Prescribed Burns and their Effect on the Prevention of Wildfires

Kayla Hjelmstad, Christine Pracht, Emma Reece, Bobby Schenk

Testable Question

• How can controlled fires minimize the damage of potential wildfires by aiding new plant growth and minimalizing the amount of fuel?

Fire Rangers starting controlled burns using an implement called a drip torch. www.americasstateparks.org

Research• Controlled fires are less-likely to damage the underground root systems

of trees, shrubs and grasses, which allow the plants to repopulate the burned-out area at a much faster rate. (Moench )

• In a study done by the US Forest Service, White Pine Fir trees were burned in order to provide a burned area with new seedlings and establish a new plant population. The controlled burns were immensely effective, due to the fact that the White Pine Fir trees need a burned area in order to release their seeds (Paulsen and Mohr, 2006).

• Controlled burns can also rejuvenate a forests’ soil, by pressing a kind-of “reset” button in the ecosystem. This allows old, dead, and dying trees to die and release their potentially healthy seeds into the ground, with the burned soil being more accepting to said seeds (Certini, 2005).

Hypothesis:• If controlled fires were started in select areas,

then said areas would be less prone to uncontrollable wildfires, because the controlled burn will stimulate new seedling growth and will rid the areas of diseased trees, creating an environment less-susceptible to wildfires

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Proposed InvestigationBefore the prescribed burn: • Find areas of land that have a similar environment to a nearby area that was

damaged by a wildfire that occurred within the past year• Find areas where smoke will not affect surrounding areas, with the wind no more

than 15 mph but no less than 5 mph because it becomes unpredictable and hard to control

• Find forested areas away from populations of people, with possible wildfire dangers, e.g. overgrowth of plants, dead flora

• Record the plants and trees that are in that area • Estimate how much fuel(dead flora) there is in one yard and estimate how much

would be in the 100 yards. • Set up a perimeter: a firebreak will be wet areas, and dug up areas to stop the fire

from burning past where it should • Fires should be conducted between 7 and 10 p.m. because the weather is calmer

Proposed InvestigationStart the burn: • Fire is to begin at 7 p.m. • Strip head fire- starts with a slight downwind and uses less personnel • Fire will burn for 100 yards • We will record the height of the fire as well as the speed and temperature• At 10 p.m. the fires will be put out with help of the firefighters and the firebreaks After the burn: • The next day, return to burn sight and measure the amount of the dead plants per

yard• Make sure to get rid of any embers that may have reignited • 2 weeks after the burn, measurements of individual plant species will be recorded

for the first time • Measurements will continue to be taken 1,2,3,6, and 9 months after the burn, and

again 1,2, and 3 years after the burn

Data to be CollectedTemperatures

Time Documented between 7-10 P.M. Temperature (°C)Surrounding Environment Before Burn Average Burn Temperature* Highest Burn Temperature Surrounding Environment After Burn

Individual Species Plant Growth and Recovery Before Burn Two Weeks

After Burn1 Month After

Burn2 Months After Burn

3 Months After Burn

6 Months After Burn

9 Months After Burn

1 Year After Burn

Average Plant Height*

Average Plant Width*

Average Population Density

The following data table is an example of how we plan to document growth and recovery of an individual plant species. As there will be a broad range of plant species, this is an outline that the final data tables for each species will be generated from.

*Average temperature will be withdrawn from temperatures recorded at 30 minute intervals

*Measurement units will vary based on plant species and be either centimeters or meters

Data Analysis

• Comparison of the data collected before and after the fire will reveal any changes in factors to the spread of wildfire – Dead, dry flora – Balance of healthy plant species in the environment

• The recovery after the fire will be analyzed with consideration to the recovery of similar environments damaged by wildfire– A better or quicker recovery of the controlled burn area

would support the hypothesis of this proposed study

Continued Investigation• After 3 years of collecting data of the prescribed burn, we

will take the most recent data from that area and recreate that same environment 100 yards away, by getting rid of the excess dead flora and balancing plant species population.

• After setting up a perimeter around the new area, we then can set another fire with the characteristics of a wildfire. – Measure the height, temperatures, and speed of the fire as done

with the prescribed burn• This would then allow us to compare the severity of the

“wild”fire with our prescribed burn, with the new plant growth.

Application of the Grant

This grant would be instrumental in securing supplies for our experiment, such as thermometers, proper safety equipment, legal burn notices and applications, as well as the hiring of professional fire rangers should anything go wrong. The money left over would then be used towards supplies for managing and locating new areas that would require prescribed burns.

Bibliography• Bunch, Joey . "Colorado's massive 2002 Hayman fire seared in memories of victims." The Denver Post. The Denver Post , 8 June

2012. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_20809604/colorado-massive-2002-hayman-fire-seared-memories-victims

• Certini, G. Effects of fire on properties of forest soils: a review. Oecologia, 143(1), 1-10 (2005). • Colorado State University. Colorado Native Tree Guide. Fort Collins, Colorado: Colorado State Forest Service, 2011. Print. • "FAQs." The Coalition for the Upper South Platte. The Coalition for the Upper South Platte , n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.

http://cift.pair.com/shasta/SouthPlatte/resource/haymfire/faqs.html • Lentile, L., Morgan, P., Hudak, A., Bobbitt, M., Lewis, S., Smith, A., et al. (2007). POST-FIRE BURN SEVERITY AND VEGETATION

RESPONSE. Fire Ecology Special Issue, 3, 91-108. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1187&context=usdafsfacpub

• Moench, R. (n.d.). Forestry: Vegetation Recovery after Wildfire. National Resources Series . Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://csfs.colostate.edu/pdfs/06307.pdf

• "Perscribed Burning." Conservation Practice. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. <http://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/references/public/MO/PrescribedBurn_InfoSheet_4_08.pdf>.

• Peterson, G., & Mohr, F. (n.d.). Underburning on White Fir Sites to Induce Natural Regeneration and Santitation. Prescribed Fire Case Studies. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fmt/fmt_pdfs/FMT66-1.pdf

• Porter, Michael. "How to Conduct a Prescribed Burn." How to Conduct a Prescribed Burn. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. <http://www.noble.org/ag/wildlife/prescribedburn/>.

• Sargent, M.S.. "PRESCRIBED BURNING." Landowner's Guide: Prescribed Burning. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. <http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/landowners_guide/habitat_mgmt/grassland/Prescribed_Burning.htm>.

• Smith, Jane. The Book of fire. 2nd ed. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2004. Print. • Tekiela, Stan. Trees of Colorado field guide. Cambridge, Minn.: Adventure Publications, Inc., 2007. Print.