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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants |
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FIRE CASE STUDIES
1st CASE STUDY:
CASE NAME:Understory burn - western Montana REFERENCES:
Miller, Melanie. 1976 [103] FIRE CASE STUDY AUTHORSHIP:Tirmenstein, D. 1990. SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION:
Spring (May 11 to June 29, 1973)/low STUDY LOCATION:The study site is located approximately 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Missoula, Montana, in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest. PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY:
Most of the study area was identified as a Douglas-fir/big huckleberry-kinnikinnick (Pseudotsuga menziesii/Vaccinium membranaceum-Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
habitat type, although several plots were transitional to a
Douglas-fir/beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax)-kinnikinnick
habitat type stocked by Douglas-fir, western larch (Larix occidentalis),
lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and scattered ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa).
Common shrubs included white spirea (Spirea betulifolia), and fool's huckleberry (Menziesia ferruginea).
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE:Not reported SITE DESCRIPTION:
FIRE DESCRIPTION:
Drip torches were used to ignite strip headfires at 16-foot (5-m) intervals. Dead and down
woody fuel loadings averaged 6 to 51 tons per acre (1.4-11.4 kg/m2).
Fuel and burning conditions were:
FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES:
The fire was patchy, and dense big huckleberry stands in forest openings did not burn due to lack
of fuels. At the end of the first growing season, big huckleberry stem numbers exceeded
prefire levels on all plots.
On 33% of the spring-burned plots, big huckleberry stem numbers increased 80 to 120%. On one plot, increases of 900%
were noted, although 33% died by the following year.
Stem densities were also significantly related to the number of stems present prior to the burn. FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:
Fire treatment most beneficial to big huckleberry results in damage to senescent stems but does
little damage to rhizomes. These conditions are often met by spring burns that occur when soil and duff
are still somewhat moist. Spring burning can increase the density of big huckleberry
in Douglas-fir-western
larch forests. For optimal increases, burning should not be attempted when the lower duff and soil are
dry. 2nd CASE STUDY:
CASE NAME:Sawtooth Huckleberry Field: Competing species removal REFERENCE:Minore, Don; Smart A. W.; Dubrasich, M. E. 1979 [111] FIRE CASE STUDY AUTHORSHIP:Simonin, Kevin. 2000. SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION:
Cut and Burn: Autumn/low STUDY LOCATION:Experimental plots were established 13 miles west of Mount Adams, Washington. PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY:
The prefire vegetation community consisted of a big huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) dominated understory followed in
dominance by beargrass, lupine (Lupinus spp.) and a minor grass component. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), western white
pine (P. monticola), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa),
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), and Engelmann spruce (Picea
engelmannii) made up the invading forest canopy. Forest canopy
trees were immature, short and poorly formed, often showing considerable snow damage. Within cut and
burn treatments all invading tree species were felled by chainsaw in the 2nd week of
August. Lodgepole pine
dominated the overstory canopy in the burned treatment followed by western white pine, mountain hemlock,
subalpine fir, willow (Salix spp.), Engelmann spruce and Douglas-fir:
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE:Not reported SITE DESCRIPTION:
Experimental treatments occurred at 4,000 feet (1,219 m) on a gently sloping, west by
southwest aspect.
Soils were shallow and low in nutrients, with a gravelly coarse texture. Specific soil properties are
summarized below:
FIRE DESCRIPTION:Burns were conducted the first week of October, 5 days after a 4-inch (10 cm) snow that fell on 25 September and then melted. Meteorological measurements at the time of burn were recorded from a weather station 5 miles away at the same elevation:
Flamethrowers and diesel fuel were used to initiate burns. Cut and Burn: Although slash would not carry fire, plots were burned applying flamethrowers over the entire area. Fine fuels and herbaceous vegetation were consumed. Burn: Little understory fuel was present and fire could not be kindled or spread. Diesel fuel and flamethrower were used to deliberately burn herbaceous vegetation and lower tree branches. Fine fuels and herbaceous vegetation were consumed. Coarse fuels and duff were blackened. Most trees were killed immediately; others were severely injured. FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES:
Cut and Burn: Big huckleberry leaves were consumed with stems blackened but not consumed.
2 Majority of berries destroyed by severe August hailstorm Average overstory cover for 4 postburn growing seasons:
2 Represents coverage above 3.28 feet (1 m); below was recorded within total competing species coverage. 3 Includes standing trees, tree regeneration, shrubs and herbs * p<0.05 between control and treatments FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:Fire treatments most beneficial to big huckleberry occur during relatively moist conditions. Damage to rhizomes is reduced when soil and duff are relatively moist. Burning may increase the density of big huckleberry when conditions conducive to low heat transfer throughout the soil are present.
Related categories for SPECIES: Vaccinium membranaceum | Big Huckleberry |
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