Wildland Fire and Forest Mangement Plan for Great Cranberry Island

Island Institute; Henion, Rick; Duncan, Geneva; Trial, Henry; Parrish, Christine; Naegel, Annette; Wentzell-Brehme, Chris; Frank, Adrian; Maine Forest Service; College of the Atlantic

A description of the wildland fire and forset management plan for Great Cranberry Island. Executive Summary: 'A project team consisting of the Maine Forest Service, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute assembled to create a community-based Wildland Fire and Forest Management Plan for Great Cranberry Island at the request of the Great Cranberry Futures Group. The forest types and conditions on the Cranberry Isles, as well as the challenges of wildland fire risk reduction and suppression, are typical of the situations found on many coastal shorelands and islands in Downeast and Mid-Coast Maine. In that sense, this report serves as a model for other localities in the region. The goals of this project included identifying 1) forest fuels most susceptible to rapid fire spread, 2) fire prevention measures, and 3) forest management practices that balance aesthetic, recreational and commercial values with the cost-effective fire prevention control. The report is in three parts: Wildland Fire Risk Assessment and Prevention Recommendations; Forest Management Recommendations to Reduce Fire Risk, and Forest Management Strategies Based on GIS Analysis. The report points to four forest fuels that create potential fire risks: (1) heavy brush and slash, (2) dead and dying standing timber, (3) annual grasses and low shrubs, (4) and organic matter (duff) on the forest floor. All of these risks can be minimized by reducing slash build-up in high risk areas, regularly mowing fields, and practicing fire safety and prevention, particularly during dry conditionsà.. ' /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /ISLANDS/Great Craberry Island/