1. This document is contained within the Fire Management Toolbox on Wilderness.net. Since other related resources found in this toolbox may be of interest, you can visit this toolbox by visiting the following URL: http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=toolboxes&sec=fir e. All toolboxes are products of the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center.

2. Fire Ecology And Wilderness Resource Advisors

3. Outline Fire Ecology Information Needs WFRA Role

4. Fire Ecology Defined A specialized branch of ecology Focus is on the study of fire behavior and ecological effect

5. Components Disturbance Regimes and interactions Fire Behavior Fire Effects

6. Disturbance Regimes The frequency of fire in a specific geographic area. Every community type is associated with a disturbance regime Disturbance regimes are dependent upon many things

7. 1984 189 acres 1958 40 acres 1920 88 acres 1895 35 acres 2000 233 acres

8. Examples of Disturbance Regimes Vegetation TypeDisturbance Regime and Fire Return Interval Red OakSM (5-15) & FR2 & 3 (75-350) Quaking AspenFR1 (30-75 Red PineFM1 & 2 (5-100) FR1 (30-75) Jack Pine/Pin OakSM (5-15) FR1 (30-75) Hardwoods/Hemlock/CedarFR4 (350-1000) Balsam FirFM1 &2 (5-100) FR1 (30-75) Source: Dickmann & Cleland FM = Forest Maintenance, FR = Forest Replacement, CM = Community Maintenance, SM = Savanna Maintenance

9. Disturbance Regimes and Interactions Climate Weather General physical setting Landforms and soils Vegetation

10. Fire Behavior Rate of spread Intensity Crown or ground Continuous or non-continuous front Complete burn or mosaic Extreme fire behavior

11. Fire Behavior Why is it important to consider fire behavior? –Safety – volatile species –Fire behavior results in various fire effects ROS – residence time Intensity – ground or crown

12. Fire Effects Abiotic –Air –Soils –Water Biotic - every single species reacts to fire in a unique manner! –Aquatic –Terrestrial

13. Fire Effects - General Fire effects vary by: –size and intensity of fire –individuals verses populations –the season as it relates to phenology Many mechanisms of survival –protection of critical reproductive tissues –avoidance

14. Fire Effects – Terrestrial Vegetation Classified according to their response to fire –Fire-Intolerant Plants – highly flammable and completely destroyed –Fire-Tolerant Plants – able to withstand some forms of fire and grow despite some damage –Fire Resistant Plants – suffer little damage

15. Fire Effects – Terrestrial Vegetation Many different effects of fire on plants –Negative Individual death –Positive Alteration of surface light and/or temperature regime Synchronous –Release of canopy seeds –Germination of soil seeds Increased –Seedling establishment –Productivity –Flowering –Seed dispersal distances

16. Fire Effects - Wildlife Effects vary by: –species and mobility –habitat needs –age of animal –stage of fire – during and after –type of animal – predator verses prey

17. Fire Ecology and WRA Planning

18. Fire Ecology and WRA And more planning… Tables

19. Conclusions Fire ecology is the study of the interactions of climate, weather, landforms, soil, and vegetation on fire, and the effects of fire on enumerable plant and animal species. Fire ecology is extremely complex! Every single plant and animal species reacts to fire in a unique manner!

20. Resources The Ecology of Fire – Robert J. Whelan Fire Effects Information System www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System http://www.for.gov.bc.ca Fire.Org http://fire.org/