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Project ID:

24-2-03-8

Year:

2024

Date Started:

09/01/2024

Date Completed:

Title:

Effects of Prescribed Fire on Water Quantity and Quality in the Cross Timbers Region

Project Proposal Abstract:

1. Problem Statement
Surface water reservoirs are a major water source for the rapidly growing population in the Cross Timbers ecoregion, encompassing the Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa metropolitan areas. These reservoirs were historically surrounded by grasslands and oak woodlands, but invasive woody species are rapidly encroaching and posing a significant threat to these water resources. Additionally, the proliferation of invasive species has created new fuel complexes with the potential to produce high-severity fires under climate change. Prescribed fire is commonly considered as a tool for mitigating woody expansion and reducing wildfire risks; however, there remains a critical knowledge gap regarding its impacts on water yield and quality in the reservoirs of the Cross Timbers. As a result, land managers and natural resource agencies hesitate to use prescribed fire in high-value water supply watersheds. Consequently, the convergence of changing fuel loads and projected escalation of drought frequency due to climate change poses an imminent but unexamined threat to reservoir water quantity and quality. This problem extends to other reservoirs surrounded by fire-vulnerable vegetation across the country.
2. Objectives
Our overall objective is to determine the effect of prescribed fire regimes, both low and high intensity, on water quantity and quality in the Cross Timbers region under present and future climate. Our central hypothesis is that prescribed fire, if properly applied, can serve as an effective tool for enhancing water yield and improving water quality in reservoirs within the Cross Timbers region. To address this hypothesis, we devise four specific objectives: (1) Quantify the effect of prescribed fire on vegetation and soil; (2) Quantify the effect of prescribed fire on runoff and groundwater quantity; and (3) Quantify the effect of prescribed fire on water quality. We will also (4) model the application of prescribed fire on water quantity and quality in three municipal water supply reservoirs (Oologah Lake, OK; Lake Thunderbird, OK; and Eagle Mountain Lake, TX) under current and future climate.
3. Benefits
This project will leverage our decade-long experimental watershed study centered on vegetation management impact on water quality and quantity at the Cross Timbers Experimental Range (CTER) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Results of this project will provide scientific evidence to support efforts to promote prescribed fire as an effective tool to control the spread of invasive woody species in the southcentral Great Plains. Municipal water suppliers in the Cross Timbers regions will be able to understand the potential impacts of prescribed fire on water supply. Anticipated outcomes encompass: (1) The utilization of prescribed fire to curb woody encroachment in grasslands and diminish ladder fuel and crown fire risks in post oak woodlands; (2) The evaluation of prescribed fire's efficacy in enhancing water quantity and quality; and (3) The assessment of prescribed fire's ability to sustain or enhance water quantity and quality for municipal water supply reservoirs. Our target audiences include (1) Land and fire/fuels managers and prescribed fire planners (Letter of Support I); (2) Government agencies and Tribal organizations engaged in wildfire protection, wildlife conservation, and water resource management (Letter of Support II, III); and (3) Research and extension specialists in watershed studies and fire ecology (Letter of Support IV, V). The results of the project will be conveyed to these groups through workshops, field tours, scientific publications, and conferences focused on wildland fire and water management.

Principal Investigator:

Chris B Zou

Agency/Organization:

Oklahoma State University

Branch or Dept:

Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Agreements Contact	Leanne C McGee	Oklahoma
Budget Contact	Melissa J Harrison	Oklahoma State University	Division of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources