Masticated Fuels Research
BACKGROUND
Dense flammable vegetation and seasonally extreme fire weather present a daunting fuels management challenge in the foothill and mountain regions of California and southern Oregon. Much of this area historically burned in relatively frequent low to moderate severity fires, helping to thin the forest understory and reduce the potential for severe wildfires. Fire suppression, timber harvest, and unusually severe wildfires have all contributed to the dense thickets of shrubs and small trees common throughout the region. Prescribed fire is one means of reducing wildfire hazard, but it is unlikely to be applied over a large proportion of the area due to risks associated with the proximity to homes, air quality issues, and the lack of prescription burning opportunities. As a result, an increasing number of acres of shrubs and small trees are being treated with mechanical mastication to reduce fire hazard. However, little is known about the effectiveness of such activities for altering fire behavior, and about the fire behavior and fire effects of burning masticated fuel beds. |
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In order to address some of these unknowns, researchers with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and Humboldt State Univeristy began looking at fire effects from burning masticated fuels. Early work resulted in a paper showing the potential for substantial soil heating when masticated fuels are burned (Busse et al. 2005). The research was later expanded with funding from the Joint Fire Science Program.
Research Topics
Publications
Matt D. Busse, Ken R. Hubbert, Gary O. Fiddler, Carol J. Shestak, and Robert F. Powers (2005). Lethal soil temperatures during burning of masticated forest residues. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 14:267-276.
Busse, M., C. Shestak, E. Knapp, G. Fiddler, and K. Hubbert. 2006. Lethal soil heating during burning of masticated fuels: effects of soil moisture and texture. Proceedings of the Third International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, Nov. 13-17, San Diego , CA.
Kane, J., J.M. Varner, and E. Knapp. 2006. Initial Understory Vegetation Response to Mechanical Mastication Fuel Treatments: Balancing Biodiversity and Fire Hazard Reduction. Proceedings of the Third International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, Nov. 13-17, San Diego, CA.
Kane, J. M., E. E. Knapp, and J. M. Varner. 2006. Variability in loading of mechanically masticated fuel beds in northern California and southwestern Oregon . In Andrews, P.L., and Butler , B.W., comps., Fuel Management – How to Measure Success: Conference Proceedings, March 28-30, 2006 , Portland OR . U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Proceedings RMRS-P-41, pages 341-350.
Knapp, E., M.Busse, J. Morgan Varner III, C. Skinner, and R. Powers. 2006. Behavior and short-term effects of fire in masticated fuel beds. Proceedings of the Third International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, Nov. 13-17, San Diego, CA.
Knapp, E.E., M.D. Busse, J.M. Varner, and C.N. Skinner. 2008. Masticated fuelbeds: custom fuel models, fire behavior, and fire effects. Final report to the Joint Fire Science Program. Project 05-2-1-20. 17p.
Kane, J., J.M. Varner, and E.E. Knapp. 2009. Novel fuelbed characteristics associated with mechanical mastication treatments in northern California and southwestern Oregon. International Journal of Wildland Fire 18:686-697.
Kane, J., J.M. Varner, and E.E. Knapp, and R.F. Powers. 2010. Understory vegetation response to mechanical mastication and other fuels treatments in a ponderosa pine forest. Applied Vegetation Science 13:207-220.
Busse, M., C. Shestak, E. Knapp, G. Fiddler, and K. Hubbert. 2010. Soil physical properties regulate lethal heating during burning of woody fuels. Soil Science Society of America Journal 74:947-955.
Kreye, J.K., J.M. Varner, and E.E. Knapp. Effects of particle fracturing and moisture content on fire behavior in masticated fuelbeds burned in a laboratory. International Journal of Wildland Fire. In press.
An overview of the project, written by the Joint Fire Science Program is located at: http://www.firescience.gov/projects/briefs/05-2-1-20_FSBrief70.pdf
Names and contact information of personnel
- Eric E. Knapp (Research Ecologist, USFS Pacific Southwest Research Station)
- Matt D. Busse (Research Microbiologist, USFS Pacific Southwest Research Station)
- J. Morgan Varner (Assistant Professor, Humboldt State University)
- Carl N. Skinner (Research Geographer, USFS Pacific Southwest Research Station)
Additional Links
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area - Brush Mastication Project |
![[image]:masticated fuels research collage](/psw/programs/ecology_of_western_forests/projects/masticated_fuels/Photos/mf1.gif)
