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Sycan
Marsh project studies fire's effect on habitat
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by
Steve Kadel
Kelli Carlsen stood on a forested slope near Sycan Marsh wearing a blue
hardhat and holding a two-way radio to her ear.
She
was giving a final update to her Oregon Department of Forestry Lakeview
office before igniting a controlled burn Thursday morning on Nature
Conservancy land.
The idea is to improve forest health by burning dead debris on the
ground. That rids the area of combustible fuel that could feed a
wildfire, and allows nutrients from downed trees and limbs to enter the
soil.
“Fire
is an important function in restoring many of these ecosystems,” said
Craig Bienz, Sycan Marsh program director for the Nature Conservancy.
“Some seeds only germinate when they're smoked.”
Preparation for the project began days earlier when weather forecasts
were checked. The National Weather Service in
“All the variables that might affect behavior of the fire,” Bienz
said.
Before burning began, though, there was one last check Thursday with a
weather reporter on the other end of Carlson's radio. The Nature
Conservancy's Rob Lindsay gave the OK, and it was time for a test burn
to begin.
Carlson, acting as burn boss, looked at a half dozen firefighters
holding drip torches.
“Are you waiting for me to bless it?” she joked.
Mike
Wilkeson of the private company Klamath Fire Inc. jumped to action,
igniting a line of vegetation. The group watched to see how fast the
fire spread, information that would be vital for the real burn.
“We want consumption,
but we don't want it to burn too hot and hurt the trees,” Wilkeson
said.
When they were satisfied with the burn rate, the “igniters” spread
out and began the fire that would cover about 100 acres during the day.
They'll be at the site again today and Saturday, and possibly Sunday, to
cover the targeted 800 total acres.
A plume of smoke from Thursday's burn was visible for dozens of miles,
although fire traveled in the correct direction at the right pace. Water
trucks were on standby just in case things flared out of control.
Bienz
said the Nature Conservancy is trying to replicate the historic
frequency of fire, which evidence shows occurred every seven to 15 years
near Sycan.
“We know that without fire the forest is encroaching into the
marsh,” he said. “We're trying to move the forest back.”
Water storage is another
benefit of controlled burns in brushy areas. There's less evaporation on
burned lands, Bienz said, and healthier plants.
“Plants that are there are more vigorous because they don't compete
for water,” he said, adding that uplands provide storage for large
amounts of water.
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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those
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research and educational purposes only. For more information go
to:
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Source:
http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2007/04/27/news/local_news/local2.txt