Fire and Environmental Research Applications Team

ADAPTATION OPTIONS FOR CLIMATE-SENSITIVE ECOSYSTEMS AND RESOURCES IN NATIONAL FORESTS AND NATIONAL PARKS

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program recently published, through EPA, a synthesis and assessment of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources. FERA’s David L. Peterson was one of the contributing authors to a chapter on National Forests. This 120-page chapter offers conclusions and recommendations for management responses and research priorities. Don McKenzie was a contributing author to a chapter on National Parks.

FIELD WORK COMPLETE ON PROJECT TO ESTIMATE BIOMASS OF HANDPILES

Field work was completed on the Joint Fire Science Program project to estimate the biomass of hand-piled fuels for smoke management planning. Collection sites included the Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forests in Washington, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in northern California, the Los Padres and Sequoia national forests in southern California, and on BLM lands near Vale in eastern Oregon. Initial analysis of the data is underway, and a draft of the final report is expected to be complete by mid-October.

REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS OF THE FUEL CHARACTERISTIC CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

Ten on-going applications of the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) may be of interest to fire, land, and air quality managers at a wide variety of scales. From a city’s concern about the urban/wildland interface to a NASA project to estimate North American carbon emissions, these projects are case studies in using FCCS across a broad range of scales and purposes.

PETERSON PRESENTS PLENARY SESSION AT WORKSHOP "CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN"

On June 24, David L. Peterson presented a plenary talk on “Climate Change Effects to Columbia Basin Forest Ecosystems” at the workshop “Climate Change Impacts on Natural Resource Management in the Columbia River Basin,” held in Boise, Idaho.

The purpose of this meeting was to “provide resources and information to natural resource scientists and managers who work to conserve Columbia River Basin ecosystems.” It engaged scientists and managers in developing conservation strategies that anticipate and respond to a changing climate. Several hundred representatives from regional state, federal, tribal, educational, and nongovernmental organizations were in attendance.

DOCTORAL DEGREE AWARDED TO MORRIS JOHNSON

Morris Johnson, an ecologist with the FERA team, received his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington at commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 14. The title of his dissertation was "Analyzing Fuel Treatments and Fire Hazard across the West."

FIELD CREW MEASURING CONSUMPTION ON INTERIOR ALASKA RESEARCH BURNS

The field crew spent time in early June preparing plots to participate in the Joint Fire Science Program project “Quantifying the Effects of Fuels Reduction Treatments on Fire Behavior and Post-Fire Vegetation Dynamics.” FERA’s part of this proposal, led by Dr. Scott Rupp of the University of Alaska, is to measure pre-burn and post-burn fuels in the treatment and control plots, and calculate consumption from the fires.

FERA PARTICIPATES IN UPCOMING REGIONAL FIRE CONFERENCES

The September meeting “The ’88 Fires: Yellowstone and Beyond” will offer a presentation by Don McKenzie on vegetation and fuels mapping in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, a poster by Bob Vihnanek on the natural fuels photo series, and an exhibit highlighting the depth and breadth of FERA’s research products.

The December meeting, “Pacific Coast Fire Conference” will offer a 4-hour workshop by Roger Ottmar and other members of the FERA team on using a suite of fire management tools consisting of the natural fuels photo series, digital photo series, fuel characteristic classification system (FCCS) and Consume 3.0.