Revised 08/17/09

Fuels and Vegetation Analysis

Upland Island Wilderness Fire Management Initiative

Angelina National Forest

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Prepared by

Ira McWhorter

Fire Ecologist

National Forest and Grasslands in Texas

December 29, 2008

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Introduction

The National Forests and Grasslands in Texas has proposed a new project, entitled the

Upland Island Wilderness Fire Management Initiative, to reduce hazardous fuels in

Upland Island Wilderness (UIW) on the Angelina National Forest through the use of

prescribed burning. The project proposal is to implement prescribed burning on as much

as 11,990 acres within the wilderness and on an additional 990 acres on adjacent private

property, state lands and national forest lands. The proposed action alternatives include a

No Burn Area of approximately 1,260 acres in the vicinity of Graham and Cypress

Creeks inside UIW that would be excluded from prescribed fire.

The project will involve a series of cool season burns in individual burn units of

approximately 210 to 5,180 acres. These prescribed burns would occur on a 1 to 3 year

cycle depending on weather, fuel, and habitat conditions using hand ignition and aerial

ignition methods. The primary objective for burning is to reduce heavy accumulations of

surface litter and ladder fuels. The burns will be conducted primarily in the dormant

season when weather conditions are cooler, plants are dormant, and potential damage to

overstory trees is reduced. They will be conducted when the upper surface fuels are dry

enough for spreading head and flanking fires to remove a significant amount of the upper

litter layer but when the duff layer has ample moisture to protect the shallow root systems

of mature canopy trees. It is preferred that these initial burns be conducted on short fire

return intervals (annual or biennial) in order to prevent the return of heavy fuel loadings

of both live and dead fuels that have been observed to quickly materialize following

initial burns in older roughs.

The objectives of this report are to provide a) an analysis of the current fuel and

vegetation conditions in the wilderness, b) fire behavior predictions for prescribed

burning and potential wildfires based on current field data, and c) the potential effects on

fuel and vegetation conditions and future fire behavior as a result of the project.

Background and Need

Upland Island Wilderness was established in 1984 and is situated in the southern

Angelina National Forest. It is the largest of five wilderness areas established in Texas

and encompasses approximately 13,250 acres.

Two upland Ecological Management Units (EMUs) and two broader Landtype

Associations are represented within UIW. The southern portion of the wilderness is

located in the Catahoula EMU in the Mayflower Uplands Landtype Association and the

northern portion lies within the Manning EMU in the Sandy Uplands Landtype

Association. Historically, longleaf pine was a major vegetation type in both of these

EMUs. Frequent fires maintained these open longleaf pine forests and savannas with a

diverse herbaceous understory dominated by little bluestem. Longleaf pine in association

with bluejack oak and blackjack oak characterized the Catahoula EMU in the Mayflower

Uplands in the southern portion of UIW. Longleaf pine, shortleaf pine, and loblolly pine-

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hardwood communities characterized the Manning EMU in the Sandy Uplands,

depending on topographic position and soil conditions. (Stephen F. Austin State

University 2004, USDA Forest Service 1996)

UIW is located in Management Area 7 (MA-7), Wilderness as identified in the Revised

Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) for the National Forests and Grasslands

in Texas (USDA Forest Service 1996). The desired future condition for MA-7 is lands

that are administered to maintain or achieve a natural state (see LRMP, p. 180). The

LRMP permits prescribed fire to manage wilderness as determined through site-specific

environmental analysis that addresses: (1) the role of fire in fire-dependent or related

ecosystems, and (2) fuel loadings which are a fire risk to resources and values outside of

wilderness (see LRMP, p. 183). This project would occur primarily in upland sites

dominated by pine or pine-hardwood within MA-7. Riparian areas that lie adjacent to

upland sites would be included in the prescribed burns where they cannot be excluded

without the construction of ground-disturbing fire control lines (see MA-4, Streamside

Management Zones, LRMP, pp. 145-161). Fire would not be directly applied to riparian

areas; rather, low intensity fire would be allowed to back into streamside vegetation (see

LRMP, p. 155) where it generally goes out naturally.

The longleaf pine ecosystems of Upland Island Wilderness are dependent on a natural

fire regime of frequent, low-intensity surface fires (Wade et al. 2000) which limit the

encroachment of fire sensitive pines and hardwoods and maintain open conditions that

favor longleaf pine regeneration and diverse herbaceous communities including

numerous rare and endemic species.

Like many other wilderness areas, the vegetation of Upland Island Wilderness has

undergone extensive changes due to landscape fragmentation, logging, and the alteration

of natural fire regimes. Most apparent are the changes that have occurred since the

implementation of fire suppression and exclusion following wilderness designation in

1984 (Figure 1). Due to the lack of fire, dense stands of off-site pines and shade tolerant

hardwoods have become established in many areas that were formerly open, pine

woodlands and savannas. Shrub thickets and heavy accumulations of pine litter have

diminished the native grasses and forbs that once formed a nearly continuous ground

cover. One of the region’s most extensive systems of hillside seepage bogs has become

overgrown with encroaching trees and shrubs resulting in the decline of numerous rare

and endemic herbaceous plants. The effects of fire exclusion on all animals, birds,

insects, and other ecological attributes have not been thoroughly analyzed, but it is likely

that numerous wilderness values have been severely diminished. For example, all 5

groups of red-cockaded woodpeckers that occurred in Upland Island Wilderness at the

time of wilderness designation have disappeared and habitat for other rare species

including the Bachman’s sparrow and Louisiana pine snake has been seriously reduced

through the lack of the natural fire processes. In addition, un-natural fuel accumulations

have created hazardous burning conditions that pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of

firefighters, private citizens, adjacent properties and the wilderness resource.

An important goal of wilderness fire management is to allow lightning-caused, wildland

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Figure 1. Heavy fuel loadings in Upland Island Wilderness representing

fire regime condition class 3.

fire to play its natural role in the ecosystem. However, due the relatively small size of

Upland Island Wilderness and the effects of surrounding land use, the natural lightning

fire processes which once occurred at a landscape-scale are no longer functional and fires

no longer burn with the frequency and intensity of the natural fire regime. As a result,

any future lightning fires occurring within the wilderness will probably need to be

suppressed because current fuel loadings exceed established parameters and will pose an

unacceptable risk to firefighter and public safety.

Therefore, there is an immediate need for prescribed burning in Upland Island

Wilderness in order to reduce heavy fuel loadings and to restore natural fuel conditions.

The result will be a decrease in the potential fire danger and a lower risk to fire fighters,

the public, private property and the wilderness resource.

Fire Regime Condition Class

A useful tool for addressing fuel conditions and fire behavior at Upland Island

Wilderness is the concept of fire regime condition classes (Appendix A). Condition class

designations are used to classify fire regimes according to their degree of departure from

the historical fire regime, threats to key ecosystem components, and alterations of

ecosystem attributes. The fire regime condition class is useful for relating vegetation-fuel

characteristics with the characteristics of the fire regime.

Condition class 1 represents a fire regime that is within its historic range of variability.

For Upland Island Wilderness, condition class 1 can be characterized as a fire regime of

frequent, low-intensity surface fires which can potentially occur in any season but occur

primarily during the peak lightning periods of the growing season (Figure 2). The natural

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fire regime also consisted of occasional high intensity fires that occurred during drought

conditions and that covered large portions of the landscape. However, due to the open

conditions and the light fuels resulting from chronic fires the ecosystem was resilient and

the risk to key ecosystem components was low.

Figure 2. Low intensity surface fire characteristic of condition class 1.

Today, most of Upland Island Wilderness is in a condition class 3 and fire frequencies

have departed significantly from their historic range resulting in heavy accumulations of

fuels and alteration of vegetation structure. Fires burning during periods of drought or

with strong winds have the potential to result in dramatic changes in fire behavior and

effects and the risk of losing key ecosystem components is high. Frequent, mostly

dormant season, fuel reduction burns will be needed to move to a condition class 2.

In condition class 2, fire regimes are moderately altered and risk to ecosystem

components is moderate. Heavy litter accumulations and tall brushy fuels are

significantly less, however, woody sprouts continue to proliferate in the understory

inhibiting recovery of herbaceous communities. Moving from condition class 2 to

condition class 1 will require short fire return intervals and use of growing season burns

in order to reverse the current trend of hardwood encroachment.

Fuel Conditions and Potential Fire Behavior

Fuel consists of all vegetative biomass, living or dead, that can be ignited by lightning or

an approaching fire front (Miller 2001). Upland Island Wilderness consists of both dead

fuels in the form of litter, dead herbaceous vegetation and dead woody material, and live

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fuels in the form of understory grasses, forbs, shrubs and small trees. The degree to

which these fuels contribute to fire behavior depends on the characteristics of the fuel and

the weather and moisture conditions before and during the fire. Much of the live woody

understory vegetation consists of highly flammable foliage that can readily burn and

result in high intensity fire behavior. Many woody species are also fire-adapted and

resprout prolifically following fire. There are also several dry-site oaks that are

considered fire-dependent and are occasionally able to reach the midstory in areas where

fire frequency and intensity is somewhat variable.

There are also other vegetation and fuel components such as standing trees, large dead

and downed tree boles, and duff material that are important to consider in the fire effects

analysis. Normally these components do not contribute to fire behavior in the flaming

front and they burn only under extreme conditions. However, the effects of fire on these

fuels can have dramatic impacts including serious smoke issues, vegetation changes, and

an increase in fuels impacting future fire behavior and resulting in a high risk to

firefighters, wilderness resources and adjacent property.

Following is an analysis of the predicted fire behavior for current and desired fuel

conditions under both normal and extreme weather conditions for the proposed burning

season. Predicted fire behavior is based on observed fuel conditions and considers only

the available fuels i.e. those that are likely to burn and contribute to fire behavior in the

flaming front.

The most recent assessment of fuel conditions in Upland Island Wilderness was initiated

in 2007, when the NFGT entered into a participating agreement with Stephen F. Austin

State University to establish a fire effects monitoring program in the wilderness. The

objective was to establish permanent plots in order to document baseline conditions and

to monitor the effects of future fire activities. In the following two field seasons, forty

one randomly selected plots were established in the wilderness.

Based on data collected in the field, the current fuels loadings appear much higher than

those thought to occur under the historic fire regime of frequent, low-intensity fires.

Estimated fuel loadings of surface fuels from the forty-one fire effects monitoring plots

across the entire wilderness ranged from 3-to-28 tons/acre with an average of 8 tons/acre

(i.e. condition class 3) compared to the 2 to 4 tons/acre that probably occurred under the

historic fire regime (i.e. condition class 1).

In the Catahoula EMU, mean fuel accumulations were 3.4 tons/acre of fine litter fuels,

0.79 tons/acre of 1 -10 hr woody material, 0.75 tons/acre of 100 hr fuels, 2.65 tons/acre

of 1000 hr fuels, and 1.68 tons/acre of live woody material. The total mean fuel load for

all stands in the Catahoula EMU was 9.25 tons/acre. These data are taken from sites

where the canopy is intact and basal areas for individual plots range from 40 to 191 sq ft/

acre.

In the Manning EMU, mean fuel accumulations were 1.99 tons/acre of fine litter fuels,

0.95 tons/acre of 1 -10 hr woody material, 0.36 tons/acre of 100 hr fuels, 2.45 tons/acre

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of 1000 hr fuels, and 0.9 tons/acre of live woody material. The total mean fuel load for

all stands in the Manning EMU was 6.69 tons/acre. These data are taken from sites

where the canopy is intact and basal areas for individual plots range from 85 to 230 sq ft/

acre.

Using the estimated fuel parameters above, two customized fuel models, TU3_M and

TU3_C, one for each EMU, were developed to help predict fire behavior in the

wilderness (Table 1). These customized fuel models were derived from the new set of

fire behavior fuel models developed by Scott and Bergun (2005) and were based on the

fuel model tu3 (timber and understory). These customized fuel models are similar to fuel

model 7, one of the 13 original fuel models documented by Albini (1976) and described

by Anderson (1982). Fuel model 2 (FM2), also one of these 13 fuel models, represents

the desired conditions for the majority of upland sites in UIW.

Weather and fuel moisture data representing the 50th

and 95th

percentile threshold values

taken from the local Forest Service weather observation station (Table 2) were also used

in the fire behavior analysis. The 50th

percentile threshold is within the range of the

desired burning conditions for proposed wilderness prescribed fires. The 95th

percentile

represents the threshold values for dry, windy conditions that were observed on less than

5% of the days during the observation period.

Table 1. Fuel models and assigned parameters used in fire behavior analysis for the

Upland Island Wilderness Fire Management Initiative. The 1000 hr and larger fuels are

not included in the analysis due to their negligible effect on fire behavior in the flaming

front.

Fuel

Model

Fuel Loading Canopy

cover

Moisture

of

extinction

Fuel

Bed

Depth 1 hr 10 hr 100 hr live

woody

live

herbaceous

—————— tons/ac —————— % % ft

Current Conditions

TU3_M* 2.1 0.9 0.4 0.9 0.04 80 30 1.3

TU3_C* 3.4 0.7 0.8 1.7 0.03 80 30 3

Desired Conditions

FM2 2.0 1.0 0.5 n/a 0.5 80 15 1

*Customized fuel models:

TU3_M – based on the timber-grass-shrub model from Scott and Burgan (2005) utilizing

mean fuel parameters measured on the Manning EMU.

TU3_C – based on the timber-grass-shrub model from Scott and Burgan (2005) utilizing

mean fuel parameters measured on the Catahoula EMU.

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Table 2. Fire Behavior inputs used in the analysis. Values represent threshold values for

the 50th

and 95th

percentiles.

50th

Percentile 95th

Percentile

1-hr Fuel Moisture 10% 6%

10-hr Fuel Moisture 10% 6%

100-hr Fuel Moisture 18% 10%

Temperature 70° 80°

20 ft Windspeed 6 mph 12 mph

Live Woody Fuel Moisture 138% 60%

Percentile threshold values are derived from the South Sabine RAWS data from August

2005 to April 2007.

From this data, fire behavior outputs (Table 3) were generated for Upland Island

Wilderness using the BehavePlus Fire Modeling System version 4.0 (Andrews et al.

2008).

Table 3. Fire behavior outputs for current and desired fuels conditions within the Upland

Island Wilderness. Fuel moistures and weather parameters for the 50th

and 95th

percentiles are found in Table 2.

Customized

Fuel Model ROS

Fireline

intensity

Flame

length

Heat/Unit

Area

Suppression

Status*

Scorch

height

Ignition

Probability

ch/h Btu/ft/s ft Btu/ft2 ft %

50th

percentile conditions

TU3_C 6.1 150 4.5 1333 Escaped 25 29

TU3_M 2.6 41 2.5 849 Withdrawn 11 29

FM2 3 23 1.9 424 Contained 7 29

95th

percentile conditions

TU3_C 22.6 664 8.9 1605 Escaped 80 54

TU3_M 9.2 171 4.8 1014 Escaped 32 54

FM2 8.8 80 3.4 497 Withdrawn 19 54

*Suppression resources consist of one 20-man type II handcrew with response time of 2

hours and resource duration of 8 hours;

Contained – Fire successfully contained

Withdrawn – Available resources insufficient to contain fire within duration period.

Escaped – Available resources insufficient to contain fire.

The results of the fire behavior analysis indicate low to moderate flame lengths, fire

intensity, and rates of spread for all fuel models at the 50th

percentile threshold. An

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escape under these conditions would need additional resources for containment with

existing fuel conditions (TU3_C and TU3_M). Once desired fuel conditions are achieved

(FM2), containment would be more likely. Fire behavior in the Catahoula unit is

moderately high with flame lengths and fireline intensities exceeding those that can be

directly attacked with handcrews. The low scorch heights predicted for the 50th

percentile conditions would result in a low potential mortality for overstory trees.

Adequate duff moisture under these conditions would also lower potential for mortality

of overstory trees.

At the 95th

percentile, fire behavior is moderate to high for existing mean fuel conditions

in the Catahoula and Manning EMUs. Fire behavior exceeds the suppression capabilities

of handcrews and additional equipment such as dozers and aircraft would be needed. The

high scorch heights with existing fuel conditions indicate that high mortality of overstory

trees is likely. Also, the dryer soil conditions may result in burning of the duff layer and

subsequent mortality of overstory trees due to loss of fine roots. Once fuel reduction

objectives are achieved (FM2), fire behavior under 95th

percentile conditions provides a

broader range of management responses including containment using additional

handcrews.

The above fire behavior predictions are based on mean values of fuel data from randomly

sampled sites within the wilderness. However, some areas exhibit much heavier fuel

loadings and where these conditions occur near wilderness boundaries there is a very

high risk to private homes and property. Dense shrub thickets of highly flammable

material increase the risk of spotting and escape, result in torching of trees, and prevent

access for firefighters and equipment.

Another concern is the heavy accumulations of duff that have developed due to long

periods of fire exclusion, particularly in the longleaf pine stands. Under dry conditions,

fires can burn into the duff layer, killing the fine roots that have become established, and

resulting in high mortality of overstory trees.

Fire Effects Analysis for Proposed Alternatives

Fire effects are the result of an interaction between the heat regime created by the fire and

the properties of ecosystem components present on the site (Clark and Miller 2001). The

proposed project consists of burns conducted under prescribed conditions for low

intensity and low severity fire behavior. The natural vegetation and vegetation

communities in Upland Island Wilderness are well adapted to fire and there would be no

adverse effects on natural community structure or composition in areas that burn. The

frequency, seasonality, and intensity of these burns would also be within the historic

range of variability for the fire regime and would therefore result in fire processes and

fire effects not unlike those that occurred under natural conditions (Jurney and others

2004, Wade and others 2000).

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There are four action alternatives and a no action alternative proposed for detailed

analysis. The major differences in the four action alternatives are in the methods of

ignition, the acres of wilderness proposed to be burned, the number of burn units and the

amounts of fire line to be built. The major differences in the effects on fuels, vegetation

and future fire behavior between the alternatives are primarily related to the amount of

acres burned. Alternatives 2 and 3 propose to burn approximately 11,990 acres inside the

wilderness and approximately 570 acres on adjacent lands. The only area within the

wilderness that will not be included in a burn unit is the Graham and Cypress Creek

bottom. Alternatives 4 and 5 propose to burn approximately 6,610 acres in wilderness

and 420 acres of adjacent lands. The areas to be excluded from burning in the wilderness

are the Graham and Cypress Creek bottomlands and an area of approximately 5,380 acres

located in the central part of the wilderness at least one-quarter mile distance from all

private boundaries. For Alternatives 4 and 5, the approach is to burn only lands near

wilderness boundaries where there is a higher risk of escape.

No Action Alternative

Direct and Indirect Effects

Without fuel reduction burns, fuel loadings in Upland Island Wilderness will continue to

increase, resulting in extremely high fire danger during dry periods and posing a serious

threat to the safety of firefighters and the public, to private property adjacent to the

wilderness and to the wilderness resource and associated values. There will continue to

be a high potential for large, high intensity or high severity wildfires possibly resulting in

a significant loss of the overstory due to torching of trees or burning of the duff and

killing the shallow feeder roots of mature trees. Extensive loss of canopy trees will result

in a significant buildup of larger fuels and increased potential for serious smoke related

problems and control issues during future fire events. Heavy fuels loadings increase

resistance to control and limit the range of fire management responses available. The

management of lightning-caused wildland fire to achieve wilderness fire management

objectives will continue to be excluded due to the high fuel loadings and associated risks.

Extensive loss of overstory trees due to wildfire may also result in a major shift in

dominant vegetation, loss of ecological values and a further departure from the desired

future condition and fire regime condition class 1.

Cumulative Effects

Continued human development in the surrounding landscape and increased use of the

forest for recreational purposes will increase the probability of wilderness fire resulting

from human neglect and carelessness. Should existing fuel conditions remain, this will

increase the risk of adverse impacts to lives, property and the wilderness resource.

Climate change may also contribute to the risks associated with hazardous fuels. Most

climate change scenarios for the southern United States suggest an increase in

temperature-induced drought and an increase in fires (Bachelet et al., 2001). On average,

biomass consumed by fire is expected to increase by a factor of two or three with an

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increase in fire season length, potential size of fires, and areas vulnerable to fire. Climate

change may also result in changes in vegetation, which in turn may influence fuel

loadings and future fire behavior.

Alternatives 2 and 3

Direct and Indirect Effects

Prescribed burning will immediately reduce fuels by consuming litter, small dead woody

material and the leaves and twigs of flammable understory shrubs. It will also create

additional surface fuels as scorched leaves, needles and twigs fall and dead stems from

fire-killed shrubs and small trees become part of the surface fuel layer. Most understory

plants are fire adapted and will quickly re-sprout following initial fuel reduction burns.

However, repeated burns will eventually result in an overall decrease in woody

understory cover and an increase in grasses and other herbaceous plants.

The prescribed, low-intensity, surface fires would minimize impacts to overstory trees

and duff and would likely result in low tree mortality. Some areas may receive

significant crown scorch due to variable fire behavior, however, these areas would likely

be relatively small and the majority of the trees should survive provided there is ample

soil moisture.

Fuel reduction burns for these two alternatives would reduce fuel loadings on upland sites

throughout the wilderness, lowering predicted fire behavior and lessening the risk of high

intensity fires that could threaten firefighter and public safety, adjacent private property

and wilderness resources and values. The removal of dense understory brush through

prescribed burning would also improve access and enhance fire suppression or

containment responses. These fuel reduction burns would move the ecosystem toward an

improved fire regime condition class and increase the potential for restoring the natural

role of fire through management of lightning-caused wildland fire.

Cumulative Effects

Although, increased development in the surrounding landscape and increased recreational

use in the wilderness area may result in an increase in the number of wildfires, the change

in the fuel loadings and vegetation structure due to prescribed burning would result in

improved access and enhance the capabilities for responding to unplanned ignitions.

Although the trends for hot, droughty conditions may continue in the region due to

climate change, the reduction in fuel loadings would mitigate to some extent the potential

risks and consequences of wildfire.

Alternatives 4 and 5

Direct and Indirect Effects

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Prescribed burning will immediately reduce fuels by consuming litter, small dead woody

material and the leaves and twigs of flammable understory shrubs. It will also create

additional surface fuels as scorched leaves, needles and twigs fall and dead stems from

fire-killed shrubs and small trees become part of the surface fuel layer. Most understory

plants are fire adapted and will quickly re-sprout following initial fuel reduction burns.

However, repeated burns will eventually result in an overall decrease in woody

understory cover and an increase in grasses and other herbaceous plants.

The prescribed, low-intensity, surface fires would minimize impacts to overstory trees

and duff and would likely result in low tree mortality. Some areas may receive

significant crown scorch due to variable fire behavior, however, these areas would likely

be relatively small and the majority of the trees should survive provided there is ample

soil and duff moisture.

Fuel reduction burns would reduce fuel loadings only along exterior boundaries of the

wilderness, lowering predicted fire behavior in these areas and lessening the risk of high

intensity fires that could threaten firefighter and public safety, adjacent private property

and wilderness resources and values. The removal of dense understory brush through

prescribed burning would improve access and enhance fire suppression or containment

responses near wilderness boundaries.

The lack of burning in the interior would however result in continued high fuel loadings

in this area. Wildfires in the interior would be difficult to suppress and would have the

potential to grow to large, intense fires that would pose serious problems for suppression

even as they enter the burned units along the exterior of the wilderness. Torching of trees

and long-range spotting could potentially occur resulting in escapes and control

problems. There would also be an increased probability of overstory mortality and an

increase in heavy fuels in some areas resulting in potential for smoke management and

control problems in future fire events.

Cumulative Effects

Although, increased development in the surrounding landscape and increased recreational

use in the wilderness area may result in a slight increase in the number of wildfires, the

change in the fuel loadings and structure due to prescribed burning will result in

improved access and enhance the capabilities for fire control actions in the exterior areas

adjacent to wilderness boundaries. The interior of the wilderness would continue to be a

concern due to the heavy fuel loadings and the limitations on the potential management

responses available to firefighters. Future management of lightning-caused wildland fire

to achieve wilderness fire management objectives would be limited due to the increased

potential for the development of large, high intensity fires in the unburned fuels in the

interior of the wilderness, resulting in higher risk to firefighters and possibly adjacent

properties as these large fires began to approach wilderness boundaries.

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Although the trends for hot, droughty conditions may continue in the region due to

climate change, the reduction in fuel loadings would mitigate to some extent the potential

risks and consequences of wildfire.

Conclusions

Due to the uncharacteristic fuel loadings that have developed in Upland Island

Wilderness since wilderness designation, there is a concern that high intensity or severity

wildfires could pose a significant risk to firefighters, to adjacent private properties and to

the wilderness resource and associated values. The results of the above fuels and fire

behavior analysis also suggest that the heavy fuel loadings in UIW pose a high risk of

intense wildfires resulting in fire control and containment problems, unacceptable risks to

firefighter and public safety, serious damage or destruction of ecosystems and loss of

wilderness values.

The Upland Island Wilderness Fire Management Initiative is proposed in order to

conduct prescribed burning in the wilderness for the purpose of reducing these hazardous

fuels. Prescribed burning would reduce the fuel load, lessening the potential for an

uncharacteristically intense or severe wildfire during less favorable fire weather

conditions. Also, fuel reduction burns would likely result in no adverse effects on native

vegetation or natural community structure. Fuels reduction burning would move the

wilderness toward the desired future condition and minimize the risk for large

catastrophic wildfires by improving the fire regime condition class. It would also

enhance the opportunities for a full range of fire management responses including the

management of lightning-caused wildfires to restore the natural, ecological role of fire.

Revised 08/17/09 13

References

Albini, F. A. 1976. Estimating Wildfire Behavior and Effects. General Technical Report

INT-30. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment

Station. Ogden, Utah. 92pp.

Anderson, H. E. 1982. Aids to Determining Fuel Models for Estimating Fire Behavior.

USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report INT-122. Ogden, Utah. 22 pp.

Andrews, P. L., C. D. Bevins and R. C. Seli. 2008. BehavePlus fire modeling system,

version 4.0: User's Guide. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report

RMRS-GTR-106WWW Revised. Ogden, Utah. 116 pp

Bachelet, D., R.P. Neilson, J.M. Lenihan, and R.J. Drapek 2001. Climate change effects

on vegetation distribution and carbon budget in the United States. Ecosystems, 4,

pp. 164-185.

Clark, R.G. and M. Miller 2001. Preface in National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Fire

Effects Guide. National Interagency Fire Center, Great Basin Area Cache, Boise,

Idaho. 313 pp.

Jurney, D., R. Evans, J. Ippolito, and V. Bergstrom. 2004. The role of wildland fire in

portions of southeastern North America. Pages 95-116 in R.T. Engstrom, K.E.M

Galley, and W.J. de Groot (eds.). Proceedings of the 22nd

Tall Timbers Fire

Ecology Conference: Fire in Montane, Boreal, and Temperate Ecosystems. Tall

Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL.

Miller, M. 2001. Plants in National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Fire Effects Guide.

National Interagency Fire Center, Great Basin Area Cache, Boise, Idaho. 313 pp.

Scott, J.H. and R.E. Burgan. 2005. Standard fire Behavior Fuel Models: A

Comprehensive Set for Use with Rothermel’s Surface Fire Spread Model. USDA

Forest Service, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-153. Ogden, Utah. 72 pp.

USDA Forest Service. 1996. Final Land and Resource Management Plan, Environmental

Impact Statement and Record of Decision for the National Forests and Grasslands

in Texas. Lufkin, Texas.

Wade, D.D., B.L. Brock, P.H. Brose, J.B. Grace, G.A. Hoch, W.A. Patterson III. 2000.

Fire in Eastern Ecosystems. Pages 53-96 in J.K. Brown and J.K. Smith (editors).

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RMRS-GTR-42-Volume 2. Ogden, Utah. 257 pp.

14

Appendix A

Condition Class – Condition Class is defined in terms of departure from the historic fire

return intervals:

Condition Class 1 – Fire regimes are within an historical range and the risk of losing key

ecosystem components is low. Vegetation attributes (species composition and structure)

are intact and functioning within an historical range. Where appropriate, these areas can

be maintained within an historical range with treatments such as fire use.

Condition Class 2 – Fire regimes have been moderately altered from their historical

range. The risk of losing key ecosystem components is moderate. Fire frequencies have

departed from historical frequency by one or more return intervals. This results in

moderate changes to one or more of the following: fire size, intensity and severity, and

landscape patterns. Vegetation attributes have been moderately altered from their

historical range.

Condition Class 3 – Fire regimes have been significantly altered from their historical

range. The risk of losing key ecosystem components is high. Fire frequencies have

departed from historical frequency by multiple return intervals. This results in dramatic

changes to one or more of the following: fire size, intensity, severity, and landscape

patterns. Vegetation attributes have been significantly altered from their historical range.

Where appropriate, these areas may need high levels of restoration, before fire can be

used to restore the historical fire regime.