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06-1-2-02
2006
04/27/2006
11/12/2013
Fire Effects on Seedbanks and Vegetation in the Eastern Mojave Desert: Implications for Postfire Management
It is generally thought that Mojave Desert plant communities are poorly adapted for recovery following fire, due to high mortality rates of annual plant seedbanks and low survival rates of perennial plants. However, there is relatively little data to support these assumptions, and most evidence is anecdotal. The lack of high quality, quantified information becomes problematic when large fires occur such as those during summer 2005, and decisions must be made regarding the expenditures of significant resources on Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R) actions. Information is especially needed regarding the short-term (3-year) effects of fire on soil seedbanks to help determine if seedings are appropriate ES&R treatments in the Mojave Desert. Information is also needed on the longer-term (multi-decadal) effects of fire on vegetation to provide quantitative assessments that will help develop effective fire management plans. This proposed project will take advantage of a unique opportunity presented by the Hackberry Fire Complex that burned 70,736 acres of the Mojave National Preserve in the eastern Mojave Desert during summer 2005. Because seedbank responses immediately following fire are of particular interest, we have already established 6 study sites and collected initial seedbank and fire severity data on these plots. We are requesting funds to support the balance of our initial 3-year postfire sampling plan. Existing prefire vegetation, fuels, and surficial geology maps will allow us to correlate short-term fire effects with prefire conditions. In addition, ground-based burn severity data will be correlated with short-term fire effects. Burn severity plot data will also be used to evaluate the accuracy of BARC burn severity maps developed using remotely sensed satellite data. The new data we produce will also be integrated into the NPS Fire Ecology Assessment Tool (FEAT) database to facilitate future resampling and analyses. We therefore submit this proposal in response to JFSP AFP 2006-1-Task2 (Rapid Response for Past (2005) Fires), because this AFP is focused on collecting time-sensitive information on the effects of fire that occurred during the 2005 fire season, especially where prefire data are available to correlate with postfire effects.
Matthew L. Brooks
USGS-Geological Survey
WERC-Yosemite Field Station

Other Project Collaborators

Other Project Collaborators

Type

Name

Agency/Organization

Branch or Dept

Federal Cooperator

Matthew L. Brooks

USGS-Geological Survey

WERC-Yosemite Field Station

Project Locations

Project Locations

Fire Science Exchange Network

California

Southwest

Great Basin

Level

State

Agency

Unit

REGIONAL

Interior West

NPS

Final Report

Project Deliverables

Title
 
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Fire history, effects, and management in southern Nevada -- Executive SummaryView
Science-based management of public lands in southern NevadaView
Science-based management of public lands in southern Nevada -- Executive SummaryView
International Journal of Wildland FireView
Rangeland Ecology and ManagementView
NPS Resource Advisor Training Course, with lecture and field componenetsView
Training instuctor for the fire and invasives species component of the FIEM course (M-580) taught to mid-level fire managers at the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute - 2007View
Training instuctor for the fire and invasives species component of the FIEM course (M-580) taught to mid-level fire managers at the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute - 2009View
Training instuctor for the fire and invasives species component of the FIEM course (M-580) taught to mid-level fire managers at the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute - 2008View
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Supporting Documents