Treesearch

We report the results of a questionnaire and workshop that sought to gain a better and deeper understanding of the contemporary information needs of wildland fire and fuels managers. Results from the questionnaire indicated that the decision to suppress a wildland fire was most often influenced by factors related to safety and that the decision to allow a fire to burn was influenced by a variety of factors that varied according to land management objectives. We also found that managers anticipated an increase in the use of wildland fire, but that these increases will be moderate due to a...

Downed logs are known to increase species diversity in many forest ecosystems by increasing resource and structural complexity and by altering fire behavior in fire-prone ecosystems. In a frequently burned oak savanna in central Missouri, combustion of downed logs formed patches that have remained free of herbaceous vegetation for more than 3 years. To assess the influence of "log burnouts" on soil conditions we compared soil chemical, biological and physical properties in log burnout zones and beneath surrounding herbaceous vegetation. Soil pH and extractable soil NO3−, P, K+ and Ca2+...

The fungal community inhabiting large woody roots of healthy conifers has not been well documented. To provide more information about such communities, a survey was conducted using increment cores from the woody roots of symptomless Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) growing in dry forests on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state, USA. Fungal isolates were cultured on standard media, and then were identified using a combination of molecular and morphological methods. Fungal genera and species identified in this study will...

A general framework is presented for examining the effects of channel type and associated hydraulic roughness on salmonid spawning-gravel availability in mountain catchments. Digital elevation models are coupled with grain-size predictions to provide basin-scale assessments of the potential extent and spatial pattern of spawning gravels. To demonstrate both the model and the significance of hydraulic roughness, we present a scenario for optimizing the spatial extent of spawning gravels as a function of channel type in Pacific Northwest catchments. Predictions indicate that hydraulic...

The purpose of this chapter is to present a thorough assessment of environmental psychology as a way to understand relationships between people and natural landscapes, and to describe how this knowledge can be applied to natural resource management. Environmental psychology seeks to clarify how individuals perceive, experience and create meaning in the environment. In part, it constitutes a branch of social psychology that studies individual behavior embedded in its large-scale social and ecological context, as well as actively defining and giving shape to that context. In addition,...

The Hayman Fire started on June 8, 2002, about 1.5 miles southwest of Tappan Mountain on the south side of County Highway 77, in Park County, Colorado (fig. 1). It was first reported at about 1 acre in size at approximately 1655 hours (appendix C). An aggressive initial attack response consisted of air tankers, helicopters, engines, and ground crews, but they were unable to contain the fire. Torching trees and prolific spotting advanced the fire to the northeast across U.S. Highway 77 by 1831 hours. The entire Front Range of Colorado was predisposed to potential extreme fire behavior by...

We compared observed canopy fuel characteristics with those predicted by existing biomass algorithms. We specifically examined the accuracy of the biomass equations developed by Brown (1978. We used destructively sampled data obtained at 5 different study areas. We compared predicted and observed quantities of foliage and crown biomass for individual trees in our study sites for ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and lodgepole pine. In addition, we observed the appropriateness of using similar species to predict canopy fuel characteristics when the actual species is not accounted for using...

Most gravel-bed streams exhibit a surface armour in which the median grain size of the surface particles is coarser than that of the subsurface particles. This armour has been interpreted to result when the supply of sediment is less than the ability of the stream to move sediment. While there may be certain sizes in the bed for which the supply is less than the ability of the stream to transport these particles. These sizes of particles the 'supply limited' and 'hydraulically limited' in their transport, respectively, and can be differentiated in dimensionless sediment transport rating...

Historically, wildfires burned Western forests creating and maintaining a variety of forest compositions and structures (Agee 1993). Prior to European settlement lightning along with Native Americans ignited fires routinely across many forested landscapes. After Euro-American settlement, fires continued to be quite common with fires ignited by settlers, railroads, and lightning (Pyne 2001). In August 1910 came a pivotal change in how Westerners in particular, and policymakers in general, viewed fire. Starting early in that summer, fires were ignited and continued to burn throughout western...

This report summarizes the progress of the Hayman Fire, its behavior, and the influence of environmental conditions. Data were obtained from narratives from fire behavior analysts assigned to the fire management teams, discussions with fire management staff, meteorology from local weather stations and Bradshaw and others (2003), photographs, satellite imagery, and public internet sites. Possible explanations are advanced for observed fire behavior and effects. A fire chronology details as fully as possible the fire behavior and progress associated with specific days and weather conditions.