Northern Great Plains, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2005

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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). A full staff, a multi-park pilot study project, several prescribed and wildfires, and the continuation of work in the FEAT database made 2005 a busy and productive year for the Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology program. The primary project for the NGP Fire Ecology program was a pilot study conducted in cooperation with the NGP Inventory and Monitoring Network. Dr. Amy Symstad acted as Principal Investigator for a study to compare 2 different methods for sampling vegetation. The methods compared were point-intercept, which has been the primary method used by the Fire Ecology program and the Ocular Cover Estimation method. Preliminary results of the study are exhibited in the poster (PDF document) attached to this report. Fire management conducted 6 prescribed fires in 4 parks in 2005 resulting in 21 long-term fire effects plots burned. Fire Ecologist Cody Wienk and Lead Fire Monitor andy thorstenson presented 2 posters at the Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference in October in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The conference focused on fire in grassland and shrubland systems. These posters are attached to this annual report.

Northern Great Plains, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2005

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