Glacier National Park, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2011

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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 2010/2011 snowpack was well above average (175%) and persisted later into the summer following an exceptionally cool Spring and early Summer. The Going to the Sun Road saw its latest opening ever – July 13th. This persistent snowpack was a large reason for the fire indices remaining below average until mid-August. It is not unusual in the Northern Rockies to have weather patterns switch 180 degrees. August saw only .22” of precipitation and the early part of September continued very dry with ERC’s reaching the 90 percentile and climbing. Lightning proved to be limited throughout the summer and only four starts occurred during this dry period. Surprisingly, lightning did cause the Quartz Creek Fire, which started on 10/2, which is extremely late in our fire season. It persisted until the fourth week of the month despite a wet spell that began shortly after the start. Altogether, the park and the region had a quiet fire season. Seven starts were recorded in Glacier, with Quartz Creek being managed for resource benefits. All were less than .1 of an acre except the May 23rd Dover Peak Fire (6.5 acres), which 2 was man caused and occurred in the northern end of Big Prairie in a predominantly grass fuel type. In a more typical year, the grass would have been greened up by late May in this area of the park. It was a limited fire season, but it was a long one. The monitoring crew read 18 FMH plots and continued with the Post Fire Forest Composition plot work. Fuels work filled some of the gap by lending a hand helping in project areas and especially with pile burning. Monitoring work was highlighted by a trip to Big Hole NHP, where in conjunction with Tom Rodhouse, an Ecologist with the Upper Columbia Basin Network, we are helping them study fire effects on Lemhi penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis,) a regional and rare endemic plant. It is found in only four counties in Montana and one in Idaho. It is estimated that 10% of the total population resides within the battlefield. Fire suppression is detrimental to the species by allowing for canopy closure. One small population has disappeared in the last 25 years on the battlefield. This monitoring will attempt to study the anecdotal evidence that fire in a grassland environment stimulates flowering and plant vigor. We are pooling our monitoring efforts with the Network to get a fuller picture. They are focusing only on the penstemon while we will monitor our five brush plots to capture any general trends or changes. Approximately one half of the Horse Pasture Burn Unit will be burned in 2012 allowing the other half to serve as a control. Glacier Fire Management will write the burn plan and coordinate the burn operation in the Fall.

Glacier National Park, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2011

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