Pre- and Post-Wildfire Forest Management for Ecological Restoration and Fire Resiliency

McClellan Park, Sacramento CA

February 9-11, 2010

John A. Helms

Professor Emeritus

University of California, Berkeley

Session 2

Post-Fire Management Responses

Reforestation Options

Richard Harris and Herb Baldwin

Photo Acknowledgements

1. Prompt post-fire assessment of condition and risk

2. Identify:

desired future mosaic of conditions, reserves, priorities and

rate of attainment

costs and source(s) of funding

3. Plan sequence of treatments (kinds, levels, timing)

4. Monitor to permit adaptive management

5. Evaluate success (criteria, when?)

6. Subsequent treatments

Summary -- for effective reforestation

From science-based & societal perspectives

“Systems Thinking”

Condition – immediately after burn

1. Post Fire Assessment by interdisciplinary team

A.

Baldwin, 2006

What to do?

Harris, 2007

Harris, 2007

Baldwin, 2006

Erosion Hazard?

Beetle Epidemic?

Restoration?

Partial

Salvage?

Ecological

Reserves?

Current Conditions:

– ecological, habitat, societal considerations

Changed Silvicultural Approach?

Risks -- ecological, environmental,

societal, and economic

of doing nothing

of applying treatments

B.

Increased Runoff &Erosion Potential

Baldwin, 2006

Baldwin, 2006

Effects on regeneration

of doing nothing

Loss of site productivity? (depends on soil depth, slope …)

Where does sediment go?

Baldwin, 2006

Baldwin, 2006

Risk of „permanent‟ brushfields?

(~2 million dormant brush seeds/ac)

Schmechel, 2004

Habitat for wildlife?

Benefits to society?

Fire return interval?

Treatments?30-year-old brushfield

20-year-old brushfield

Reality Check!

“Revegetation after Four Stand-Replacing Fires in

the Lake Tahoe Basin”

W.H. Russell, J. McBride, and R. Rowntree. Madroño 45(1) 1998

None of the four sites were planted

“All sites were, or will be, dominated by shrubs for 50-75 years”

Year Tree Age (yrs)

Burned in 1998

1. 1890s 21-95 (70) aerial photos in 1940 showed no trees

72% after >100 years

2. 1937 20-54 (39) <10% after 50 years

3. 1978 Too small <10% after 30 years

4. 1987 Too small <10% after 20 years

Tree Cover

Baldwin, 2006

What is the future of this stand in: 10 years, 20 years?

What might have been done 5 years ago?

Are any treatments warranted now?

Dominance Potential

Perc

ent O

ccupancy

Time

Sprouting hardwoods

and shrubs

Germinating conifers:

100%

Importance of planting early – i.e., immediately after burn

Germinating shrubsSeeds already in ground

Delayed Seed Year?

Baldwin, 2006

What are the

futures of these two

plants in:

10, 20, 50 years?

Relative capacity to

capture soil water?

Relative rate of

production of leaf

area and root

volume?

Treatment?

Relative dominance potential?

Mosaic of stands -- slope, aspect, landscape level

How soon needed -- rate of achievement with-and-

without treatments

Knowledge of stand dynamics and plant succession

Effects of treatments of different kinds, intensities,

and timing -- both potentially positive and negative

2. Identify Desired Stand Conditions

Silviculture: Even-aged, Uneven-aged, Variable?

“Minimum necessary to ensure regeneration hastemporary advantage”

Reallocation of site resources - especially water

Spot vs. areal

Piling and burning – machine or by hand

Mastication

Effect on soil productivity

Keep soil in place! Soil the most important resource

Site Preparation

3. Plan Sequence of Treatments

Natural Regenerationperiodicity of seed crops provides uncertainty

Direct seedingspring or fall? stratification?

germination on surface?

food for birds, insects, fungi, and rodents

no control over stocking (none to zillions)

Plantingspecies – one or several; preference to intolerants

container vs. bare root – from local seed zone ?

stocking rate – supplement natural regeneration

animal protection?GMOs and non-native species?

Regeneration

Mastication

What’s the future

of these sites?

water, light, nutrients

competition

Photos: Harris, 2007

Planting under snags

Baldwin, 2006

Seedlings planted before shrubs dominate

Planting

Manual TreatmentSite prep adequate?

Water availability?

Photos: Harris

What‟s the future of these stands?

Hydrophobic Layer

Commonly forms 0.5 – 3 inches below soil surface

Waxy substance penetrates as gas, solidifies on cooling

Reduces infiltration, increases overland flow and erosion

Test: use water – if beads, maybe hydrophobic

Treat: logs across slope, rake or hoe, mulch

Baldwin, 2006

Environmental

Societal

Managerial

Costs / Benefits of Alternatives

Of doing nothing Of treatments

Determined at the time of “success”

To evaluate: Survival Growth Ingrowth (trees, shrubs, ground cover)

Developing structure, composition

To permit adaptive management

4. Monitoring

Achieving desired mosaic of standconditions within desired time frame

5. Determining Success

Criteria? When?

Thinning / DensityDepends on desired stand/mosaic goals, fuels, habitat, water yields, next entry, etc.

Species compositionDesired proportion of grasses, shrubs, hardwoods, and conifers at the landscape level. Dynamics of competition.

Habitat

Aesthetics

6. Subsequent Treatments?

Influences regeneration decisions

Treatment Opportunities to attain Desired Condition?

Photos: Harris

?

?

Planted to intolerant pines

Invasion of tolerant firs

Desirable shrubs

Or plant and thin mixed species?

Global Climate Change Considerations

In Regeneration

Assist Migration?

Use local seed?

Global, regional, and local models of climate change?

Identify Connectivity? Refugia?

BUT . . .

Issues are rate of change / novel climates / novel ecosystems

As risk (lack of confidence in predictions) increases …

… need more flexible management decisions

1. Prompt post-fire assessment of condition and risk

2. Identify:

desired future mosaic of conditions, reserves, priorities and rate of

attainment -- climate change?

costs and source(s) of funding

3. Plan sequence of treatments (kinds, levels, timing)

4. Monitor to permit adaptive management (climate change?)

5. Evaluate success (criteria, when?)

6. Subsequent treatments

Summary -- for effective reforestation

From science-based & societal perspectives

“Systems Thinking”

Thank you