Fuels & Fuel Treatments
A brief look at how the Black Range of the Gila National Forest goes about putting down thousands of acres of prescribed fire. See how the District works in a collaborative and productive manner while working within the multiple-use framework to include grazing, wildlife, recreation, and community outreach. Supported by science, the agency looks to keep fire on the landscape.
Fire researchers discuss the return of fire to western U.S. landscapes in the context of wildfire history.
Hosted by Matt Reeves, using Microsoft Teams, click the “Watch on web instead” link to view.
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Frequent-fire forests of the western United States have undergone remarkable changes in structure, composition, and function due to historical exclusion of naturally occurring fire. Mechanized tree thinning to reduce forest density and fuel loads tends to be expensive and cannot be effectively implemented across all lands, and there is increasing interest in managing naturally ignited wildfires for meeting forest restoration objectives. To investigate general effectiveness of resource objective (RO) wildfires for restoring frequent-fire and associated forests of the western United States, a review of the related peer-reviewed literature was conducted.
Panel discussion on grazing for fire prevention with Tracy Schohr, UCCE Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor for Plumas, Sierra & Butte Counties.
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Exotic grasses are a widespread set of invasive species that are notable for their ability to significantly alter key aspects of ecosystem function. Understanding the role and importance of these invaders in forested landscapes has been limited but is now rising, as grasses from Eurasia and Africa continue to spread through ecosystems of the Americas, Australia, and many Pacific islands, where they threaten biodiversity and alter various aspects of the fire regime. The ecological, social and economic impacts of the grass-fire cycle associated with species such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) have been long recognized in aridlands such as the iconic sagebrush ecosystems of the western US. However, the damaging impacts of invasive grasses in forestlands have received considerably less attention. We review literature, conceptual models, model output, and empirical evidence that indicate grass invasion in forest ecosystems may be an important yet largely under-recognized phenomenon. In combination with climate change, wildfire, and overstory management, invasive grasses could create a “perfect storm” that threatens forest resilience. Invasive grasses can be successful in forested environments or develop strongholds within forested mosaics and could provide the literal seeds for rapid change and vegetation type conversion catalyzed by wildfire or changes in climate. Although invasive grass populations may now be on the edge of forests or consist of relatively rare populations with limited spatial extent, these species may disrupt stabilizing feedbacks and disturbance regimes if a grass-fire cycle takes hold, forcing large portions of forests into alternative nonforested states. In addition, forest management actions such as thinning, prescribed fire, and fuel reduction may actually exacerbate invasive grass populations and increase the potential for further invasion, as well as broader landscape level changes through increased fire spread and frequency. Lack of understanding regarding the ecological consequences and importance of managing invasive grasses as a fuel may lead to unintended consequences and outcomes as we enter an age of novel and rapid ecological changes. This paper focuses on the contributory factors, mechanisms, and interactions that may set the stage for unexpected forest change and loss, in an effort to raise awareness about the potential damaging impact of grass invasion in forested ecosystems.
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Description: Webinar focuses on three critical areas of bioenergy and bioproducts research and development: 1) sustainable and economically efficient forest biomass management and production systems, 2) competitive low-emissions biofuels and bioenergy conversion technologies deployed in the forest sector, and 3) information and tools for decision making and policy analysis related to forest biomass utilization.
Presenter: Nate Anderson, PhD in Forest Resources Management from the State University of New York, an MS in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology from the University of Maryland, and a BS in Biology from Bates College.
This plan is intended to provide a shared vision for natural resource management and conservation in Nevada. The plan incorporates the existing “All Hands – All Lands” approach together with the recent Shared Stewardship Agreement signed by the State and Federal land management agencies in Nevada to guide the strategic direction for the management of natural resources across all lands in Nevada. To ensure this goal, NDF is asking natural resource management and conservation stakeholders and interested public to review and provide substantive comments that help advance the plan’s strategic direction.
This brief aims to clarify basic liability laws in California, using state law and case examples to further the collective understanding and comfort around prescribed fire liability.