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| Fire Plan Research
The National Fire Plan (NFP) calls for increasing the capability
of federal research and development to support efforts to reduce
the human and ecological losses from wildfires. This research project
has funded projects in 2 of the 4 focus areas: B. Rehabilitation
and Restoration and C. Reducing hazardous fuels and fire risk. The
Rocky Mountain Research Station has additional studies funded under
the NFP: http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/main/fire_plan/index.html
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| PATTERNS OF WHITE PINE REGENERATION AFTER FIRE |
| Research Description - White
pines are an important species that regenerates after fire,
helps in reducing soil erosion, and sets the stage for the development
of commercially valuable forest types. White pines are also
susceptible to white pine blister rust that can kill seedlings
and adult trees. Researchers are working on identifying and
selecting sources of white pine seeds that display hardiness
and resistance to the pathogen so that they may be used in efforts
to restore burned areas. |
| National Fire Plan Key Point – B (Rehabilitation
and Restoration) |
| Team Lead Scientist – Anna
Schoettle; aschoettle@fs.fed.us, 970-498-1333 |
| Research Approach – Apply
ecological, physiological, genetic and meta-population approaches
to improve our ability to develop and assess potential management
and conservation options for bristlecone, limber and whitebark
pine ecosystems. |
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| USE OF REMOTE SENSING TO EXAMINE
DISEASE EFFECTS ON FUEL PATTERNS |
| Research Description –
Forests impacts by insects and diseases are more susceptible
to wildfires. Researchers are using satellite imagery to look
at the impacts of these disturbances in determining the distribution
of fire hazard and spread of wildfire. This information will
be incorporated into an expert opinion model that can be used
to help managers make operational decisions about management
options. |
| National Fire Plan Key Point
– C (Hazardous Fuels Reduction) |
| Team Lead Scientist – John
Lundquist, jlundquist@fs.fed.us;
970-498-1095 |
| Research Approach – We
developed methods to generate sub-stand resolution spatial models
of various components of fuel loading by linking field data
to satellite imagery, linked these images to fire spread model,
developed methods to quantify the relative importance of different
types of disturbances, which generate fuels and assessed the
relative importance of diseases, and examine how marketing and
promotional business tools and concepts might be usefully integrated
into this process. |
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| MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR
FIRE DEPENDENT ECOSYSTEMS IN COLORADO AND THE BLACK HILLS |
| Research Description –Fire
suppression and exclusion throughout the Central Rocky Mountains
have resulted in conditions that make the risk of catastrophic
fires likely. Researchers are gathering information on the types
and methods of fuel reduction alternatives that would be best
suited to treating these high fuel levels to restore a more
natural mix of ecological conditions and reintroduce fire as
a management tool. |
| National Fire Plan Key Point
– C (Hazardous Fuels Reduction) |
| Team Lead Scientist – Linda Joyce; ljoyce@fs.fed.us,
970-498-2560 |
| Research Approach – Information
and knowledge will be developed (1) on the role of natural disturbances
and forest management activities in maintaining healthy forests
ecosystems in the West; (2) on the ecological response of these
fire-suppressed ecosystems to natural disturbances of insects,
disease, and timber management treatments, including regeneration
patterns, seedling establishment, endemic levels of insects
and disease, and responses in the forests’ nutrient and
carbon dynamics. Additionally, we will focus on the development
of effective and cost-efficient vegetation manipulation techniques
to mimic the fire disturbances when fire is not a viable alternative
by establishing benchmarks for the current ecosystem processes,
determining the direction of change in these ecological processes,
and the development and testing of management treatments to
maintain a broader spectrum of ecological conditions along the
Front Range and Black Hills and develop and test where possible,
management techniques that make fire a viable option for resource
management. |
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| Monitoring Fire Effects and Vegetation Recovery
on the Jasper Fire, Black Hills National Forest, SD
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| Research Description: The objective of this study
is to address these two questions: 1) What is the relation between
fire severity and direct effects of the fire on vegetation and
soil? 2) How does the rate of recovery vary by fire severity? |
| Team Lead Scientist: Wayne Shepperd, wshepperd@fs.fed.us,
970-498-1259 |
| Research Approach: Answering these questions involves
addressing the physical effects of the fire upon vegetation,
documenting natural vegetation recovery from the fire disturbance,
and assessing the effectiveness of short-term management efforts
to speed recovery, mitigate adverse effects or salvage timber
within the burned areas. |
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