Effects Of Prescribed And Wildland Fire On Aquatic Ecosystems In Western Forests

Principal Investigators:
David Pilliod - ALWRI and USFS, Steve Corn - USGS, ALWRI and NRMSC, Bruce Bury, Chris Pearl, and Erin Hyde - USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Funding Source: This project is supported by R1/R4 National Fire Plan Adaptive Management and Monitoring funds and the Joint Fire Science Program.

Research Objective:
The goal of the project is to understand how fire in upland and riparian
forests influences stream communities and determine whether prescription
burning mimics the ecological function of fire in a watershed. The project
has two components: wildland fire and prescribed fire.

Wildland Fire Effects
To document the range of biotic and abiotic responses to wildland fires, we
are comparing stream communities and habitat conditions in watersheds that
burned, at varying intensities, to streams in unburned forests (fires
absent for 50-70 yrs).

Prescribed Fire Effects
To determine whether prescription burning restores the "ecological
integrity" of forests, we are monitoring stream communities and habitat
conditions before and after prescription burn treatments and comparing
observed responses to unburned reference streams during the same time
periods.

Background:
Prescription burning is an important management tool for reducing fuel
loads and restoring natural fire cycles to fire-adapted western forests. A
general lack of information on the effects of fire on sensitive aquatic
species is a major impediment to developing ecologically sound fire
management policies and evaluating fuel treatment projects on federal
lands. Several amphibian and invertebrate species in the western U.S. are
sensitive to disturbances that alter aquatic and riparian habitat
conditions and water quality, and thus understanding the effects of fire
and fuel reducing management actions on stream ecosystems is increasingly
important.


ARMI > Additional Projects Effects Of Prescribed And Wildland Fire On Aquatic Ecosystems In Western Forests Principal Investigators: David Pilliod - ALWRI and USFS, Steve Corn - USGS, ALWRI and NRMSC, Bruce Bury, Chris Pearl, and Erin Hyde - USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center Funding Source: This project is supported by R1/R4 National Fire Plan Adaptive Management and Monitoring funds and the Joint Fire Science Program. Collaborators: University of Idaho Research Objective: The goal of the project is to understand how fire in upland and riparian forests influences stream communities and determine whether prescription burning mimics the ecological function of fire in a watershed. The project has two components: wildland fire and prescribed fire. Wildland Fire Effects To document the range of biotic and abiotic responses to wildland fires, we are comparing stream communities and habitat conditions in watersheds that burned, at varying intensities, to streams in unburned forests (fires absent for 50-70 yrs). Prescribed Fire Effects To determine whether prescription burning restores the "ecological integrity" of forests, we are monitoring stream communities and habitat conditions before and after prescription burn treatments and comparing observed responses to unburned reference streams during the same time periods. Update: Field Season 1: 2001 (pdf 64kb) Field Season 2: 2002 (pdf 61kb) Field Season 3: 2003 Background: Prescription burning is an important management tool for reducing fuel loads and restoring natural fire cycles to fire-adapted western forests. A general lack of information on the effects of fire on sensitive aquatic species is a major impediment to developing ecologically sound fire management policies and evaluating fuel treatment projects on federal lands. Several amphibian and invertebrate species in the western U.S. are sensitive to disturbances that alter aquatic and riparian habitat conditions and water quality, and thus understanding the effects of fire and fuel reducing management actions on stream ecosystems is increasingly important. Back To Top
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Effects Of Prescribed And Wildland Fire On Aquatic Ecosystems In Western Forests

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