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Project ID:

24-2-03-15

Year:

2024

Date Started:

09/01/2024

Date Completed:

Title:

Integrating burn heterogeneity and precipitation variability into understanding water quality impacts of prescribed fire

Project Proposal Abstract:

1. Problem Statement
This project aims to address water management challenges resulting from fire exclusion in western US conifer forests and interactions with climate change. With increasing wildfire size and severity due to increasing aridity and fuel build-up, prescribed fire usage for forest restoration has risen. While prescribed fires have clear ecological benefits, concerns remain about potential tradeoffs with water quality. This project will study water quality responses to prescribed fire in two headwater watersheds within the Teakettle Experimental Forest in California, focusing on four key sources of uncertainty: interactions with variable precipitation and runoff, spatial heterogeneity of fire effects, spatiotemporal complexities of material export to streams, and threshold responses to fire. The study will enhance our understanding of these processes, providing valuable insights for future forest management decisions.

2. Objectives
This study's core objective is to investigate how prescribed burn effects interact with runoff and the biogeochemical structure of watersheds to impact water quality. First, we will provide information on how spatial variation in combustion and watershed biogeochemistry mediate prescribed burn impacts on water quality. Hypothesis 1.1 will reveal the significance of combustion area versus mass on water quality, shedding light on the key drivers of post-fire changes. Hypothesis 1.2 will help us understand how prescribed burns may change the spatial distribution of biogeochemical processes across watershed and the resultant predictability of water quality responses. Second, we will focus on temporal patterns. Hypothesis 2.1 will elucidate the interaction of fire and runoff in transporting combustion byproducts and nutrients to streams. Hypothesis 2.2 will characterize the temporal dynamics of water quality impacts, highlighting the duration and magnitude of water quality change resulting from the timing between fire and runoff. These activities will generate data and knowledge crucial for effective forest management decisions, helping us anticipate and mitigate water quality impacts of prescribed fires.

3. Benefits
Through empirical data and dissemination to diverse audiences, including government agencies, researchers, managers, and the public, this research will provide valuable insights into the hydro-biogeochemical effects of prescribed burns and implications for water quality, thus aiding water resource management while reducing wildfire risk. Insights will be disseminated to managers through a research brief and webinars with the California Fire Science Consortium and the Association of California Water Agencies, both of which also facilitate public outreach. Insights to the research community will additionally be provided in two conference presentations and two peer-reviewed publications. Results will ultimately allow managers to communicate how they are mitigating water quality concerns associated with prescribed burns to the public which, in turn, enhances their ability to use prescribed fire effectively.

Principal Investigator:

Alex J Webster

Agency/Organization:

University of New Mexico

Branch or Dept:

Department of Biology

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Agreements Contact	Glenna A Doctor	University of New Mexico	Office of Sponsored Projects
Budget Contact	Glenna A Doctor	University of New Mexico	Office of Sponsored Projects
Co-Principal Investigator	Matthew D. Hurteau	University of New Mexico	Department of Biology