SLIDE 1
Several tools
available to predict fire behavior
Can we meet
multiple
- bjectives?
Patricia N. Manley Tray Biasiolli Matthew Strusis-Timmer Angela - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Patricia N. Manley Tray Biasiolli Matthew Strusis-Timmer Angela - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Patricia N. Manley Tray Biasiolli Matthew Strusis-Timmer Angela White US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station Several tools available to predict fire behavior Can we meet multiple objectives? Investigate how fuel
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
Investigate how fuel
reduction treatments impact fuel loads, forest structure and wildlife
Little data on relative
impacts of different prescriptions
SLIDE 4
Small mammal and avian
focus
Important component
- f Tahoe biodiversity
Readily detected Treatments at the stand-
scale
Prey base for several
sensitive species
SLIDE 5
Unit Pre 1 Pre 2 Treatment year Post 1 Post 2 MCK 13-3 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 WRD 20-9 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 BLK 1-4 2006 2006 2007 2008 TWC 3 2006 2008 2008 2009 2010 WRD 20-16 2006 2007 2007 2008 2009 MCK 13-1 2006 2006 2007 2008 RED 2007 2007 2008 2009 WLD 2007 2008 2009 2010
Unit Ownership Overstory Treatment Residual Fuel Treatment MCK 13-3 USFS Mechanical thin to 30” Masticate and surface spread slash WRD 20-9 USFS Mechanical thin to 24" Masticate and surface spread slash BLK 1-4 USFS Mechanical thin to 24“ Masticate and surface spread slash TWC 3 USFS Mechanical thin to 24“ Masticate and surface spread slash WRD 20-16 USFS Hand thin to 10" Pile/burn MCK 13-1 USFS Hand thin to 14" Pile/burn RED NDSLV Hand thin to 24” Pile/burn WLD NDSLV Hand thin to 24” Pile/burn
Eight paired treatment
sites
Before-After Control-
Impact Design
SLIDE 6
Mechanical treatments
removed greater proportion of tree cover
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Hand Mechanical % Canopy Cover Pre-treatment Post-treatment 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Hand Mechanical Live Tree Basal Area (ft3/ac) 20 40 60 80 100 120 Hand Mechanical Snag Basal Area (ft3/ac)
SLIDE 7
Important habitat
components for small mammals and birds
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 Hand Mechanical % Herbaceous Cover 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Hand Mechanical % Shrub Cover 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Hand Mechanical Coarse Woody Debris (m3/ha) Pre-treatment Post-treatment
SLIDE 8
Detected 63 total species
Pre-treatment Post-treatment Species Richness 53 57 Shannon Diversity 3.27 3.28 Shannon Evenness 0.82 0.81
SLIDE 9
SLIDE 10
Detected 16 total species
Pre-treatment Post-treatment Species Richness 14 14 Shannon Diversity 1.87 1.93 Shannon Evenness 0.71 0.73
SLIDE 11
- 300
- 250
- 200
- 150
- 100
- 50
50 100 150 TAAM TAQU TASE TASP GLSA TADO SPBE SPLA PEMA Chipmunks Tree Squirrels Ground Squirrels Mice % Change relative to Control Mechanical Year 1 Mechanical Year 2 Hand Year 1 Hand Year 2
* *
Analyzed response of 9
species
2 species showed
significant decline in first year following treatment
SLIDE 12
Abundance of birds
decreased following treatment
Abundance of small
mammals increased following treatment
Neither pattern statistically
significant
- 25
- 20
- 15
- 10
- 5
5 10 Mechanical Hand % Change in Overall Bird Abundance Year 1 Year 2
- 20
- 10
10 20 30 40 50 60 Mechanical Hand % Change in Total Small Mammal Abundance
SLIDE 13
Hand and mechanical
treatments consistent with maintenance of community evenness & richness
Bird abundance may
decline slightly after treatment
Treatments may increase
small mammal abundance – mechanism unclear
Mixed response for
carnivore prey base – species-dependent
SLIDE 14
Limited by treatment variation, large population
fluctuations, short-term response
Expand sample size Examine longer-term response Research response to wider range of treatment
prescriptions
Use of complementary, non-experimental approaches
SLIDE 15