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Project ID: 00-2-04

Year: 2001

Date Started: 01/18/2001

Date Completed: 11/14/2007

Title: Integrating Fuel and Forest Management: Developing Prescriptions for the Central Hardwood Region

Project Proposal Abstract: The oak dominated forests, woodlands, and savannas of eastern North America have evolved under the influence of fire for thousands of years. In the Ozarks of southern Missouri, in recent years (50-100 years), fire exclusion and timber harvests have increased fUel loads and changed vegetative structure. However, little information is available and scant research has been conducted on fuel loads, fuel reduction, and fire behavior on these sites. Currently fire is being used to modify existing vegetation and monitoring programs have focused on species composition; data collected on fire and fuels have been qualitative at best We propose to quantify fuel loading, fire behavior, and the cost effectiveness of three fuel reduction treatments (prescribed fire with overstory thinning, prescribed fire alone, and a no burn no harvest control). In addition, we will analyze the effect of these treatments on herbaceous and woody species composition and structure. The prescribed fire treatment will be a spring burn (2x in 3 years) and the overstory thinning will consist of reducing overstory stocking to 40 ft/acre of basal area, leaving the most dominant trees with preference given to fire tolerant species. This treatment will be applied during the dormant season prior to the first burn. Each of the treatments will be applied to a five-acre plot and one study block will consist of the three treatments applied to each of three topographic positions (north slope, ridge top, and south slope). The study will be replicated three times across the southern Ozarks and each 45+-acre block will be developed into a demonstration area where resource managers, fire managers, and other interested parties will be able to see and evaluate the relative effect of prescribed burning, thinning, and the interaction of these treatments on fuel loads, forest structure, and understory vegetation. Interpretive displays will be set up on each site so that individuals visiting outside of scheduled tours will be able to evaluate the data and view the differences among treatments. The results will be presented in refereed journals, technical reports, workshops, and at conferences. Targeted audiences include: resource managers, researchers, private landowners, and other interested parties. The broad range of interest in this topic is due to the lack of quantitative information on integrating fuel and vegetation management in the Central Hardwoods region.

Principal Investigator: Edward F. Loewenstein

Agency/Organization: Auburn University

Branch or Dept: School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	Bruce Cutter	University of Missouri-Columbia	Forestry
Co-Principal Investigator	Keith W. Grabner	USGS-Geological Survey	Columbia Environmental Research Center
Co-Principal Investigator	George W. Hartman	Missouri	MDC-Conservation Research Center
Co-Principal Investigator	Rose-Marie M. Muzika	University of Missouri-Columbia	College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Federal Cooperator	Frank R. Thompson III	Forest Service	NRS-Central Hardwoods
Federal Fiscal Representative	John Kabrick	Forest Service	NRS-Northern Research Station

Project Locations

Consortium

Oak Woodlands

There are no project locations identified for this project.

Project Deliverables

Final Report ("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

	ID	Type	Title
	7318	Refereed Publication	Keep One Foot in the Black
	7317	Refereed Publication	Integrating Fuel and Forest Management: Developing Prescriptions for the Central Hardwood Region
	7319	Refereed Publication	Fire in the Hills: Landmark Study of Fuel Loading in the Ozarks
	7316	Refereed Publication	Where There’s Fuel, There Could be Fire
	7315	Refereed Publication	The Effect of Thinning and Prescribed Fire on Fuel Loading in the Central Hardwood Region of Missouri
	7312	Refereed Publication	Understanding Ozark Forest Litter Variability Through a Synthesis of Accumulation Rates and Fire Events
	7311	Refereed Publication	Initial Effects of Prescribed Burning and Thining on Plant Communities in the Southeast Misouri Ozarks
	8790	Refereed Publication	An Updated Rate-of-Spread Clock
	9384	NonRefereed Publication	An Updated Rate-of Spread Clock
	9385	NonRefereed Publication	Where There’s Fuel, There Could be Fire
	7323	Invited Paper/Presentation	The Effect of Thinning and Prescribed Fire on Fuel Loading in the Central Hardwood Region of Missouri
	7321	Invited Paper/Presentation	Fuel Loading in the Central Hardwoods
	7332	MS Thesis	Fuel Loading and Fire Behavior in the Missouri Ozarks of the Central Hardwood Region
	8791	MS Thesis	Effects of Prescribed Burning in Missouri Ozark Upland Forests
	8789	Poster	Evaluation of Passive Flame Height Sensors for the Central Hardwood Region
	7327	Poster	Integrating Fuel and Forest Management: Developing Prescriptions for the Central Hardwoods Region
	7330	Poster	Integrating Fuel and Fire into Forest Management

Supporting Documents

The following supporting documents are available for this project.

Brief

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