Prescribed Fire on JBLM. John Richardson Joint Base Lewis McChord Fish and Wildlife

Transcription

1 1 Prescribed Fire on JBLM John Richardson Joint Base Lewis McChord Fish and Wildlife

2 Location of JBLM 5/25/2017 PowerPoint Presentation Template 2 2

3 Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 3 Adapted to Frequent Low Intensity Fires Historically Maintained Through Burning by Native Americans Currently Maintained by accidental fires from Military training and Prescribed fire

4 Fire Dependent Habitats On JBLM 4 Prairie/Grasslands ~17,000 acres JBLM (approximately 90,000 acres) Oak woodland and Savanna ~3,500 acres Ponderosa Pine ~4,500 acres

5 Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 5 Glacial Outwash Prairie

6 Prairie Habitat Loss 6

7 Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 7 Garry Oak Woodlands

8 Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 8 Ponderosa Pine Savannah

9 9 Role of RX fire in restoration Creates complex ecosystems that foster biodiversity Stimulation of seed production and plant germination Reduce fuel loadings and risk of catastrophic fire Maintain open training environments Minimizes the use of pesticides

10 Invasive Species Control 10

11 Encroachment of Native Species 11

12 12 Before and After Fire

13 13 Rx Fire Management on JBLM Ecosystem approach Focus is on restoring function and process Short term impacts for long term gains Fire not necessarily a benefit to all species Challenge of balancing needs of ecosystem with needs of rare species

14 14 Fire Management Strategy Fire Regime No fixed return interval % of Acres in Fire Management 40 Carefully 35 Reintroduce Fire Create artificial mosaics as fire is re- 20 introduced: 10 5 Fire Return Distribution 0 Pre-treatments to protect key species Return Interval

15 Our Fire Season Burn Days/Month by Year BURN DAYS Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec MONTH 5/25/2017 PowerPoint Presentation Template 15 15

16 Fire Management Planning 5/25/

17 Annual Prioritization 5/25/

18 Puget Sound Ecological Fire Partnership 18

19 Growth of Fire Program 19

20 Challenges Public perceptions fire is an eastern Washington thing Urbanization More risk of impacts to public Rare ecosystems = rare species 5/25/

21 Challenges of Rx Fire and Rare Species 21 Must use a Nuanced approach Actions may benefit one species and harm another No Rules to follow Often working with unknowns Sensitivity to fire can be seasonally dependant. What was bad in June may be good in July

22 Rare Species Mitigation Strategies 22 2 Phases to Rx fire- Planning & Implementation Use mitigation strategies during both for best results Species will dictate which phases strategies are used most

23 23 Planning Related Strategies Burn timing Avoid especially sensitive times Unit boundary selection Pre-burn surveys Return interval Diversity of Fire

24 Implementation Related Strategies 24 Habitat Exclusions Leave key areas unburned

25 Habitat Exclusions 25

26 26 Implementation Strategies Habitat Exclusions Leave key areas unburned Firing patterns Herding Escape routes Fire spread type Head,flank,backing

27 Herding with Fire 27

28 28 Implementation Strategies Habitat Exclusions Leave key areas unburned Firing patterns Herding Escape routes Fire spread type Head,flank,backing MIST (minimal impact suppression tactics) Reduce impacts of fire fighters

29 29 Takeaways for Rare Species On going process Don t lose focus of restoration goals Remain flexible when selecting strategies

30 Conclusion Fire is the foundation of our restoration Focus is on Ecosystems and Processes Partnerships are key to success 5/25/

31 31 Questions?? Thank you for your time! John Richardson Joint Base Lewis McChord Fish and Wildlife

32 have or get from other people about our Prescribed Fire Program: 32 Q: Why does our program get to burn during a state wide burn ban? A: The state wide burn ban during the summer is for fire danger and is put in place by WA DNR on lands they protect. JBLM provides its own fire protection and sets its own fire danger burn bans. All air quality burn bans are adhered to. Q: Why does our program burn when the air quality is bad or when it is going to smoke out a town? A: Our program does not burn on days when the air quality is bad. Sites are selected to burn based on weather conditions that will reduce the risk of impacting nearby towns. Our program focuses on reducing smoke impacts both to the environment and the public by burning when smoke can be well managed.

33 33 Primary approaches by species Streaked horned lark Planning- Timing restrictions, survey data, unit boundaries Implementation- firing pattern- herding, leave escape routes Mazama pocket gopher Planning-burn timing Implementation- exclusions Taylor s checkerspot Planning-Unit layout, survey data, return interval Implementation- variable fire spread, exclusions

34 34 Partnerships 1) Joint Base Lewis McChord 2) Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) 3) The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Washington and Oregon 4) Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 5) Washington Department of Natural Resources 6) The Evergreen State College 7) University of Washington 8) Department of Defense 9) United States Fish and Wildlife Service 10) Olympic National Forest 11) National Park Service 12) Whidbey Camano Island Land Trust 13) Pacific Rim Institute 14) Washington State Parks 15) Pacific Northwest Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory 16) Mt. Adams Resource Stewards

35 35 Primary ESA species and fire Mazama pocket gopher Taylor s Checkerspot Streaked horned lark