Fire Ecology Annual Report, Northern Great Plains: Calendar Year 2004

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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). Great Plains plant communities have a degree of resilience that allows them to rebound from grazing, fire, invasion by non-native species, and drought. This past year we have seen effects of all of these stressors in our fire effects monitoring. In a year characterized by widespread drought, plant diversity and vegetative production declined throughout the Northern Great Plains. However, a cool, moist fall allowed many plants to flower and produce seed after a summer of limited rainfall. This presents a challenge for comparative analysis of areas before and after fire when a dominant driver of the ecosystem is precipitation. Though we would like to primarily address fire and its role in influencing vegetation change, many factors determine the composition of this system and the fire monitoring program assesses the changes in vegetation regardless of the source. In 2004, in the Northern Great Plains, we monitored 7 prescribed fires (Fig. 1) in 5 parks where 15 long-term monitoring plots burned, installed 19 new plots, and remeasured 70 plots in postburn status which included 22 plots at 5 years postburn. In addition to prescribed fire operations and vegetation monitoring duties, crew members served in a variety of roles on 10 wildfires and 11 fire use fires. Other accomplishments included the Fire Ecologist and Lead Monitor participating on the working team for the development of the Fire Ecology database software known as FEAT, a bi-weekly fuel moisture sampling program at Wind Cave National Park from late April through early November (Fig. 2), and providing fire monitoring assistance to Ozark National Scenic Riverways and Buffalo National River during the spring prescribed fire season.

Fire Ecology Annual Report, Northern Great Plains: Calendar Year 2004

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