Fire Ecology of Montana Forest Habitat Types East of the Continental Divide William C

United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire Ecology of Intermountain Forest and Ranae Montana Forest Experiment ~taaon Ogden, UT 84401 General Technical Habitat Types Report INT-141 May 1983 East of the Continental Divide William C. Fischer and Bruce D. Clayton THE AUTHORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WILLIAM C. FISCHER is a research forester for the Fire This report is the result of a cooperative endeavor be- Effects and Use Research and Development Program at tween the lntermountain Station's Fire Effects and Use the lntermountain Station's Northern Forest Fire Research and Development Program and the National Laboratory, Missoula, Mont. He earned his B.S. and B.S.F. Forest System's Northern Region. The support of Zone degrees at the University of Michigan in 1956. Prior to Fire Management Specialist Everett "Sonny" Stiger (of 1966, he was employed as a forester (fire control) on the Beaverhead, Deerlodge, Lewis and Clark, and Helena Na- Boise National Forest in Idaho. tional Forests) is gratefully acknowledged. He played a major role in the initiation of this report. BRUCE D. CLAYTON earned an A.B. degree in botany and We also acknowledge the contributions of personal ex- zoology from the University of California at Los Angeles periences and observations regarding eastside fire in 1972, and a Ph.D. in plant ecology from the University ecology by the following Forest Sewice personnel: of Montana in 1978. This report is based in part on a Gallatin National Forest-Randall W. Gay, Alfred S. preliminary draft, of reduced scope, prepared by Dr. "Sam" Gilbert, Larry Keown, and Roger M. Siemens Clayton under Forest Service contract 43-0346-8-00050, (currently assigned to Deerlodge National Forest). Helena National Forest. He has since authored the Custer National Forest-Horace F. "Ace" Goodwin, nuclear survival manual Life After Doomsday, published Walter Tomascak (currently assigned to Northern by Paladin Press. Dr. Clayton now resides at Mariposa, Region Headquarters, Missoula, Mont.), and Philip Calif. South. Lewis and Clark National Forest-Herbert D. Holdorf. Deerlodge National Forest-John Jay. Helena National Forest-Bernard L. "Bud" Kovalchik RESEARCH SllMMARY (currently assigned to Deschutes ~ationalForest). This report summarizes available information on fire as Beaverhead National Forest-Arnold A. Royce. an ecological factor for forest habitat types occurring Finally, contributions of personal knowledge of fire east of the Continental Divide in Montana. ecology by the following lntermountain Station scientists Forest habitat types of Montana are grouped into Fire are acknowledged: Groups based primarily on fire's role in forest Northern Forest Fire Laboratory, Missoula, succession. Mont.-Stephen F. Arno. For each Fire Group, information is presented on (1) Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Bozeman, Mont.-Den- the relationship of major tree species to fire, (2) fire ef- nis M. Cole and Wyman C. Schmidt. fects on undergrowth, (3) forest fuels, (4) the natural role Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, Mont.-L. of fire, (5) fire and forest succession, and (6) fire manag- Jack Lyon and Robert D. Pfister (currently associated ment considerations. with the University of Montana School of Forestry, Missoula, Mont.). CONTENTS Page Page Introduction .................................... 1 Fie Group Five: Cool. Dry Douglas-Fir Habitat Types . 35 Purpose ....................................... 1 Forest Fuels .................................... 35 Format ....................................... 1 Role of Fire .................................... 36 TheFieGroups ................................ 3 Generalized Forest Succession .................... 36 Nomenclature .................................. 5 Successional Pathways .......................... 37 Relationship of Major Tree Species to Fie............ 5 Fie Management Considerations .................. 37 Limber Pine (Pinusflexilk)....................... 5 Fire Group Six: Moist, Douglas-Fi Habitat Types ..... 38 Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) ................ 6 ForestFuels .................................... 39 Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)... 6 RoleofFire .................................... 41 Douglas-Fir (Pseudotmga menziesii)............... 6 Generalized Forest Succession .................... 42 Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii) ............ 6 Successional Pathways .......................... 42 Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) .................. 7 Fie Management Considerations .................. 44 Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)................... 7 Fire Group Seven: Cool Habitat Types Usually Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulk)................. 7 Dominated By Lodgepole Pine ..................... Alpine Larch (Larch lyallii)....................... 8 ForestFuels .................................... Undergrowth Response to Fie...................... 8 Role of Fie.................................... Summary on Downed. Dead Fuel ................... 12 Generalized Forest Succession .................... Fire Group Zero: Miscellaneous Special Habitats ...... 13 Successional Pathways .......................... Scree ......................................... 13 Fie Management Considerations .................. Forested Rock ................................. 13 Fire Group Eight: Dry. Lower Subalpine Habitat Types . Meadow ...................................... 13 Forest Fuels .................................... Grassy Bald .................................... 13 Role of Fie .................................... AspenGrove ................................. 14 Generalized Forest Succession .................... Alder Glade ................................. 14 Successional Pathways .......................... Fie Management Considerations .................. 14 Fire Management Considerations .................. Fire Group One: Dry Limber Pine Habitat Fie Group Nine: Moist. Lower Subalpine Habitat Types ........................................... Types ........................................... ForestFuels .................................... ForestFuels .................................... Role of Fie .................................... Role of Fie.................................... Generalized Forest Succession .................... Generalized Forest Succession .................... Succesional Pathways ........................... Successional Pathways .......................... Fie Management Considerations .................. Fie Management Considerations .................. Fie Group Two: Warm. Dry Ponderosa Pine Habitat Fire Group Ten: Cold. Moist Upper Subalpine and Types ........................................... Timberline Habitat Types .......................... Forest Fuels .................................... ForestFuels .................................... Role of Fie.................................... Role of Fire .................................... Generalized Forest Succession .................... Generalized Forest Succession .................... Successional Pathways .......................... Successional Pathways .......................... Fire Management Considerations .................. Fie Management Considerations .................. Fie Group Three: Warm. Moist Ponderosa Pie Publications Cited ................................ Habitats Types ................................... Other References ................................. Forest Fuels .................................... Appendix A: Forest Habitat Types Occumng East of Role of Fie .................................... the Continental Divide in Montana .................. Generalized Forest Succession .................... Appendix B: Habitat Type Fie Groups for Montana Successional Pathways .......................... Forests .......................................... Fire Management Considerations .................. Appendix C: Scientific Names of Plants Mentioned in Fie Group Four: Warm. Dry Douglas-Fir Habitat Text ............................................ Types ........................................... ForestFuels .................................... Role of Fire .................................... Generalized Forest Succession .................... Successional Pathways .......................... Fie Management Considerations .................. Fire Ecology of Montana Forest Habitat Types East of the Continental Divide William C. Fischer and Bruce D. Clayton Format Purpose The report is patterned after Fire Ecology of Lolo National Forest Habitat Types (Davis and others 1980). Subject matter This report is a summary of available fire ecology and content is identical to the Lolo report except that this report management information that applies to forest habitat types oc- contains a discussion of hypothetical successional pathways. A curring east of the Continental Divide in Montana; specifically, major difference in format is that in this report the relation- on the Beaverhead, Custer, Deerlodge, Gallatin, Helena, and ships of major tree species to fire and fire effects on under- Lewis and Clark National Forests; in the Bearpaw Mountains; growth are discussed in separate sections rather than under the Little Rocky Mountains; and the Missouri River Breaks in each Fire Group. The change was made to eliminate unnec- Montana. The primary purpose of this report is to help forest essary repetition. Since publication of the Lolo report, downed managers understand the role of fire in east side Montana dead woody fuel and biomass in the Northern Rocky Moun- forests, especially the role of fire in

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