scholarly journals Integrated Grazing and Prescribed Fire Restoration Strategies in a Mesquite Savanna: II. Fire Behavior and Mesquite Landscape Cover Responses

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Ansley ◽  
W.E. Pinchak ◽  
W.R. Teague ◽  
B.A. Kramp ◽  
D.L. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Restoration Strategies

scholarly journals Using the Landsat Burned Area Products to Derive Fire History Relevant for Fire Management and Conservation in the State of Florida, Southeastern USA

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Casey Teske ◽  
Melanie K. Vanderhoof ◽  
Todd J. Hawbaker ◽  
Joe Noble ◽  
John Kevin Hiers
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Behavior Modeling ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Burn Probability

Development of comprehensive spatially explicit fire occurrence data remains one of the most critical needs for fire managers globally, and especially for conservation across the southeastern United States. Not only are many endangered species and ecosystems in that region reliant on frequent fire, but fire risk analysis, prescribed fire planning, and fire behavior modeling are sensitive to fire history due to the long growing season and high vegetation productivity. Spatial data that map burned areas over time provide critical information for evaluating management successes. However, existing fire data have undocumented shortcomings that limit their use when detailing the effectiveness of fire management at state and regional scales. Here, we assessed information in existing fire datasets for Florida and the Landsat Burned Area products based on input from the fire management community. We considered the potential of different datasets to track the spatial extents of fires and derive fire history metrics (e.g., time since last burn, fire frequency, and seasonality). We found that burned areas generated by applying a 90% threshold to the Landsat burn probability product matched patterns recorded and observed by fire managers at three pilot areas. We then created fire history metrics for the entire state from the modified Landsat Burned Area product. Finally, to show their potential application for conservation management, we compared fire history metrics across ownerships for natural pinelands, where prescribed fire is frequently applied. Implications of this effort include increased awareness around conservation and fire management planning efforts and an extension of derivative products regionally or globally.

scholarly journals The efficacy of fire and fuels reduction treatments in a Sierra Nevada pine plantation

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leda N. Kobziar ◽  
Joe R. McBride ◽  
Scott L. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Pine Plantation ◽  
Understorey Vegetation ◽  
Fuels Reduction ◽  
Reduction Techniques ◽  
Reducing Potential

Plantations are the most common means of reforestation following stand-replacing wildfires. As wildfires continue to increase in size and severity as a result of fire suppression or climate change, establishment of plantations will likely also increase. Plantations’ structural characteristics, including dense, uniform spacing and abundant ladder fuels, present significant wildfire hazards. Large-scale fuels reduction techniques may be necessary to reduce potential fire behavior in plantations and to protect surrounding forests. In the present study, four different manipulations aimed at reducing potential fire behavior in a Sierra Nevada pine plantation are compared. The treatments include: mechanical shredding, or mastication, of understorey vegetation and small trees; mastication followed by prescribed fire; fire alone; and controls. Fire behavior modeling shows that mastication is detrimental whereas prescribed fire is effective in reducing potential fire behavior at moderate to extreme weather conditions. Predicted fire behavior was compared with actual values from the prescribed burns in an effort to explore the limitations of fire modeling. Fire behavior predictions were similar to field observations in the more structurally homogeneous stands, but differed greatly where mastication created forest openings and patchy fuels distributions. In contrast to natural stands, the homogeneity of pine plantations make the results of the present work applicable to other regions such as the south-eastern US, where similar fuels reduction techniques are used to increase fire-resistance and stand resilience.

Six Decades of Forest Fire Science in Canada

1990 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Van Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire Ecology ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Fire Science ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Related Science ◽  
Changing Attitudes

This account of the history and accomplishments of forest fire research in Canada begins with a few basic statistics, and some background on changing attitudes to fire. A historical note on the contributions of Wright and Beall in the 1930's and 1940's follows. Fire science is then divided into six diverse categories: fire behavior, fire management systems, fire ecology, prescribed fire, fire economics, and fire suppression, with a note on developments and accomplishments in each. The references given are examples of the wide range of activity within the whole field of fire-related science and technology, but do not constitute a bibliography.

scholarly journals Mastication and Prescribed Fire Influences on Tree Mortality and Predicted Fire Behavior in Ponderosa Pine

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia L. Reiner ◽  
Nicole M. Vaillant ◽  
Scott N. Dailey
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Random Block Design ◽  
Four Blocks

Abstract The purpose of this study was to provide land managers with information on potential wildfire behavior and tree mortality associated with mastication and masticated/fire treatments in a plantation. Additionally, the effect of pulling fuels away from tree boles before applying fire treatment was studied in relation to tree mortality. Fuel characteristics and tree mortality data were gathered before and after treatments in a 25-year-old ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson) plantation. A random block design was used with three treatments plus a control at each of four blocks. Four plots were established as subsamples within each of the treatment and control sections of each block. Potential wildfire behavior for posttreatment fuel conditions was modeled for 90th and 97th percentile fire weather. Predicted rates of spread and flame lengths were higher for fuel conditions resulting from the mastication treatments than for the masticated/fire treatments or the controls. Torching and crowning indices indicated that higher windspeeds would be necessary to promote torching for areas treated with mastication/fire than for mastication or the controls. Tree mortality was 32 and 17% the first year after burning in masticated/fire and masticated/pull-back/fire plots, respectively, and 49 and 27% the second year. Our potential wildfire behavior results indicate that the risk of crown fire can be somewhat reduced by mastication and further reduced if mastication is followed up with prescribed fire to consume surface fuels. However, moderate levels of tree mortality seem inevitable when burning masticated fuels in a plantation and may only marginally be reduced by pulling fuels away from tree boles, which increases treatment costs.

scholarly journals Integrated Grazing and Prescribed Fire Restoration Strategies in a Mesquite Savanna: III. Ranch-Scale Cow–Calf Production Responses

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.E. Pinchak ◽  
W.R. Teague ◽  
R.J. Ansley ◽  
J.A. Waggoner ◽  
S.L. Dowhower
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Cow Calf ◽  
Restoration Strategies

scholarly journals Integrated Grazing and Prescribed Fire Restoration Strategies in a Mesquite Savanna: I. Vegetation Responses

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.R. Teague ◽  
S.L. Dowhower ◽  
R.J. Ansley ◽  
W.E. Pinchak ◽  
J.A. Waggoner
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Vegetation Responses ◽  
Restoration Strategies

scholarly journals Invigorating Prescribed Fire Science Through Improved Reporting Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie R. Bonner ◽  
Chad M. Hoffman ◽  
Jeffrey M. Kane ◽  
J. Morgan Varner ◽  
J. Kevin Hiers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Reporting Standards ◽  
Fire Science ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Fire Experiments

Interest in prescribed fire science has grown over the past few decades due to the increasing application of prescribed fire by managers to mitigate wildfire hazards, restore biodiversity, and improve ecosystem resilience. Numerous ecological disciplines use prescribed fire experiments to provide land managers with evidence-based information to support prescribed fire management. Documenting variation in the context and conditions during prescribed fire experimental treatments is critical for management inference, but inconsistencies in reporting critical experimental details can complicate interpretation. Such details are needed to provide ecological and empirical context for data, facilitate experimental replication, enable meta-analyses, and maximize utility for other scientists and practitioners. To evaluate reporting quality in the recent literature, we reviewed 219 prescribed fire experiments from 16 countries published in 11 refereed journals over the last 5 years. Our results suggest substantial shortcomings in the reporting of critical data that compromise the utility of this research. Few studies had specific information on burning conditions such as fuel moisture (22%), quantitative fuel loads (36%), fire weather (53%), and fire behavior (30%). Further, our analysis revealed that 63% of the studies provided precise coordinates for their study area, while 30% of studies indicated the prescribed fire date. Only 54% of the studies provided descriptions of the ignition characteristics. Given these common deficiencies, we suggest minimum reporting standards for future prescribed fire experiments. These standards could be applied to journal author guidelines, directed to researchers and reviewers by the editor, and promoted in the education of fire ecologists. Establishing reporting standards will increase the quality, applicability, and reproducibility of prescribed fire science, facilitate future research syntheses, and foster actionable science.

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