Fire in California s North Coast An ecological and social process

Transcription

1 Fire in California s North Coast An ecological and social process Yana Valachovic Forest Advisor & County Director UC Cooperative Extension, Humboldt/Del Norte

2 Outline Role of fire in North Coast ecosystems Implications of fire exclusion Public acceptance of wildland fire? Reintroducing fire: regional examples New organizations focused on use of fire for ecological restoration

3 Ecosystems of the North Coast Highly diverse region Topographic and climatic gradients create wide range of ecological zones and plant communities Coastal prairie, coastal scrub, coastal pine forest, redwood forest, oak woodlands, Douglas-fir-tanoak forests, and more Different plant communities have different fire regimes

4 Understanding fire regimes Temporal factors Seasonality Fire return interval Spatial factors Size Spatial complexity Magnitude Fireline intensity Fire severity Fire type From Sugihara et al. 2005

5 Understanding fire regimes In the North Coast, different ecological zones have different fire regimes, but fire plays an essential role in almost all Changes in fire frequency or severity can change species composition, favoring one plant community over another Fire suppression over the last century has effectively altered the fire regimes of the North Coast

6 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems, both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues Bishop pine

7 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues

8 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues Note: Miller et al (2012) found only moderate severity fires over last two decades in NW California Study Area: (Mendocino, Six Rivers, Klamath, Shasta-Trinity National Forests

9 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues

10 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development processes altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues

11 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues Photos courtesy of Redwood National Park

12 Implications of fire exclusion Regeneration problems both trees and herbaceous plants Forest densification Accumulations of fuels results in bigger, more intense fires Succession to shrubs and trees, loss of prairies Snag and cavity development altered Succession of forest types Cultural issues

13 Public acceptance of wildfire or use of fire for management?

14 Impacts?

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16 Courtesy of Hugh Scanlon, CDF

17 Reintroducing fire: regional examples Mid Klamath Watershed Council and Orleans/Somes Bar Fire Safe Council Orleans, CA Mission: To help plan, implement, and monitor the reinstatement of historic fire regimes Secured nearly $1 million since 2001 to conduct hazard fuels reduction, prescribed burning, and wildfire prevention planning in their community

18 Reintroducing fire: regional examples Watershed Research and Training Center Hayfork, CA Mission: To promote a healthy forest and a healthy community Hub of the California Klamath-Siskiyou Fire Learning Network, aimed at building support for ecosystem restoration and fuels management Secured funds for implementation of prescribed burns on private lands in Hayfork Valley. Working with BLM, NRCS, CAL FIRE, USDA Forest Service, and private landowners to accomplish burns

19 Northern California Prescribed Fire Council Mission: The NCPFC is a venue for practitioners, state and federal agencies, academic institutions, tribes, coalitions, and interested individuals to work collaboratively to promote, protect, conserve, and expand the responsible use of prescribed fire in Northern California s fireadapted landscapes. Photos courtesy of Angela Bernheisel, CAL FIRE

20 Northern California Prescribed Fire Council Council holds 2 meetings a year (spring and fall). Meetings feature research and management presentations, field tours of prescribed fire projects, and networking opportunities Upcoming projects/events: -Fall 2012 meeting: Tahoe, date TBD -Prescribed Fire Training Exchange in collaboration with TNC (Fall 2013) Website: Part of national network To promote safety, training, and research in the art and science of prescribed fire. To promote public understanding of the benefits of prescribed burning and the role of fire in ecosystems.

21 California Fire Science Consortium Mission: To improve the quality and timeliness of the two-way movement of fire science information between scientists, land managers, and stakeholders in the state s fire community.

22 For more information, to sign up for mailing list, or to download research briefs: or Website: California Fire Science Consortium Activities: List and describe existing research and synthesize information Assess the quality and applicability of research Demonstrate research in the field Address new research, synthesis, and validation needs from managers and stakeholders

23 Conclusions In N California successfully treat 50,000 ac/ year (all veg types) Quinn-Davidson and Varner (2012) Are we putting the best fire on the ground? Is some fire better than no fire? Prescribed fire versus let burn policies? Increases in fire return intervals will result in? Increase community and public understanding of fire? Photos courtesy of Debra Harris

24 Western Australia Courtesy of Rick Sneeuwjagt