North Pacific/Columbia Basin, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2013

Drake, Cedar; Kopper, Karen

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 North Pacific/ Columbia Basin (NPCB) Fire Ecology program had another productive and efficient year. The NPCB Fire Effects Monitoring crew completed a total of fifty-six plot reads within North Cascades National Park (NOCA), San Juan Island National Historic Park (SAJH) and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LARO). Additionally, crew members contributed countless hours assisting wildland/ prescribed fire operations and NPS resource management projects. The fire ecologist made substantial progress in fire history research at NOCA, and wrote final reports for the NOCA and Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) Natural Resource Conservation Assessments (NRCA), and analyzed data for the MORA fuel mapping with LiDAR project. In 2013 the NPCB crew conducted the bulk of FMH fieldwork at Lake Roosevelt NRA. During four visits, crewmembers completed twenty-one post-burn and twenty-three 1st, 2nd and 5th year post-burn plot reads. The crew also participated in prescribed burning operations in the Kettle Falls Admin and North Gorge units. NPCB staff supported LARO resource management in conducting a rare plant survey in the Kettle Falls district. At SAJH the NPCB crew performed two 2nd year post-burn reads and four 10th year post-burn reads. At NOCA the crew completed six 10th year post-burn reads. Two SCA Fire Effects Monitoring interns assisted the NPCB crew with FMH plot work at LARO, SAJH and NOCA during the 2013 field season. These individuals, Jade Thomason and Bethany Murphy, provided invaluable assistance in completing the plot workload, assisting with 2 data entry, processing fire ecology research samples, installing temperature monitors, and providing logistical support for wildfire suppression operations at NOCA. The NPCB crew contributed substantial support to a variety of collateral duty operations. Crew members participated in approximately 160 “person-days” of wildfire/ prescribed fire assignments and hazardous fuel reduction details between April and November. These roles ranged from helicopter crewmember, resource advisor, squad boss, and incident commander in Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California. These opportunities enabled the crew to extend their field seasons and make huge strides in attaining valued qualifications. During the 2013 season NPCB crewmembers achieved Resource Advisor, Helicopter Crewmember, and Firefighter Type 1 IQCS qualifications. In a future of ever-shrinking budgets, these qualifications will provide vital local support to NOCA/LARO/SAJH wildland and prescribed fire management operations. The remainder of the season was devoted to administrative tasks, data entry, database management, processing fire ecology samples, GIS support, field testing FFI Lite software and training. The crew also supported the NOCA/LARO fire crew in initial attack incidents, search and rescue response related to Cascade River flooding, and hazardous fuel reduction projects at LARO.

North Pacific/Columbia Basin, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2013

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