Pacific Southwest Research Station

Developing fuels treatments for balancing fuel reduction, soil exposure, and potential for erosion in the Tahoe Basin

Principal Investigators:
Andrew Stubblefield, Humboldt State University
Morgan Varner, Humboldt State University
Eric Knapp, USDA Forest Service-Pacific Southwest Research Station
Mark Grismer, University of California-Davis

Proposal [pdf]

Final Report [pdf]

Additional Reports:
Harrison et al. 2016 [pdf]
Banwell Master’s Thesis 2011 [pdf]
Harrison Master’s Thesis 2012 [pdf]

Please contact Dr. Andrew Stubblefield with questions regarding the reports.

Project Summary

The goal of this project was to understand erosion thresholds and determine the optimal levels of surface fuel retention from fuels treatments that maximize fire hazard and fire severity reduction goals while minimizing the threat of erosion and sedimentation. The project also examined the mechanisms by which burn patchiness (including sediment capture in islands of unburned fuel) can be created even under the current high fuel loading and fuel continuity in Tahoe Basin forests by linking fuel moisture with timing of prescribed fire, and the pattern of the resulting burn.