Fire Learning Network Central Appalachians FLN Notes from the Field 2015 Year in Review Over the last decade, the Central Appalachians FLN has built strong, Landscapes of the Central Appalachians FLN diverse partnerships and demon- Heart of the Appalachians Virginia / West Virginia strated the synergistic effect this level of collaboration can have in Keystone Appalachians Pennsylvania restoring the role of fire to an eco- Cumberland River Kentucky logically significant scale. Potomac Headwaters Maryland / West Virginia Good Fire Despite a wet start to the 2015 collaboration in Pennsylvania’s The success of this crew led prescribed fire season in many parts Keystone Appalachians landscape the chapter to again contract with of the region, landscape partners also allowed for burning across WRI, this time through a participat- were able to burn nearly 8,700 acres Pennsylvania Game Commission, ing agreement funded by a Forest in the Heart of the Appalachians, Fort Indiantown Gap, PADCNR and Service Supplemental Wildland Fire 12,900 acres in the Keystone Ap- Conservancy lands. Hazardous Fuels (WFHF) project, to palachians and 6,200 acres in the provide a four-person module for the Cumberland River landscapes this spring of 2016. With additional fund- year. Achieving 28,000 acres of ing from the Forest Service Region good fire across the network can be 8, two more modules will be sup- attributed to the increased coordi- ported in the Southern Blue Ridge nation among partners making the FLN. The three modules—based in most of small burn windows. Virginia, North Carolina/Tennessee Among the highlights was the 400- and Georgia/South Carolina—will be acre Summers Mountain burn in the available for three months, for work Highland Wildlife Management Area. spanning state, federal, local and Thanks to the FLN’s role in helping private lands. develop a new prescribed fire policy Partners burning in the Cumberland River landscape. Photo: Chris Minor/TNC for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) and MOUs between all partners, this was Tackling Capacity Barriers both the largest burn in DGIF history A frequently identified barrier to and the first in Virginia where U.S. prescribed fire implementation is in- Forest Service staff have burned on sufficient capacity. To help mitigate DGIF lands. that challenge, the Conservancy’s Excellent cross-boundary co- Virginia chapter, funded through a ordination was also evidenced by Scaling-up to Promote Ecosystem The Nature Conservancy staff from Resiliency (SPER II) grant, con- Maryland assisting the U.S. Fish & tracted with Wildland Restoration Wildlife Service and Pennsylvania International (WRI) to provide a Department of Conservation and four-person fire module in the spring Natural Resources (PADCNR) with of 2015. The module helped prep The leader of the Wildland Restoration Inter- national module conducting ignitions at the Bear the Underwood Trail Burn near State and implement controlled burns on Loop burn unit on Warm Springs Mountain Pre- College, while Conservancy staff 2,942 acres in the Heart of the Ap- serve in April 2015. Also pictured is one of the from Pennsylvania were assisting palachians landscape and prepped interpretive signs developed by the FLN, which carries information about the role of fire—includ- the Pennsylvania Game Commis- another 1,344 acres for upcoming ing prescribed fire—in the landscape. sion with another burn. Successful burns. Photo: Marek Smith/TNC Continuous Collaboration Natural Lands Trust, National Park Service, Pennsylvania Bureau of In western Maryland, development Forestry, Pennsylvania Department of a new FLN landscape—the of Military and Veterans Affairs, Potomac Headwaters FLN landscape Pennsylvania Game Commission, —was initiated in early November. Sustainable Solutions (a natural Staff from the Maryland Department resource consulting company) and of Forestry, Maryland Department the Conservancy’s Pennsylvania of Natural Resources, National Park chapter. Service and the Conservancy’s Maryland and Virginia chapters The Virginia Wildland Fire Acad- emy, coordinated by the Virginia spent two days discussing project Ben Jones addressed participants at one of the goals and touring prospective burn stops on the Dry Oak and Fire Workshop field Department of Forestry, held its first tour. Photo: Patrick McElhenny/TNC units in Catoctin Mountain Park and NWCG Prescribed Fire Course, Green Ridge State Forest. While Rx310 Fire Effects, in 2015. The partners from Maryland have long course was co-hosted by the Vir- participated in the Central Appala- Training Modules ginia Prescribed Fire Council. This chians FLN, they had not yet devel- significant milestone was met with An S-219 Fire Operations course enthusiasm: a sold out classroom, oped a large landscape upon which was held in July in State College they could collaboratively implement and tremendous participation by (PA) under the sponsorship of the essentially every land manage- cross-boundary projects. With this Pennsylvania Game Commission. now underway, partners in the new ment agency in the state as well as There were 28 participants, includ- from many private landowners and landscape are planning for a work- ing students and instructors from the shop later in 2016. contractors. In the coming year, the Pennsylvania Department of Military Academy will continue its support of In Kentucky this fall, a Cumberland and Veterans Affairs, Pennsylvania prescribed fire training by offering River FLN landscape workshop Game Commission and the Conser- Rx341 Prescribed Fire Plan Prepa- was attended by 12 people from the vancy’s Pennsylvania chapter. ration. Kentucky Department of Fish and An RX-310 Fire Effects course was Wildlife Resources, Kentucky Heart- sponsored by the Pennsylvania Pre- Outreach Efforts wood, The Nature Conservancy scribed Fire Council in July as well. Educational outreach targeting and the U.S. Forest Service. Three The 26 participants in the week- visitors to areas where prescribed subcommittees were formed—to long course included students and fire is part of the landscape continues focus on funding, research and out- instructors from Arcadia University, to be a focus of the network. reach—to better manage upcoming opportunities. Plans for the next six months include hosting a local FLN Shared-Learning Field Day where key people in FLN partner agencies will have the opportunity to hear about recent research, see treat- ment sites, and address concerns or fire adapted landscape is an area created and maintained by fire. Some trees Combined with PRAIRIE SAVANNA and other plants benefit from fire, as it reduces excess woody debris from Photo by Photo by controlled burning, Chris Minor Julian the forest floor, promotes seed germination, and reduces competition. Campbell mechanical thinning issues around controlled burning in Many areas within Kentucky’s forests used to be much more open than they are now. can speed up the rairie, savanna, woodland, and forest are general terms used to describe restoration process. the area. different habitat types defined by the density of trees in a given area. A mixture of different habitat types across a landscape add to plant and wildlife diversity. In Pennsylvania, the Prescribed Fire WOODLAND FOREST This photo was taken here prior to treatment. Photo by Allison Coons. Photo by Photo by Council’s Dry Oak and Fire workshops Chris Minor Chris Minor hinning allows less desirable trees to be harvested and the understory to be opened up. is provides more sunlight were well attended, drawing 128 to the forest floor and encourages more plants to grow. participants from 18 organizations and agencies, including state and he photos above provide a visual of the different habitat types federal agencies, traditional NGOs, represented in our forests. Many wildlife species are in decline due to lack of their associated habitat type. academia, forestry associations, forestry products companies, con- Photo by Chris Minor. he right (east) side of 5010, and the south of KY 90 represent two treatment areas. Both areas will be mechanically thinned with one receiving onitoring plots are located throughout this area. Data is sulting foresters and hunters. They an early spring or late fall controlled burn while the other receives a late collected, including plant species, species occurrence, spring, summer, or late summer controlled burn. Pre- and post-burn data will be tree size, and fuel load. is allows the impact of discussed prescribed fire and man- collected, and results will guide future management decisions. treatments to be better defined and documented. agement of dry oak and oak-pine communities, covering issues rang- ing from maintaining oak forests to Partners in the Cumberland River FLN landscape continued work on interpretive signs restoring woodlands, savannas and for the Stearns Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The signs are part of driving tour being developed with support from the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Man- scrub oak-pitch pine barrens with agers and Scientists. The tour will have eight to ten stops and feature messages about combinations of fire, timber harvest the historic role of fire in the Appalachians; fire effects monitoring; plant, wildlife and fuel and other methods. reduction benefits of controlled burns; and fire teams and safety. Sharing Nationally overstory basal area. Preliminary results show a significant increase in Pat Sheridan (USFS) represented open canopy and increases in forb the Central Appalachians