Presenter: David Augustine, USDA-ARS Landscape Ecologist In this webinar, we will discuss research on the role and use of prescribed fire in the western Great Plains, focusing on studies conducted in the shortgrass steppe of Colorado over the past decade. We will discuss the fuel loads and weather conditions under which prescribed burning has been …
Read more “November 25, 2013: The Role of Fire in Shortgrass Rangelands”
There are several ways to evaluate fuel treatment effectiveness: observations, case studies, mathematical models, and empirical studies. Within these four categories, there are several methods that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of fuel treatments both immediately after treatment and over time. This paper summarizes the goals, effects, and advantages of various treatment actions; …
This working paper covers three topics to guide treatments in mixed-conifer forests of the Southwest: 1) describes the current knowledge of mixed-conifer historical reference conditions for fire regimes, stand structure, and species composition in the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico and adjacent areas); 2) provides field diagnostics to assess reference conditions; and 3) offers land managers …
Read more “SW Mixed Conifer Forests: Evaluating Reference Conditions to Guide Fuel Treatments”
Presenters: Charlotte Reemts, anĀ Ecologist for the Nature Conservancy and Helen Poulos, Wesleyan University Charlotte and Helen teamed up to present this webinar that connected science and management of fire in the Davis Mountains of west Texas. Three wildfires burned through the pinyon-juniper-oak forests of the Davis Mountains in 2011 and 2012. Fuel treatments (prescribed fire, …
Read more “August 21, 2013: Effects of fuel treatments on wildfire severity”
Presenter: Don Swann, Saguaro National Park Don Swann is a biologist at Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He has an MS in Wildlife and Fisheries from University of Arizona. Donās projects include collaborative research and long-term monitoring of saguaros, desert tortoises, mammals using wildlife cameras, and …
Presenter: Amy Waltz, Program Director of Science Delivery, Ecological Restoration Institute Uncharacteristically large and severe wildfires, or mega-fires, are occurring with increasing frequency over the last decades in the western United States. The 2011 Wallow Fire, a 538,049-acre (217,740-hectare) fire in the conifer forests of eastern Arizona, provided the opportunity to compare the effectiveness of …
A one day field trip to both the White and Donaldson Fires near Ruidoso, New Mexico that reviewed how both fires burned in the same year (2011) with very different effects. We visited unburned and burned areas that received mastication and other fuels treatments, discussed treatments and how they may have affected fire behavior, fire …
Presenters: Bill Block (USFS RMRS) and Shaula Hedwall (USFWS) The Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, First Revision, was released on December 17, 2012.Ā The Recovery Team used the best available science to delineate actions we think are required to recover and protect the owl.Ā This Recovery Plan presents realistic and attainable goals for recovering the …
Presenter: Paul Werth Extreme fire behavior indicates a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning/spotting, presence of fire whirls, and strong convection column. This webinar will summarize the recent JFSP publicationĀ that connects the …
Read more “December 9, 2012: Synthesis of Knowledge of Extreme Fire Behavior for Fire Managers”
We hosted a one day joint meeting and field trip for the New Mexico Prescribed Fire Council and the New Mexico Interagency Coordinating Group to help bridge the role of the two groups and create an opportunity for sharing of information and building contacts. On the field trip, we took the group to the Chupadera …