Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004 [Natchez Trace Parkway]
Author unknown. Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004 [Natchez Trace Parkway]
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 NATR crew continues to work hard to learn the FMH sampling protocol and the vast plant diversity in our expanding number of cluster parks. Considerable effort was spent learning the FEAT program, and preparing for the transition from the FMH software. As a result of the work of Lead Monitor Andrew Ruth, all plots at all parks are now georeferenced, mapped, and organized with associated metadata. The data shift from all parks that were being transitioned to the care of the NATR crew is complete, but the GRSM crew graciously provided field assistance as needed and for this we are indebted. In addition to monitoring in the host and 5 cluster parks, the NATR crew began their first season of monitoring work at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in December of 2004. This year was a challenging year for the Natchez Trace Fire Effects Monitoring crew, and for much of the year the crew functioned with only the lead monitor and the ecologist. In May 2004, both GS-5 monitors were furloughed for 4 months. Neither of the monitors returned from furlough; one monitor, Kim Judson, was accepted into graduate school, and the other monitor, Mandi Callis, was promoted to fuels technician at the Parkway.