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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants |
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FIRE CASE STUDY
CASE NAME:Wildfire Effects in Pocosin, Dare County, North Carolina
REFERENCE:Wade, D. D.; Ward, D. E. 1973 [78]
FIRE CASE STUDY AUTHORSHIP:Archer, Amy. 2000.
SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION:Spring/severe
STUDY LOCATION:The study site was the Air Force Bomb Range in Dare County, North Carolina.
PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY:Pond pine (Pinus serotina) was the dominant overstory tree on the burn, averaging 1,250 stems/acre (3,100/ha). About 64% of the forested area was well-stocked with 13-year-old pond pine that regenerated after a burn 14 years earlier. Another 13% contained poorly or medium-stocked, 13-year-old pond pine. The remainder was comprised of reproduced pond pine from a burn 5 years earlier and older trees that survived the burn 14 years previous. In addition, 5,000 acres (2,025 ha) of marsh, 5,000 acres (2,025 ha) of low, open pocosin, and 1,200 acres (490 ha) of species other than pond pine also burned. The 13-year-old pond pine averaged 16 feet (4.9 m) in height and 2.9 inches (7.4 cm) dbh. Its principal associates were redbay (Persea borbonia) and sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), which together averaged 13 feet (4 m) in height, 1.6 inches (4.1 cm) dbh, and 220 stems/acre (550/ha). The weight, height, and blowup potential for 5 of the more common fuel types burned in this fire follow.
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE:Analysis of this fire does not describe the phenological state of pond pine at time of disturbance. According to other studies of pond pine seasonal development in North Carolina, it is likely that it was actively growing and had just begun to flower [8,22,36].
SITE DESCRIPTION:Dare County, where this fire occurred, is a sparsely populated peninsula comprised primarily of pocosins and marshland. Elevation of this site is 10 feet (3 m) above mean sea level. Most of the area is managed for forest production. A network of drainage canals and woods roads is the only interruption in an otherwise unbroken expanse of fuel. At the time of the fire, the conditions were low humidity (below 60 %), winds 15 to 20 mph (7 to 9 m/sec.), and full sunshine. The temperature reached 70 oF (21 oC) on the day the fire began.
FIRE DESCRIPTION:The 29,300-acre (11,860-ha) Air Force Bomb Range fire was a dangerously explosive, blowup fire. The fire exhibited several blowup features including high-density, short-distance spotting, a well-developed convection column, and rates of spread exceeding 2 mph (2.2 m/sec.) during a 4 hour period with a maximum of almost 5 mph (2.2 m/sec.) during one 4 mile (6.4 km) run. The fire traveled 14 miles (22.5 km) prior to the passage of a cold front, then changed direction, and ran an additional 6 miles (9.7 km) as a postcold-frontal fire. The fire crowned through more than 15,000 acres (6,070 ha) of pond pine during a 20 hour period and eventually burned 29,300 acres (11,860 ha) of timber and nonforested watershed.
FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES:Pond pine typically sprouts readily from both the root crown and bole, and such sprouting was expected to occur after the Air Force Bomb Range fire. Defoliation by wet-season fires generally has little effect on the survival of pond pine and causes only a temporary reduction in height and diameter growth. However, observations 1 year after the fire did not follow expectations. Although no numbers were recorded, it was noted that a much lower percentage of trees sprouted from the bole than had been expected. The lack of bole sprouts is 1 more indicator of the high intensities and severities associated with this fire. However, a high proportion of trees sprouted profusely from the root collar. The degree of basal sprouting suggests that a well-stocked stand of pond pine will again occupy the burned area, but the loss of 13 years' growth must be considered more than a temporary setback in a 50-year rotation.
FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:When this study was completed in 1973, researchers believed that further work was needed to adapt the National Fire Danger Rating System to this area. Most federal land managers in the area now burn pocosins periodically to perpetuate pocosin communities and reduce fuel loads. Prescriptions are designed to meet objectives without igniting the organic soil [77].
Related categories for SPECIES: Pinus serotina | Pond Pine |
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