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Effects of Fire Management of Southwestern Natural Resources

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This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. Fire Effects Information System: An Aid for Fire Use in the Southwest1 William C. Fischer and Nancy E. McMurray2 The Fire Effects Information Sys­ effective use of prescribed fire for ented, frame-based, knowledge­ tem (FEIS) was developed by the vegetation management (Kickert et based system implemented in the Intermountain Research Station in al. 1976, Kilgore and Curtis 1987, LISP programming language. FEIS cooperation with the University of Noste and Brown 1981, Taylor et al. was developed using concepts, meth­ Montana. This system is a computer­ 1975). However, a substantial body ods, and techniques from the rapidly ized information storage and re­ of information exists about fire ef­ expanding field of artificial intelli­ trieval system that was developed to fects generally and plant response to gence (AI), but it is not an expert sys­ be an authoritative, easy to access fire in particular, especially for the tem. (For details on the design and source for information about the ef­ species of primary management con­ structure of FEIS and development of fect of fire on individual plant and cern. The problem, largely one of the its software, see Fischer and Wright animal species and on the plant com­ accessibility of such information, has 1987). munities in which these species re­ two facets: (1) there is no single The Fire Effects Information Sys­ side. "best" route to the available informa­ tem consists of three components: the The expected effect of fire on plant tion, and (2) the information is gener­ knowledge base, the query program, communities is a major consideration ally unorganized and uninterpreted and the builder program. The knowl­ affecting decisions to use fire to ac­ for the purpose of aiding fire man­ edge base contains the fire effects complish a variety of wildland vege­ agement decisions. The Fire Effects and related information that is avail­ tation management objectives. To Information System is a unique solu­ able to users of the system. The obtain a specific desired result from a tion to this problem. query program allows access to the fire treatment, the fire prescription knowledge base but does not allow must be based on the best available any changes. It is designed for people information and experience regard­ What It Is and What It Is Not who are unskilled in computer use. ing the response of target plant spe­ The builder program is used by those cies to fire and how this response The Fire Effects Information Sys­ who are adding to or editing the varies according to such factors as tem is a computerized knowledge knowledge base. The user of the fire severity, season, phenological management system that stores and builder program is expected to be state, successional status, site charac­ retrieves state-of-the-knowledge, familiar with the structure of the teristics, and other biological and en­ English-language texual information knowledge base and is expected to vironmental considerations. Many organized in an encyclopedic fash­ be skilled in computer use. Because it managers perceive a lack of such fire ion. It is unlike most information sys­ is the object of the system, the effects information as a barrier to the tems available to natural resource knowedge base is described in more managers. It is not a computerized detail below. 1Poster paper presented at the confer­ bibliography although a computer­ ence, Effects of Are in Management of ized bibliography is an important Southwestern Natural Resources (Tucson. appendage to the system. It is not a The Knowledge Bose Al, November 14-17, 1988). numerical data base although the 2William C. Ascher is a Research Forester, Intermountain Research Station, Forest Serv­ system does accommodate numerical The FEIS knowledge base is de­ ice, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ogden -data. And the information provided signed to accept information in three UT. stationed at Intermountain Fire Sciences by the system is ready to use; it does major categories: plant species, eco­ Laboratory, P.O. Box 8089, Missoula, MT: not have to be decoded. systems, and wildlife species. The and Nancy E. McMurray is an Ecologist, Systems for Environmental Management, For those abreast of computer sci­ ecosystem category includes three P.O. Box8868, Missoula, MT. ence trends, FEIS is an object-ori- levels of classification: an ecosystem 210 level, a cover type level, and a habi­ and sent for technical review to sci­ 750 computer at the University of tat type or plant community level. entists, staff specialists, and manag­ Montana and is now on a Data Gen­ For each category and level, the ers who have expert knowledge of eral (DG) MV 4000 computer at the knowledge base contains state-of­ the species or ecosystem. The infor­ Intermountain Fire Sciences Labora­ knowledge textual information for mation in the knowledge base is re­ tory in Missoula, MT.3 The system various predetermined topics for vised, as necessary, to reflect this also resides on a BLM DG MV10000 several subject matter areas. Topics technical review. Information in the computer at the Boise Interagency by subject matter area for each of the knowledge base is periodically re­ Fire Center, Boise, ID. BLM person­ three categories of information are vised to incorporate knowledge from nel access the system using IBM­ listed in table 1. The knowledge base more current literature. compatible personal computer (PC), will accept information only for the a 1200 baud phone modem, and ter­ predetermined topics listed in table minal emulation/ communications 1. Addition of other topics is rela­ Content of the Knowledge Base software that can emulate a DG 400 tively simple for someone who is fa­ terminal. Forest Service personnel, at miliar with the structure of the sys­ As of January 1, 1989, information sites where TELNET is installed, tem and capable of programming in for 176 plant species (25 trees, 70 have been allowed DG access to the the LISP language. A topic title will shrubs, 64 grasses, and 17 forbs), 13 system at the Fire Sciences Labora­ not appear on the screen of the user's wildlife species, and 1 ecosystem (in­ tory via the deflected drawer proc­ computer terminal until an entry for cluding 8 cover types) was contained ess. Additionally, the system has that topic exists in the knowledge in the FEIS knowledge base (see ap­ been delivered to the NPS Branch of base. Fischer (1987) and Fischer and pendix A). The distribution of spe­ Fire Management at Boise for instal­ Wright (1987) provide examples of cies according to their occurrence in lation on its DEC VAX 750. FEIS output essentially as it would be Forest-Range Environmental Study The BLM and NPS systems con­ displayed on the screen of a user's ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977) is tain only the knowledge base and computer terminal. presented as appendix B. The Bureau query components. The builder pro­ of Land Management (BLM) and the gram resides only at the Fire Sciences National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Laboratory and is presently re­ Knowledge Base Development Department of the Interior (USDI) stricted to use by fire research per­ have been the primary sponsors for sonnel involved in knowledge base The information contained in the the development of a prototype development. A personal computer FEIS knowledge base is the product knowledge base. A majority of the (PC) version of the FEIS query pro­ of a rigorous process that includes (1) species included in the present gram and knowledge base is avail­ making a thorough bibliographic knowledge base are, consequently, able at Wind Cave National Park for search to identify literature related to those common to the semi-arid West­ operational evaluation. A PC builder the topics listed in table 1, (2) obtain­ ern rangelands managed by the BLM program is not yet available. ing hard copy of all such literature, and the ponderosa pine forests and Planning for a widely available (3) reading the literature, evaluating plains grasslands of Wind Cave Na­ operational implementation of the its reliability, and summarizing use­ tional Park, South Dakota. The NPS Fire Effects Information System is ful information, (4) resolving con­ designated Wind Cave National Park under way. Feasible alternatives flicts, if possible, between contradic­ as a prototype park for knowledge have been identified for considera­ tory information, (5) synthesizing fire base development. Currently, the tion by potential sponsors. Initial ac­ effects information, and (6) entering BLM is sponsoring knowledge base tion is aimed toward some form of the information into the knowledge additions of species that occur in the interagency implementation that base. The fire research team respon­ chaparral-mountain shrub, desert would allow access by all potentially sible for knowledge base develop­ shrub, pinyon-juniper, and sagebrush interested users. Widespread, multi­ ment consists of professional biolo­ ecosystems. The NPS is currently agency operational implementation gists trained in the areas of botany, sponsoring the addition of species of FEIS is probably at least 2 years in wildlife biology, range science, and that occur in Yellowstone National the future. forestry. On the average, it takes Park. about 10 days for a team member to complete an initial species or ecosys­ 3 The use of trade and company names tem writeup and enter it into the Current Access to The System is for the benefit of the reader: such use knowledge base. Following the entry, does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of any service or product by the information for a given species or FEIS was developed on a Digital the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the ecosystem is reproduced on paper Equipment Corporation (DEC) VAX exclusion of others that may be suitable.
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