Ozark Highlands Cluster, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2008
Author unknown. Ozark Highlands Cluster, Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2008
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). 2008 was a very successful year for the Ozark Highlands fire ecology program. This year the monitoring crew consisted of four seasonal biological science techs and an SCA intern. Everyone did an excellent job and was critical to our program’s accomplishing all of our fire effects plot work. The lead monitor and winter seasonal read 3 immediate postburn plots in Hot Springs while the fire effects monitoring crew reread 57 FMH plots at Ozark NSR, Buffalo NR, Pea Ridge NMP, and Hot Springs NP. In addition, 24 modified plots were installed and read at Buffalo NR and Hot Springs National Park. Unfortunately, the spring fire season’s weather did not cooperate in Missouri or Arkansas. Due to an extremely wet spring, only one prescribed burn was accomplished at BUFF and no attempts were made otherwise. Erin did go on one wildfire assignment during last summer’s busy fire season. Erin worked on the East Slide Rock Ridge fire in Nevada as a field observer (T) in August through September. In addition, the entire fire effects crew assisted as national resources on fires. Audrey Beres and Tray Hall assisted on the Iron Complex as an FFT2 and FFT1 (T). Charles Aldridge and Jesse Goodwin assisted as FFT2s in Northern California, and Janice Ralls as an FFT2 in Oregon. In August, Dan Swanson moved to the Black Hills of SD to be the Northern Great Plains fire ecologist. He had been the fire ecologist for the Ozark Highlands for four years. We continued working in a new database called FFI (FEAT/Firemon/Integrated). Our data from the previous software, FEAT, was converted into the new format late winter and all of the 2008 field data was entered into the new software and data-checked.