Alaska Region Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2006
Barnes J. 2006. Alaska Region Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2006
A summary of fire ecology activities and program information for the Park/network including fire effects plot workload, staffing, management objectives and monitoring results, and planning, fire monitoring, communications, and research. Also included are staff accomplishments/areas of focus, future program direction and other optional information (e.g. data analysis graphics or presentations, annual highlights, publications, program challenges, unique solutions to problems, collaboration, photographs of monitoring/fire activities, and suggestions on FFI). The 2006 Alaska fire season looked like it was going to be another big year, with a 1,310 acre fire (Meshik River, Fire Code: CL4Z) in Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve during May. This was the first fire ever recorded in Aniakchak. But summer rains and cool temperatures slowed the fire season and only one other fire was recorded in the Alaska National Parks, a 12 acre fire in Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. Statewide only 266,268 acres were burned (Alaska Situation Report 2006), down significantly from the 4.3 million acres burned in 2005. The purpose of the Alaska Region Fire Ecology program is to obtain baseline data on the natural variability of fire on the landscape, to monitor the effects of fire or mechanical treatments on vegetation, fuels and soil parameters, and to provide fire ecology information to fire managers, other park staff, and the public. Accomplishments this year included the re-measurement of 16 fire effects plots (YUCH (4), DENA (10) and WRST (2)) and 15 hazard fuels monitoring plots in Denali. The regional fire ecologist (Jennifer Allen) and fire communication/prevention specialist (Morgan Miller) coordinated the re-measurement and analysis of fire effects plots with the Eagle school, and added 3 more plots in the 2004 Woodchoper Fire near Coal Cr in YUCH. Fire ecology outreach for this year included the following: 2 posters of the Denali hazard fuels monitoring, presentation of Denali fire effects monitoring, a technical report on Noatak Tundra Fire monitoring written (Racine, Allen and Dennis 2006), and various presentations to parks, fire management, and inventory and monitoring networks (See Appendix 1 for list of presentations/reports). In addition, the regional fire ecologist was involved in 5 NPS and Interagency committees and task groups, instructed for RX-310 (AK) and RX-510 (NAFRI), assisted with BAER invasive plants planning, collaborated on 3 successfully funded research proposals, and received funding for a Tundra Fire History Study in Noatak and Bering Land Bridge from the Joint Fire Science Program.