Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists
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United States Department of Agriculture PROCEEDINGS Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists Forest Service Research & Development, Southern Research Station General Technical Report SRS-199, September 2014 Cover: Fire researchers monitor fire behavior and weather during a stand replacement fire for Table Mountain pine, Chattahoochee National Forest, Chattooga Ranger District. Disclaimers: Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for any endorsement purposes. Papers published in these proceedings were submitted by authors in electronic media. Editing was done to ensure consistent format. Authors are responsible for content and accuracy of their individual papers. Sepember 2014 Southern Research Station 200 W.T. Weaver Blvd. Asheville, NC 28804 www.srs.fs.usda.gov PROCEEDINGS Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists Edited by Thomas A. Waldrop Roanoke, Virginia October 8-10, 2013 Hosted by Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists Association for Fire Ecology Sponsored by Association for Fire Ecology Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists Joint Fire Science Program The Nature Conservancy Natural Lands Trust USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station USDA Forest Service, R-8 National Forest System USDA Forest Service, Northeast Area State and Private Forestry Published by USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Asheville, NC September 2014 PREFACE The Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists and the Association for Fire Ecology co-sponsored the conference on October 8-10, 2013 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions Among Managers and Scientists was designed for anyone with an interest in wildland fire in the Appalachian region and provided an unusual approach to sharing information. The objective of the conference was for fire managers and researchers to learn from each other so they could better understand and work together on problems specific to the highly diverse Appalachian Mountains. The conference design was unique: it was neither a research symposium nor a managers’ meeting, but rather a synergy of both. Over 40 speakers were invited to discuss research updates, management experiences, and successful technology transfer. Research topics included plant and wildlife ecology, fire history, invasive plants, season of burning, and other topics. Managers shared experiences on how to apply fire to the landscape, how to work with media and the general public, and updates to fire management tools such as smoke prediction models, LANDFIRE, and IFT-DSS. A highlight was success stories from programs such as the Fire Learning Network, State Prescribed Fire Councils, and interagency cooperation. A field trip on the third day shared managers’ experiences in applying research results on the ground. The conference was also unique in that it occurred during a closure of the United States Government. Federal employees of all agencies had been furloughed and could not attend the conference. As a result, many invited speakers were not present. However, all invited speakers were requested to contribute a paper or extended abstract to these proceedings. These proceedings represent only a portion of the presentations planned for the conference. Sponsors CAFMS—The Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists (CAFMS) is a Joint Fire Science Program, Knowledge Exchange Consortium with a goal of promoting communication among fire managers and scientists in the Appalachian region. CAFMS is largely successful because of a strong relationship between the U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station and the Fire Learning Network of The Nature Conservancy. The organization promotes communication through workshops, Web-based seminars, summaries of important research publications, a Web site, face to face meetings with CAFMS members, and research syntheses. CAFMS members include fire managers along with government and university scientists throughout the Appalachian region, from Pennsylvania to Alabama. AFE—The Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the knowledge and use of fire in land management. Members include scientists, educators, students, managers, practitioners, policymakers, and interested citizens. Anyone who supports the AFE mission can become a member and through active involvement can help shape the emerging profession and growing field of fire ecology. The AFE vision is a membership of respected professionals from around the world who together play a key role in wildland fire and fire ecology research, education, management, and policy, to enhance our knowledge and management of fire as a fundamental ecological process. Planning Committee Many hours of work were required to plan a program with speakers that could engage both managers and scientists. Each person on the planning committee worked diligently to identify topics and potential speakers, and to invite speakers to attend. Many thanks are given to each member. Tom Waldrop, Chair, U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station Geoff Babb, Association for Fire Ecology Mike Brod, U.S. Forest Service, R-8 National Forest System Maureen Brooks, U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Patrick Brose, U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station Beth Buchanan, U.S. Forest Service, R-8 National Forest System Steve Croy, U.S. Forest Service, R-8 National Forest System Tim Ingalsbee, Association for Fire Ecology Catia Juliana, Association for Fire Ecology Sam Lindblom, The Nature Conservancy Jim Thorne, Natural Lands Trust Dan Yaussy, U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station (retired) ii Proceedings Wildland Fire in the Appalachians: Discussions among Managers and Scientists Table of Contents Ecology—Plants and Plant Communities Ecology—Wildlife Oak Regeneration Ecology and Dynamics ..............3 Indiana Bats, Northern Long-Eared Bats, Daniel C. Dey and Prescribed Fire in the Appalachians: Challenges and Considerations ..............................73 Making Sense Out of Confusion: A Review of Susan C. Loeb and Joy M. O’Keefe Fire-Oak Papers Published in the Past 50 Years ....12 Patrick H. Brose and Thomas A. Waldrop Bird Response to Fire Severity and Repeated Burning in an Upland Hardwood Forest ................82 Repeated Fires, Canopy Gaps, and Tree Cathryn H. Greenberg, Thomas A. Waldrop, Regeneration in Appalachian Mixed Oak Joseph Tomcho, Ross J. Phillips, and Dean Simon Forests ....................................................................25 Todd F. Hutchinson, Robert P. Long, Joanne Rebbeck, Synthesis of the Effects of Fire on Elaine Kennedy Sutherland, and Daniel A. Yaussy Southern Appalachian Fauna .................................86 Amber L. Pitt, Robert F. Baldwin, Joseph J. Tavano, The National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study: Thomas A. Waldrop, and Ross J. Phillips Vegetation Changes over 11 Years of Fuel Reduction Treatments in the Southern Fire History and Fire Effects Appalachian Mountains .........................................34 Thomas A. Waldrop, Helen H. Mohr, Ross J. Phillips, Three Centuries of Appalachian Fire and Dean M. Simon History from Tree Rings ........................................99 Charles W. Lafon, Henri D. Grissino-Mayer, Sprouting Capability and Growth of One-Year-Old Serena R. Aldrich, Georgina G. DeWeese, Shortleaf Pine Seedlings after Different Times of William T. Flatley, Lisa B. LaForest, and Burning and Clipping .............................................42 Jennifer A. Hoss David C. Clabo and Wayne K. Clatterbuck Methods for the Study of Soil Charcoal as Ailanthus and Prescribed Fire: Is it a Volatile an Indicator of Fire and Forest History in Combination? .........................................................48 the Appalachian Region, U.S.A ...........................104 Joanne Rebbeck, Todd Hutchinson, Louis Iverson, Sally P. Horn and Christopher A. Underwood Matthew Peters, Daniel Yaussy, Michael Bowden, Greg Guess, and Aaron Kloss Red Oak Timber Product Value Loss Due to Fire Damage ............................................. 111 Fire in Mountain Bogs ...........................................53 Joseph M. Marschall, Richard P. Guyette, Adam Warwick Michael C. Stambaugh, and Aaron P. Stevenson The American Chestnut and Fire: Water Chemistry of North Branch Simpson Creek 6-year Research Results .........................................60 and the Rich Hole Wilderness Fire ......................113 Stacy L. Clark, Callie J. Schweitzer, Mike R. Saunders, Daniel M. Downey, Jens Peter Haraldstadt, Ethan P. Belair, Scott J. Torreano, and and Sydney N. Fisher Scott E. Schlarbaum iii Tools for Fire Management Pyroganda: Creating New Terms and Identities for Promoting Fire Use in Ecological Fire LANDFIRE in the Appalachians .........................129 Management .........................................................170 James L. Smith, Randy Swaty, Kori Blankenship, Timothy Ingalsbee Sarah Hagen, and Jeannie Patton Torchbearers for a New Fire