Pacific Southwest Research Station

Blacks Mtn. Experimental Forest - BMEF

Blacks Mtn. Ecolgical Research Project - BMERP

Publications and Presentations

On September 26, 2002 the Cone fire ignited on the Hat Creek Ranger District of the Lassen National Forest, near the northeast corner of Black’s Mtn. Experimental Forest (BMEF). The fire started near mid-day. Late in the afternoon of the 26th, the fire was reported to be approximately 4 hectares burning in a west-northwestern direction. In the evening, a wind shift with strong gusts from the north pushed the fire south into BMEF. By 2:30am of the 27th, the fire had reached 653 hectares. The fire burned portions of three of the twelve treatment units at BMEF with variable intensities and completely burned the forestland located in between the treatment units. It became apparent after the fire that the long-term study treatments that came into contact with the fire, acted as fuel breaks of varying degrees.

From this incident, many lessons and research opportunities were created. To learn more about these lessons and the research that is now being conducted as a result of the Cone fire please refer to the Cone Fire Full Story and the Research Projects listed below.

Contains current Cone Fire Outreach Materials.

Information about the different research projects that were initiated in response to the Cone fire.

• Variable Retention Salvage
  
• Fire Severity Transects
  
• Seedling Spacing / Variable Density
  
• Bare Root vs. Container Stock Seedling