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Project ID: 06-1-1-11

Year: 2006

Date Started: 07/07/2006

Date Completed: 01/07/2010

Title: Photo Series for Estimating Post-Hurricane Fuels in Forest Types of the Southeast United States

Project Proposal Abstract: During the summers of 2004 and 2005, several strong hurricanes affected southern states causing the blowdown of thousands of acres of Federal, State and private forests, resulting in very large accumulations of downed woody debris. This debris is often within the wildland-urban interface, creating the potential for catastrophic loss of property and potentially life if a wildfire were to occur. Scientists believe we can expect strong hurricanes to continue to impact the southern United States in the future, so a quick and relatively accurate method for determining the dead and down woody biomass and other fuel characteristics of landscapes affected by these large catastrophic events is essential to public land management agencies and Incident Command teams. Descriptions of fuelbed characteristics are critical for assessing the appropriate fuel treatment strategies to reduce fire hazard. As a result, local disaster managers, Incident Command teams, and fire and fuel specialists are requesting that a fuels photo series be developed that allows a quick an easy assessment of fuel loading and depth for hazardous fuel treatment planning. The photo series will also enable assessments to be completed quickly and easily in other areas of the United States where blowdowns occur. The objective of this research proposal is to compile a sequence of single and stereo photographs with accompanying vegetation and fuels characterization data that will provide a quick and easy means for quantifying and describing existing fuel properties for a range of stand and damage conditions in pine and hardwood forests affected by hurricanes in the south. A minimum of 20 sites important for fire risk and hazard appraisal will be photographed and inventoried during this study and printed in one volume. Data and images generated by this study will also be included as a new volume in the Digital Photo Series. This photo series project will use methods similar to those employed in previous photo series. Photography and inventory needs to be done immediately, before the material is salvaged or begins to decay, to capture the immediate post-disturbance conditions. This photo series will be a scientifically-based support tool that will use time sensitive information or data (AFP-2006-1, task 1), and can be used to improve fire and fuel management and emergency planning and decision processes (AFP-2006-2, task #1, local needs).

Principal Investigator: Roger D. Ottmar

Agency/Organization: Forest Service

Branch or Dept: PNW-Seattle-Managing Natural Disturbances

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	Robert E. Vihnanek	Forest Service	PNW-Seattle-Managing Natural Disturbances
Collaborator/Contributor	David J. Brownlie	FWS-Fish and Wildlife Service	Region 4-Fire Management Field Office-Tallahassee
Collaborator/Contributor	Caroline L. Noble	NPS-National Park Service	Southeast Region
Federal Cooperator	Roger D. Ottmar	Forest Service	PNW-Seattle-Managing Natural Disturbances

Project Locations

Consortium

South

Level	State	Agency	Unit
REGIONAL	Southeast	FED

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
	8486	NonRefereed Publication	Stereo Photo Series for Quantifying Natural Fuels Volume XII: Post-Hurricane Fuels in Forests of the Southeast United States
	8480	Photo	Measuring Woody Debris at Photo Series Site
	8479	Photo	Measuring Woody Debris at Photo Series Site
	8478	Photo	Photo Series Site Gulf Coast 13
	8481	Photo	Using Compass to Layout Line for Woody Fuels Inventory at Photo Series Site
	8485	Photo	Taking Notes at Photo Series Site
	8484	Photo	Using Laser to Determine Tree Heights at Photo Series Site
	8483	Photo	Clipping Plots for Shrub and Grass Biomass at Photo Series Site
	8482	Photo	Line Used for Woody Fuel Inventory at Photo Series Site
	8487	Poster	Photo Series for Estimating Post-Hurricane Fuels in Forests of the Southeast United States

Supporting Documents

There are no supporting documents available for this project.

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