Southern Plains, Permian and Southwest Texas Fire Groups, Fire Ecology Report; Calendar Year 2013

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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). Following the previous two year if fire and drought, relative normalcy has returned to the southern portion of the intermountain region. The work continued under the very able Tyler Engle and Jeremiah Bonilla with the very capable assistance of Pete Loftis a teacher and coach at the nearby Borger School District who has been a long time fire seasonal at the park and who sadly lost his wife early in the year. The year began with the crew and the ecologist, assisting with the implementation of the 2013 Chickasaw Rx Burn with Tyler Engle spending several prior to and following implementation of the burn which largely took place over the month of February. The crew of three began their field work in earnest in May which also included monetary support to collect upland data from the Southern Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network’s Long-term monitoring plots. Field work proceeded largely uneventful until August when the National Planning Level was elevated to 5. At that point all fire effects staff was assigned to fire assignments in Idaho, Wyoming and Oregon for one to two 2 week fire assignments. Most of the field work was completed by the end of September. However, limits on funding and time prevented any field work being conducted in any of the parks in Permian (CAVE/GUMO) or Southwest Texas Fire Groups (BIBE). We also assisted Jason McDaniels with Fire Effects data specifically to address the question did reduction in shrub cover, mesquite, correspond to an increase in grass cover due to LAMR’s fuel management activities. The finding were presented in Jason’s Technical Fire Management project in April. At the end of August the Guadalupe Mountain Nature Conservancy Fire Surrogate Project was completed. This project faced significant challenges to implement due to fires and severe droughts that occurred over the course of the study. Kudos to Helen Poulos and the TNC folks who helped pull this project off.

Southern Plains, Permian and Southwest Texas Fire Groups, Fire Ecology Report; Calendar Year 2013

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