Fire and Fuels Specialist Report-Shirley Fire Salvage 2015 Cover photo: Burned area of Shirley Fire taken near the point of origin, showing typical conditions in project area. Compare with the photo series in Appendix A which was used in analyzing the Shirley Fire project area Contents FIRE AND FUELS SPECIALIST REPORT .............................................................................................................. 1 Summary ........................................................................................................................................................... 1 Background and Affected Environment ............................................................................................................ 1 Fire Environment .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Wildland Urban Intermix .......................................................................................................................... 1 Fire Suppression ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Fire Severity and Fuel Bed Change ........................................................................................................... 2 Fire Weather, Drought, and Topography .................................................................................................. 3 Fire History ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Fuels .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Fuel Models ............................................................................................................................................... 5 Potential Fire Behavior ............................................................................................................................. 5 Flame Lengths ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Indicators ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Indicator 1: Fuel Loading ........................................................................................................................... 5 Indicator 2: Flame Length ......................................................................................................................... 5 Assumptions ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Environmental Consequences ........................................................................................................................... 6 Effects of no action ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Direct Effects ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Indirect Effects .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Results ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Cumulative Effects .................................................................................................................................. 10 Proposed Action)........................................................................................................................................ 11 Direct and Indirect Effects ...................................................................................................................... 11 Results .................................................................................................................................................... 12 Cumulative Effects .................................................................................................................................. 14 Fuels Treatment only- no Commercial Thinning ........................................................................................ 14 Direct and Indirect Effects....................................................................................................................... 15 Results .................................................................................................................................................... 15 Cumulative Effects .................................................................................................................................. 16 Climate Change and Carbon Emissions ................................................................................................... 17 References ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Appendix A- Photo Series ............................................................................................................................... 22 i Fire and Fuels Specialist Report-Shirley Fire Salvage 2015 ii Fire and Fuels Specialist Report-Shirley Fire Salvage 2015 Summary Treatment of 142 acres within the 2014 Shirley Fire area is proposed for salvage harvest. The small scale (142 acres) proposed for treatment represents only about 5% of the Shirley Fire area within the larger landscape (2,545 acres). The proposed project would move the area toward desired conditions for forest resiliency and lower fire intensity and severity. The project would result in the reduction of the accumulation of hazardous fuels within the threat zone of the wildland urban interface surrounding the community of Alta Sierra. The project will aid firefighters in protection of the community and its infrastructure should a future fire ignite of reburn in the project area. In the event of a future wildfire, treated units are estimated to have a flame length of 1.9 feet while, if untreated, units would have 7.5 foot flame lengths. Treatments would improve wildfire control and suppression.. The project would improve the ability to suppress future wildfire within treated units. Background and Affected Environment The focus of the fire and fuels analysis is to address the effectiveness of the proposed action in meeting the needs for the Shirley Fire Salvage and Forest Restoration Project related to reducing the fuel loading from fire killed or injured trees, reducing fire intensity of future fires, improving effectiveness of fire suppression operations and firefighter, public and employee safety within the project area. Fire Environment The Shirley fire started on June 13, 2014 on the south facing slope of Cooks Peak located in the Green Horn Mountains on the Sequoia National Forest, Kern River Ranger District. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The Fire was contained on June 20, 2014 after burning 2,545 acres. Of the 2,545 acres that burned (1126 acres Forest Service, 972 acres BLM, and 447acres Private) a total of 298 acres (11%) burned at a high severity, 1,442 acres (57%) at moderate severity, 682 acres (27%) at low, 123 acres (5%) unburned. This was a suppression fire in steep terrain under extreme fire behavior and winds influenced by topography within the Greenhorn Mountain Range. This analysis and the discussion of the conditions are focused on those areas proposed for treatment. The proposed action covers 142 acres of mixed burned severity for recovery and restoration treatments. 2,403 acres of the fire area (94%) are not proposed for treatment. The conditions modeled in the proposed units are just those 142 acres (6%) proposed for actions. Wildland Urban Intermix The project is within the threat zone of the wildland urban interface surrounding the community of Alta Sierra. Without treatment, the protection of the community and its infrastructure will remain threatened by the potential for high intensity fire reburning or igniting in the project area. Fire Suppression The fire dynamics within the Shirley Fire Salvage and Forest Restoration Project have been altered due to the fire intensity and effects from the Shirley Fire in June 2014. The Shirley fire moved down slope across the landscape in a mosaic of intensities that ranged from full consumption of timber and vegetation to very low or unburned. This range leaves the potential for fire in the landscape at a wide range of potential fire behavior depending on vegetation burn severity, fuel loading changes from dead and dying trees and the regrowth of non-timber vegetation over time. 1 Fire and Fuels Specialist Report-Shirley Fire Salvage 2015 Public comments imply that the area was intentionally back -burned in order to burn trees to permit salvage logging. While backfiring was used, it was done to manage fire with “indirect” attack methods to reduce fire severity, not to burn more trees. This type of indirect approach is routinely used instead of downhill line construction for “direct” attack, especially when fire behavior is extreme, to avoid compromising firefighter safety. Backfires