Joint Base Lewis-McChord Research Prescribed Burn 2012
Methods of collecting fuel, fire, and air quality data in a prescribed prairie burn were tested out by members of the U.S. Forest Service while, at the same time, federal and local firefighters had the opportunity to practice preparing, controlling, and mopping up after a prescribed burn.
Project Description
The FERA team collaborated with our partners to conduct a strategically-planned prescribed burn. The base burns its prairies frequently; the Nature Conservancy has a prescribed burning crew who needed some experience, and the Forest Service needed to practice deploying various measurement devices in an actual prescribed fire situation. Like many military bases, Joint Base Lewis-McChord has a long history of conducting prescribed burns on their lands.
Purpose and Scope
Research prescribed burns require very exact timing, and a large fire research campaign in Florida in the fall of 2012. Such an endeavor required that new data collections methods be thoroughly tested so that no time was wasted, or data lost, during the larger experiment.
Methods
Methods of collecting fuel, fire, and air quality data in a prescribed prairie burn were tested out by members of the U.S. Forest Service's Seattle and Missoula fire laboratories.
Key Findings
Our experience gained before and during this burn included getting several scientists approved to drive "cherry pickers" to take video from above the fire; learning the most effective way of marking corners of the fire so they could be detected by a Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) camera.
Key Personnel
Project Contacts
-
Person
Roger D. Ottmar
Research Forester-Emeritus Scientisthttps://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/roger.ottmar -
Person
William E. Mell, PhD
Research Combustion Engineerhttps://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/william.mell
Collaborators
Co-Investigator:
- Dr. Bret Butler, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab, Rocky Mountain Research Station (https://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs/people/bwbutler)
Partners:
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Army and Air Force)
- The Nature Conservancy
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab