Growing Season Prescribe Fire On the Ocala NF. An overview by: George Custer

Transcription

1 Growing Season Prescribe Fire On the Ocala NF An overview by: George Custer

2 Background Former Fire Management Officer for the Ocala NF Currently the Incident Commander for the National Incident Management Organization, Atlanta Team 34 years with the USFS, Burn Boss since 1982 Burn Boss on over 300,000 acres Prescribe burns in Mexico, Puerto Rico

3 History of growing season burning on the Ocala NF First growing season burn was 1985, 500 ac., Longleaf ecosystem By 2000, over 50,500 acres had been treated with growing season burns Currently, 60-75% of the total prescribe fire acres are burned in the growing season (approx 25,000 ac/year) First stand replacement burn was 1993 and continues as a fuel reduction and ecosystem management tool

4 Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Fire return=3-5 yrs

5 Urban Interface, Population Centers

6 Open, uneven age stands

7 RCW Habitat

8 Burn window: April thru August

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10 Typical Burning Weather Temp: <95 RH: 35-70% Winds: <18 Midflame: <10 Smoke Mgt Fuel Moistures

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12 Results: Mid-story control Wiregrass reproduction RCW Habitat LL reproduction Fuel reduction Species diversity

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14 Other Ecosystems

15 Flatwoods

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17 Prairies

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19 Sand Pine Scrub Ecosystem

20 Numerous T&E species (plant and animal) Require early successional habitat Scrub Jay Mgt Areas Naval Bombing Range Timber program is key

21 Timber Program: Ecological Approach

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23 First burn for research, acres

24 2 months post burn

25 2 years post burn

26 Research Results A long term research study of the original burn was conducted by Dr. Cathryn Greenburg, USFS, Southern Research Station. Ms. Greenburg s study, which continued from pre-burn 1993 thru 2001, used random line transects to measure a variety of vegetative responses -Pine seed fell heavily from newly opened serotinous pinecones for about a month after the burn. -Bark beetles and woodborers could be heard throughout the stand within a few days of the fire and by June (one month post burn) the air was filled with sawdust falling from standing snags.

27 More can be found in the Natural Areas Journal Volume 23 (2) 2003, pages Prior to burning transects intercepted 15 species of woody and 10 species of herbaceous plants. Post burn these transects intercepted 18 woody and 29 herbaceous species. -Sand pine seedlings were established within 5 months post burn and had attained 18 percent cover within 64 months. -Snags began falling 28 months post burn and increased through 40 months post burn, by then about 35% of the snags had fallen.

28 Program continues to expand: Several thousand acres treated Provides benefits for fuel reduction within the range. Increased habitat for Scrub Jays Better understanding of fire behavior

29 Scrub fuel types tend be either/or. Either it won t burn (used as fire barrier in rainy season) or it will burn aggressively (especially with wind) Big Scrub Fire : 35,000 acres in 4 hours fires over 3000 acres on May 17 Prescription is tight..days available are few: April-Early June (before rainy season), this is also peak fire season. Use BEHAVE to understand fuel model Dead fuels have little effect on rates of spread and flame lengths Spotting distance.accept only short range Probability of Ignition (PoI): up to 70% Use FireFamily Plus to understand best time of year to burn. When woody fuel moistures are low, when large fires occur, when weather coincides prescription.

30 The keys to stand replacement burns in the scrub: Live woody fuel moistures are key: % Days since rain (days till rain) Winds: < 10 mph Mid-flame winds: < 5 mph Smoke Management: good mixing heights, unstable atmosphere allows for smoke column development and increases ability to pull fire in and increases fire intensity

31 Advantages of Growing Season Better fuel reduction Natural time of year (lightning) Increase in plant diversity More burn days (longer days) Less smoke issues (increase mixing, more time for dissipation) Better understanding of fire behavior, fuel modeling and suppression tactics.

32 What makes it work in Florida Public education..civic Clubs, billboards, Prescribe Fire Week, brochures, TV Teaching moments (1985, 1998) Prescribe Fire Councils

33 Prescribe Fire Councils Nationally, 23.some states have several Closest is Pennsylvania- interagency Florida has 3 North, Central, South Promote prescribe burning, teach classes Florida and other states have laws protecting the right to burn (liability), regulating Certified Burner (FLDOF)

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36 Thank you!!

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