Big Cypress National Preserve, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2007

Author unknown

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). Big Cypress experienced one of the highest activity seasons in 20 years; over 60 wildfires were reported and 26 prescribed fires were conducted, for a total of 95,309 acres. 5,822 acres and 86 structures were treated and secured because of the efforts of the fire staff in late 2007. There were many occurrences that contributed to, and at the same time, inhibited some of Big Cypress’ fire effects monitoring program activities in the calendar year 2007. All fire activities were accomplished through combined efforts by both the suppression and prescribed fire crews, but due to the loss of four prescribed positions near the end of the year* and the hectic schedule of the 2007 fire season, field data collection was hindered. Two positions in the prescribed fire job categories were filled by detailers (suppression personnel) until the job vacancy announcements are advertised in 2008. The Fire Use Training Academy (FUTA) in Albuquerque, NM sent a crew of trainees to assist in Big Cypress’ prescribed fire projects during fall 2007. This partnership benefited the Preserve greatly. The opportunity allowed us to treat more acreage while providing invaluable training opportunities for students of the Academy. The prescribed fire office hopes to work with FUTA in the upcoming year, as well as the Prescribed Fire Training Center (PFTC) in Tallahassee, FL. The monitoring crew’s emphasis in the 2007 calendar year was placed primarily on qualitative data collection, shifted from previous years when quantitative data collection was an equivalent focus. While only three fire effects vegetation plots were visited and documented in 2007, 22 Photo Point sites were monitored (34 visits) and documented for fire effects both pre-burn and post-burn. A long-term study of fire effects by USGS, Biological Resource Division personnel (Snyder, J. R.), is presently under way in the preserve. Plots have been established in a pine forest/cypress dome complex located in the Raccoon Point area. The study will compare different seasons and frequency of burning in replicated study areas. We cooperated by conducting burns in 3 research units during 2007, at the intervals determined by the researchers. Results of this study should provide us with information on when and how often to use prescribed fire to achieve certain resource management goals as well as contribute data for fire behavior modeling. Some of the research plots contain populations of endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis). The resulting data is helping us to refine our methods of protecting the RCWs while maintaining their preferred habitat conditions. In 2007 our RCW protection techniques consisted of clearing and/or burning around the base of each tree prior to conducting the full unit burn. No new monitoring plots were established this year. The fire effects crew did start two experimental plots for a “Micro Burn” – an offshoot of a project started by USGS researcher Jim Snyder. The experimental microburn did not yield representative results and was abandoned when the 60,000+ acre “BICY Complex” (Type I wildfire) began.