and cover, there is very little information available regarding effects on soil seed banks to help guide …

Fire Rehabilitation Effectiveness: A Chronosequence Approach For The Great Basin, David A. Pyke, David S. Pilliod, Jeanne C. Chambers, Matthew L. Brooks, James Grace

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Federal land management agencies have invested heavily in seeding vegetation for emergency stabilization and rehabilitation (ES&R) of non-forested lands. ES&R projects are implemented to reduce post-fire dominance of non-native annual grasses, minimize probability of recurrent fire, quickly recover lost habitat for sensitive species, and ultimately result in plant communities with desirable characteristics including resistance to invasive species and resilience or ability to recover following disturbance. Land managers lack scientific evidence to verify whether seeding non-forested lands achieves their desired long-term ES&R objectives. The overall objective of our investigation is to determine if ES&R projects increase perennial plant cover, improve community …

Fuel Lifecycle And Long Term Fire Behavior Responses To Fuel Treatments In Southeastern Us Pine Ecosystems, Joseph J. O'Brien, Bret Butler, J. Kevin Hiers, Dan Jimenez, Robert J. Mitchell, Joseph W. Jones

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

We completed an investigation of the long term legacies of fuels treatments in longleaf pine sandhills at Eglin Air Force Base in the panhandle of Florida. From 1994-1999, The Nature Conservancy conducted a large-scale, long-term study at Eglin Air Force Base to compare the effectiveness of midstory reduction treatments, including herbicide, growing season fire, and mechanical clearing on the restoration of longleaf sandhill pine forests. The study plots have been monitored continuously since the completion of the original study and information still exists for all experimental sites, which have been burned as part of the prescribed fire program at Eglin …

Climate Change, Carbon Sequestration, And Wildfire Management In Sierran Mixed Conifer Forests, Scott Stephens Dr., Brandon M. Collins, Sabina Dore, Danny L. Fry, Anna Wong

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

We measured the impacts of prescribed fire and small clear-cut tree harvesting on carbon dynamics in a mixed-conifer forest in the central Sierra Nevada. Soil CO2 efflux, above ground tree biomass, annual tree radial growth, and ecosystem carbon stored as litter, fine root and in the mineral soil were measured in four treatment sites: an un-manipulated control, a prescribed fire site, and two harvested sites, in one of which the soil was mechanically ripped to reduce soil compaction, a common practice done on industrial forest lands in the Sierra Nevada. Biomass and radial tee growth was also measured in a …

Fuel Treatment Effectiveness In The United States, Mark A. Cochrane, Michael C. Wimberly, Jeffrey C. Eidenshink, Zhi-Liang Zhu, Don Ohlen, Mark Finney, Matt Reeves

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The fire situation in the United States is well documented with a growing prevalence of larger and more intense fires that have increasingly severe consequences for affected ecosystems and human health and well being. Increasingly, fuels management has been put forth and implemented as part of an integral strategy for limiting extreme fire behavior, reducing the area affected by wildfire and minimizing the economic and ecological costs of fires. Communities and land management agencies are now treating millions of acres of wildland fuels annually and an ever-increasing number of wildfires are burning treated lands. Although the scientific premises of various …

Historic Fire Frequency In Mountain Big Sagebrush Communities Of The Eastern Great Basin And Colorado Plateau: A Comparison Of Estimates Based Upon Proxy Fire Scar Records And Predictions Derived From Post-Fire Succession Rates, Stanley G. Kitchen, Peter J. Weisberg

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Knowledge of past fire regimes associated with mountain big sagebrush-dominated landscapes is inadequate for scientifically-based land management that requires assessment of departures from historic conditions. Widely utilized estimates of fire frequency for sagebrush ecosystems are largely based upon few studies using fire-scarred proxy trees positioned at the forest/shrubland ecotone. These studies, all conducted in the northern half of the species distribution, generally fail to adequately address questions of fire behavior across the fuels threshold at the forest/woodland-shrubland ecotone. Alternatively, post-fire rates of succession have been used to suggest fire frequencies compatible with big sagebrush recovery. Minimum and maximum fire-free intervals …

Impacts Of Repeated Wildfire On Vegetation In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Thomas A. Waldrop, Donald L. Hagan, Matthew Reilly

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The infrequent occurrence of large wildfires in the southern Appalachian Mountains over the last several decades has offered few opportunities to study the impacts of these types of disturbances. As a result, relatively little is known about how heterogeneity in topography, vegetation, and recent disturbance history interact to influence patterns of fire severity across the landscape. Since 2000, five separate wildfires burned a large portion of the area in, and surrounding the Linville Gorge Wilderness in western North Carolina, two burned the same area a second time. Burn severity and vegetative recovery were measured in 152 plots established in 1992 …

Carbon Storage And Sequestration By Trees In Urban And Community Areas Of The United States, David J. Nowak, Eric J. Greenfield, Robert E. Hoehn, Elizabeth Lapoint

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Carbon storage and sequestration by urban trees in the United States was quantified to assess the magnitude and role of urban forests in relation to climate change. Urban tree field data from 28 cities and 6 states were used to determine the average carbon density per unit of tree cover. These data were applied to statewide urban tree cover measurements to determine total urban forest carbon storage and annual sequestration by state and nationally. Urban whole tree carbon storage densities average 7.69 kg C m^‒2 of tree cover and sequestration densities average 0.28 kg C m^‒2 of tree …

Evaluating Population Connectivity For Species Of Conservation Concern In The American Great Plains, Samuel A. Cushman, Erin L. Landguth, Curtis H. Flather

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Habitat loss and fragmentation are widely recognized as among the most important threats to global biodiversity. New analytical approaches are providing an improved ability to predict the effects of landscape change on population connectivity at vast spatial extents. This paper presents an analysis of population connectivity for three species of conservation concern [swift fox (Vulpes velox); lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus); massasuaga (Sistrurus catenatus)] across the American Great Plains region. We used factorial least-cost path and resistant kernel analyses to predict effects of landscape conditions on corridor network connectivity. Our predictions of population connectivity provide …

Agenda: The Future Of Natural Resources Policy, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

The Future of Natural Resources Policy (December 6)

This forum will provide a post-election perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities that natural resources, public lands, and energy policymakers in Washington are likely to face in the next four years. An expert panel will discuss the dynamics in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress, and how their evolving policies are likely to affect Colorado in the coming years.

Moderator: Dean Phil Weiser, University of Colorado Law School

Panelists:

Jay Jensen, Associate Director for Land & Water Ecosystems, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Scott Miller, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Law …

Background Reading: Department Of Agriculture, 2013 Budget Overview, United States. Forest Service, United States. Department Of Agriculture

The Future of Natural Resources Policy (December 6)

57 pages.

"Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Overview"

"February 2012"

"Background Reading"

The Future of Natural Resources Policy: This forum will provide a post-election perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities that natural resources, public lands, and energy policymakers in Washington are likely to face in the next four years. An expert panel will discuss the dynamics in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress, and how their evolving policies are likely to affect Colorado in the coming years.

Mortality Assessment Of Redwood And Mixed Conifer Forest Types In Santa Cruz County Following Wildfire, Steve R. Auten

Master's Theses

On August 12, 2009, the Lockheed Fire ignited the west slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains burning approximately 7,819 acres. Foresters and other land managers were left with challenging decisions on how to evaluate tree mortality. Big Creek Lumber Company, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly)’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR), and other resource professionals familiar with this region teamed up to develop a method for evaluating damage and thereby mortality for redwood, California nutmeg, live oak, tanoak, California bay, Pacific madrone, big leaf maple, Douglas-fir, Monterey pine, and knobcone pine. Quantitative damage criteria were used to design …

Too Much Weed: Invasive Species In Chitwan National Park, Laura Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Invasive plant species threaten jungle eco-systems in Chitwan National Park. Mikania micrantha is the most destructive invasive plant in the park and has been named one of the world’s 100 worst invaders. It is an exceptionally fastgrowing and aggressive perennial plant that is quickly spreading throughout Chitwan and ousting native plant species that comprise the diets of rhinos and other important wildlife species. M. micrantha poses both immediate ecological concerns to wildlife and threatens rural subsistence farming populations by destroying cropland. In Nepal, no policy or program exists to contain invasive plant species, and large-scale management of M. micrantha is …

Agenda: A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint For The American West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, University Of Colorado Boulder. Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute, Western Resource Advocates, Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint for the American West (Martz Summer Conference, June 6-8)

The future of the planet may depend upon our ability to increase energy supplies even as we reduce carbon emissions. This conference will address how a low-carbon energy program might evolve with a particular focus on the American West. It will focus on the future of energy in the West--on a “managed transition” to a different energy mix, on the need to nest this effort in a framework that acknowledges interconnections, and on identifying the most salient opportunities to consider the legal, political, financial, and technical challenges.

Sediment Removal From The San Gabriel Mountains, Mary C. Ferguson

Pitzer Senior Theses

The issue of sediment removal from the San Gabriel Mountains has been a complex issue that has created problems with beach replenishment, habitat destruction and the need to spend millions of dollars at regular intervals to avoid safety hazards. Most recently 11 acres of riparian habitat, including 179 oaks and 70 sycamores, were removed for sediment placement. Other sites including Hahamongna Watershed Park and La Tuna Canyon also face a similar fate. This thesis questions: How did we get to this point of destroying habitat to dump sediment which is viewed as waste product? What are the barriers for creating …

Agenda: A Life Of Contributions For All Time: Symposium In Honor Of David H. Getches, University Of Colorado Boulder. School Of Law, University Of Colorado Law Review

A Life of Contributions for All Time: Symposium in Honor of David H. Getches (April 26-27)

On April 26-27, 2012, Colorado Law honored David H. Getches with a symposium to celebrate his life and legacy of trailblazing scholarship. “A Life of Contributions for All Time” featured a keynote address by Distinguished Professor Charles Wilkinson entitled, “Hero for the People, Hero for the Land and Water: Reflections on the Enduring Contributions of David Getches.” Top scholars in the fields of natural resources, water, and American Indian law reflected on Dean Getches’ contributions and their own insights into these fields, including Professor John Leshy, John Echohawk, Professor Carole Goldberg, Professor Joe Sax, Professor Rebecca Tsosie, Justice Greg Hobbs, …

Changing The Way We Address Change, Richard Straight

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Covers factors impacting private forest management in the United States, and other related issues.

Assessment Of Windbreak Condition And Indicators To Renovate, Steve Rasmussen

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A presentation covering assessment of windbreak condition and indicators to renovate.

Fire And The Invasive Annual Grass Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests, S. Luke Flory, Keith Clay, Sarah Emery, Joseph Robb

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Non-native plant invasions have the potential to change natural and prescribed fire regimes by increasing fuel loads, continuity of fuels, and fuel composition, which may alter fire intensity, damage native species, and promote further invasions. In this project we sought to evaluate the interaction between fire and the invasive annual grass Microstegium vimineum in eastern deciduous forests. Our goal was to determine if invasions enhance fire intensity, including fire temperatures, flame heights, and fire duration, and negatively affect tree regeneration, and stimulate further invasions. We also sought to determine how prescribed fires and the timing of fires affect the density …

Wildfire Regime Shifts In Temperate Forest Ecosystems: International Symposium In New Zealand, Tomas Veblen, Alan Tepley, Andres Holz

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project consisted of organizing and executing a one-day symposium on “Wildfire Regime Shifts in Temperate Forest Ecosystems” in conjunction with the triennial meeting of the Southern Connection Congress. The VIIth Southern Connection Congress drew together more than 350 environmental scientists and resource managers for its triennial meeting in Dunedin, New Zealand from January 25 to 30, 2013. The Southern Connection Congress (SCC) is a meeting of interdisciplinary researchers and natural resource managers who are interested in the biota and ecosystems of the temperate latitudes of the southern hemisphere. Attendees are from a wide range of research and professional disciplines …

Wildland Fire Suppression And Land Development In The Wildland/Urban Interface, Sheila Olmstead, Carolyn Kousky, Roger Sedjo

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project has explored the hypothesis that public fire suppression in fire‐prone areas acts as a subsidy to landowners, incentivizing conversion of land to residential and commercial development. Landowners do not bear the full cost of their choice to build on land in fire‐prone areas, since they do not pay for suppression, though they reap all of the benefits, potentially resulting in economically inefficient levels of development. To test this hypothesis, we performed an econometric analysis of U.S. land use change between 1970 and 2000. Statistically, we identified the impacts of changes in fire suppression policy by exploiting a natural …