PARENT SESSION
Symposium 5: Ecological Forces and Land Management Challenges for the Southeastern Landscape
Organized by: D De Steven and BS Collins
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Chatham Ballroom B.

The national fire and fire surrogate study: an interdisciplinary comparison of methods to reduce fuels and fire risk.

Waldrop, Thomas^*,1, McIver, James², ¹ USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Clemson, South Carolina² USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Le Grande, Oregon

ABSTRACT- Forest ecosystems throughout the United States are denser today and have heavier fuel loads than historic ecosystems that were maintained by frequent fires. The result has been an increase of catastrophic wildfires and a loss of ecosystem integrity. The need to reduce live and dead fuels is widely accepted and silvicultural treatments, such as prescribed fire and thinning, are readily available to accomplish this objective. These treatments can be used to mimic the effects of historic fire regimes on forest structure but virtually no comparative data exist on how they mimic the ecological functions of fire. The National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study uses an interdisciplinary approach to compare ecological and economic impacts of fuel-reduction treatments in ecosystems throughout the United States. Study sites were selected at 13 locations in ecosystems as diverse as western Ponderosa pine, southern longleaf and slash pines, southeastern pine-hardwood mixtures, and northeastern oak-hickory forests. Strict treatment and sampling protocols were followed at all sites. Treatments include prescribed burning alone, mechanical fuel reduction alone, burning and mechanical treatment together, and an untreated control. Each was replicated at least three times at all 13 locations. Core variables were measured from disciplines including wildlife (mammals, birds, and herpetofauna), soils (fertility, nutrient cycling, microfauna, and decomposition), entomology, pathology, vegetation, fuels, fire behavior, and economics. Treatments and variables of local interest were added at some locations. Early results suggest that each treatment creates a unique ecosystem structure which has varying impacts on most ecosystem functions. A compilation of results from all 13 sites will provide a better understanding of how choices for fuel management impact multiple components of ecosystems.

Key words: prescribed fire, fuel reduction, ecosystem function, ecosystem structure