Big Thicket National Preserve, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004

Fusco, Deanna; Jeansonne, Fulton

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). Lead Fire Effects Monitor: Deanna Fusco With little fire activity in the Western states, 2004 was the year of the control plots for Big Thicket’s Fire Effects Monitors. The greatest accomplishment of the season was collecting data from 15 control plots (each with 5 10x10m subplots), most of which had not been read in over 10 years. A majority of the trees did not have permanent tags, therefore we spent a lot of time as forensic botanists trying to identify John Doe trees. We were also very busy supporting the prescribed burns on the preserve, following up with post-burn reads and fire effects monitoring reports. We spent a week in Padre Island to conduct the park’s first prescribed burn. Padre Island’s original FMH grassland plots were not established with a management objective, therefore the decision was made to eliminate the original plots and reestablish a more efficient program. In BITH, the majority of the season was spent in the Big Sandy, Hickory Creek, and Lance Rosier units burning and reading plots. We were also able to send two seasonals and myself out on western fire assignments. In July, I spent several weeks supervising an additional crew of three seasonals to conduct monitoring of the endangered Texas Trailing Phlox. Throughout the year, there were many fire training opportunities with the spring and fall Texas fire academy, and I was sent to a vegetation monitoring course and the statistical/FEAT workshop. Hopefully with the creation of the magical protocol builder, we will be able to play with FEAT too. I have also started researching several different options to complete analysis of our data, including enrolling myself into graduate school. This next year our main focus will be data analysis and restructuring the plot protocol. All in all, it was a very productive year for the fire effects monitors with a nice blend of plot work, prescribed burns, wildfires, and training. Fire Ecologist: Fulton Jeansonne Longleaf pine restoration, new land acquisition prioritization, prescribed burn planning / implementation, and the Preserve’s FMP were the main focus for the fire ecologist during calendar year 2004. The planting of longleaf pine seedlings in late winter and chemically treating the invasive brush in the spring on the NTC Longleaf Restoration Project were a success. I worked closely with Temple Inland (a private forest industry company) developing management objectives for lands they currently own that the Preserve is preparing to acquire. This will allow the Preserve to inherit lands in a condition that would help facilitate longleaf restoration in the future. The NEPA documents, writing, editing, and reviewing of the BITH FMP was completed and was signed in November of 2004. BITH fire management conducted 7 prescribed burns (including the first ever at PAIS) for approximately 3647 acres. I wrote one burn plan, reviewed 4 burn plans, and assisted in writing 2 amendments to burn plans. I also filled the positions of RXB2, RXI1, and FEMO for these burns. 2004 was a very busy and successful year for the fire ecology program at Big Thicket National Preserve.

Big Thicket National Preserve, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004

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