Ross Phillips

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FFS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PIEDMONT FFS IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS Fire-adapted forest ecosystems are denser and have accumulated excessive fuel loadings as a result of fire exclusion, changes in land use practices (grazing, farm abandonment, timber harvests), and climate change. Forest health has subsequently deteriorated in some ecosystems and current forest conditions have reached dangerous levels of potential severe wildfire occurrence. Mechanical fuel treatments, silvicultural thinnings, and prescribed fire have been recognized as important practices in helping to reduce the potential for wildfire. However, the ecological consequences of these practices are unknown. The National Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study, funded by the Joint Fire Sciences Program, will examine the consequences and tradeoffs of alternative fuel reduction techniques involving fire and mechanical “fire surrogate” treatments. This study is a national collaborative effort between federal and state agencies, universities, and private groups to examine the effects of the FFS treatments on core variables including vegetation, soils, wildlife, fire behavior, entomology, pathology, and economics. Thirteen sites across the nation have been selected for the FFS study. These sites are located in ecosystems that historically sustained frequent, low-intensity fires but have developed excessive quantities of fuel over the years and are now at risk for severe wildfires. Eight sites occur in the western portion of the U.S. while the remaining 5 are located in the east. The status of 2 of the eastern sites, the Southeastern Piedmont and the Southern Appalachian Mountains, are addressed in this presentation. The FFS study presents an experimental design that: provides a national network based on specific core variables for multiple disciplines; allows each site to be independent for analyses and modeling while at the same time remaining compatible with the national network; and permits investigators to add to the core design, provided they do not compromise its integrity. Four fire and fire surrogate treatments replicated 3 times. Non-control treatments are guided by a desired future condition. Each treatment area consists of a 10-ha plot plus a buffer. A set of core response variables and measurement protocols, along with a consistent intra-plot sampling approach. Develop and validate models of ecosystem structure and function. Develop recommendations for ecosystem management in relevant forested areas. Identify and test a suite of response variables which are sensitive to fire and fire surrogate treatments and can be used for decision making for management. 7100 ha on the Clemson Experimental Forest in northwestern South Carolina. Forest in second- or third-growth timber. Dominant species loblolly (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf pine (P. echinata). Fire return interval: 1-30 years. South Carolina suppresses 4500 wildfires each year. Uses a RCBD with 4 treatments and 3 blocks. control, prescribed fire, thinning, and fire+thinning blocking by stand age. (*A fifth treatment of herbicide+thinning will be added 2001-2002) USFS Southern Research Station personnel are responsible for data management, site coordination, and measuring vegetation, fuels, and economics/utilization variables. Clemson University cooperators are studying small mammals, herpetofauna, birds, soils, insects, and pathogens. Levels of thinning and prescribed burning are guided by a desired future condition defined as sufficiently heavy so that if a wildfire occurred on a day with weather conditions at the 80th percentile, 80% of the overstory trees would survive. Thinning currently underway Target basal area of 18 m2/ha Prescribed burning scheduled for March – April 2001 For the Piedmont of South Carolina 80th percentile weather conditions would include a high temperature of 22o C, low relative humidity of 34%, and peak 5-minute windspeed of 13 m/sec. Flame length 1-2 m. Treatment areas are a minimum of 14 ha (10-ha measurement area plus a buffer equal to one tree length) 40 grid points (50 x 50 m spacing) Ten 0.1-ha vegetation plots 40 fuel transects 20 Course woody debris transects 40 Sherman and Tomahawk traps 20 pitfall traps, 20 modified pitfall traps, 2 drift fence pitfall arrays 3-4 bird census locations Other components sampled on 0.1 ha vegetation plots. Soil samples Root samples Insect trapping Fire behavior Costs and utilization economics THE NATIONAL STUDY Site selection is currently in progress. Treatment area installation and pretreatment data collection will occur in 2001 and 2002. Treatment areas will be located on ridgetops and south-facing slopes dominated by oak/hickory and/or pines, where fire was once common. Will follow national protocols. Three replications of four standard treatments plus one additional treatment (herbicide+mechanical fuel reduction). Fire exclusion, logging, and the loss of the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) has resulted in a proliferation of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and rhododendron (Rhododendron species) and an increase in wildfire risk in the southern Appalachian mountains. As this area becomes more developed, the protection of homes and personal property from wildfire becomes increasingly important. FFS study site locations. Key Elements of Core Study Design Introduction Long Term Objectives Location Key Elements of Southeastern Piedmont Site Treatment Implementation Plot Design Elements of Appalachian Site Summary Across the U.S. forested ecosystems that have historically sustained frequent, low-intensity fires have changed dramatically as a result of fire exclusion, changes in land use, and climate changes. These forests are now denser and have excessive loading of fuels, which has resulted in deteriorating ecosystem health and an increase in potential wildfire occurrence. There is general agreement that fuels must be treated in these ecosystems, but the ecological consequences of various methods of fuel reduction are unknown. The FFS study is a national program that will examine the ecological and economical consequences of prescribed fire and mechanical fuel reduction treatments. Thirteen sites located across the U.S. have been established to measure specific response variables to study ecosystem structure, vegetation, fuels, soils, small mammals, herpetofauna, avifauna, entomology, pathology, economics, and utilization. Each site adheres to a core experimental design, which allows analyses at the local site level in addition to the national level. One study site was established in the southeastern Piedmont in 2000. Another site will be established in the southern Appalachian mountains in 2001. Today’s fire-adapted forest ecosystems are dense and have heavy fuel loads. Potential for severe wildfires has increased through nearly 100 years of fire exclusion. The ecological tradeoffs of various fuel treatments are unknown. Treatments are designed to reach a desired future condition defined by ecosystem structure. Location of southeastern Piedmont study site. Heavy thinning to reduce vertical fuels. High-intensity prescribed burn to kill understory trees and shrubs. Treatment area layout. Pitfall trap to monitor herpetofauna. Prescribed fire in southern Appalachian mountains. Root samples taken for analysis of pathogens. Funded by the US Department of Interior, USDA Forest Service Joint Fire Sciences Program THE NATIONAL FIRE AND FIRE SURROGATE STUDY: ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES TO FUEL REDUCTION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PIEDMONT AND SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS Ross J. Phillips and Thomas A. Waldrop, U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Clemson, SC.