Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004 [Saguaro National Park]

Author unknown

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 fire effects crew read a total of 32 plots in two parks (WACA, SAGU) during the 2004 field season including 12 yr-01 reads, 10 yr-02 reads, 4 yr-05 reads and 6 postburn reads. An additional thirty-one plots that were scheduled to be read this year were not due to budget constraints. Seventeen of those plots were grassland plots, five were brush plots and nine were forest plots. The grassland and brush plots were yr-02 reads at Wupatki N.M. and Sunset Crater N.M. and the forest plots were yr-02 reads at Saguaro N.P. Two crew members also participated in the Devil’s Bathtub Prescribed Burn as fire effects monitors and one as an EMT. The burn was an out of season (fall) burn, typical for prescribed burns at SAGU. Hopefully with our new FMP and BA in place we will be able to begin to burn in season (summer- predominantly June-July). We were able to safely collect first order fire effects data from two of the six plots that burned. The overall severity for this burn was 3.9 (scorched). One crew member assisted the Saguaro Fire Use Module in Wenatchee National Forest in Washington with a WFURB detail. There he conducted fire behavior and fire effects data collection and weather observations. Two crew members also conducted IA activities on two wildfires at SAGU. Aside from these duties, the SAGU crew field and office tested our new FEAT software, which made for a slower and sometimes painful field season. As with any new program (or child for that matter) patience and a sense of humor were essential virtues in our endeavor. We did gain some valuable insight into FEAT and have passed along some six pages of recommendation to our regional liaison. It will be interesting to see what shape the final program takes.

Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2004 [Saguaro National Park]

Collections