Fire Ecology Annual Report, Calendar Year 2008 [Big Thicket National Preserve]

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). This was a very eventful year for the Big Thicket Fire Effects Monitoring Program. We completed all the plot work for the season, picked up the endangered Texas trailing phlox monitoring program, and continued to monitor the success of the longleaf pine seedling restoration projects. We served as FEMO’s on numerous prescribed burns and collected live fuel moisture measurements throughout the year. The seasonals also worked on projects to archive slides of fire management and other Preserve operations as well as develop a hemispherical photo monitoring project. Overall, the fire management program had a very successful year of burning at Big Thicket and Padre Island treating approximately 5,000 acres. It was also a good year for training and wildfire assignments for the permanent staff and the seasonal crew. The months of September and October were dedicated to hurricane evacuations, damage assessments, and recovery operations. Hurricane Gustav turned out to be a near miss, however Hurricane Ike made landfall over east Texas with the most impact occurring over the western portions of the preserve. After picking up the pieces from the second major hurricane in the past 3 years, we managed to move our entire fire management office into a new building. We ended the year with a regional fire program review, and discussed ways to increase the amount of burning and fuels treatments conducted at Big Thicket. The fire ecologist (Deanna Boensch) worked on a joint grant with The Nature Conservancy to secure a Global ReLeaf grant for planting 24,000 longleaf pine seedlings on the Preserve and 45,000 seedlings on TNC property. She also continued to serve as the group facilitator for the Longleaf Pine Restoration Team, acted as a park representative for the Texas Trailing Phlox Recovery Team, and served as a member of the Science Committee for the Preserve’s ATBI program. Deanna also made presentations at the IMR Stewardship Conference, the Big Thicket Chataqua Meeting, and the Texas Native Plant Society Symposium on Fire Ecology and Longleaf pine restoration. She helped with employee assistance and damage assessments after hurricane Ike. She planned to complete her Master’s thesis on the BITH fire effects data in the fall 08 semester, however the hurricane activity postponed her from finishing this year. The lead monitor (Iola Hallock) helped with developing an orientation packet for the fire effects seasonals and conducted the most tailgate safety sessions of anyone at the Preserve. She also assisted teaching S-290 at the Bastrop Fire Academy and assisted the prescribed fire specialist with monitoring a chemical contract. She helped the fuels crew throughout the year with line preparation for prescribed burns. Iola also completed the gyrotrac mechanical treatment monitoring for the preserve and finished reports on each operation. She helped with hurricane Ike recovery throughout September to help open roads and trails within the Preserve.

Fire Ecology Annual Report, Calendar Year 2008 [Big Thicket National Preserve]

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