Final Review: Fuel Mgmt/Sisco

Question 1

define urban interface fuel management

Answer 1

Reducing the risk of wildland fires which put communities and people at risk
AKA:Wildland urban interface mgmt
Urban interface fire mgmt
Urban interface planning

Question 2

Discuss potential consequences of not managing forest fuels in urban interface areas and provide general examples for each

Answer 2

Economic: job losses from work stoppage
Social: evacuation
Environmental: loss of productive forest land

Question 3

3 Prescription Strategies:

Answer 3

1. Crown seperation: more in IDF stands where stands aren’t as tightly closed and crown fire risk is higher. Potentially stops crown fires
2. Forest Floor Fuel Reduction: Taking ground fuels away. Reduces opportunity for spread.
   Dont take too much!
3. Ladder Fuel Reduction
   can involve many things: road side pruning opportunity (Cw), height is practical (4-6m, but more $$$)
   ICH stands are good at self pruning
   independent understory an issue

Question 4

Advantages/Disadvantages of Hand treatment:Chainsaws

Answer 4

PRO: lower environmental impact
greater employment
better for working in tight spaces
CON: less effecient than mechanical
takes longer

Question 5

PROS/CONS of mechanized treatment: mini excavator/hoe

Answer 5

PRO: more cost effective
faster
necessary if removing larger piece size
CON: not good for smaller areas
more environmentally threatening

Question 6

strengths and weaknesses of prov. operational fuel mgmt program

Answer 6

STRENGTHS:
support from wide spectrum of stake holders
fills employment gap
opportunities for linkage with other programs
come a long way fast
increase recreational opportunities
increases safety
WEAKNESSES:
eligible treatment areas limited
convulated application and approval process(funding/admin disconnect)
low MOFNRO priority(low staffing)
overemphases on operational treatments vs. public education and other interface planning tools

Question 7

wildfire threat worksheet:duff litter depth

Answer 7

average thickness, measured in cm, of the litter, needles, and semi decomposed material that constitutes the forest floor within the rating polygon

Question 8

wildfire threat worksheet: flammable surface veg continuity

Answer 8

% cover of flammable surface fuels such as grasses, moss, herbs, other plants( noxious weeds dont count)

Question 9

wildfire threat worksheet:vegetation fuel composition

Answer 9

id of the most common flammable surface cover and low lying plant species/group of species
moss/herbs:lowest
sagebrush,bunchgrass:highest

Question 10

wildfire threat worksheet:fine woody deris continuity (less than or equals 7cm)

Answer 10

percentage of area covered by woody debris larger than conifer needles and less than or equal to 7 cm in diameter. Decids leaves not included. Debris is more than 25% sound and not part of forest floor. Plays a significant role in spread of fire on forest floor.

Question 11

wildfire threat worksheet:large woody debris continuity(>7cm)

Answer 11

percentage of area covered by woody debris larger than 7cm in diameter. more than 25% sound and not part of forest floor. Debris with more than 50% of its circumference buried in LFH or duff and litter layer shouldnt be considered.

Question 12

wildfire threat worksheet:coniferous crown closure:

Answer 12

measure of the percentage of polygon covered by coniferous trees in the veteran, dominant and co dominant canopy layers

Question 13

wildfire threat worksheet:deciduous crown closure

Answer 13

measure of %age of cover by decid trees in vet, dominant and co dominant canopy layers. higher cover reduces live crown fire initiation and spread

Question 14

wildfire threat worksheet:conifer crown base height

Answer 14

measure, in meters above ground, of avg ht of live crown in vet, dominant, and co dominant coniferous canopy layers

Question 15

wildfire threat worksheet:suppressed and understory conifers (stems per ha)

Answer 15

ladder fuels is the msmt of number of stems per ha of immature conifers within polygon. typically small diameter suppressed or shade tolerant trees with live crowns starting at less than two meters from ground.

Question 16

wildfire threat worksheet:continuous forest land

Answer 16

measure of total area of forested land within which the polygon is situated. This ids not only the polygon itself, but an accumulation of the entire forested area of which the polygon is a component. forested area included timbered and grassland areas that will support wildfire spread.

Question 17

wildfire threat worksheet:coniferous forest health

Answer 17

measure of stand disturbance from beetles, wildfire, root rot, wt, defoliators, other events that create a large number of dead and down trees.
Designed to cover any excessive fuel loadings, short term crown and spotting potential, or future fuel loadings tha are not properly rep’d in other components

Question 18

wildfire threat worksheet:historical wildfire occurrence

Answer 18

based on averages from the ten year wildfire data for fires that have exceeded four ha in size

Question 19

wildfire threat worksheet:aspect

Answer 19

North facing slopes are coolest and most moist
East facing slopes receive morning sun but are typically shaded without direct sunlight in heat of the day
Flat (s exposure) flat sites dont receive direct solar radiation, but can be very dry if they are open to the south
West aspects receive direct sunlight during the heat of the day
South aspects receive the most direct sunlight and usually provide the best fuel dryness conditions

Question 20

wildfire threat worksheet:Terrain

Answer 20

Flat: even texture, few geographic features
Rolling: uneven texture, changes in slope gradual
Ridges, Shallow Gullies: slope changes from positive to negative in relatively short distance. saddles, mountain tops.
Conisisten Slope, Shallow Gullies: ridges, benches.
Consistent slope, deep gullies: receive consistent solar radiation and allow for pre heating and continuous wildfire spread. Deep gullies ar emore than five m wide

Question 21

wildfire threat worksheet:structural:

Answer 21

location of the developments on a landscape level.

Question 22

2 reasons why clearcut harvesting is ill advised in the Douglas-fir dominated IDF stands

Answer 22

1. hot and dry, harder to plant.

2. very cold nights, frost pooling

Question 23

list 3 stand level management strategies intended to protect and/or enhance biodiversity?

Answer 23

1. re: wetlands: leaving a certain amount of retention in immediate proximity of wetlands
2. leave decent amount of CWD on ground
3. Leave big trees as snag recruits
4. make sure there is some sort of perch/nesting for birds (Lw for williamson’s sapsucker)