Prescribed burning

Question 1

What are the main ways in which fire affects ecosystem composition, structure and processes?

Answer 1

Altering Seral stages

Altering chemistry of soils

Question 2

How does fire alter seral stages?

Answer 2

Reducing fir tolerant species
Stimulating germination of seeds of fire adapted species
reduce woody vegetation while creating wildlife trees and LWD

Question 3

How does fire alter soil chemistry?

Answer 3

Releasing nutrients in vegetation, both living and dead

Increasing the soil’s pH

Question 4

What are two criteria necessary to conduct prescribed burns?

Answer 4

1. Matching Natural/historic regimes
   
   • frequency, time of year, intensity, size, patchiness
2. Ensuring abiotic conditions are condusive to human safety
   - low wind and temp, high moisture

Question 5

Which criteria is more important?

Answer 5

Human safety

• prescribed burn schedules different from historic
• concern over similarity between prescribed and historic.
• safety measure cause prescribed burns to be done at different times than natural

Question 6

What needs to be considered with the 2nd criteria

Answer 6

Could lead to adverse effects on vegetation and wildlife

- fire evolved ecosystems have species resilient to out of season burns

Question 7

What is the advantage of a variable fire regime?

Answer 7

Multiple burns at different times of year may alleviate the potential for undesired changes and maximize biodiversity

Question 8

What is the advantage of conducting prescribed burns in multiple seasons

Answer 8

Improved ecological outcomes

-better able to select conditions in which to conduct burns (not multiple in one season)