Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2013; Northern Great Lake Area Parks (VOYA, SACN, GRPO, ISRO, APIS)
Weyenberg S. Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2013; 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). The 2013 fire season was late in coming due to abundant snowfall in April. It was also very short with only one or two very active days. An attempt was made to complete burns at St. Croix, however, two large fires were burning in Minnesota and Wisconsin so crews were made available for suppression instead. As a result, no burns were completed at any of the parks in the northern park group. The sampling load was very light at both VOYA and SACN. The Fire Ecologist traveled to VOYA to complete most of the fire effects sampling with the remainder being completed by the resident fire effects monitor and the fire crew. The ecologist and monitor spent a week with a researcher from the University of Minnesota collecting fire scar and tree core samples from the southeast portion of the park. Approximately 50 scar samples were collected, which will be analyzed by University students. The ecologist has collaborated with the dendrology program in recent years to get technical assistance with fire scar analysis. This has become an avenue in which the park can get research done on fire history while the dendrology program benefits from having access to fire history data and logistical support. All sampling at SACN was completed by the ecologist. The ecologist went on one three week fire assignment to Oregon. He was a member of a 20 person crew and worked as a sawyer and squad boss. The fire effects monitor was not able go on any out-of-state fires due to a relatively short work season.