Big Thicket National Preserve, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2005

Boensch, Deanna

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). Deanna Boensch, Fire Ecologist. It was the best times and it was the worst of times for Big Thicket’s 2005 fire effects season. Throughout the year we completed training, attended meetings, finished plot work, and supported both prescribed and wildfire operations. Then came the dark and stormy night of September 24, when Rita, the category 3 hurricane, passed directly over the preserve leaving a disaster area in her wake. In spite of Rita’s devastating aftermath, we remain optimistic for the 2006 season and look forward to assessing the damage to the plots and reducing our fuel loads with fire. Our main focus for 2006 will be to complete a post-hurricane assessment of mortality on every over-story tree in our plots and reading fuels transects to track increased fuel loadings. In January 2005, Fulton Jeansonne accepted the position of Fire Management officer for Big Thicket National Preserve, appointing Deanna (Fusco) Boensch, Lead Fire Effects Monitor, acting Fire Ecologist, which she held for the entire calendar year. Without a fire ecologist, data analysis was not completed for 2005. In addition, the Lead Fire Effects monitor decided to enroll in graduate school to analyze the fire effects data for her thesis project. This project will be ongoing until graduation in May 2007. Finally, on January 9, 2006, Deanna Boensch became the Fire Ecologist for Big Thicket National Preserve. In addition to all of these changes in personnel, the fire effects monitors completed all of the plots for 2005, supported prescribed and wildfire operations, and worked on the Texas Trailing Phlox reintroduction project. After hurricane Rita, we spent the remainder of the year on emergency fuels projects and conducted 2 prescribed burns in our urban-wildland interface units. We have yet to visit most of the plots from after the hurricane; however, I am anticipating spending more time in our plots than previous years due to blowdown and missing plot markers. I am very interested in mortality rates and the increased fuel loading rates. The 2005 wildfire season was very active, due to very low annual rainfall and unseasonably warm temperatures. In addition, we have begun the year 2006 in a severe drought with near record-breaking warm days, causing a fairly active winter fire season. Due to all of the hurricane debris, the next several years are predicted to be very busy with wildfire suppression operations. All in all, 2005 was a very memorable year for the Big Thicket National Preserve fire effects program.

Big Thicket National Preserve, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2005

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