Fuel Management Objectives within Dry Forest Landscapes on the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF Dr. Richy J. Harrod Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Ecological Restoration Ecological restoration aims to enhance the resilience and sustainability of forests through treatments that incrementally return the ecosystem to a state that is within a historic range of conditions (Landres et al. 1999). The process of assisting the recovery and management of ecological integrity (Society for Ecological Restoration).

Okanogan-Wenatchee NF Dry Forest Strategy – FSM Policy 1.All resource management programs have a responsibility for ecological restoration… Emphasize restoration efforts in the dry and mesic forests Provided recommendations for types of and placement of treatments Key emphasis on integration of resource values

Relatively open stands of ponderosa pine developed dense Douglas-fir, white fir, and grand fir understories.

Goals of Fuel Management Change how fire behaves within stands and across landscapes Create stands and landscapes that are resilient to fire Mitigate fire hazard in the wildland/urban interface

Fuel Management Objectives Reduce surface fuels Increase height to live crown Decrease crown density

Fuel Management Objectives Treatment sequence –Harvest, pile, pile burn, underburn –Thin, pile, underburn –Underburn Can use FCCS to determine sequence

OW018 OW005 OW006 OW003 OW009 OW004 OW002 OW07OW none OW012 OW010 OW008 OW OW013 OW015 none OW019 OW014 PCT & Rx burn PCT & Rx burn none OW OW020 OW022 OW023 PCT & RX burn none PCT & Rx burn none PCT & Rx burn none PCT & Rx burn OW025 OW027 OW028 Select cut & Rx burn none Select cut & Rx burn none Select cut & Rx burn OW024 OW029 OW Bug Select cut & Rx burnt none Select cut & Rx burn Potential Dry Douglas-fir, Ponderosa Pine, Grand Fir Fuelbed Series Pathway Age OW030 Fire, salvage/clearcut, burn Fire, no salvage Clearcut, no slash trt Select cut & Rx burn cc 1 OW016 PCT & no treat OW026 Select cut & no treat OW031 Select cut & no treat none None OW021 Select cut +no treat Select cut +no treat

Reduce Surface Fuels In dry forest types, average of 3-5 tons/acre within stands Loading should be discontinuous, variability is desired.

Reduce Surface Fuels Goal is to reduce flame length –A measure of fire intensity which determines fire severity –Long lengths leads to high torching potential

Reduce Ladder Fuels Decrease potential for torching –Eliminate branches on large trees –Reduce understory density Variability throughout stand is desirable

Decrease Crown Density Reduce potential for crown fire –Harvest or thinning –Torching through prescribed fire Variability is desirable Retain large fire resistant trees!

Hard to Meet Restoration Objectives

LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS

Priority Treatment Areas- developed using Analytical Hierarchy Process Weight factors Applied at the landscape scale.

Restoration Approach Determine where on the landscape to place your treatments.

Summary Treatments need to be strategically placed on the landscape Stand level treatments should focus on three principles of fuel management Treatments need to consider the importance of spatial patterns, fire tolerant structures, and species composition Important to integrate resource objectives, not about reducing fuels everywhere.