1 Prescribed Fire on JBLM John Richardson Joint Base Lewis McChord Fish and Wildlife John.f.richardson1.civ@mail.mil
Location of JBLM 5/25/2017 PowerPoint Presentation Template 2 2
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
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
Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 5 Glacial Outwash Prairie
Prairie Habitat Loss 6
Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 7 Garry Oak Woodlands
Fire Dependent Ecosystems on JBLM 8 Ponderosa Pine Savannah
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
Invasive Species Control 10
Encroachment of Native Species 11
12 Before and After Fire 2010 2011
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 Fire Management Strategy Fire Regime No fixed return interval % of Acres in Fire Management 40 Carefully 35 Reintroduce Fire 30 25 15 Create artificial mosaics as fire is re- 20 introduced: 10 5 Fire Return Distribution 0 Pre-treatments to protect key species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+ Return Interval
Our Fire Season Burn Days/Month by Year 20 18 16 14 2016 BURN DAYS 12 10 8 6 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 4 2 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec MONTH 5/25/2017 PowerPoint Presentation Template 15 15
Fire Management Planning 5/25/2017 16 16
Annual Prioritization 5/25/2017 17 17
Puget Sound Ecological Fire Partnership 18
Growth of Fire Program 19
Challenges Public perceptions fire is an eastern Washington thing Urbanization More risk of impacts to public Rare ecosystems = rare species 5/25/2017 20 20
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
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 Planning Related Strategies Burn timing Avoid especially sensitive times Unit boundary selection Pre-burn surveys Return interval Diversity of Fire
Implementation Related Strategies 24 Habitat Exclusions Leave key areas unburned
Habitat Exclusions 25
26 Implementation Strategies Habitat Exclusions Leave key areas unburned Firing patterns Herding Escape routes Fire spread type Head,flank,backing
Herding with Fire 27
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 Takeaways for Rare Species On going process Don t lose focus of restoration goals Remain flexible when selecting strategies
Conclusion Fire is the foundation of our restoration Focus is on Ecosystems and Processes Partnerships are key to success 5/25/2017 30 30
31 Questions?? Thank you for your time! John Richardson Joint Base Lewis McChord Fish and Wildlife John.f.richardson1.civ@mail.mil
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 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 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 Primary ESA species and fire Mazama pocket gopher Taylor s Checkerspot Streaked horned lark