Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2012; Northern Great Lake Area Parks (VOYA, SACN, GRPO, ISRO, APIS)
Weyenberg S. Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2012; Northern Great Lake Area Parks (VOYA, SACN, GRPO, ISRO, APIS)
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). Fire activity among the Northern Area parks was low in 2012. Among the parks, two prescribed burn were conducted, one each at GRPO and SACN. The Buffalo FUM assisted in the 140 acre burn at SACN and the Fire Ecologist served as Firing Boss Trainee. The site was seeded in July with prairie species. The combination of fire and seeding will hopefully bring about a successful restoration. Two members of the INDU Fire Effects crew assisted with monitoring at VOYA. This was fortunate, since the Fire Ecologist got hurt after the first week and was on light duty the rest of the summer. The VOYA fire program managed a late season fire in a sugar maple forest at ISRO. The Area and Regional Fire Ecologists monitored the fire for a few days while it was still only a few acres. The fire was uneventful to say the least; however, it grew to just over 40 acres after leaf off.