Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2005 [Hawaii Volcanoes National Park]

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). Field crews spent much of FY05 monitoring FMH and other vegetation plots (seedling recruitment, biomass plots) in preparation for the 2nd Pili Prescribe Burn. Begun in 2003, the Pili Prescribe Burn project is a series of controlled burns to examine the response of pili grasslands and alien species to multiple fire events. Pili grasslands once dominated the lowlands and were historically managed with fire by Hawaiians prior to the arrival of Westerners. This practice was abandoned in the 1800’s. Today pili grasslands are rare because of increased urbanization and invasion by alien species. Hawaii parks seeking to restore pili grasslands will use the information from these multiple burn experiments to determine if prescribe fire is a feasible approach to keeping out alien fuels and restoring these areas. The first burn was conducted in 2003 and a second burn scheduled for 2005 was postponed because of uncooperative weather and untimely green-up of fuels. The results from the first burn (2003) were summarized and presented as a poster at the Annual Hawaii Conservation Conference in July 2005. The fountain grass (hazardous fuel) control program was expanded to include the new 116,000 ac Kahuku addition to HAVO. Fire monitoring technicians discovered and mapped two populations of fountain grass in Kahuku. The plants were spreading from the adjacent subdivision. Work crews treated the populations inside the park, and HAVO is coordinating control efforts with the subdivision to create a fountain grass free buffer zone along the Park boundary. The Fire Ecologist and monitoring technicians provided technical assistance mapping infestations and doing community outreach to inform the public about the increased fire hazards created by fountain grass. Field technicians also assisted as resource advisors and fire fighters in the Kipuka Pepeiao Burn, December 2004. The fire was mapped and burn assessments were conducted. The information was included in a BAER proposal that was funded for restoring native species diversity in the burn.