Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004; Gulf Island National Seashore

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). Monitoring of fire effects by the National Park Service began at Gulf Islands National Seashore in 2000, with the establishment of the first permanent vegetative monitoring plots. During 2004, the NATR Fire Effects Monitoring (FEM) crew worked in 12 different monitoring plots and 5 burn units. This report will summarize the fire effects monitoring data available through 2004. The purpose of this report is to inform fire and resource management personnel of the trends associated with prescribed fire, thereby facilitating the first steps of adaptive management. The FEM program is undergoing transition from the current DOS-based data management program Fire Monitoring Handbook (FMH) to a Microsoft Access-based data management program referred to as the Fire Ecology Assessment Tool (FEAT). FEAT will allow for increased flexibility in data handling and analysis. Perhaps most importantly, FEAT will allow for the easy export of data into readily-available statistical software packages such as Minitab. The transition to FEAT is expected to be completed by September, 2005. Once the transition is complete, data will be analyzed using inferential statistics. Data presented here is analyzed descriptively. The prescribed burning program at Gulf Islands has been inactive during 2004-2005. Past fire suppression activities are largely responsible for the current condition of ecosystems within GUIS. Whereas preliminary results presented here suggest that prescribed fire is facilitating ecological objectives, continued use of fire is critical if such trends are to continue.