Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) communities: Ecology, importance and restoration potential

Treesearch

Stephen B. Monsen; Nancy L. Shaw

2000-01-01

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) is the most common and widespread sagebrush species in the Intermountain region. Climatic patterns, elevation gradients, soil characteristics and fire are among the factors regulating the distribution of its three major subspecies. Each of these subspecies is considered a topographic climax dominant....

Knowledge-Based Systems Approach to Wilderness Fire Management.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saveland, James M.

The 1988 and 1989 forest fire seasons in the Intermountain West highlight the shortcomings of current fire policy. To fully implement an optimization policy that minimizes the costs and net value change of resources affected by fire, long-range fire severity information is essential, yet lacking. This information is necessary for total mobility of suppression forces, implementing contain and confine suppression strategies, effectively dealing with multiple fire situations, scheduling summer prescribed burning, and wilderness fire management. A knowledge-based system, Delphi, was developed to help provide long-range information. Delphi provides: (1) a narrative of advice on where a fire might spread, if allowed to burn, (2) a summary of recent weather and fire danger information, and (3) a Bayesian analysis of long-range fire danger potential. Uncertainty is inherent in long-range information. Decision theory and judgment research can be used to help understand the heuristics experts use to make decisions under uncertainty, heuristics responsible both for expert performance and bias. Judgment heuristics and resulting bias are examined from a fire management perspective. Signal detection theory and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis can be used to develop a long-range forecast to improve decisions. ROC analysis mimics some of the heuristics and compensates for some of the bias. Most importantly, ROC analysis displays a continuum of bias from which an optimum operating point can be selected. ROC analysis is especially appropriate for long-range forecasting since (1) the occurrence of possible future events is stated in terms of probability, (2) skill prediction is displayed, (3) inherent trade-offs are displayed, and (4) fire danger is explicitly defined. Statements on the probability of the energy release component of the National Fire Danger Rating System exceeding a critical value later in the fire season can be made early July in the Intermountain West. Delphi was evaluated formally and informally. Continual evaluation and feedback to update knowledge-based systems results in a repository for current knowledge, and a means to devise policy that will augment existing knowledge. Thus, knowledge-based systems can help implement adaptive resource management.

Best predictors for postfire mortality of ponderosa pine trees in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Carolyn Hull Sieg; Joel D. McMillin; James F. Fowler; Kurt K. Allen; Jose F. Negron; Linda L. Wadleigh; John A. Anhold; Ken E. Gibson

2006-01-01

Numerous wildfires in recent years have highlighted managers' needs for reliable tools to predict postfire mortality of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) trees. General applicability of existing mortality models is uncertain, as researchers have used different sets of variables. We quantified tree attributes, crown and bole fire...

Invasion of the exotic grasses: Mapping their progression via satellite

Treesearch

Eric B. Peterson

2008-01-01

Several exotic annual grass species are invading the Intermountain West. After disturbances including wildfire, these grasses can form dense stands with fine fuels that then shorten fire intervals. Thus invasive annual grasses and wildfire form a positive feedback mechanism that threatens native ecosystems. Chief among these within Nevada are Bromus tectorum...

Sage-grouse groceries: forb response to pinon-juniper treatments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the past 150 years, juniper (Juniperus spp. L.) and piñon (Pinus spp. L.) coniferous woodlands have increased 2 to 10-fold in 9 ecoregions spanning the Intermountain area of the western United States. Control of piñon-juniper woodlands by mechanical treatments and prescribed fire have been appli...

Strategic plan for the Coordinated Intermountain Restoration Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pyke, David A.; Pellant, Michael L.

2002-01-01

In 1982, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Idaho State Office began the Intermountain Greenstripping and Rehabilitation Research Project (IGRRP), or the “Greenstripping Program,” to investigate plant materials and technologies that can reduce wildfire incidence and improve rehabilitation practices. Rehabilitation is normally applied as a reactive process to wildfires, yet land managers in the Great Basin wish to become proactive by replacing fire-prone invasive annual grasses with native plants. The Coordinated Intermountain Restoration Project (CIRP) evolved from the Greenstripping Program to conduct research studies and provide technical assistance on restoration of native ecosystems on rangelands that are infested with invasive annual grasses or other invasive or noxious weeds. To accomplish this objective, the CIRP will promote the understanding of ecosystem disturbance dynamics as well as evaluate plant materials, site preparation techniques, weed control methods, seeding equipment, management methods, and monitoring techniques for restoration projects.The CIRP will not address the restoration of forested or woodland (juniper [Juniperus]) ecosystems. It will include a component on fuel management to reduce the impacts of wildfires on semiarid rangeland ecosystems where exotic annual grasses provide the fuel. The people who will benefit directly from this research include land managers and users of public and private lands in the northern Great Basin, the Columbia Plateau, and the Snake River Plain. The CIRP will provide an integration framework for a multidisciplinary approach to research with numerous opportunities for input and collaboration. The U.S. Geological Survey will initially dedicate approximately \\$1 million over 5 years (about \\$200,000 per year) to jump-start this effort. U.S. Geological Survey funds will establish a science advisory board to oversee the project. This board will contain members of Federal research and management agencies within the region. U.S. Geological Survey funds will support (1) continued development of VegSpec, a computer program that is a restoration expert system, (2) research to examine changes in ecosystem processes when native plant-dominated communities shift to communities dominated by exotic annual grasses, and (3) research to address mechanisms for establishing native plants in locations dominated by exotic annual grasses. Through these initial funds, USGS hopes to leverage additional research with other agencies (e.g., BLM’s Great Basin Restoration Initiative or the Native Plant Materials Development Project, which is an interagency program to supply and manage native plant materials for restoration and rehabilitation on Federal lands) or funding organizations (e.g., the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s [USDA] National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program, or the USDA’s and U.S. Department of the Interior’s [USDOI] Joint Fire Science Program), and to obtain additional research partners (e.g., university or Federal scientists) willing to expand this effort to address all aspects of this strategic plan.

Final Report for the Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and Restoration (ICRRR)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmidt, John C.

2016-08-19

The Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and Restoration (ICRRR) was created in 2006 by the Department of Watershed Sciences to help meet the challenge of reversing national trends in freshwater ecosystem degradation. The ICRRR was disbanded in 2015, and its activities were transferred to other research centers within the Department of Watershed Sciences. The mission of the ICRRR was to advance the science and practice of river restoration and environmental management and to transfer that knowledge to the public and private sectors by undertaking targeted research, teaching, and extension/outreach activities. The ICRRR had two foci: restoration practices of small streamsmore » and rehabilitation of intermediate and large rivers. The ICRRR focused its work in the western United States.« less

Shrublands under fire: Disturbance and recovery in a changing world

Treesearch

Stanley G. Kitchen

2008-01-01

These proceedings are part of a series corresponding to fourteen symposia sponsored by the Shrub Research Consortium and published by the U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station (1983?1996) and Rocky Mountain Research Station (1999 to present). Themes for each symposium were selected to focus on various aspects of the biology, ecology, and management of...

Relationships between forest structure, composition, site, and spruce beetle occurrence in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

R. Justin DeRose; James N. Long; John D. Shaw

2009-01-01

Engelmann spruce forests are structurally and compositionally diverse, occur across a wide range of physiographic conditions, and are the result of varying disturbance histories such as fire, wind and spruce beetle. The spruce beetle is a natural disturbance agent of spruce forests and has population levels that fluctuate from endemic to epidemic. Conceptually,...

Post-1900 mule deer irruptions in the Intermountain West: Principal cause and influences

Treesearch

George E. Gruell

1986-01-01

Tests hypotheses for mule deer population increases between the early 1930's and mid-1960's. Concludes that livestock grazing and absence of fire converted vast areas of grasses and forbs to woody plants favored by mule deer. Mule deer populations, therefore, irrupted between 1930 and 1965 and have since experienced a decline as plant succession moves toward...

Structural lumber from dense stands of small-diameter Douglas-fir trees.

Treesearch

David W. Green; Eini C. Lowell; Roland Hernandez

2005-01-01

Small-diameter trees growing in overstocked dense stands are often targeted for thinning to reduce fire hazard and improve forest health and ecosystem diversity. In the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain regions, Douglas-fir can be a predominant species in such stands. In this study, mechanical properties and grade yield of structural products were estimated for 2 by...

Cold desert fire and invasive species management: Resources, strategies, tactics, and response

Treesearch

Jeanne C. Chambers; Elizabeth Leger; Erin Goergen

2009-01-01

The cold desert of North America, sometimes referred to as the Intermountain area, is comprised of a western Great Basin section and an eastern Colorado Plateau section. In general, the cold desert receives more than half of its annual precipitation as snow, and because of its more northern latitude or higher elevations, has relatively low average annual temperatures....

Juniper Encroachment and Management in the Intermountain West Relative to Wildfires Utilizing Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, J.; Howerton, R.; Ramos, S.; Simpson, Z.; Weber, K.

2016-12-01

One of the most pronounced vegetation changes in recent history is the expansion of junipers (Juniperus spp.) throughout the intermountain west United States. These native species have expanded from their traditional fire-safe habitats into fire-dependent communities as a result of climatic fluctuations, grazing patterns, and wildfire suppression efforts. As junipers expand their range, they begin to dominate plant communities resulting in the recession of shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Land management agencies have a strong commitment to find areas that are vulnerable to juniper encroachment, so that these areas can be studied and more effectively managed. Aiding in this effort, this project used remote sensing to develop two tools that determine fire intensity on a per pixel basis and identify different phases of juniper encroachment, respectively. Landsat 8, representing land cover data was combined with topography information (slope and aspect) in a linear regression model that quantified fire intensity on a per pixel basis, identifying areas that would burn hotter and longer based on fuel type. The overall accuracy of the model was 86% with a kappa coefficient of 0.81. Visual validation using NAIP imagery in comparison with the fuel classification result showed good visual correlation of the fuel model with dense juniper stands. The second output of the project was an image/object based classification tool that uses multispectral imagery and supervised point classification to classify different vegetation types according to the spectral detail of the objects. The goal of the model is to improve phase identification of juniper stands. Initial visual verification with NAIP shows the model to be performing very satisfactorily but is dependent on the spatial resolution of the user fed input imagery. Furnishing land managers with these tools will assist in forecasting areas prone to juniper invasion based upon surrounding seedbanks, as well as, predict the ensuing intensity of fires should ignition occur.

Environmental and climatic variables as potential drivers of post-fire cover of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in seeded and unseeded semiarid ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shinneman, D.J.; Baker, W.L.

2009-01-01

Cheatgrass, a non-native annual grass, dominates millions of hectares in semiarid ecosystems of the Intermountain West (USA). Post-fire invasions can reduce native species diversity and alter ecological processes. To curb cheatgrass invasion, land managers often seed recently burned areas with perennial competitor species. We sampled vegetation within burned (19 years post-fire) and nearby unburned (representing pre-fire) pionjuniper (Pinus edulisJuniperus osteosperma) woodland and sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) in western Colorado to analyze variables that might explain cheatgrass cover after fire. A multiple regression model suggests higher cheatgrass cover after fire with: (1) sagebrush v. pionjuniper; (2) higher pre-fire cover of annual forbs; (3) increased time since fire; (4) lower pre-fire cover of biological soil crust; and (5) lower precipitation the year before fire. Time since fire, which coincided with higher precipitation, accounts for most of the variability in cheatgrass cover. No significant difference was found in mean cheatgrass cover between seeded and unseeded plots over time. However, negative relationships with pre-fire biological soil crust cover and native species richness suggest livestock-degraded areas are more susceptible to post-fire invasion. Proactive strategies for combating cheatgrass should include finding effective native competitors and restoring livestock-degraded areas. ?? 2009 IAWF.

Hydrologic Impacts Associated with the Increased Role of Wildland Fire Across the Rangeland-Xeric Forest Continuum of the Great Basin and Intermountain West, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, C. J.; Pierson, F. B.; Robichaud, P. R.; Boll, J.; Al-Hamdan, O. Z.

2011-12-01

The increased role of wildland fire across the rangeland-xeric forest continuum in the western United States (US) presents landscape-scale consequences relative runoff and erosion. Concomitant climate conditions and altered plant community transitions in recent decades along grassland-shrubland-woodland-xeric forest transitions have promoted frequent and large wildland fires, and the continuance of the trend appears likely if current or warming climate conditions prevail. Much of the Great Basin and Intermountain West in the US now exists in a state in which rangeland and woodland wildfires stimulated by invasive cheatgrass and dense, horizontal and vertical fuel layers have a greater likelihood of progressing upslope into xeric forests. Drier moisture conditions and warmer seasonal air temperatures, along with dense fuel loads, have lengthened fire seasons and facilitated an increase in the frequency, severity and area burned in mid-elevation western US forests. These changes potentially increase the overall hydrologic vulnerability across the rangeland-xeric forest continuum by spatially and temporally increasing soil surface exposure to runoff and erosion processes. Plot-to-hillslope scale studies demonstrate burning may increase event runoff and/or erosion by factors of 2-40 over small-plots scales and more than 100-fold over large-plot to hillslope scales. Anecdotal reports of large-scale flooding and debris-flow events from rangelands and xeric forests following burning document the potential risk to resources (soil loss, water quality, degraded aquatic habitat, etc.), property and infrastructure, and human life. Such risks are particularly concerning for urban centers near the urban-wildland interface. We do not yet know the long-term ramifications of frequent soil loss associated with commonly occurring runoff events on repeatedly burned sites. However, plot to landscape-scale post-fire erosion rate estimates suggest potential losses of biologically important surface soils may be critically damaging for rangelands given inherent slow soil formation rates. This study presents a summary of fire effects on runoff and erosion across the rangeland-xeric forest continuum of the western US and highlights how that knowledge addresses post-fire hydrologic modeling needs. Further, we present a conceptual framework for advancing post-fire hydrologic vulnerability assessment and identify key areas for future research.

Influence of wildfires on the variability and trend of ozone concentrations in the U.S. Intermountain West

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiao; Zhang, Lin; Zhao, Yuanhong; Yue, Xu

2016-04-01

Wildfires are important sources of ozone by emitting large amounts of NOx and NMVOC, main ozone precursors at both global and regional scales. Their influences on ozone in the U.S. Intermountain West have recently received much interest because surface ozone concentrations over that region showed an increasing trend in the past two decades likely due to increasing wildfire emissions in a warming climate. Here we use the Lagrangian particle dispersion model (FLEXPART) as well as the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to estimate wildfires' contribution on summer (June, July and August; JJA) ozone concentration variations, trends, and extremely high ozone events over the US Intermountain West for the past 22 years (1989-2010). We combine the resident time estimated from the FLEXPART 5-day backward trajectories and a high-resolution fire inventory to define a fire index representing the impact of wildfires on ozone concentration at a particular site for each day of summers 1989-2010. Over 26,000 FLEXPART back-trajectories are conducted for the whole time period and for 13 CASTNet surface monitoring sites. We build a stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) model of daily ozone concentrations using fire index and other meteorological variables for each site. The SMLR models explain 53% of the ozone variations (ranging from 12% to 68% for each site). We show that ozone produced from wildfires (calculated from SMLR model) are of high variability at daily scale (ranging from 0.1 ppbv to 20.7 ppbv), but are averaged to lower values of about 0.25-3.5 ppbv for summer mean. We estimate that wildfires magnify inter-annual variations of the regional mean summer ozone for about 32%, compared to the result with wildfires impact excluded from the SMLR model. Wildfire ozone enhancements increase at a rate of 0.04 ppbv per year, accouting for about 20% of the regional summer ozone trend during 1989-2010. Removing wildfires' impact would reduce 35% (46%) of the high-ozone days with measured daily ozone concentrations exceeding 65(75) ppbv, indicating their significant influence on ozone exceptional events. We further compare the wildfire ozone enhancements estimated by the statistical and Lagrangian approach with those estimated from a Eulerian model (GEOS-Chem). Despite highly-correlated results, GEOS-Chem largely overestimates wildfire ozone influences near the source regions and fails to capture ozone production from wildfires at long distance, reflecting deficiencies in current Eulerian models to capture small-scale emissions.

Building a research legacy -- The Intermountain Station 1911-1997

Treesearch

Richard J. Klade

2006-01-01

Includes highlights of the history of organizations that preceded formation of the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in 1954. Provides detailed accounts of Intermountain Station research and administrative accomplishments, some of the people who led activities, and changes in the organization from 1954 through 1997 when the Intermountain and Rocky...

Introduction [Chapter 1

Treesearch

S. Karen Dante-Wood

2018-01-01

The Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership (NRAP) is a science-management partnership among the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USFS) regional offices and national forests (mostly in the Northern Region, and small portions of the Intermountain and Rocky Mountain Regions); USFS Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain Research Stations; Glacier, Yellowstone...

Short Term Soil Respiration Response to Fire in a Semi-arid Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozin, A. G.

2015-12-01

In the Intermountain West (USA), fire is an important driver of carbon cycling in the environment. Increasing frequency and severity of fires, either through management actions or wildfires, is expected with changing climates in the Western United States. When burning is used as a management tool, it may be beneficial and control the growth of nuisance vegetation, promote the regeneration of grasses and forage species, and reduce hazardous fuel loads to minimize the risk of future wildfires. However, high intensity wildfires often have a negative effect, resulting in a loss of carbon storage and a shift of vegetation communities. This delays recovery of the ecosystem for years or decades and alters the historic fire regime. A 2000 acre prescribed burn in the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory provided the opportunity to quantify pre and post-burn soil carbon stores and soil carbon losses by heterotrophic respiration. Pre and post-burn soil samples were collected for physical and biogeochemical characterization to quantify substrate availability and possible limitations for heterotrophic respiration. CO2 fluxes were continuously monitored in situ before and immediately after the fire to understand the short-term response of soil respiration to varying burn severities.

The ecological importance of severe wildfires: some like it hot.

PubMed

Hutto, Richard L

2008-12-01

Many scientists and forest land managers concur that past fire suppression, grazing, and timber harvesting practices have created unnatural and unhealthy conditions in the dry, ponderosa pine forests of the western United States. Specifically, such forests are said to carry higher fuel loads and experience fires that are more severe than those that occurred historically. It remains unclear, however, how far these generalizations can be extrapolated in time and space, and how well they apply to the more mesic ponderosa pine systems and to other forest systems within the western United States. I use data on the pattern of distribution of one bird species (Black-backed Woodpecker, Picoides arcticus) as derived from 16465 sample locations to show that, in western Montana, this bird species is extremely specialized on severely burned forests. Such specialization has profound implications because it suggests that the severe fires we see burning in many forests in the Intermountain West are not entirely "unnatural" or "unhealthy." Instead, severely burned forest conditions have probably occurred naturally across a broad range of forest types for millennia. These findings highlight the fact that severe fire provides an important ecological backdrop for fire specialists like the Black-backed Woodpecker, and that the presence and importance of severe fire may be much broader than commonly appreciated.

Conservation assessment for inland cutthroat trout

Treesearch

Michael K. Young

1995-01-01

This document focuses on the state of the science for five subspecies of cutthroat trout found largely on public lands in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain West. These subspecies are restricted to a fragment of their former range, and primarily occupy small, high-elevation streams. Little is known about the three rarest subspecies (Bonneville, Colorado River, and...

Biogeographic, cultural, and historical setting [Chapter 2

Treesearch

Hanna K. Olson; Don W. Fallon

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) encompasses unique landscapes within the Intermountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), from rugged mountains to deep canyons, from alpine snowfields to wild and scenic rivers (fig. 1.1). The area defined by the boundaries of the Intermountain Region contains both private and Federally owned lands, including 12...

Relating adaptive genetic traits to climate for Sandberg bluegrass from the intermountain western United States

Treesearch

Richard C. Johnson; Matthew E. Horning; Erin Espeland; Ken Vance-Borland

2015-01-01

Genetic variation for potentially adaptive traits of the key restoration species Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl) was assessed over the intermountain western United States in relation to source population climate. Common gardens were established at two intermountain west sites with progeny from two maternal parents from each of 130 wild populations. Data were...

A history of forest entomology in the Intermountain and Rocky Mountain areas, 1901 to 1982

Treesearch

Malcolm M. Furniss

2007-01-01

This account spans the time from A.D. Hopkins' trip to the Black Hills, SD, in 1901 to my retirement in 1982. The focus is on personnel and the work of the Division of Forest Insect Investigations, USDA, and the Forest Service experiment stations in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain areas. Information for the Intermountain and Northern Rocky Mountain station...

Evolution in Clinical Knowledge Management Strategy at Intermountain Healthcare

PubMed Central

Hulse, Nathan C.; Galland, Joel; Borsato, Emerson P.

2012-01-01

In this manuscript, we present an overview of the clinical knowledge management strategy at Intermountain Healthcare in support of our electronic medical record systems. Intermountain first initiated efforts in developing a centralized enterprise knowledge repository in 2001. Applications developed, areas of emphasis served, and key areas of focus are presented. We also detail historical and current areas of emphasis, in response to business needs. PMID:23304309

Knowledge management strategies: Enhancing knowledge transfer to clinicians and patients.

PubMed

Roemer, Lorrie K; Rocha, Roberto A; Del Fiol, Guilherme; Bradshaw, Richard L; Hanna, Timothy P; Hulse, Nathan C

2006-01-01

At Intermountain Healthcare (Intermountain), executive clinical content experts are responsible for disseminating consistent evidence-based clinical content throughout the enterprise at the point-of-care. With a paper-based system it was difficult to ensure that current information was received and was being used in practice. With electronic information systems multiple applications were supplying similar, but different, vendor-licensed and locally-developed content. These issues influenced the consistency of clinical practice within the enterprise, jeopardized patient and clinician safety, and exposed the enterprise and its employees to potential financial penalties. In response to these issues Intermountain is developing a knowledge management infrastructure providing tools and services to support clinical content development, deployment, maintenance, and communication. The Intermountain knowledge management philosophy includes strategies guiding clinicians and consumers of health information to relevant best practice information with the intention of changing behaviors. This paper presents three case studies describing different information management problems identified within Intermountain, methods used to solve the problems, implementation challenges, and the current status of each project.

Intermountain Health Care, Inc.: Standard Costing System Methodology and Implementation

PubMed Central

Rosqvist, W.V.

1984-01-01

Intermountain Health Care, Inc. (IHC) a notfor-profit hospital chain with 22 hospitals in the intermountain area and corporate offices located in Salt Lake City, Utah, has developed a Standard Costing System to provide hospital management with a tool for confronting increased cost pressures in the health care environment. This document serves as a description of methodology used in developing the standard costing system and outlines the implementation process.

Headwaters, Wetlands, and Wildfires: Utilizing Landsat imagery, GIS, and Statistical Models for Mapping Wetlands in Northern Colorado's Cache la Poudre Watershed in the aftermath of the June 2012 High Park Fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chignell, S.; Skach, S.; Kessenich, B.; Weimer, A.; Luizza, M.; Birtwistle, A.; Evangelista, P.; Laituri, M.; Young, N.

2013-12-01

The June 2012 High Park Fire burned over 87,000 acres of forest and 259 homes to the west of Fort Collins, CO. The fire has had dramatic impacts on forest ecosystems; of particular concern are its effects on the Cache la Poudre watershed, as the Poudre River is one of the most important headwaters of the Colorado Front Range, providing important ecosystem and economic services before flowing into the South Platte, which in turn flows into the Missouri River. Within a week of the fire, the area received several days of torrential rains. This precipitation--in conjunction with steep riverbanks and the loss of vegetation by fire--caused soil and ash runoff to be deposited into the Poudre's channel, resulting in a river of choking mud and black sludge. Monitoring the effects of such wildfires is critical and requires establishing immediate baseline data to assess impacts over time. Of particular concern is the region's wetlands, which not only provide habitat for a rich array of flora and fauna, but help regulate river discharge, improve water quality, and aid in carbon sequestration. However, the high expense of field work and the changing nature of wetlands have left many of the area's wetland maps incomplete and in need of updating. Utilizing Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 imagery, ancillary GIS layers, and boosted regression trees modeling, the NASA DEVELOP team based at the North Central Climate Science Center at Colorado State University developed a methodology for wetland modeling within the Cache la Poudre watershed. These efforts produced a preliminary model of predicted wetlands across the landscape that correctly classified 89% of the withheld validation points and had a kappa value of approximately 0.78. This initial model is currently being refined and validated using the USGS Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) to run multiple models within three elevation-based 'life zones.' The ultimate goal of this ongoing project is to provide important spatial data for land managers in the watershed, as well as an efficient, economical, and accurate wetland mapping methodology that can be reproduced throughout the intermountain west region.

Oak woodlands and forests fire consortium: A regional view of fire science sharing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grabner, Keith W.; Stambaugh, Michael C.; Marschall, Joseph M.; Abadir, Erin R.

2013-01-01

The Joint Fire Science Program established 14 regional fire science knowledge exchange consortia to improve the delivery of fire science information and communication among fire managers and researchers. Consortia were developed regionally to ensure that fire science information is tailored to meet regional needs. In this paper, emphasis was placed on the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium to provide an inside view of how one regional consortium is organized and its experiences in sharing fire science through various social media, conference, and workshop-based fire science events.

Climate Change Transforms Fire Regimes but Does not Eliminate Forest Carbon Sequestration in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henne, P. D.; Hawbaker, T. J.; Berryman, E.

2017-12-01

Annual area burned in the Rocky Mountains varies with climatic conditions. However, projecting long-term changes in wildfire presents an enduring challenge because climate also constrains vegetation and fuel availability. We combined an aridity-threshold fire model with the Landis-II dynamic landscape vegetation model (NECN extension) to project climate change impacts on vegetation, area burned, and ecosystem carbon balance in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). We developed a fire model that relates drought stress to area burned by quantifying an aridity threshold separating large and small years in 15 ecoregions in the Intermountain West. A significant positive correlation (r2 = 0.97) exists between mean fire-season aridity and ecoregion-specific aridity thresholds. We simulated vegetation and fire dynamics in the GYE at 250 m spatial resolution with Landis-II, using projections from five climate models and two emissions scenarios for the period 1980-2100 AD. We determined if each simulation year exceeded the regional aridity threshold, then randomly drew the number of fires and size of individual fires from fire-size distributions from large or small fire years. Burned area increases dramatically in most climate scenarios, especially after 2060, when most years exceed the aridity threshold. Productivity gains due to rising temperatures partially offset biomass lost to fire, but C stocks plateau or decline after 2060 in most simulations as burned area increases, and drought stress causes post-fire regeneration to decline at low elevations. However, species level changes (e.g. expansion by drought-tolerant Pseuodotsuga menziesii) help maintain productivity in sites where water becomes limiting. Fire-adapted Pinus contorta occupies less total area, but a greater proportion of remaining forests, and Picea engelmannii and Abies lasiocarpa significantly decline. Although fire and climate change will alter species distributions and forest structure, our results suggest that the GYE can maintain a C sink through 2100. However, C stocks will likely shift to higher elevations, and forests will be less resilient to disturbance, in a warmer future. Our landscape-level approach identifies regions likely to maintain high conservation value and ecosystem services under multiple climate scenarios.

Assessing Pinyon Juniper Feedstock Properties and Utilization Options

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gresham, Garold Linn; Kenney, Kevin Louis

2015-08-01

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major ecosystem type found in the Southwest and the Intermountain West regions of the United States. These ecosystems are characterized by the presence of several different species of pinyon pine and juniper as the dominant plant cover. Since the 1800s, pinyon-juniper woodlands have rapidly expanded their range at the expense of existing ecosystems. Additionally, existing woodlands have become more dense, potentially increasing fire hazards. Land managers responsible for these areas often desire to reduce pinyonjuniper coverage on their lands for a variety of reasons, including restoration to previous vegetative cover, mitigation of fire risk, and improvementmore » in wildlife habitat. However, the cost of clearing or thinning pinyon-juniper stands can be prohibitive. One reason for this is the lack of utilization options for the resulting biomass that could help recover some of the cost of pinyonjuniper stand management. The goal of this project was to assess the feedstock characteristics of biomass from a pinyon-juniper harvest so that potential applications for the biomass may be evaluated.« less

Enhancing fire science exchange: The Northern Rockies Fire Science Network [poster

Treesearch

Vita Wright

2011-01-01

The Joint Fire Science Program is developing a national network of knowledge exchange consortia comprised of interested management and science stakeholders working together to tailor and actively demonstrate existing fire science information to benefit management.

Underwater methods for study of salmonids in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Russell F. Thurow

1994-01-01

This guide describes underwater methods using snorkeling gear to study fish populations in flowing waters of the Intermountain West. It outlines procedures for estimating salmonid abundance and habitat use and provides criteria for identifying and estimating the size of fish underwater.

Field guide to Intermountain sedges

Treesearch

Emerenciana G. Hurd; Nancy L. Shaw; Joy Mastrogiuseppe; Lynda C. Smithman; Sherel Goodrich

1998-01-01

Descriptions of morphological characteristics, habitat, and geographic distributions are provided for 114 sedges (Carex spp.) of the Intermountain area. A dichotomous key, color photographs, line drawings, and discussions highlighting differences among similar species aid identification. An illustrated morphology, glossary, and index of common names simplify use. The...

77 FR 54923 - Minor Boundary Revision at Big Thicket National Preserve

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-06

... locations: National Park Service, Intermountain Region Land Resources Program Center, 12795 West Alameda... 20240. DATES: The effective date of this boundary revision is September 6, 2012. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: National Park Service, Chief Realty Officer, Intermountain Region Resources Program Center, 12795...

2013 Annual Report: Fire Modeling Institute

Treesearch

Robin J. Innes; Faith Ann Heinsch; Kristine M. Lee

2014-01-01

The Fire Modeling Institute (FMI) of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), is a national and international resource for fire managers. Located within the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (Fire Lab) in Montana, FMI helps managers utilize fire and fuel science and technology developed throughout the...

Wildland fire science and management in the U.S.: Spanning the boundaries through the regional knowledge exchange network (Abstract)

Treesearch

Susie Kocher; Eric Toman; Sarah Trainor; Vita Wright

2012-01-01

In 2009, the federal Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) initiated a national network of regional fire science consortia to accelerate awareness, understanding and use of wildland fire science. This presentation synthesizes findings from initial needs assessments conducted by consortia in eight regions of the United States. The assessments evaluated how fire science is...

Aspen community types of the Intermountain Region

Treesearch

Walter F. Mueggler

1988-01-01

This vegetation classification is based upon existing community structure and composition in the aspen-dominated forests of the Intermountain Region of the Forest Service. The 56 community types occur within eight tree-cover types. A diagnostic key using indicator species facilitates field identification of the community types. Vegetational composition, productivity,...

Developing low-input, high-biomass, perennial cropping systems for advanced biofuels in the Intermountain West

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lignocellulosic biomass studies are being conducted to evaluate perennial herbaceous feedstocks and to determine their field performance and adaptation potential for biomass production in the Intermountain West. Field performance of four biomass entries and four inputs are being evaluated over a lo...

Forest vegetation in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain regions: Habitat types and community types

Treesearch

Robert R. Alexander

1988-01-01

Habitat types and community types and their phases for the major forest tree species in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain regions are tabulated. Included are the name(s), general location, elevation, relative site, successional status, principal tree and undergrowth associates, and the authority.

Enhancing fire science exchange: The Joint Fire Science Program's National Network of Knowledge Exchange Consortia

Treesearch

Vita Wright; Crystal Kolden; Todd Kipfer; Kristine Lee; Adrian Leighton; Jim Riddering; Leana Schelvan

2011-01-01

The Northern Rocky Mountain region is one of the most fire-prone regions in the United States. With a history of large fires that have shaped national policy, including the fires of 1910 and 2000 in Idaho and Montana and the Yellowstone fires of 1988, this region is projected to have many large severe fires in the future. Communication about fire science needs and...

Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program 2015 Research Accomplishments

Treesearch

Faith Ann Heinsch; Charles W. McHugh; Colin C. Hardy

2016-01-01

The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program (FFS) of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station focuses on fundamental and applied research in wildland fire, from fire physics and fire ecology to fuels management and smoke emissions. Located at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana, the scientists, engineers, technicians, and support...

Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program: 2013 Research accomplishments

Treesearch

Faith Ann Heinsch; Robin J. Innes; Colin C. Hardy; Kristine M. Lee

2014-01-01

The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program (FFS) of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, focuses on fundamental and applied research in wildland fire, from fire physics and fire ecology to fuels management and smoke emissions. Located at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana, the scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff in...

Nitrogen-fixing nodule characterization and morphology of four species in the northern Intermountain Region

Treesearch

Lee Walls; Benjamin A. Zamora

2001-01-01

Purshia tridentata (antelope bitterbrush), Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush), Ceanothus sanguenius (redstem ceanothus), and Shepherdia canadensis (buffaloberry) are native shrubs of the Northern Intermountain Region that are generally characterized as nitrogen-fixing species. These species occupy a range of habitats from steppe to alpine environments. Nodulation of these...

Seed germination biology of Intermountain populations of fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens: Chenopodiaceae)

Treesearch

Susan E. Meyer; Stephanie L. Carlson

2007-01-01

Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) is a widely distributed shrub of semiarid western North America. We studied viability and germinability of fourwing saltbush seeds over 10 years for collections from 23 Intermountain populations. Fruit fill averaged 53 percent, and 96 percent of filled fruits contained viable seeds even after 6 years of...

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Intermountain Region [Part 1

Treesearch

Jessica E. Halofsky; David L. Peterson; Joanne J. Ho; Natalie Little; Linda A. Joyce

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management on Federal lands in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California, and western Wyoming, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. U.S. Department of...

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Intermountain Region [Part 2

Treesearch

Jessica E. Halofsky; David L. Peterson; Joanne J. Ho; Natalie Little; Linda A. Joyce

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management on Federal lands in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California, and western Wyoming, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. U.S. Department of...

Chapter 2. The Intermountain setting

Treesearch

E. Durant McArthur; Sherel K. Goodrich

2004-01-01

This book is intended to assist range managers throughout the Intermountain West (fig. 1). The areas of greatest applicability are the Middle and Southern Rocky Mountains, Wyoming Basin, Columbia and Colorado Plateaus, and much of the basin and range physiographic provinces of Fenneman (1981) or about 14° latitude, from the Mohave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan...

Energy Resource Development: Implications for Women and Minorities in the Intermountain West.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC.

A selection of papers presented at a consultation sponsored by the Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming Advisory Committees to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights address the inequities of benefits received by women and minorities from resource development activities in the Intermountain West. The introduction discusses…

The Intermountain West Region Waterbird Plan

Treesearch

Gary Ivey

2005-01-01

The planning process for the Intermountain West Region component of the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan began in November 2001. This is one of several region-specific plans being developed as part of the Waterbird Conservation for the Americas initiative (Kushlan et al. 2002), as called for in the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan. The plan...

Novel Strategies for the Treatment of Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-01

quercetin on benzo[a]pyrene induced DNA damage in HepG2 cells as measured by the comet assay” at the Annual Intermountain Meeting of the American Society...Anti-genotoxic effects of Garlic extract and Quercetin as Measured by the Comet Assay, The Journal of the Intermountain Branch of the American

TAP Report - Southwest Idaho Juniper Working Group

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gresham, Garold Linn

There is explicit need for characterization of the materials for possible commercialization as little characterization data exists. Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major ecosystem type found in the Southwest and the Intermountain West regions of the United States including Nevada, Idaho and Oregon. These widespread ecosystems are characterized by the presence of several different species of pinyon and juniper as the dominant plant cover. Since the 1800s, pinyon-juniper woodlands have rapidly expanded their range at the expense of existing ecosystems. Additionally, existing woodlands have become denser, progressively creating potential fire hazards as seen in the Soda Fire, which burned more thanmore » 400 sq. miles. Land managers responsible for these areas often desire to reduce pinyon-juniper coverage on their lands for a variety of reasons, as stated in the Working Group objectives. However, the cost of clearing thinning pinyon-juniper stands can be prohibitive. One reason for this is the lack of utilization options for the resulting biomass that could help recover some of the cost of pinyon-juniper stand management. The goal of this TAP effort was to assess the feedstock characteristics of biomass from a juniper harvested from Owyhee County to evaluate possible fuel and conversion utilization options.« less

The Joint Fire Science Program Fire Exchange Network: Facilitating Knowledge Exchange About Wildland Fire Science Across the U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

York, A.; Blocksome, C.; Cheng, T.; Creighton, J.; Edwards, G.; Frederick, S.; Giardina, C. P.; Goebel, P. C.; Gucker, C.; Kobziar, L.; Lane, E.; Leis, S.; Long, A.; Maier, C.; Marschall, J.; McGowan-Stinski, J.; Mohr, H.; MontBlanc, E.; Pellant, M.; Pickett, E.; Seesholtz, D.; Skowronski, N.; Stambaugh, M. C.; Stephens, S.; Thode, A.; Trainor, S. F.; Waldrop, T.; Wolfson, B.; Wright, V.; Zedler, P.

2014-12-01

The Joint Fire Science Program's (JFSP) Fire Exchange Network is actively working to accelerate the awareness, understanding, and adoption of wildland fire science information by federal, tribal, state, local, and private stakeholders within ecologically similar regions. Our network of 15 regional exchanges provides timely, accurate, and regionally relevant science-based information to assist with fire management challenges. Regional activities, through which we engage fire and resource managers, scientists, and private landowners, include online newsletters and announcements, social media, regionally focused web-based clearinghouses of relevant science, field trips and demonstration sites, workshops and conferences, webinars and online training, and syntheses and fact sheets. Exchanges also help investigators design research that is relevant to regional management needs and assist with technology transfer to management audiences. This poster provides an introduction to and map of the regional exchanges.

Intermountain Range plant names and symbols

Treesearch

A. Perry Plummer; Stephen B. Monsen; Richard Stevens

1977-01-01

This revised alphabetical list of botanical and common names of vascular plants that primarily grow on wildlands of the Intermountain region and adjacent areas has been assembled for use in quickly recording occurrence of plants in the field and for rapid machine processing of field data. Included are plants found in Utah, Nevada, southern Idaho, and Wyoming, and most...

Climate change impacts on northwestern and intermountain United States rangelands

Treesearch

Jeanne C. Chambers; Mike Pellant

2008-01-01

Our focus is on the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain Region including the Great Basin, Columbia Plateau, Colorado Plateau, and surrounding areas. The climate of this large, arid to semiarid region is defined by generally low and highly variable precipitation. Much of the yearly precipitation arrives as winter snow because most of the moisture comes as frontal storms...

Estimating postfire changes in production and value of Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermountain rangelands

Treesearch

David L. Peterson; Patrick J. Flowers

1984-01-01

A simulation model was developed to estimate postfire changes in the production and value of grazing lands in the Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermountain region. Ecological information and management decisions were used to simulate expected changes in production and value after wildfire in six major rangeland types: permanent forested range (ponderosa pine), transitory...

Characterization of Juvenile wood in Lodgepole Pine in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Thomas M. Gorman; David E. Kretschmann

2012-01-01

Juvenile wood (core wood) is typically characterized as being less dimensionally stable and having lower mechanical properties than mature wood. Determination of the age of transition from juvenile wood to mature wood can provide basic information needed to assess dimensional stability and better utilize small-diameter trees growing in the intermountain west as solid-...

The Science of Firescapes: Achieving Fire-Resilient Communities.

PubMed

Smith, Alistair M S; Kolden, Crystal A; Paveglio, Travis B; Cochrane, Mark A; Bowman, David Mjs; Moritz, Max A; Kliskey, Andrew D; Alessa, Lilian; Hudak, Andrew T; Hoffman, Chad M; Lutz, James A; Queen, Lloyd P; Goetz, Scott J; Higuera, Philip E; Boschetti, Luigi; Flannigan, Mike; Yedinak, Kara M; Watts, Adam C; Strand, Eva K; van Wagtendonk, Jan W; Anderson, John W; Stocks, Brian J; Abatzoglou, John T

2016-02-01

Wildland fire management has reached a crossroads. Current perspectives are not capable of answering interdisciplinary adaptation and mitigation challenges posed by increases in wildfire risk to human populations and the need to reintegrate fire as a vital landscape process. Fire science has been, and continues to be, performed in isolated "silos," including institutions (e.g., agencies versus universities), organizational structures (e.g., federal agency mandates versus local and state procedures for responding to fire), and research foci (e.g., physical science, natural science, and social science). These silos tend to promote research, management, and policy that focus only on targeted aspects of the "wicked" wildfire problem. In this article, we provide guiding principles to bridge diverse fire science efforts to advance an integrated agenda of wildfire research that can help overcome disciplinary silos and provide insight on how to build fire-resilient communities.

The Science of Firescapes: Achieving Fire-Resilient Communities

PubMed Central

Smith, Alistair M.S.; Kolden, Crystal A.; Paveglio, Travis B.; Cochrane, Mark A.; Bowman, David MJS; Moritz, Max A.; Kliskey, Andrew D.; Alessa, Lilian; Hudak, Andrew T.; Hoffman, Chad M.; Lutz, James A.; Queen, Lloyd P.; Goetz, Scott J.; Higuera, Philip E.; Boschetti, Luigi; Flannigan, Mike; Yedinak, Kara M.; Watts, Adam C.; Strand, Eva K.; van Wagtendonk, Jan W.; Anderson, John W.; Stocks, Brian J.; Abatzoglou, John T.

2016-01-01

Abstract Wildland fire management has reached a crossroads. Current perspectives are not capable of answering interdisciplinary adaptation and mitigation challenges posed by increases in wildfire risk to human populations and the need to reintegrate fire as a vital landscape process. Fire science has been, and continues to be, performed in isolated “silos,” including institutions (e.g., agencies versus universities), organizational structures (e.g., federal agency mandates versus local and state procedures for responding to fire), and research foci (e.g., physical science, natural science, and social science). These silos tend to promote research, management, and policy that focus only on targeted aspects of the “wicked” wildfire problem. In this article, we provide guiding principles to bridge diverse fire science efforts to advance an integrated agenda of wildfire research that can help overcome disciplinary silos and provide insight on how to build fire-resilient communities. PMID:29593361

Age structure and expansion of pinon-juniper woodlands: a regional perspective in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Richard F. Miller; Robin J. Tausch; E. Durant McArthur; Dustin D. Johnson; Stewart C. Sanderson

2008-01-01

Numerous studies have documented the expansion of woodlands in the Intermountain West; however, few have compared the chronology of expansion for woodlands across different geographic regions or determined the mix and extent of presettlement stands. We evaluated tree age structure and establishment for six woodlands in four ecological provinces in the central and...

Historic resource production from USDA Forest Service northern and intermountain region lands.

Treesearch

David Calkin

1999-01-01

This paper presents long-term resource production from National Forests in the Northern and Intermountain Regions, Regions 1 and 4, respectively. A historical data series of timber harvest and grazing levels on National Forests and lumber production and prices for these regions is developed. Significant trends within the data set are examined. A simple model based on...

Alnus maritime ssp. oklahomensis performance in non-irrigated landscapes in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Heidi A. Kratsch

2008-01-01

Alnus maritima (Marsh.) Muhl. ex Nutt. ssp. oklahomensis Schrader & Graves has potential for ornamental use in the Intermountain West. Because this taxon is native to low-elevation wetlands, we sought to determine its response to the dry soils and climate of northern Utah. Although seeds sown directly at three non-irrigated sites in northern Utah either did not...

R1/R4 (Northern/Intermountain Regions) fish and fish habitat standard inventory procedures handbook

Treesearch

C. Kerry Overton; Sherry P. Wollrab; Bruce C. Roberts; Michael A. Radko

1997-01-01

This handbook describes the standard inventory procedures for collecting fish habitat and salmonid fish species data for streams managed by the Northern (R1) and Intermountain (R4) Regions of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The inventory procedures are designed to define and quantify the structure, pattern, and dimensions of fish habitat; describe...

Missed Opportunities: Origin, Growth, and Decline of Community College Fire Science Degree Programs in Alabama, 1977 to 2002

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laughlin, Jerry W.

2007-01-01

There was rapid growth of Alabama community colleges in the late 1960s. At the same time, there was rapid growth nationally of fire science associate degree programs. With these concurrent events, one would expect fire department personnel in Alabama to benefit from new community college opportunities in fire science and fire administration.…

Burning transformations: Fire history effects on organic matter processing from hillslopes to streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, R. T.; Gilbertson, A.; Maxwell, K.

2017-12-01

Disturbance strongly regulates material and energy flows, changing ecosystem pattern and process. An increase in the size and severity of fire, particularly in the Intermountain West, over the last several decades is expected to continue due to a warming climate. Predicting how fire will alter the net ecosystem carbon balance requires us to understand how carbon is stored, processed, and transferred. Here we present results from paired watersheds focused on five 2002 severe fires in Colorado to examine how organic matter is processed along the hillslope and within the stream. Comparing soil samples and water extractable organic matter (WEOM) between burned and unburned sites illustrates the impact of fire: burned soils have 50% organic matter (OM) content as unburned soils, regardless of geomorphic position. While a smaller pool, soil OM (SOM) in burned sites is more susceptible to microbial degradation (p<0.001 for 4 of 6 sites), especially in systems with slower vegetative recovery. This is explained, in part, to the water extractable organic matter (WEOM) from unburned soils having a higher C:N than burned sites (p<0.02). This shift in SOM quality is likely due to differing OM inputs (e.g. grasses and forbes vs. trees in burned vs. unburned sites). Comparing results from intact soil column experiments to soil extractions and stream samples, suggests that the majority of this soil derived WEOM does not make it to the stream, potentially getting sorbed deeper in the mineral rich, organic poor, portion of the soil. Interestingly, the systematic shifts in OM amounts and quality (as measured by SUVA, E2:E3, and fluorescence) within the terrestrial system in response to fire, are not seen in stream exports. As such, while there are significant relationships (p<0.05) between stream DOM quality, DOM bioavailability, and stream metabolism, burned watersheds are not exporting DOM that is more bioavailable. In addition, despite different terrestrial OM pools, burned and unburned watersheds export statistically similar amounts of DOM per unit area, suggesting that a larger fraction of OM is transferred from the terrestrial to aquatic ecosystem within fire affected landscapes.

Softwood lumber prices for evaluation of small diameter timber stands in the Intermountain West.

Treesearch

John T. Chmelik; Roger D. Fight; R. James Barbour

1999-01-01

This paper reports prices for aggregations of lumber grades that are representative of the quality and volume of lumber produced from small-diameter timber stands in the Intermountain West area encompassing Idaho and Montana and land east of the Cascade Mountain range in Oregon and Washington. Price data are reported for Douglas Fir1Larch, Hem1Fir, ponderosa pine, and...

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Annosus Root Disease in the Intermountain Western United States

Treesearch

James W. Byler

1989-01-01

Stand patterns of annosus root disease include various degrees and patterns of tree mortality; tree crown, root collar, and root symptoms; and the condition and location of stumps. In the Intermountain states of Montana, Idaho, and Utah, annosus root disease is found in the ponderosa pine, mixed conifer and high-elevation fir forests. Stand patterns are of value in...

Riparian buffer design guidelines for water quality and wildlife habitat functions on agricultural landscapes in the Intermountain West: Appendix C

Treesearch

Susan Buffler

2008-01-01

Currently, there is no scientific literature examining appropriate riparian buffer widths for water quality for streams on private agriculturally dominated lands in arid regions of the Intermountain West. The initial step in this research effort was a review of buffer research as documented in the literature in other physiographic regions of the United States. Research...

Development of single-nucleotide polymorphism markers for Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) from a partially sequenced transcriptome

Treesearch

Keith R. Merrill; Craig E. Coleman; Susan E. Meyer; Elizabeth A. Leger; Katherine A. Collins

2016-01-01

Premise of the study: Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) is an annual grass species that is invasive in many areas of the world but most especially in the U.S. Intermountain West. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed for use in investigating the geospatial and ecological diversity of B. tectorum in the Intermountain West to better understand the...

Seed feeding beetles (Bruchidae, Curculionidae, Brentidae) from legumes (Dalea ornata, Astragalus filipes) and other forbs needed for restoring rangelands of the Intermountain West

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Larval seed beetles are common seed predators that feed within individual seeds, and legume plants are especially plagued by seed beetles. This can be problematic for seed growers who raise seeds of North American legumes native to the Intermountain Region of the western U.S. for use in the reveget...

Ecophysiology and genetic variation in domestication of Sphaeralcea and Shepherdia species for the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Chalita Sriladda

2011-01-01

Low-water landscaping is an essential tool for water conservation in the arid Intermountain West (IMW) for managing limited supplies and population-driven increased demand. The IMW harbors a large number of drought-tolerant native species that have potential for use in the low-water use landscape (LWL). However, many species are not available in the nursery trade due...

Research perspectives on the public and fire management: a synthesis of current social science on eight essential questions

Treesearch

Sarah M. McCaffrey; Christine S. Olsen

2012-01-01

As part of a Joint Fire Science Program project, a team of social scientists reviewed existing fire social science literature to develop a targeted synthesis of scientific knowledge on the following questions: 1. What is the public's understanding of fire's role in the ecosystem? 2. Who are trusted sources of information about fire? 3. What are the public...

Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Program: 2014 Research Accomplishments

Treesearch

Faith Ann Heinsch; Robin J. Innes; Colin C. Hardy; Kristine M. Lee

2015-01-01

The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program (FFS) of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station focuses on fundamental and applied research in wildland fire, from fire physics and fire ecology to fuels management and smoke emissions. Located at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana, the scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff in FFS...

Fire Modeling Institute: FY2012 Annual Report: Bridging scientists and managers

Treesearch

Robin J. Innes

2013-01-01

The Fire Modeling Institute (FMI) brings the best available fire and fuel science and technology developed throughout the research community to bear in fire-related management issues. Although located within the Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program of the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, FMI is a national and international resource, serving fire...

Managing Intermountain rangelands - improvement of range and wildlife habitats: proceedings; 1981 September 15-17; Twin Falls, ID; 1982 June 22-24; Elko, NV

Treesearch

Stephen B. Monsen; Nancy Shaw

1983-01-01

The proceedings summarizes recent research and existing literature pertaining to the restoration and management of game and livestock ranges in the Intermountain Region. Improved plant materials and planting practices are emphasized. The series of 28 papers was presented at the Restoration of Range and Wildlife Habitat Training Sessions held in Twin Falls, Idaho,...

Seed-feeding beetles (Bruchinae, Curculionidae, Brentidae) from legumes (Dalea ornata, Astragalus filipes) and other forbs needed for restoring rangleands of the Intermountain West

Treesearch

James H. Cane; Clarence Johnson; Jesus Romero Napoles; Douglas A. Johnson; Robert Hammon

2013-01-01

Seed-feeding beetles of the genera Acanthoscelides, Apion, and occasionally Tychius were commonly found occurring in seeds from wild populations of Astragalus filipes and Dalea ornata across rangelands of the United States Intermountain West, resulting in many new state, county, and host records. These 2 legumes, as well as other perennial herbaceous species, are being...

Breeding biologies, pollinators, and seed beetles of two prairie-clovers, Dalea ornata and Dalea searlsiae (Fabaceae: Amorpheae), from the Intermountain West, USA

Treesearch

James H. Cane; Melissa Weber; Stephanie Miller

2012-01-01

Two prairie-clovers, Dalea ornata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton & J. Wright and Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby, are perennial forbs found sporadically in the U.S. Intermountain West. Their seed is desirable for use in rangeland restoration. We experimentally characterized the breeding biologies of D. ornata and D. searlsiae in a common garden, surveyed their...

Relating adaptive genetic traits to climate for Sandberg bluegrass from the intermountain western United States.

PubMed

Johnson, Richard C; Horning, Matthew E; Espeland, Erin K; Vance-Borland, Ken

2015-02-01

Genetic variation for potentially adaptive traits of the key restoration species Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl) was assessed over the intermountain western United States in relation to source population climate. Common gardens were established at two intermountain west sites with progeny from two maternal parents from each of 130 wild populations. Data were collected over 2 years at each site on fifteen plant traits associated with production, phenology, and morphology. Analyses of variance revealed strong population differences for all plant traits (P < 0.0001), indicating genetic variation. Both the canonical correlation and linear correlation established associations between source populations and climate variability. Populations from warmer, more arid climates had generally lower dry weight, earlier phenology, and smaller, narrower leaves than those from cooler, moister climates. The first three canonical variates were regressed with climate variables resulting in significant models (P < 0.0001) used to map 12 seed zones. Of the 700 981 km(2) mapped, four seed zones represented 92% of the area in typically semi-arid and arid regions. The association of genetic variation with source climates in the intermountain west suggested climate driven natural selection and evolution. We recommend seed transfer zones and population movement guidelines to enhance adaptation and diversity for large-scale restoration projects.

Effect of succession after fire on species contribution to evapotranspiration in sagebrush steppe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naithani, K.; Ewers, B. E.; Pendall, E.; Bayless, M. K.

2005-12-01

Shrubland ecosystems play an important role in the hydrology of the often drought stricken inter-mountain basins of the United Sates. Our objective was to investigate the impact of changing environmental conditions on three major plant functional types, shrubs, grasses and forbs. We measured changes in diurnal water flux from Artemisia tridentata var vaseyana (mountain big sagebrush), Elymus smithii (western wheatgrass) and Lupinus argentus (lupine) with changing environmental drivers for a sagebrush ecosystem fire chronosequence near the Sierra Madre Mountains, Wyoming, USA. The measurements were conducted on four stands ranging in age from 2 to 38 years, during the summers of 2004 and 2005. Leaf scale measurements and shrub sapflux were compared with ecosystem scale measurements. We explained the diurnal and monthly variability of water fluxes from June through October using vapor pressure deficit, soil moisture, light and temperature. In the year 2005, peak ecosystem level evapotranspiration of 5-7 mmol m-2 s-1 was higher than 2004 with 2-3 mmol m-2 s-1. The interannual difference in evapotranspiration was explained by higher precipitation causing greater biomass, especially in non shrub species, in 2005. Our results show that environmental conditions have impacts on total evapotranspiration that depend on plant functional type.

Wilderness fire science: A state of knowledge review

Treesearch

James K. Agee

2000-01-01

Wilderness fire science has progressed since the last major review of the topic, but it was significantly affected by the large fire events of 1988. Strides have been made in both fire behavior and fire effects, and in the issues of scaling, yet much of the progress has not been specifically tied to wilderness areas or funding. Although the management of fire in...

Seismic hazard in the Intermountain West

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haller, Kathleen; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Mueller, Charles; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Petersen, Mark D.; Zeng, Yuehua

2015-01-01

The 2014 national seismic-hazard model for the conterminous United States incorporates new scientific results and important model adjustments. The current model includes updates to the historical catalog, which is spatially smoothed using both fixed-length and adaptive-length smoothing kernels. Fault-source characterization improved by adding faults, revising rates of activity, and incorporating new results from combined inversions of geologic and geodetic data. The update also includes a new suite of published ground motion models. Changes in probabilistic ground motion are generally less than 10% in most of the Intermountain West compared to the prior assessment, and ground-motion hazard in four Intermountain West cities illustrates the range and magnitude of change in the region. Seismic hazard at reference sites in Boise and Reno increased as much as 10%, whereas hazard in Salt Lake City decreased 5–6%. The largest change was in Las Vegas, where hazard increased 32–35%.

Principles of effective USA federal fire management plans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyer, Marc D.; Roberts, Susan L.; Wills, Robin; Brooks, Matthew L.; Winford, Eric M.

2015-01-01

Federal fire management plans are essential implementation guides for the management of wildland fire on federal lands. Recent changes in federal fire policy implementation guidance and fire science information suggest the need for substantial changes in federal fire management plans of the United States. Federal land management agencies are also undergoing land management planning efforts that will initiate revision of fire management plans across the country. Using the southern Sierra Nevada as a case study, we briefly describe the underlying framework of fire management plans, assess their consistency with guiding principles based on current science information and federal policy guidance, and provide recommendations for the development of future fire management plans. Based on our review, we recommend that future fire management plans be: (1) consistent and compatible, (2) collaborative, (3) clear and comprehensive, (4) spatially and temporally scalable, (5) informed by the best available science, and (6) flexible and adaptive. In addition, we identify and describe several strategic guides or “tools” that can enhance these core principles and benefit future fire management plans in the following areas: planning and prioritization, science integration, climate change adaptation, partnerships, monitoring, education and communication, and applied fire management. These principles and tools are essential to successfully realize fire management goals and objectives in a rapidly changing world.

Invasive plant species and the Joint Fire Science Program.

Treesearch

Heather E. Erickson; Rachel White

2007-01-01

Invasive nonnative plants may be responsible for serious, long-term ecological impacts, including altering fire behavior and fire regimes. Therefore, knowing how to successfully manage invasive plants and their impacts on natural resources is crucial. We present a summary of research on invasive plants and fire that has been generated through the Joint Fire Science...

Measuring and modeling carbon balance in mountainous Northern Rocky mixed conifer forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudiburg, T. W.; Berardi, D.; Stenzel, J.

2016-12-01

Drought and wildfire caused by changing precipitation patterns, increased temperatures, increased fuel loads, and decades of fire suppression are reducing forest carbon uptake from local to continental scales. This trend is especially widespread in Idaho and the intermountain west and has important implications for climate change and forest management options. Given the key role of forests in climate regulation, understanding forest response to drought and the feedbacks to the atmosphere is a key research and policy-relevant priority globally. As temperature, fire, and precipitation regimes continue to change and there is increased risk of forest mortality, measurements and modeling at temporal and spatial scales that are conducive to understanding the impacts and underlying mechanisms of carbon and nutrient cycling become critically important. Until recently, sub-daily measurements of ecosystem carbon balance have been limited in remote, mountainous terrain (e.g Northern Rocky mountain forests). Here, we combine new measurement technology and state-of-the-art ecosystem modeling to determine the impact of drought on the total carbon balance of a mature, mixed-conifer forest in Northern Idaho. Our findings indicate that drought had no impact on aboveground NPP, despite early growing season reductions in soil moisture and fine root biomass compared to non-drought years in the past. Modeled estimates of net ecosystem production (NEP) suggest that a simultaneous reduction in heterotrophic respiration increased the carbon sink for this forest. This has important implications for forest management, such as thinning where the objectives are to increase forest resilience to fire and drought, but may decrease NEP.

Soils under fire: soils research and the Joint Fire Science Program.

Treesearch

Heather E. Erickson; Rachel White

2008-01-01

Soils are fundamental to a healthy and functioning ecosystem. Therefore, forest land managers can greatly benefit from a more thorough understanding of the ecological impacts of fire and fuel management activities on the vital services soils provide. We present a summary of new research on fire effects and soils made possible through the Joint Fire Science Program and...

The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory: A 50-year dedication to understanding wildlands and fire

Treesearch

Diane M. Smith

2012-01-01

In 1960, the USDA Forest Service established the Northern Forest Fire Laboratory (now the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory) to find scientific solutions for better managing the nation's wildland resources and to research ways to improve forest fire prevention and suppression. This new state-of-the-art research facility did not emerge from a vacuum, however. This...

Genesis of an oak-fire science consortium

Treesearch

Keith W. Grabner; Michael C. Stambaugh; Richard P. Guyette; Daniel C. Dey; Gary D. Wilson

2012-01-01

With respect to fire management and practices, one of the most overlooked regions lies in the middle of the country. In this region there is a critical need for both recognition of fire’s importance and sharing of fire information and expertise. Recently we proposed and were awarded funding by the Joint Fire Science Program to initiate the planning phase for a regional...

Fire Modeling Institute 2011 Annual Report

Treesearch

Robin J. Innes

2012-01-01

The Fire Modeling Institute (FMI), a part of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program, provides a bridge between scientists and managers. The mission of FMI is to bring the best available science and technology developed throughout the research community to bear on fire-related management issues across the nation. Resource management...

The science of firescapes: Achieving fire-resilient communities

Treesearch

Alistair M. S. Smith; Crystal A. Kolden; Travis B. Paveglio; Mark A. Cochrane; David MJS Bowman; Max A. Moritz; Andrew D. Kliskey; Lilian Alessa; Andrew T. Hudak; Chad M. Hoffman; James A. Lutz; Lloyd P. Queen; Scott J. Goetz; Philip E. Higuera; Luigi Boschetti; Mike Flannigan; Kara M. Yedinak; Adam C. Watts; Eva K. Strand; Jan W. van Wagtendonk; John W. Anderson; Brian J. Stocks; John T. Abatzoglou

2016-01-01

Wildland fire management has reached a crossroads. Current perspectives are not capable of answering interdisciplinary adaptation and mitigation challenges posed by increases in wildfire risk to human populations and the need to reintegrate fire as a vital landscape process. Fire science has been, and continues to be, performed in isolated "silos," including...

Forest restoration treatments have subtle long-term effects on soil C and N cycling in mixed conifer forests.

PubMed

Ganzlin, Peter W; Gundale, Michael J; Becknell, Rachel E; Cleveland, Cory C

2016-07-01

Decades of fire suppression following extensive timber harvesting have left much of the forest in the intermountain western United States exceedingly dense, and forest restoration techniques (i.e., thinning and prescribed fire) are increasingly being used in an attempt to mitigate the effects of severe wildfire, to enhance tree growth and regeneration, and to stimulate soil nutrient cycling. While many of the short-term effects of forest restoration have been established, the long-term effects on soil biogeochemical and ecosystem processes are largely unknown. We assessed the effects of commonly used forest restoration treatments (thinning, burning, and thinning + burning) on nutrient cycling and other ecosystem processes 11 yr after restoration treatments were implemented in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum)/Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) forest at the Lubrecht Fire and Fire Surrogates Study (FFS) site in western Montana, USA. Despite short-term (<3 yr) increases in soil inorganic nitrogen (N) pools and N cycling rates following prescribed fire, long-term soil N pools and N mineralization rates showed only subtle differences from untreated control plots. Similarly, despite a persistent positive correlation between fuels consumed in prescribed burns and several metrics of N cycling, variability in inorganic N pools decreased significantly since treatments were implemented, indicating a decline in N spatial heterogeneity through time. However, rates of net nitrification remain significantly higher in a thin + burn treatment relative to other treatments. Short-term declines in forest floor carbon (C) pools have persisted in the thin + burn treatment, but there were no significant long-term differences among treatments in extractable soil phosphorus (P). Finally, despite some short-term differences, long-term foliar nutrient concentrations, litter decomposition rates, and rates of free-living N fixation in the experimental plots were not different from control plots, suggesting nutrient cycles and ecosystem processes in temperate coniferous forests are resilient to disturbance following long periods of fire suppression. Overall, this study provides forest managers and policymakers valuable information showing that the effects of these commonly used restoration prescriptions on soil nutrient cycling are ephemeral and that use of repeated treatments (i.e., frequent fire) will be necessary to ensure continued restoration success. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Conservation education for Fire, Fuel and Smoke Program

Treesearch

Wayne Cook

2009-01-01

The mission of Conservation Education for the Fire, Fuel and Smoke (FFS) Program is to develop and deliver high-quality, science-based education about wildland fire to students, educators, the general public, and agency staff. Goals: 1) Increase awareness of the scope and content of FFS research. 2) Improve understanding of fundamental concepts in wildland fire science...

Science Matters Special Edition: Wildland Fire Science

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is applying its extensive expertise in air quality science to the study of wildland fires to help states and communities that are impacted. This issue of Science Matters newsletter highlights some of the research projects under way by EPA and partners.

Third U.S. Geological Survey Wildland Fire-Science Workshop : Denver, Colorado, November 12-15, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Livingston, Russell K.

2004-01-01

Executive Summary -- The historically significant wildland fire events that occurred in the United States during 2000 and 2002, together with the associated recognition of the need for a different national policy of forest management, has led to an increased awareness of the need for cooperative effort among all Federal agencies in planning for and managing the risks and consequences of wildland fire. The expertise and capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are significant resources in this regard, and the agency is becoming increasingly involved in fire-science activities in support of the various land-management agencies that are dealing directly with this issue. The First USGS Wildland Fire Workshop was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1997 and helped to establish the direction of USGS in sharing its expertise with the fire-management agencies. The Second USGS Wildland Fire Workshop was held in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 2000 and brought together all the agencies involved in the management of wildland fires in order to determine their needs, to demonstrate USGS capabilities to meet those needs, and to establish methods for the USGS to distribute data and tools useful in fire management. It enhanced the relationships developed during the 1997 workshop and helped to define USGS' role in the fire-management community. The Third USGS Wildland Fire-Science Workshop, held in Denver, Colorado, November 12?15, 2002, was an opportunity for exchange of information on recent progress in the area of fire science and to determine the gaps in fire-science research that could be addressed by the USGS. In addition to more than 90 USGS scientists engaged in fire-related research and managers of organizational units involved in some aspect of wildland fire activities, the workshop was attended by about 30 representatives of 11 other Federal agencies. There also were a number of attendees affiliated with several universities, private companies, and State and local agencies. The 4-day meeting consisted of a pre-workshop field trip to the Hayman Fire area, several keynote presentations, five panel discussions, presentation and 'breakout' discussion of four 'white paper' topics, and a poster session with more than 30 presentations.

Progress in wilderness fire science: Embracing complexity

Treesearch

Carol Miller; Gregory H. Aplet

2016-01-01

Wilderness has played an invaluable role in the development of wildland fire science. Since Agee’s review of the subject 15 years ago, tremendous progress has been made in the development of models and data, in understanding the complexity of wildland fire as a landscape process, and in appreciating the social factors that influence the use of wilderness fire....

Spacecraft Fire Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margle, Janice M. (Editor)

1987-01-01

Fire detection, fire standards and testing, fire extinguishment, inerting and atmospheres, fire-related medical science, aircraft fire safety, Space Station safety concerns, microgravity combustion, spacecraft material flammability testing, and metal combustion are among the topics considered.

Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school earth science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

Fire social science research from the Pacific Southwest research station: studies supported by national fire plan funds

Treesearch

Deborah J. Chavez; James D. Absher; Patricia L. Winter

2008-01-01

Fire events often have a large impact on recreation and tourism, yet these issues had not been addressed from a social science perspective. To address his, the Wildland Recreation and Urban Cultures Research Work Unit (RWU) of the Pacific Southwest Research Station acquired funding through the National Fire Plan within the community assistance topic area. The three...

Building a state prescribed fire program: experiences and lessons learned in Ohio

Treesearch

Michael Bowden

2009-01-01

Science continues to show the need for the use of prescribed fire in oak-dominated forests of the eastern United States. Fire is necessary to reduce competition by thin-barked species, allowing for the development of oak advance regeneration. Many agencies are beginning to apply this science by using prescribed fire to manage their oak forests. This paper examines the...

Burning Down the Silos: Integrating new perspectives from the social sciences into human behavior in fire research.

PubMed

Kuligowski, Erica

2017-01-01

The traditional social science disciplines can provide many benefits to the field of human behavior in fire (HBiF). First, the social sciences delve further into insights only marginally examined by HBiF researchers, in turn, expanding the depth of HBiF research. In this paper, I present examples of studies from the fields of social psychology and sociology that would expand HBiF research into non-engineering or "unobservable" aspects of behavior during a fire event. Second, the social sciences can provide insight into new areas of research; in turn, expanding the scope of HBiF research. In this section, I introduce pre- and post-fire studies and explore potential research questions that fall outside of the response period of a fire, the phase upon which most focus is currently placed. Third, the social sciences elucidate the value of research methods available to study human behavior. Qualitative research methods are specifically highlighted. These three benefits will allow HBiF researchers to collect a wider range of data, further develop and expand current behavioral knowledge, and increase the impact of this research for both social and engineering applications. Finally, I end with a discussion on possible ways to better integrate the social sciences within human behavior in fire.

SKOSFIRE: Semantically Accessible Vocabularies for Wildland Fire Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordgren, B.; Urbanski, S. P.

2012-12-01

The field of wildland fire science is experiencing mounting pressure to perform better data management. Large field campaigns produce all manner of data covering a variety of disciplines, including: spreadsheets of fuel measurements, meteorological data, visible and thermal infrared video, and volumetric datasets produced by scanning LIDAR. These data enable the advancement and validation of state of the art modeling tools. Curating these data with the objective of enabling future users to quickly and efficiently locate observations of interest is becoming a critical need, particularly in an era of shrinking budgets. As a first step towards the eventual goal of developing a Wildland Fire Science ontology for use with semantically-aware repository services, peer reviewed glossaries within the domain have been converted to the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) format. The "Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology" is an interagency publication of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), and serves to provide many concepts relevant to the land management agencies acting as consumers of fire science. "Firewords" is managed by fire scientists and provides concepts of interest to a scientific audience. Finally, a volume has been published to define the variables required by the BehavePlus fire modeling system, which should serve to describe many measurement fields. This work describes the steps taken to transition each of these sources from a term-centered glossary to a collection of well defined concepts serving as the foundation of a future Wildland Fire Science ontology.

Personal and organizational influences to the use of fire and fuels research by federal agency managers

Treesearch

Vita Wright

2008-01-01

The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) and the National Fire Plan (NFP) spend considerable amounts of money on fire and fuels research. From Fiscal Year 1998-2006, the JFSP spent approximately $145 million, and from Fiscal Year 2001-2005, the NFP spent approximately $104 million on research. For the costs of research to be fully realized, it is critical that science...

Impacts of EHR Certification and Meaningful Use Implementation on an Integrated Delivery Network.

PubMed

Bowes, Watson A

2014-01-01

Three years ago Intermountain Healthcare made the decision to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Heath Record (EHR) Incentive Program which required that hospitals and providers use a certified EHR in a meaningful way. At that time, the barriers to enhance our home grown system, and change clinician workflows were numerous and large. This paper describes the time and effort required to enhance our legacy systems in order to pass certification, including filling 47 gaps in (EHR) functionality. We also describe the processes and resources that resulted in successful changes to many clinical workflows required by clinicians to meet meaningful use requirements. In 2011 we set meaningful use targets of 75% of employed physicians and 75% of our hospitals to meet Stage 1 of meaningful use by 2013. By the end of 2013, 87% of 696 employed eligible professionals and 100% of 22 Intermountain hospitals had successfully attested for Stage 1. This paper describes documented and perceived costs to Intermountain including time, effort, resources, postponement of other projects, as well as documented and perceived benefits of attainment of meaningful use.

Directory of workers in the fire field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuvshinoff, B. W.; Mcleod, S. B.; Katz, R. G.

1973-01-01

A directory was compiled to provide a list of workers engaged in fire research, their addresses and affiliations, and their principal fields of activity. The initial criteria for the selection of names for the directory are recent contributions to fire literature, teaching of subjects relevant to fire science, or participation in or support of fire research programs. With some exceptions, fire service personnel and fire protection engineers were excluded because directories already exist for these professionals. Also excluded are investigators engaged principally in studies of propulsion, combustion, and explosion phenomena, because these areas of study are somewhat aside from the main focus of fire research. For purposes of the directory, fire science is taken to be the body of knowledge, art, and skill related to the investigation, analysis, and interpretation of the phenomena of unwanted fires and the evaluation of materials methods, systems, and equipment related to fire safety, prevention, detection, and suppression.

Chronic disease management at Intermountain Healthcare.

PubMed

Towner, Steven

2008-01-01

The care of patients with chronic disease is a significant challenge for any healthcare system. Intermountain Healthcare is trying a variety of approaches to chronic disease management. There are five general areas that have been organized centrally. These areas are provider education, patient education, outcomes data, clinical support (ideas that make it easier to do the right thing), and multidisciplinary coordination of care. Typically within each area a variety of tools are developed. The clinical application of the tools varies from provider to provider and from patient to patient. Innovative tools have come from unexpected sources. Significant improvement in measured outcomes has been demonstrated.

Fire social science research–selected highlights.

Treesearch

Armando González-Cabán; Richard W. Haynes; Sarah McCaffrey; Evan Mercer; Alan Watson

2007-01-01

Forest Service Research and Development has a long-standing component of social fire science that since 2000 has expanded significantly. Much of this new work focuses on research that will increase understanding of the social and economic issues connected with wildland fire and fuels management. This information can enhance the ability of agencies and communities to...

Science delivery is a two-way street – development of the Consortium Of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists (CAFMS)

Treesearch

Thomas A. Waldrop; Helen H. Mohr; Zoe Hoyle

2012-01-01

The Appalachian region stretches along the Blue Ridge Mountains from Pennsylvania south into Georgia and Alabama. The region’s lands shelter some of the greatest biological diversity in the United States. The heavily forested public lands are in great need of science-based fire management after decades of fire suppression. Fire-related research is relatively new to the...

75 FR 39664 - Grant of Authority For Subzone Status Materials Science Technology, Inc. (Specialty Elastomers...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-12

... Status Materials Science Technology, Inc. (Specialty Elastomers and Fire Retardant Chemicals) Conroe... specialty elastomer manufacturing and distribution facility of Materials Science Technology, Inc., located... and distribution of specialty elastomers and fire retardant chemicals at the facility of Materials...

Fire and Rescue Technology. Resources in Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valesey, Brigitte G.

1997-01-01

Provides occupational information about fire and rescue operations personnel, such as fire science, fire protection engineering, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters. Provides information about organizations in these fields. (JOW)

Applying the best available science to fire management: Individual and organizational influences to success

Treesearch

Vita Wright

2012-01-01

Fifty years of scientific literature on human behavior, communication and organizations offers numerous insights into the communication and use of science in the context of public land management. Using diverse but complementary social science theories and methods, I studied individual and organizational influences on the use of science by federal fire managers and...

Fire in the mind: changing understandings of fire in Western civilization

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

For most of human history, fire has been a pervasive presence in human life, and so also in human thought. This essay examines the ways in which fire has functioned intellectually in Western civilization as mythology, as religion, as natural philosophy and as modern science. The great phase change occurred with the development of industrial combustion; fire faded from quotidian life, which also removed it from the world of informing ideas. Beginning with the discovery of oxygen, fire as an organizing concept fragmented into various subdisciplines of natural science and forestry. The Anthropocene, however, may revive the intellectual role of fire as an informing idea or at least a narrative conceit. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’. PMID:27216523

Fire in the mind: changing understandings of fire in Western civilization.

PubMed

Pyne, Stephen J

2016-06-05

For most of human history, fire has been a pervasive presence in human life, and so also in human thought. This essay examines the ways in which fire has functioned intellectually in Western civilization as mythology, as religion, as natural philosophy and as modern science. The great phase change occurred with the development of industrial combustion; fire faded from quotidian life, which also removed it from the world of informing ideas. Beginning with the discovery of oxygen, fire as an organizing concept fragmented into various subdisciplines of natural science and forestry. The Anthropocene, however, may revive the intellectual role of fire as an informing idea or at least a narrative conceit.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Intermountain Cyclogenesis: a Climatology and Multiscale Case Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Tiros Peijiun

1995-11-01

A detailed study of Intermountain cyclones over the western United States is conducted through climatological and case studies. An eleven-year (1976-1986) statistical survey shows that the Nevada cyclogenesis is mainly a springtime (March, April) event while a secondary maximum of cyclogenesis frequency is found in November. Nearly 75% of the Nevada cyclogenesis events (177 out of 237 cases) take place under large-scale westerly to southerly flow aloft across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, while 24% of the events (57 out of 237 cases) occur under northwesterly flow aloft. A composite study of these two types of the flow is shown to demonstrate how differences in large-scale topography affect Intermountain cyclogenesis processes. The result from a case study of 9-11 February 1984 reveals that an antecedent Nevada lee trough formed as a result of large-scale southwesterly flow aloft interacting with the underlying terrain well before the surface and upper-level troughs moved onshore. Subsequent cyclogenesis took place in situ with the axis of the trough as the center of large-scale quasi-geostrophic ascent/positive potential vorticity advection began to spread across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As the cyclone moved downstream, it was observed to weaken well before reaching the Continental Divide while a new cyclonic development occurred east of the Rocky Mountains. It is shown that the weakening of the Intermountain cyclone was associated with the ongoing interaction between the Intermountain cyclone and large-scale topography and the progressive outrunning of the large-scale dynamical forcing aloft away from the surface cyclone center. An investigation of the large-scale evolution for the 26-29 January 1980 case, which developed beneath the northwesterly flow aloft, further reveals that the underlying topography plays two major roles in contributing to the initial cyclogenesis: (1) to block and to retard cold, stable air east of the Continental Divide from rushing into the Great Basin region, and (2) to produce differential pressure falls across the Sierra Nevada Mountains (more along the eastern slopes) in response to increasing cross -mountain flow. Numerous transient shortwaves in the midtroposphere rapidly move across the GB and the Rocky Mountains into the Plains States, while the Intermountain cyclone moves slower than to the disturbances aloft. There is no downstream lee trough/cyclogenesis to the east of the Rockies during the investigation period since the leeside is characterized by cold, stable air. The third case study is made of an 11-14 December 1987 Intermountain cyclogenesis case which took place in an area of relatively warm and less stable environment near the Arizona-New Mexico border beneath northwesterly flow aloft. The ensuing interaction between the large -scale flow and underlying terrain allowed the surface cyclone to remain quasi-stationary for its entire 36 h life span. We also document a cold-season small-scale Catalina eddy development in the coastal southern California waters in this case. The eddy formed as the equatorward and northeasterly flow upstream of the coastal (San Rafael and Saint Ynez) mountains increased in the lower troposphere. Weak large-scale ascent in the mid- and upper-troposphere over the incipient eddy environment provided evidence of the orographic nature of the small -scale cyclone. The eddy was eventually displaced seaward and weakened with the arrival of powerful large-scale subsidence and increasing northeasterly downslope flow at the lower levels that reached the coastal waters.

A social network approach to understanding science communication among fire professionals

Treesearch

Vita Wright

2012-01-01

Studies of science communication and use in the fire management community suggest manager's access research via informal information networks and that these networks vary by both agency and position. We used a phone survey followed by traditional statistical analyses to understand the informal social networks of fire professionals in two western regions of the...

A social network approach to understanding science communication among fire professionals (Abstract)

Treesearch

Vita Wright; Andrea Thode; Anne Mottek-Lucas; Jacklynn Fallon; Megan Matonis

2012-01-01

Studies of science communication and use in the fire management community suggest manager's access research via informal information networks and that these networks vary by both agency and position. We used a phone survey followed by traditional statistical analyses to understand the informal social networks of fire professionals in two western regions of the...

Decompression tables for inside chamber attendants working at altitude.

PubMed

Bell, James; Thombs, Paul A; Davison, William J; Weaver, Lindell K

2014-01-01

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) multiplace chamber inside attendants (IAs) are at risk for decompression sickness (DCS). Standard decompression tables are formulated for sea-level use, not for use at altitude. At Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center (Denver, Colorado, 5,924 feet above sea level) and Intermountain Medical Center (Murray, Utah, 4,500 feet), the decompression obligation for IAs is managed with U.S. Navy Standard Air Tables corrected for altitude, Bühlmann Tables, and the Nobendem© calculator. IAs also breathe supplemental oxygen while compressed. Presbyterian/St. Luke's (0.83 atmospheres absolute/atm abs) uses gauge pressure, uncorrected for altitude, at 45 feet of sea water (fsw) (2.2 atm abs) for routine wound care HBO2 and 66 fsw (2.8 atm abs) for carbon monoxide/cyanide poisoning. Presbyterian/St. Luke's provides oxygen breathing for the IAs at 2.2 atm abs. At Intermountain (0.86 atm abs), HBO2 is provided at 2.0 atm abs for routine treatments and 3.0 atm abs for carbon monoxide poisoning. Intermountain IAs breathe intermittent 50% nitrogen/50% oxygen at 3.0 atm abs and 100% oxygen at 2.0 atm abs. The chamber profiles include a safety stop. From 1990-2013, Presbyterian/St. Luke's had 26,900 total IA exposures: 25,991 at 45 fsw (2.2 atm abs) and 646 at 66 fsw (2.8 atm abs); there have been four cases of IA DCS. From 2008-2013, Intermountain had 1,847 IA exposures: 1,832 at 2 atm abs and 15 at 3 atm abs, with one case of IA DCS. At both facilities, DCS incidents occurred soon after the chambers were placed into service. Based on these results, chamber inside attendant risk for DCS at increased altitude is low when the inside attendants breathe supplemental oxygen.

Natural history collections: A scientific treasure trove

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2006-01-01

Natural history collections play an indispensable and often overlooked role in the conservation and management of our Nation’s flora and fauna. Scientific specimens housed in museum collections not only open an important window into the current and past diversity of life on Earth, but also play a vital role in fueling cutting-edge scientific research in many disciplines. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) curates a collection of vertebrates from the Intermountain and Southwestern United States that is used by researchers from around the globe. As one of the largest Federal natural history collections in the western United States, the USGS specimen holdings offer unique opportunities to study the fauna of this incredibly diverse and unique region.

Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Russell G.

This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

Applying the best available science to fire management: Individual and organizational influences to success (Abstract)

Treesearch

Vita Wright

2012-01-01

Fifty years of scientific literature on human behavior, communication and organizations offers numerous insights into the communication and use of science in the context of public land management. Using diverse but complementary social science theories and methods, I studied individual and organizational influences on the use of science by federal fire managers and...

The integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aldridge, Cameron L.; Berg, Ken; Boyd, Chad S.; Boyte, Stephen P.; Bradford, John B.; Brunson, Ed; Cissel, John H.; Conway, Courtney J.; Chalfoun, Anna D.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Clark, Patrick; Coates, Peter S.; Crist, Michele R.; Davis, Dawn M.; DeCrappeo, Nicole; Deibert, Patricia A.; Doherty, Kevin E.; Evers, Louisa B.; Finch, Deborah M.; Finn, Sean P.; Germino, Matthew J.; Glenn, Nancy F.; Gucker, Corey; Hall, John A.; Hanser, Steven E.; Havlina, Douglas W.; Heinrichs, Julie; Heller, Matt; Homer, Collin G.; Hunter, Molly E.; Jacobs, Ruth W.; Karl, Jason W.; Kearney, Richard; Kemp, Susan K; Kilkenny, Francis F.; Knick, Steven T.; Launchbaugh, Karen; Manier, Daniel J.; Mayer, Kenneth E.; Meyer, Susan E.; Monroe, Adrian; MontBlanc, Eugénie; Newingham, Beth A.; Pellant, Michael L.; Phillips, Susan L.; Pilliod, David S.; Ricca, Mark A.; Richardson, Bryce A.; Rose, Jeffrey A.; Shaw, Nancy; Sheley, Roger L.; Shinneman, Douglas J.; Wiechman , Lief A.; Wylie, Bruce K.

2016-01-01

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meet current management challenges. The tasks and actions identified in the Strategy address several broad topics related to management of the sagebrush ecosystem. This science plan is organized around these topics and specifically focuses on fire, invasive plant species and their effects on altering fire regimes, restoration, sagebrush and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and climate and weather.

Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on air

Treesearch

David V. Sandberg; Roger D. Ottmar; Janice L. Peterson

2002-01-01

This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on air quality can assist land, fire, and air resource managers with fire and smoke planning, and their efforts to explain to others the science behind fire-related program policies and practices to improve air quality. Chapter topics include air quality regulations and fire; characterization of emissions from...

State of Fire Behavior Models and their Application to Ecosystem and Smoke Management Issues: Special Session Summary Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-24

advance fire science: (1) fire behavior, (2) ecological effects of fire, (3) carbon accounting , (4) emissions characterization, and (5) fire plume...relates to smoke management. 3) Carbon accounting in forest management and prescribed fire programs (including tradeoffs such as prescribed burning...carbon accounting , 4) emissions characterization and 5) fire plume dispersion. 1) Fire behavior. Better characterization of wildland fire behavior is

The Wildland Fire Decision Support System: Integrating science, technology, and fire management

Treesearch

Morgan Pence; Tom Zimmerman

2011-01-01

Federal agency policy requires documentation and analysis of all wildland fire response decisions. In the past, planning and decision documentation for fires were completed using multiple unconnected processes, yielding many limitations. In response, interagency fire management executives chartered the development of the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS)....

The Fire and Fire Surrogates Study: Providing guidelines for fire in future forest watershed management decisions

Treesearch

Carleton B. Edminster; C. Phillip Weatherspoon; Daniel G. Neary

2000-01-01

As part of the 1998 Joint USDA/USDI Fire Science Program, the Fire and Fire Surrogates Study was proposed to establish and evaluate cross-comparisons of fuels treatment practices and techniques to reduce wildfire risk. This study evaluates prescribed fire, thinning, and various mechanical treatment methods for treating, removing, or using woody biomass. Site-specific...

Social Science Research Related to Wildfire Management: An Overview of Recent Findings and Future Research Needs

Treesearch

Sarah M. McCaffrey; Eric Toman; Melanie Stidham; Bruce Shindler

2012-01-01

As with other aspects of natural-resource management, the approach to managing wildland fires has evolved over time as scientific understanding has advanced and the broader context surrounding management decisions has changed. Prior to 2000 the primary focus of most fire research was on the physical and ecological aspects of fire; social science research was limited to...

NASA Experience with UAS Science Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curry, Robert E.; Jennison, Chris

2007-01-01

Viewgraphs of NASA's Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as it applies to Earth science missions is presented. The topics include: 1) Agenda; 2) Background; 3) NASA Science Aircraft Endurance; 4) Science UAS Development Challenges; 5) USCG Alaskan Maritime Surveillance; 6) NOAA/NASA UAV Demonstration Project; 7) Western States Fire Mission; 8) Esperanza Fire Emergency Response; 9) Ikhana (Predator B); 10) UAV Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR); 11) Global Hawk; and 12) Related Technologies

Tongue-tied: Confused meanings for common fire terminology can lead to fuels mismanagement

Treesearch

Theresa B. Jain; Russell T. Graham; David S. Pilliod

2004-01-01

The ineffective and inconsistent use of terminology among fire managers, scientists, resource managers and the public is a constant problem in resource management. In fire management and fire science, the terms fire severity, burn severity and fire intensity are defined in a variety of ways, used inconsistently and, in some cases, interchangeably.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 02: fire hazard

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Fire hazard reflects the potential fire behavior and magnitude of effects as a function of fuel conditions. This fact sheet discusses crown fuels, surface fuels, and ground fuels and their contribution and involvement in wildland fire.Other publications in this series...

Assessing the Role and Impact of Geospatial Data for Wildland Fire Management Decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, E. A.; Lev, S. M.

2016-12-01

The 2015 Wildland and Fire Science and Technology Task Force Final Report, produced by the National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability, Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction, highlighted the increasing frequency of large wildfires and the growing demand for science to inform critical resource decisions to manage, mitigate, respond to, and recover from wildland fires. Federal spending on fire suppression from 2005-2015 has more than doubled despite policy changes that prioritize the mitigation of fire risks through the use of fuel treatments, prescribed fire, and management of naturally occurring wildfires to protect life and property. Fire suppression policies over the last century have created forests primed for severe fire, and in the face of a changing climate, the benefits of re-introducing fire into once fire-resilient ecosystems are clear. There are a range of complex factors and regional variation associated with wildland fire risk that complicate our understanding and effective management of this hazard. Data derived from Earth-observing (EO) systems and networks are a crucial input for managers when making decisions about fire suppression and fuel management. EO data can also be used to develop pre- and post-fire metrics that can aid in the evaluating the effectiveness of wildland fire management decisions. A value-tree method for mapping the role of EO systems and networks in delivering societal benefit through key Federal objectives related to wildland fire management will be presented. The value-tree methodology utilizes input from subject matter experts to assess the availability and usability of data and data products and to evaluate the impact of individual EO data inputs for achieving wildland fire management objectives. The results provide a qualitative assessment of the value of the data for the objectives described and identify critical gaps and continuity issues associated with improvements to and continuous delivery of societal benefit.

The FIRE Cirrus Science Results 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdougal, David S. (Editor)

1993-01-01

FIRE (First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment) is a U.S. cloud-radiation research program that seeks to improve our basic understanding and parameterizations of cirrus and marine stratocumulus cloud systems and ISCCP data products. The FIRE Cirrus Science Conference was held in Breckenridge, CO, 14-17 Jun. 1993, to present results of cirrus research for the second phase of FIRE (1989-present) and to refine cirrus research goals and priorities for the next phase of FIRE (1994-future). This Conference Publication contains the text of short papers presented at the conference. The papers describe research analyses of data collected at the Cirrus Intensive Field Observations-2 field experiment conducted in Kansas, 13 Nov. - 7 Dec. 1991.

Humans, Fires, and Forests - Social science applied to fire management

Treesearch

Hanna J. Cortner; Donald R. Field; Pam Jakes; James D. Buthman

2003-01-01

The 2000 and 2002 fire seasons resulted in increased political scrutiny of the nation's wildland fire threats, and given the fact that millions of acres of lands are still at high risk for future catastrophic fire events, the issues highlighted by the recent fire seasons are not likely to go away any time soon. Recognizing the magnitude of the problem, the...

Drought Risk and Adaptation in the Interior (DRAI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeeley, S.; Ojima, D. S.

2013-12-01

Drought is part of the normal climate variability in the Great Plains and Intermountain Western United States, but recent severe droughts along with climate change projections have increased the interest and need for better understanding of drought science and decision making. The purpose of this study is to understand how the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) federal land and resource managers and their stakeholders (i.e., National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribes, among others) are experiencing and dealing with drought in their landscapes. The Drought Risk and Adaptation in the Interior (DRAI) project is part of a new DOI-sponsored North Central Climate Science Center (NC CSC) crosscutting science initiative on drought across the Center's three foundational science areas: 1. physical climate, 2. ecosystems impacts and responses, and 3. human adaptation and decision making. The overarching goal is to learn more about drought within the DOI public lands and resource management in order to contribute to both the NC CSC regional science as well as providing managers and other decision makers with the most salient, credible, and legitimate research to support land and resource management decisions. Here we will present the project approach along with some initial insights learned from the research to date along with its utility for climate adaptation.

Restoring forbs for sage grouse habitat: Fire, microsites, and establishment methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wirth, Troy A.; Pyke, David A.

2003-01-01

The decline and range reduction of sage grouse populations are primarily due to permanent loss and degradation of sagebrusha??grassland habitat. Several studies have shown that sage grouse productivity may be limited by the availability of certain preferred highly nutritious forb species that have also declined within sagebrush ecosystems of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of three species of forbs for revegetation projects where improving sage grouse habitat is a goal. Species suitability was determined by evaluating the emergence, survival, and reproduction of Crepis modocensis, C. occidentalis, and Astragalus purshii in response to method of establishment (seeding or transplanting), site preparation treatment (burned or unburned), and microsite (mound or interspace) in an Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis vegetation association in south central Oregon. For seeded plants A. purshii had the lowest emergence (8%) of all three species. Both seeded Crepis species had similar overall emergence (38%). Significantly more Crepis seedlings emerged from shrub mounds in unburned areas (50%) than in any other fire-by-microsite treatment (33 to 36%). Approximately 10% more Crepis seedlings survived in mounds compared with interspaces. Nearly twice as many emerging Crepis seedlings survived in the burned areas as opposed to unburned areas (p < 0.01). This resulted in more plant establishment in burned mounds despite higher emergence in unburned mounds. Astragalus purshii seedlings also survived better in burned areas (p = 0.06) but had no differential response to microsite. Fire enhanced survival of both Crepis and A. purshii transplants (p = 0.08 and p = 0.001). We believe additional research is needed to improve A. purshii emergence before it will become an effective plant for restoring sage grouse habitat. Conversely, we conclude that these Crepis species provide a viable revegetation option for improving sage grouse habitat in south central Oregon.

Science and technology issues in spacecraft fire safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert; Sacksteder, Kurt R.

1987-01-01

The space station, a permanently-inhabited orbiting laboratory, places new demands on spacecraft fire safety. Long-duration missions may call for more-constrained fire controls, but the accessibility of the space station to a variety of users may call for less-restrictive measures. This paper discusses fire safety issues through a review of the state of the art and a presentation of key findings from a recent NASA Lewis Research Center Workshop. The subjects covered are the fundamental science of low-gravity combustion and the technology advances in fire detection, extinguishment, materials assessment, and atmosphere selection. Key concerns are for the adoption of a fire-safe atmosphere and the substitution for the effective but toxic extinguishant, halon 1301. The fire safety studies and reviews provide several recommendations for further action. One is the expanded research in combustion, sensors, and materials in the low-gravity environment of space. Another is the development of generalized fire-safety standards for spacecraft through cooperative endeavors with aerospace and outside Government and industry sources.

The contribution of natural fire management to wilderness fire science

Treesearch

Carol Miller

2014-01-01

When the federal agencies established policies in the late 1960s and early 1970s to allow the use of natural fires in wilderness, they launched a natural fire management experiment in a handful of wilderness areas. As a result, wildland fire has played more of its natural role in wilderness than anywhere else. Much of what we understand about fire ecology comes from...

The effects of natural language processing on cross-institutional portability of influenza case detection for disease surveillance.

PubMed

Ferraro, Jeffrey P; Ye, Ye; Gesteland, Per H; Haug, Peter J; Tsui, Fuchiang Rich; Cooper, Gregory F; Van Bree, Rudy; Ginter, Thomas; Nowalk, Andrew J; Wagner, Michael

2017-05-31

This study evaluates the accuracy and portability of a natural language processing (NLP) tool for extracting clinical findings of influenza from clinical notes across two large healthcare systems. Effectiveness is evaluated on how well NLP supports downstream influenza case-detection for disease surveillance. We independently developed two NLP parsers, one at Intermountain Healthcare (IH) in Utah and the other at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) using local clinical notes from emergency department (ED) encounters of influenza. We measured NLP parser performance for the presence and absence of 70 clinical findings indicative of influenza. We then developed Bayesian network models from NLP processed reports and tested their ability to discriminate among cases of (1) influenza, (2) non-influenza influenza-like illness (NI-ILI), and (3) 'other' diagnosis. On Intermountain Healthcare reports, recall and precision of the IH NLP parser were 0.71 and 0.75, respectively, and UPMC NLP parser, 0.67 and 0.79. On University of Pittsburgh Medical Center reports, recall and precision of the UPMC NLP parser were 0.73 and 0.80, respectively, and IH NLP parser, 0.53 and 0.80. Bayesian case-detection performance measured by AUROC for influenza versus non-influenza on Intermountain Healthcare cases was 0.93 (using IH NLP parser) and 0.93 (using UPMC NLP parser). Case-detection on University of Pittsburgh Medical Center cases was 0.95 (using UPMC NLP parser) and 0.83 (using IH NLP parser). For influenza versus NI-ILI on Intermountain Healthcare cases performance was 0.70 (using IH NLP parser) and 0.76 (using UPMC NLP parser). On University of Pisstburgh Medical Center cases, 0.76 (using UPMC NLP parser) and 0.65 (using IH NLP parser). In all but one instance (influenza versus NI-ILI using IH cases), local parsers were more effective at supporting case-detection although performances of non-local parsers were reasonable.

Effects of habitat fragmentation on passerine birds breeding in Intermountain shrubsteppe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knick, S.T.; Rotenberry, J.T.

2002-01-01

Habitat fragmentation and loss strongly influence the distribution and abundance of passerine birds breeding in Intermountain shrubsteppe. Wildfires, human activities, and change in vegetation communities often are synergistic in these systems and can result in radical conversion from shrubland to grasslands dominated by exotic annuals at large temporal and spatial scales from which recovery to native conditions is unlikely. As a result, populations of 5 of the 12 species in our review of Intermountain shrubsteppe birds are undergoing significant declines; 5 species are listed as at-risk or as candidates for protection in at least one state. The process by which fragmentation affects bird distributions in these habitats remains unknown because most research has emphasized the detection of population trends and patterns of habitat associations at relatively large spatial scales. Our research indicates that the distribution of shrubland-obligate species, such as Brewer's Sparrows (Spizella breweri), Sage Sparrows (Amphispiza belli), and Sage Thrashers (Oreoscoptes montanus), was highly sensitive to fragmentation of shrublands at spatial scales larger than individual home ranges. In contrast, the underlying mechanisms for both habitat change and bird population dynamics may operate independently of habitat boundaries. We propose alternative, but not necessarily exclusive, mechanisms to explain the relationship between habitat fragmentation and bird distribution and abundance. Fragmentation might influence productivity through differences in breeding density, nesting success, or predation. However, local and landscape variables were not significant determinants either of success, number fledged, or probability of predation or parasitism (although our tests had relatively low statistical power). Alternatively, relative absence of natal philopatry and redistribution by individuals among habitats following fledging or post-migration could account for the pattern of distribution and abundance. Thus, boundary dynamics may be important in determining the distribution of shrubland-obligate species but insignificant relative to the mechanisms causing the pattern of habitat and bird distribution. Because of the dichotomy in responses, Intermountain shrubsteppe systems present a unique challenge in understanding how landscape composition, configuration, and change influence bird population dynamics.

The Fire Effects Information System - serving managers since before the Yellowstone fires

Treesearch

Jane Kapler Smith; Janet L. Fryer; Kristin Zouhar

2009-01-01

This presentation will describe the current status of the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) and explore lessons learned from this 23-yearold project about the application of science to fire management issues. FEIS contains literature reviews covering biology and fire ecology for approximately 1,100 species in North America: plants and animals, native and nonnative...

Making fire and fire surrogate science available: a summary of regional workshops with clients

Treesearch

Andrew Youngblood; Heidi Bigler-Cole; Christopher J. Fettig; Carl Fiedler; Eric E. Knapp; John F. Lehmkuhl; Kenneth W. Outcalt; Carl N. Skinner; Scott L. Stephens; Thomas A. Waldrop

2007-01-01

Operational-scale experiments that evaluate the consequences of fire and mechanical "surrogates" for natural disturbance events are essential to better understand strategies for reducing the incidence and severity of wildfire. The national Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study was initiated in 1999 to establish an integrated network of long-term studies...

Estimated probability of postwildfire debris flows in the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire burn area, southwestern New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tillery, Anne C.; Matherne, Anne Marie; Verdin, Kristine L.

2012-01-01

In May and June 2012, the Whitewater-Baldy Fire burned approximately 1,200 square kilometers (300,000 acres) of the Gila National Forest, in southwestern New Mexico. The burned landscape is now at risk of damage from postwildfire erosion, such as that caused by debris flows and flash floods. This report presents a preliminary hazard assessment of the debris-flow potential from 128 basins burned by the Whitewater-Baldy Fire. A pair of empirical hazard-assessment models developed by using data from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain Western United States was used to estimate the probability of debris-flow occurrence and volume of debris flows along the burned area drainage network and for selected drainage basins within the burned area. The models incorporate measures of areal burned extent and severity, topography, soils, and storm rainfall intensity to estimate the probability and volume of debris flows following the fire. In response to the 2-year-recurrence, 30-minute-duration rainfall, modeling indicated that four basins have high probabilities of debris-flow occurrence (greater than or equal to 80 percent). For the 10-year-recurrence, 30-minute-duration rainfall, an additional 14 basins are included, and for the 25-year-recurrence, 30-minute-duration rainfall, an additional eight basins, 20 percent of the total, have high probabilities of debris-flow occurrence. In addition, probability analysis along the stream segments can identify specific reaches of greatest concern for debris flows within a basin. Basins with a high probability of debris-flow occurrence were concentrated in the west and central parts of the burned area, including tributaries to Whitewater Creek, Mineral Creek, and Willow Creek. Estimated debris-flow volumes ranged from about 3,000-4,000 cubic meters (m3) to greater than 500,000 m3 for all design storms modeled. Drainage basins with estimated volumes greater than 500,000 m3 included tributaries to Whitewater Creek, Willow Creek, Iron Creek, and West Fork Mogollon Creek. Drainage basins with estimated debris-flow volumes greater than 100,000 m3 for the 25-year-recurrence event, 24 percent of the basins modeled, also include tributaries to Deep Creek, Mineral Creek, Gilita Creek, West Fork Gila River, Mogollon Creek, and Turkey Creek, among others. Basins with the highest combined probability and volume relative hazard rankings for the 25-year-recurrence rainfall include tributaries to Whitewater Creek, Mineral Creek, Willow Creek, West Fork Gila River, West Fork Mogollon Creek, and Turkey Creek. Debris flows from Whitewater, Mineral, and Willow Creeks could affect the southwestern New Mexico communities of Glenwood, Alma, and Willow Creek. The maps presented herein may be used to prioritize areas where emergency erosion mitigation or other protective measures may be necessary within a 2- to 3-year period of vulnerability following the Whitewater-Baldy Fire. This work is preliminary and is subject to revision. It is being provided because of the need for timely "best science" information. The assessment herein is provided on the condition that neither the U.S. Geological Survey nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the assessment.

Fire Safety Fundamentals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Ken

2004-01-01

Planning and prevention is the best defense against fires in school. This is particularly true in the science laboratory due to the presence of flammable gases, liquids, combustibles, and other potential sources of fire. Teachers can prevent fires from starting by maintaining prudent lab practices when dealing with combustible and flammable…

Summary and analysis of approaches linking visual range, PM2.5 concentrations, and air quality health impact indices for wildfires.

PubMed

O'Neill, Susan M; Lahm, Peter W; Fitch, Mark J; Broughton, Mike

2013-09-01

Several U.S. state and tribal agencies and other countries have implemented a methodology developed in the arid intermountain western U.S. where short-term (1- to 3-hr) particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 microm (PM2.5) concentrations are estimated from an observed visual range (VR) measurement. This PM2.5 concentration estimate is then linked to a public health warning scale to inform the public about potential health impacts from smoke from wildfire. This methodology is often used where monitoring data do not exist (such as many rural areas). This work summarizes the various approaches, highlights the potential for wildfire smoke impact messaging conflicts at state and international borders, and highlights the need to define consistent short-term health impact category breakpoint categories. Is air quality "unhealthy" when 1- to 3-hr PM2.5 is > or = 139 microg/m3 as specified in the Wildfire Smoke, A Guide for Public Health Officials? Or is air quality unhealthy when 1- to 3-hr PM2.5 is > or = 88.6 microg/m3 as specified in the Montana categorizations? This work then examines the relationship between visual range and PM2.5 concentrations using data from the Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) program and the IMPROVE extinction coefficient (beta ext) equation to simulate an atmosphere dominated by smoke for sites in the arid intermountain western U.S. and great plains. This was accomplished by rearranging the beta ext equation to solve for organic mass as a function of VR. The results show that PM2.5 and VR are related by PM2.5 = 622 * VR(-0.98) with a correlation of 0.99 and that at low VR values (<10 km) a small change in VR results in a large change in PM2.5 concentrations. The results also show that relative humidity and the presence of hygroscopic pollutants from sources other than fire can change the VR/PM2.5 relationships, especially at PM2.5 concentrations less than approximately 90 microg/m3.

A Grey Area: Congressional Oversight of the Middle Ground Between Title 10 and Title 50

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

for 1981, Title V. 43 Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz, Trials by Fire , Counterterrorism and the Law (Cambridge: Belfer Center for Science and...Potomac Books, 2005), 59. The authors use different terms to describe the same phenomena, Johnson uses police patrolling and fire fighting instead. 56...Trials by Fire , Counterterrorism and the Law (Cambridge: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 2010), 8. 44 Kibbe, “The Rise of the

Genesis of an oak-fire science consortium

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grabner, K.W.; Stambaugh, M. C.; Guyette, R.P.; Dey, D. C.; Willson, G.D.; Dey, D. C.; Stambaugh, M. C.; Clark, S.L.; Schweitzer, C. J.

2012-01-01

With respect to fire management and practices, one of the most overlooked regions lies in the middle of the country. In this region there is a critical need for both recognition of fire’s importance and sharing of fire information and expertise. Recently we proposed and were awarded funding by the Joint Fire Science Program to initiate the planning phase for a regional fire consortium. The purpose of the consortium will be to promote the dissemination of fire information across the interior United States and to identify fire information needs of oak-dominated communities such as woodlands, forests, savannas, and barrens. Geographically, the consortium region will cover: 1) the Interior Lowland Plateau Ecoregion in Illinois, Indiana, central Kentucky and Tennessee; 2) the Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Ozarks; 3) the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma; and 4) the Cross Timbers Region in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. This region coincides with the southwestern half of the Central Hardwoods Forest Region. The tasks of this consortium will be to disseminate fire information, connect fire professionals, and efficiently address fire issues within our region. If supported, the success and the future direction of the consortium will be driven by end-users, their input, and involvement.

Miramar College Program Evaluation: Fire Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moriyama, Bruce; Brumley, Leslie

Qualitative and quantitative data are presented in this evaluation of the curricular, personnel, and financial status of Miramar College's program in fire sciences. The report first provides the results of an interview with the program chairperson, which sought information on program objectives and goals and their determination, the extent to…

Re-seeding research will help in cheatgrass battle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, Craig D.

2006-01-01

Funding from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Joint Fire Science Program is helping researchers in northwestern Arizona determine whether several native grasses can be used to battle invasive cheatgrass following fire in ponderosa pine ecosystems.

Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tillery, Anne C.; Darr, Michael J.; Cannon, Susan H.; Michael, John A.

2011-01-01

In June 2011, the Track Fire burned 113 square kilometers in Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico, and Las Animas County, southeastern Colorado, including the upper watersheds of Chicorica and Raton Creeks. The burned landscape is now at risk of damage from postwildfire erosion, such as that caused by debris flows and flash floods. This report presents a preliminary hazard assessment of the debris-flow potential from basins burned by the Track Fire. A pair of empirical hazard-assessment models developed using data from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability of debris-flow occurrence and volume of debris flows at the outlets of selected drainage basins within the burned area. The models incorporate measures of burn severity, topography, soils, and storm rainfall to estimate the probability and volume of post-fire debris flows following the fire. In response to a design storm of 38 millimeters of rain in 30 minutes (10-year recurrence-interval), the probability of debris flow estimated for basins burned by the Track fire ranged between 2 and 97 percent, with probabilities greater than 80 percent identified for the majority of the tributary basins to Raton Creek in Railroad Canyon; six basins that flow into Lake Maloya, including the Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins; two tributary basins to Sugarite Canyon, and an unnamed basin on the eastern flank of the burned area. Estimated debris-flow volumes ranged from 30 cubic meters to greater than 100,000 cubic meters. The largest volumes (greater than 100,000 cubic meters) were estimated for Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins, which drain into Lake Maloya. The Combined Relative Debris-Flow Hazard Ranking identifies the Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins as having the highest probability of producing the largest debris flows. This finding indicates the greatest post-fire debris-flow impacts may be expected to Lake Maloya. In addition, Interstate Highway 25, Raton Creek and the rail line in Railroad Canyon, County road A-27, and State Highway 526 in Sugarite Canyon may also be affected where they cross drainages downstream from recently burned basins. Although this assessment indicates that a rather large debris flow (approximately 42,000 cubic meters) may be generated from the basin above the City of Raton (basin 9) in response to the design storm, the probability of such an event is relatively low (approximately 10 percent). Additional assessment is necessary to determine if the estimated volume of material is sufficient to travel into the City of Raton. In addition, even small debris flows may affect structures at or downstream from basin outlets and increase the threat of flooding downstream by damaging or blocking flood mitigation structures. The maps presented here may be used to prioritize areas where erosion mitigation or other protective measures may be necessary within a 2- to 3-year window of vulnerability following the Track Fire.

Prescribed fire research in Pennsylvania

Treesearch

Patrick Brose

2009-01-01

Prescribed fire in Pennsylvania is a relatively new forestry practice because of the State's adverse experience with highly destructive wildfires in the early 1900s. The recent introduction of prescribed fire raises a myriad of questions regarding its correct and safe use. This poster briefly describes the prescribed fire research projects of the Forestry Sciences...

Wildfire: A Family Activity Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.

This family activity book provides information for discovering and demonstrating the science of fire--how firefighters decide which fires to let burn and which to put out, how fires start and spread, and what to do when they flare up. Chapters include: (1) "A Game about Wildfire"; (2) "Create a Fire Safety Commercial"; (3)…

The Science of Prescribed Fire: to Enable a Different Kind of Control

Treesearch

Timothy E. Paysen; Marcia G. Narog; Jack D. Cohen

1998-01-01

A paradigm shift from fire suppression to fire suppression and prescription requires a shift in emphasis from simply controlling wildfire occurrence and spread to one that includes controlling characteristics of prescribed fire. Suppression focuses on preventing unwanted effects that might result from wildfire occurrence. Prescription promotes desired effects by...

FIREX (Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environments Experiment): Measurements of Nitrogen Containing Volatile Organic Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warneke, C.; Schwarz, J. P.; Yokelson, R. J.; Roberts, J. M.; Koss, A.; Coggon, M.; Yuan, B.; Sekimoto, K.

2017-12-01

A combination of a warmer, drier climate with fire-control practices over the last century have produced a situation in which we can expect more frequent fires and fires of larger magnitude in the Western U.S. and Canada. There are urgent needs to better understand the impacts of wildfire and biomass burning (BB) on the atmosphere and climate system, and for policy-relevant science to aid in the process of managing fires. The FIREX (Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environment Experiment) research effort is a multi-year, multi-agency measurement campaign focused on the impact of BB on climate and air quality from western North American wild fires, where research takes place on scales ranging from the flame-front to the global atmosphere. FIREX includes methods development and small- and large-scale laboratory and field experiments. FIREX will include: emission factor measurements from typical North American fuels in the fire science laboratory in Missoula, Montana; mobile laboratory deployments; ground site measurements at sites influenced by BB from several western states. The main FIREX effort will be a large field study with multiple aircraft and mobile labs in the fire season of 2019. One of the main advances of FIREX is the availability of various new measurement techniques that allows for smoke evaluation in unprecedented detail. The first major effort of FIREX was the fire science laboratory measurements in October 2016, where a large number of previously understudied Nitrogen containing volatile organic compounds (NVOCs) were measured using H3O+CIMS and I-CIMS instruments. The contribution of NVOCs to the total reactive Nitrogen budget and the relationship to the Nitrogen content of the fuel are investigated.

Rx-CADRE (Prescribed Fire Combustion-Atmospheric Dynamics Research Experiments) collaborative research in the core fire sciences

Treesearch

D. Jimenez; B. Butler; K. Hiers; R. Ottmar; M. Dickinson; R. Kremens; J. O' Brien; A. Hudak; C. Clements

2009-01-01

The Rx-CADRE project was the combination of local and national fire expertise in the field of core fire research. The project brought together approximately 30 fire scientists from six geographic regions and seven diff erent agencies. The project objectives were to demonstrate the capacity for collaborative research by bringing together individuals and teams with a...

Thinning and prescribed fire and projected trends in wood product potential, financial return, and fire hazard in New Mexico.

Treesearch

Roger D. Fight; R. James Barbour; Glenn Christensen; Guy L. Pinjuv; Rao V. Nagubadi

2004-01-01

This work was undertaken under a joint fire science project "Assessing the need, costs, and potential benefits of prescribed fire and mechanical treatments to reduce fire hazard." This paper compares the future mix of timber projects under two treatment scenarios for New Mexico.We developed and demonstrated an analytical method that uses readily available...

Thinning and prescribed fire and projected trends in wood product potential, financial return, and fire hazard in Montana.

Treesearch

R. James Barbour; Roger D. Fight; Glenn A. Christensen; Guy L. Pinjuv; Rao V. Nagubadi

2004-01-01

This work was undertaken under a joint fire science project "Assessing the need, costs, and potential benefits of prescribed fire and mechanical treatments to reduce fire hazard." This paper compares the future mix of timber products under two treatment scenarios for the state of Montana. We developed and demonstrated an analytical method that uses readily...

Ecological consequences of alternative fuel reduction treatments in seasonally dry forests: the national fire and fire surrogate study

Treesearch

J.D. McIver; C.J. Fettig

2010-01-01

This special issue of Forest Science features the national Fire and Fire Surrogate study (FFS), a niultisite, multivariate research project that evaluates the ecological consequences of prescribed fire and its mechanical surrogates in seasonally dry forests of the United States. The need for a comprehensive national FFS study stemmed from concern that information on...

50 years of service: The Missoula Fire Sciences Lab

Treesearch

Jane Kapler Smith; Diane Smith; Colin Hardy

2011-01-01

In September 12, 1960, the brand new Northern Forest Fire Laboratory was dedicated in Missoula, MT. The fire lab’s mission was - and is - to improve scientific understanding of wildland fire so it can be managed more safely and effectively in the field. The first scientists to work at the fire lab initiated research that continues to be used, refined, and extended....

Science framework for conservation and restoration of the sagebrush biome: Linking the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy to long-term strategic conservation actions

Treesearch

J.C. Chambers; J.L. Beck; J.B. Bradford; J. Bybee; S. Campbell; J. Carlson; T.J. Christiansen; K.J. Clause; G. Collins; M.R. Crist; J.B. Dinkins; K.E. Doherty; F. Edwards; S. Espinosa; K.A. Griffin; P. Griffin; J.R. Haas; S.E. Hanser; D.W. Havlina; K.F. Henke; J.D. Hennig; L.A. Joyce; F.M. Kilkenny; S.M. Kulpa; L.L. Kurth; J.D. Maestas; M. Manning; K.E. Mayer; B.A. Mealor; C. McCarthy; M. Pellant; M.A. Perea; K.L. Prentice; D.A. Pyke; L.A. Wiechman; A. Wuenschel

2017-01-01

The Science Framework is intended to link the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation actions in the sagebrush biome. The Science Framework provides a multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies within the sagebrush biome. The emphasis...

The public and wildland fire management: social science findings for managers

Treesearch

S.M. McCaffrey

2006-01-01

Presents key social science findings from three National Fire Plan-sponsored research projects. Articles highlight information of likely interest to individuals working to decrease wildfire hazards on both private and public lands. Three general topic areas are addressed: (1) public views and acceptance of fuels management, (2) working with homeowners and communities,...

Fire science application and integration in support of decision making

Treesearch

Tom Zimmerman

2011-01-01

Wildland fire management in the United States has historically been a challenging and complex program governed by a multitude of factors including situational status, objectives, operational capability, science and technology, and changes and advances in all these factors. The improvement and advancement of risk-informed decision making has the potential to improve...

Advancing dendrochronological studies of fire in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harley, Grant L.; Baisan, Christopher H.; Brown, Peter M.; Falk, Donald A.; Flatley, William T.; Grissino-Mayer, Henri D.; Hessl, Amy; Heyerdahl, Emily K.; Kaye, Margot W.; Lafon, Charles W.; Margolis, Ellis; Maxwell, R. Stockton; Naito, Adam T.; Platt, William J.; Rother, Monica T.; Saladyga, Thomas; Sherriff, Rosemary L.; Stachowiak, Lauren A.; Stambaugh, Michael C.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Taylor, Alan H.

2018-01-01

Dendroecology is the science that dates tree rings to their exact calendar year of formation to study processes that influence forest ecology (e.g., Speer 2010, Amoroso et al., 2017). Reconstruction of past fire regimes is a core application of dendroecology, linking fire history to population dynamics and climate effects on tree growth and survivorship. Since the early 20th century when dendrochronologists recognized that tree rings retained fire scars (e.g., Figure 1), and hence a record of past fires, they have conducted studies worldwide to reconstruct the historical range and variability of fire regimes (e.g., frequency, severity, seasonality, spatial extent), the influence of fire regimes on forest structure and ecosystem dynamics, and the top-down (e.g., climate) and bottom-up (e.g., fuels, topography) drivers of fire that operate at a range of temporal and spatial scales. As in other scientific fields, continued application of dendrochronological techniques to study fires has shaped new trajectories for the science. Here we highlight some important current directions in the United States (US) and call on our international colleagues to continue the conversation with perspectives from other countries.

Lessons learned in detailed clinical modeling at Intermountain Healthcare

PubMed Central

Oniki, Thomas A; Coyle, Joseph F; Parker, Craig G; Huff, Stanley M

2014-01-01

Background and objective Intermountain Healthcare has a long history of using coded terminology and detailed clinical models (DCMs) to govern storage of clinical data to facilitate decision support and semantic interoperability. The latest iteration of DCMs at Intermountain is called the clinical element model (CEM). We describe the lessons learned from our CEM efforts with regard to subjective decisions a modeler frequently needs to make in creating a CEM. We present insights and guidelines, but also describe situations in which use cases conflict with the guidelines. We propose strategies that can help reconcile the conflicts. The hope is that these lessons will be helpful to others who are developing and maintaining DCMs in order to promote sharing and interoperability. Methods We have used the Clinical Element Modeling Language (CEML) to author approximately 5000 CEMs. Results Based on our experience, we have formulated guidelines to lead our modelers through the subjective decisions they need to make when authoring models. Reported here are guidelines regarding precoordination/postcoordination, dividing content between the model and the terminology, modeling logical attributes, and creating iso-semantic models. We place our lessons in context, exploring the potential benefits of an implementation layer, an iso-semantic modeling framework, and ontologic technologies. Conclusions We assert that detailed clinical models can advance interoperability and sharing, and that our guidelines, an implementation layer, and an iso-semantic framework will support our progress toward that goal. PMID:24993546

Physical, Chemical, Ecological, and Age Data and Trench Logs from Surficial Deposits at Hatch Point, Southeastern Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldstein, Harland L.; Miller, Mark E.; Yount, James C.; Reheis, Marith C.; Reynolds, Richard L.; Belnap, Jayne; Lamothe, Paul J.; McGeehan, John P.

2009-01-01

This report presents data and describes the methodology for physical, chemical and ecological measurements of sediment, soil, and vegetation, as well as age determinations of surficial deposits at Hatch Point, Canyon Rims area, Colorado Plateau, southeastern Utah. The results presented in this report support a study that examines geomorphic and soil factors that may influence boundaries between shrubland and grassland ecosystems in the study area. Shrubland ecosystems dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and grassland ecosystems dominated by native perennial grasses (for example, Hilaria jamesii and Sporabolis sp.) are high-priority conservation targets for the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other resource managers because of their diversity, productivity, and vital importance as wildlife habitat. These ecosystems have been recognized as imperiled on a regional scale since at least the mid-1990s due to habitat loss (type conversions), land-use practices, and invasive exotic plants. In the Intermountain West, the exotic annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is recognized as one of the most pervasive and serious threats to the health of native sagebrush and grassland ecosystems through effects on fire regimes and resource conditions experienced by native species.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 06: wildland fire use: the "other" treatment option

Treesearch

Anne Black

2004-01-01

Fire suppression has reduced acres burned to an average of 2 million acres a year. An unfortunate result of this has been the accumulation of even more above-normal fuel loads in many areas. This paper discusses (1) the important ecological role of fire, (2) using fire as a fuels treatment, and (2) the benefits and risks of fire.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 04: role of silviculture in fuel treatments

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

The principal goals of fuel treatments are to reduce fireline intensities, reduce the potential for crown fires, improve opportunities for successful fire suppression, and improve forest resilience to forest fires. This fact sheet discusses thinning, and surface fuel treatments, as well as challenges associated with those treatments.

Decision modeling for fire incident analysis

Treesearch

Donald G. MacGregor; Armando González-Cabán

2009-01-01

This paper reports on methods for representing and modeling fire incidents based on concepts and models from the decision and risk sciences. A set of modeling techniques are used to characterize key fire management decision processes and provide a basis for incident analysis. The results of these methods can be used to provide insights into the structure of fire...

Extracting nursing practice patterns from structured labor and delivery data sets.

PubMed

Hall, Eric S; Thornton, Sidney N

2007-10-11

This study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of a computerized care process model that provides real-time case profiling and outcome forecasting. A methodology was defined for extracting nursing practice patterns from structured point-of-care data collected using the labor and delivery information system at Intermountain Healthcare. Data collected during January 2006 were retrieved from Intermountain Healthcare's enterprise data warehouse for use in the study. The knowledge discovery in databases process provided a framework for data analysis including data selection, preprocessing, data-mining, and evaluation. Development of an interactive data-mining tool and construction of a data model for stratification of patient records into profiles supported the goals of the study. Five benefits of the practice pattern extraction capability, which extend to other clinical domains, are listed with supporting examples.

Thematic Synthesis of Post Activity Reviews: Lessons Relating to Management of the Simulation Environment Supporting Activity Vital Fire in May 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

Supporting Activity Vital Fire in May 2014 Glen Pearce Land Division Defence Science and Technology Organisation DSTO-TN-1408...UNCLASSIFIED Published by Land Division DSTO Defence Science and Technology Organisation 506 Lorimer St Fishermans Bend Victoria 3207 Australia...REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................. 1 2.1 Cognitive and metacognitive performance

Fire Science Strategy: Resource Conservation and Climate Change

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

SMOKE MANAGEMENT ISSUES: CONCLUSIONS—KEY RESEARCH/DEMONSTRATION GAPS COVER PHOTO: CHONG, JOEY 2011. USDA FOREST SERVICE. FORT JACKSON...Fire Science Program LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging LANL Los Alamos National Lab NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NCAR...entities include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), EPA, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Institute of

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan: U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington D.C.

Treesearch

Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan Team

2016-01-01

The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit...

Tips, techniques and suggestions for improving learning from escaped prescribed fire reviews

Treesearch

Anne Black; Dave Thomas; Jennifer Ziegler; Jim Saveland

2012-01-01

In 2011, we held five 2-day workshops at various locations around the US as part of a Joint Fire Science Program project to understand 'learning from escaped prescribed fire reviews'. Each workshop drew an interagency audience with representation from all facets of fire management, from ground personnel to local line officers, regional, and national positions...

Research Needs in Fire Safety for the Human Exploration and Utilization of Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruff, Gary A.

2003-01-01

This viewgraph presentation provides information on developments in spacecraft fire safety research. The presentation includes an overview of the previous Spacecraft Fire Safety Workshop, from 1986, and the influences since then of bioastronautics on combustion science and fire safety. The presentation then gives of overview of the current conference, stating goals and giving a schedule.

Building Fire Behavior Analyst (FBAN) capability and capacity: Lessons learned From Victoria, Australia's Bushfire Behavior Predictive Services Strategy

Treesearch

K. E. Gibos; A. Slijepcevic; T. Wells; L. Fogarty

2015-01-01

Wildland fire managers must frequently make meaning from chaos in order to protect communities and infrastructure from the negative impacts of fire. Fire management personnel are increasingly turning to science to support their experience-based decision-making processes and to provide clear, confident leadership for communities frequently exposed to risk from wildfire...

Using social science to understand and improve wildland fire organizations: an annotated reading list

Treesearch

Gregory Larson; Vita Wright; Cade Spaulding; Kelly Rossetto; Georgi Rausch; Andrea Richards; Stephanie Durnford

2007-01-01

The wildland fire community has spent the past decade trying to understand and account for the role of human factors in wildland fire organizations. Social research that is relevant to managing fire organizations can be found in disciplines such as social psychology, management, and communication. However, such research has been published primarily for scientific and...

Tips, techniques, and suggestions for improving learning from escaped prescribed fire reviews (Poster Abstract)

Treesearch

Anne Black; Dave Thomas; Jennifer Ziegler; Jim Saveland

2012-01-01

In 2011, we held five 2-day workshops at various locations around the US as part of a Joint Fire Science Program project to understand 'learning from escaped prescribed fire reviews'. Each workshop drew an interagency audience with representation from all facets of fire management, from ground personnel to local line officers, regional, and national positions...

First-order fire effects models for land Management: Overview and issues

Treesearch

Elizabeth D. Reinhardt; Matthew B. Dickinson

2010-01-01

We give an overview of the science application process at work in supporting fire management. First-order fire effects models, such as those discussed in accompanying papers, are the building blocks of software systems designed for application to landscapes over time scales from days to centuries. Fire effects may be modeled using empirical, rule based, or process...

Measuring radiant emissions from entire prescribed fires with ground, airborne and satellite sensors - RxCADRE 2012

Treesearch

Matthew B. Dickinson; Andrew T. Hudak; Thomas Zajkowski; E. Louise Loudermilk; Wilfrid Schroeder; Luke Ellison; Robert L. Kremens; William Holley; Otto Martinez; Alexander Paxton; Benjamin C. Bright; Joseph O' Brien; Ben Hornsby; Charles Ichoku; Jason Faulring; Aaron Gerace; David Peterson; Joseph Mauceri

2016-01-01

Characterising radiation from wildland fires is an important focus of fire science because radiation relates directly to the combustion process and can be measured across a wide range of spatial extents and resolutions. As part of a more comprehensive set of measurements collected during the 2012 Prescribed Fire Combustion and Atmospheric Dynamics Research (RxCADRE)...

VISUAL-SEVEIF, a tool for integrating fire behavior simulation and economic evaluation of the impact of Wildfires

Treesearch

Francisco Rodríguez y Silva; Juan Ramón Molina Martínez; Miguel Ángel Herrera Machuca; Jesús Mª Rodríguez Leal

2013-01-01

Progress made in recent years in fire science, particularly as applied to forest fire protection, coupled with the increased power offered by mathematical processors integrated into computers, has led to important developments in the field of dynamic and static simulation of forest fires. Furthermore, and similarly, econometric models applied to economic...

Into the Curriculum. Art: A Path to Monet--Following in Linnea's Footsteps [and] Reading/Language Arts: Legends about Humanity's Acquisition of Fire [and] Reading/Language Arts: Analytical Book Reviews [and] Science/Art: Build a Beautiful Butterfly [and] Science: Life Processes of Plants [and] Social Studies: Community Helpers: Fire Fighters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultis, Cathy; Troisi, Andrea; Vidor, Constance; Rostek, Andrea; Linsky, Melissa Carruthers

1998-01-01

Presents six curriculum guides for art, language arts, reading, science, and social studies. Each activity identifies library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, librarian and teacher instructional roles, activity and procedures for completion, activity samples, guidelines for evaluating finished activities,…

Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2010 Fourmile burn area, Boulder County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruddy, Barbara C.; Stevens, Michael R.; Verdin, Kristine

2010-01-01

This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned by the Fourmile Creek fire in Boulder County, Colorado, in 2010. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability of debris-flow occurrence and volumes of debris flows for selected drainage basins. Data for the models include burn severity, rainfall total and intensity for a 25-year-recurrence, 1-hour-duration rainstorm, and topographic and soil property characteristics. Several of the selected drainage basins in Fourmile Creek and Gold Run were identified as having probabilities of debris-flow occurrence greater than 60 percent, and many more with probabilities greater than 45 percent, in response to the 25-year recurrence, 1-hour rainfall. None of the Fourmile Canyon Creek drainage basins selected had probabilities greater than 45 percent. Throughout the Gold Run area and the Fourmile Creek area upstream from Gold Run, the higher probabilities tend to be in the basins with southerly aspects (southeast, south, and southwest slopes). Many basins along the perimeter of the fire area were identified as having low probability of occurrence of debris flow. Volume of debris flows predicted from drainage basins with probabilities of occurrence greater than 60 percent ranged from 1,200 to 9,400 m3. The predicted moderately high probabilities and some of the larger volumes responses predicted for the modeled storm indicate a potential for substantial debris-flow effects to buildings, roads, bridges, culverts, and reservoirs located both within these drainages and immediately downstream from the burned area. However, even small debris flows that affect structures at the basin outlets could cause considerable damage.

Achievement in and attitudes toward the science of sound, by middle school students, grades five through eight, both overall and by gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariaschin-Melenson, Cynthia Faith

2001-07-01

This study explores the relationship, among middle school students, between the understanding of a physical science topic, sound, and expressed attitudes toward topics with a strong sound component. Further, it assesses these differences in achievement and attitude by grade level and by gender. An attitude inventory, comprised of 30 Likert-type questions, and a concepts-of-sound achievement instrument, comprised of 30 multiple-choice questions, were administered to approximately 1300 students in grades five, six, seven, and eight, the middle-school grades, in a variety of locations within a single school district in the Intermountain West. Results indicate that during the middle school years there is no significant difference between males and females in physical science achievement on the topic of sound energy. Results additionally indicate that, contrary to researched literature, throughout the middle school years females, as a group, do not have poorer attitudes than males toward the physical sciences; indeed, in grades five and eight female attitude responses were significantly more positive than male attitude responses. Overall, attitude correlates with knowledge. When positive attitude toward learning about sound diminishes, incremental knowledge about sound diminishes. Results of this study may be utilized in determining whether instructional and further research efforts should be directed toward methods for improving achievement in and attitudes toward the physical sciences. It is anticipated that improved methods for instilling positive attitudes and imparting greater knowledge would result in more students, especially females, pursuing advanced physical science studies and related occupations.

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of “Upper explosive limit.” The terms upper flammable limit (UFL) and upper explosive limit (UEL) are used interchangeably in fire science... life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level greater than 20.8 percent by volume should...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 05: prescriptions and fire effects

Treesearch

Melanie Miller

2004-01-01

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 5: prescriptions and fire effects. Miller, Melanie. 2004. Res. Note RMRS-RN-23-5-WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p. While our understanding of the causes for variation in postfire effects is increasing, burn...

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of “Upper explosive limit.” The terms upper flammable limit (UFL) and upper explosive limit (UEL) are used interchangeably in fire science... life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level greater than 20.8 percent by volume should...

Integration of vegetation community spatial data into a prescribed fire planning process at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Young, John A.; Mahan, Carolyn G.; Forder, Melissa

2017-01-01

Many eastern forest communities depend on fire for regeneration or are enhanced by fire as a restoration practice. However, the use of prescribed fire in the mesic forested environments and the densely populated regions of the eastern United States has been limited. The objective of our research was to develop a science-based approach to prioritizing the use of prescribed fire in appropriate forest types in the eastern United States based on a set of desired management outcomes. Through a process of expert elicitation and data analysis, we assessed and integrated recent vegetation community mapping results along with other available spatial data layers into a spatial prioritization tool for prescribed fire planning at Shenandoah National Park (Virginia, USA). The integration of vegetation spatial data allowed for development of per-pixel priority rankings and exclusion areas enabling precise targeting of fire management activities on the ground, as well as a park-wide ranking of fire planning compartments. We demonstrate the use and evaluation of this approach through implementation and monitoring of a prescribed burn and show that progress is being made toward desired conditions. Integration of spatial data into the fire planning process has served as a collaborative tool for the implementation of prescribed fire projects, which assures projects will be planned in the most appropriate areas to meet objectives that are supported by current science.

Science You Can Use Bulletin: Seeing red: New tools for mapping and understanding fire severity

Treesearch

Sue Miller; Robert Keane; Penny Morgan; Pamela Sikkink; Eva Karau; Greg Dillon

2013-01-01

Large, severe fires are ecologically and socially important because they have lasting effects on vegetation and soils, can potentially threaten people and property, and can be costly to manage. The goals of the Fire Severity Mapping Project (FIRESEV), which covers lands in the continental western United States, are to understand where and why fires burn severely, and...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration: social issues fact sheet 19: Impacts of wildland fire on communities

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2007-01-01

Large fires can result in a series of disasters for individuals and communities in the wildland-urban interface. They create significant disruptions to ongoing social processes, result in large financial losses, and lead to expensive restoration activities. By being aware of the impacts of wildland fire on local residents, fire managers can bring added value to them...

Short-term effects of rainfall on CO2 fluxes above rangelands dominated by Artemisia, Bromus tectorum, and Agropyron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivans, S.; Saliendra, N. Z.; Johnson, D. A.

2003-04-01

The short-term effects of rainfall on carbon dioxide (CO_2) fluxes have not been well documented in rangelands of the Intermountain Region of the western USA. We used the Bowen ratio-energy balance technique to continuously measure CO_2 fluxes above three rangeland sites in Idaho and Utah dominated by: 1) Artemisia (sagebrush) near Malta, Idaho; 2) Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) near Malta, Idaho; and 3) Agropyron (crested wheatgrass) in Rush Valley, Utah. We examined CO_2 fluxes immediately before and after rainfall during periods of 10--19 July 2001 (Summer), 8--17 October 2001 (Autumn), and 16--30 May 2002 (Spring). On sunny days before rainfall during Spring, all three sites were sinks for CO_2. After rainfall in Spring, all three sites became sources of CO_2 for about two days and after that became CO_2 sinks again. During Summer and Autumn when water was limiting, sites were small sources of CO_2 and became larger sources for one day after rainfall. In all three seasons, daytime CO_2 fluxes decreased and nighttime CO_2 fluxes increased after rainfall, suggesting that rainfall stimulated belowground respiration at all three sites. Results from this study indicated that CO_2 fluxes above rangeland sites in the Intermountain West changed markedly after rainfall, especially during Spring when fluxes were highest. KEY WORDS: Bowen ratio-energy balance, Intermountain West, rangelands, sagebrush, cheatgrass, crested wheatgrass

Smoke Sense: Citizen Science Study on Health Risk and Health Risk Communication During Wildfire Smoke Episodes

EPA Science Inventory

Why do we need to communicate smoke impacts on health? Indicence and severity of large fires are increasing. As emissions from the Wildland fires produce air pollution that adversely impacts people's health, incidence and severity of large fires are increasing. As emissions fr...

The essence of fire regime-condition class assessment

Treesearch

McKinley-Ben Miller

2008-01-01

The interagency-Fire Regime / Condition Class - assessment process (FRCC) represents a contemporary and effective means of estimating the relative degree of difference or "departure" a subject landscape condition is currently in, as compared to the historic or reference ecological conditions. This process generally applied to fire adapted systems is science-...

Directory of fire research specialists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Junod, T. L.; Mandel, G.; Jason, N. H.

1979-01-01

Directory indexes, 1,475 researchers and various organizations in the United States or Canada who have recently participated in or made contributions to fire science research or related areas of concern.

Colorado Fires

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-05-15

...     View Larger Image The Hayman fire, situated about 65 kilometers southwest of Denver, ... these visualizations were generated as part of operational processing at the Atmospheric Science Data Center at NASA Langley Research ...

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... explosive limit (LEL) are used interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.12(a)(3). After a tank has been properly washed and... oxygen content of 19.5 percent can support life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level...

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... explosive limit (LEL) are used interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.12(a)(3). After a tank has been properly washed and... oxygen content of 19.5 percent can support life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level...

29 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Compliance Assistance Guidelines for Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... explosive limit (LEL) are used interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.11(b)Definition of... interchangeably in fire science literature. Section 1915.12(a)(3). After a tank has been properly washed and... oxygen content of 19.5 percent can support life and is adequate for entry. However, any oxygen level...

Coupling field and laboratory measurements to estimate the emission factors of identified and unidentified trace gases for prescribed fires

Treesearch

R. J. Yokelson; I. R. Burling; J. B. Gilman; C. Warneke; C. E. Stockwell; J. de Gouw; S. K. Akagi; S. P. Urbanski; P. Veres; J. M. Roberts; W. C. Kuster; J. Reardon; D. W. T. Griffith; T. J. Johnson; S. Hosseini; J. W. Miller; D. R. Cocker; H. Jung; D. R. Weise

2013-01-01

An extensive program of experiments focused on biomass burning emissions began with a laboratory phase in which vegetative fuels commonly consumed in prescribed fires were collected in the southeastern and southwestern US and burned in a series of 71 fires at the US Forest Service Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, Montana. The particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions...

Coupling field and laboratory measurements to estimate the emission factors of identified and unidentified trace gases for prescribed fires [Discussions

Treesearch

R. J. Yokelson; I. R. Burling; J. B. Gilman; C. Warneke; C. E. Stockwell; J. de Gouw; S. K. Akagi; S. P. Urbanski; P. Veres; J. M. Roberts; W. C. Kuster; J. Reardon; D. W. T. Griffith; T. J. Johnson; S. Hosseini; J. W. Miller; D. R. Cocker III; H. Jung; D. R. Weise

2012-01-01

An extensive program of experiments focused on biomass burning emissions began with a laboratory phase in which vegetative fuels commonly consumed in prescribed fires were collected in the southeastern and southwestern US and burned in a series 5 of 71 fires at the US Forest Service Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, Montana. The particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 09: Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FFE-FVS)

Treesearch

Elizabeth Reinhardt

2005-01-01

FFE-FVS is a model linking stand development, fuel dynamics, fire behavior and fire effects. It allows comparison of mid- to long-term effects of management alternatives including harvest, mechanical fuel treatment, prescribed fire, salvage, and no action. This fact sheet identifies the intended users and uses, required inputs, what the model does, and tells the user...

Do one percent of the forest fires cause ninety-nine percent of the damage? Forest Science

Treesearch

David Strauss; Larry Bednar; Romain Mees

1989-01-01

A relatively small number of forest fires are responsible for a very high proportion of the total damage. The proportion due to the fraction p of largest fires, when plotted against p, is a measure of variability of fire sizes that is especially sensitive to the important extreme events. We find the theoretical form of the plot for several commonly used distributions...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 01: forest structure and fire hazard overview

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Many managers and policymakers guided by the National Environmental Policy Act process want to understand the scientific principles on which they can base fuel treatments for reducing the size and severity of wildfires. These Forest Structure and Fire Hazard fact sheets discuss how to estimate fire hazard, how to visualize fuel treatments, and how the role of...

Herbicide efficacy and perennial grass establishment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion has astronomically altered native plant communities throughout the Intermountain West. Cheatgrass truncates secondary succession by outcompeting native plant species for limited resources, thus building persistent seed banks to take advantage of conditions that...

Identifying/Quantifying Environmental Trade-offs Inherent in GHG Reduction Strategies for Coal-Fired Power. Environmental Science and Technology

EPA Science Inventory

Improvements to coal power plant technology and the co-fired combustion of biomass promise direct greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for existing coal-fired power plants. Questions remain as to what the reduction potentials are from a life cycle perspective and if it will result in ...

Understanding social influences on wilderness fire stewardship decisions

Treesearch

Katie Knotek

2006-01-01

Federal land managers and the public engage in many decisions about stewardship of wilderness in the United States, including decisions about stewardship of fire. To date, social science research lacks a holistic examination of the decision-making context of managers and the public about stewardship of fire inside wilderness and across its boundaries. A conceptual...

The 1988 Fires in Yellowstone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dress, Abby

2008-01-01

The 1988 fires at Yellowstone National Park burned 1.4 million acres in the tri-state areas of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho--encompassing the greater Yellowstone area--and burned some 800,000 acres within the park itself (Franke 2000). This article discusses this extraordinary fire event and contains helpful resources for bringing the science of…

United States Geological Survey fire science: fire danger monitoring and forecasting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eidenshink, Jeff C.; Howard, Stephen M.

2012-01-01

Each day, the U.S. Geological Survey produces 7-day forecasts for all Federal lands of the distributions of number of ignitions, number of fires above a given size, and conditional probabilities of fires growing larger than a specified size. The large fire probability map is an estimate of the likelihood that ignitions will become large fires. The large fire forecast map is a probability estimate of the number of fires on federal lands exceeding 100 acres in the forthcoming week. The ignition forecast map is a probability estimate of the number of fires on Federal land greater than 1 acre in the forthcoming week. The extreme event forecast is the probability estimate of the number of fires on Federal land that may exceed 5,000 acres in the forthcoming week.

Fort Collins Science Center: Ecosystem Dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowen, Zack

2004-01-01

Current studies fall into five general areas. Herbivore-Ecosystem Interactions examines the efficacy of multiple controls on selected herbivore populations and cascading effects through predator-herbivore-plant-soil linkages. Riparian Ecology is concerned with interactions among streamflow, fluvial geomorphology, and riparian vegetation. Integrated Fire Science focuses on the effects of fire on plant and animal communities at multiple scales, and on the interactions between post-fire plant, runoff, and erosion processes. Reference Ecosystems comprises long-term, place-based studies of ecosystem biogeochemistry. Finally, Integrated Assessments is investigating how to synthesize multiple ecosystem stressors and responses over complex landscapes in ways that are useful for management and planning.

Directory of Federal Contractors and Cognizant Audit Offices

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-12-31

34 qLELECTE 11. Title: , Directory of Federal Contractors and Cognizant Audit Offices 12. Performing Organization: 13 . Performing Report #: 14...GRAND AVE EL SEGUNDO CA 90245 3106150311 COMPUTER SCIENCE CORPORATION 04311 044 BUILDING T-164 FT. HUNTER LIGGE CA 93928 4083882775 COMPUTER SCIENCE...INC 03621 110 2650 INDUSTRIAL PKW MARINETTE WI 54143 7157359058 FIRE SYS INC 01271 084 5110 S. MACDILL AVE TAMPA FL 33611 6138379491 FIRE-BANN

Biochar for soil fertility and natural carbon sequestration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rostad, C.E.; Rutherford, D.W.

2011-01-01

Biochar is charcoal (similar to chars generated by forest fires) that is made for incorporation into soils to increase soil fertility while providing natural carbon sequestration. The incorporation of biochar into soils can preserve and enrich soils and also slow the rate at which climate change is affecting our planet. Studies on biochar, such as those cited by this report, are applicable to both fire science and soil science.

A comparative risk assessment framework for wildland fire management: the 2010 cohesive strategy science report

Treesearch

David E. Calkin; Alan A. Ager; Matthew P. Thompson; Mark A. Finney; Danny C. Lee; Thomas M. Quigley; Charles W. McHugh; Karin L. Riley; Julie M. Gilbertson-Day

2011-01-01

The FLAME Act of 2009 requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior to submit to Congress a Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy. In this report, we explore the general science available for a risk-based approach to fire and fuels management and suggest analyses that may be applied at multiple scales to inform...

Science You Can Use Bulletin: Fire and forethought: Fire effects syntheses are a powerful tool for planning and management across resource fields

Treesearch

Brian Cooke; Jane Kapler Smith; Robin Innes; Janet Fryer; Kris Zouhar; Ilana Abrahamson; Shannon Murphy; Eva Masin

2015-01-01

The Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) team synthesizes information about wildland fires, their history in U.S. ecosystems, and their effects on U.S. wildland plants, lichens, and animals. Found at www.feis-crs.org/feis/, FEIS publications can be used for many purposes, including land use planning, restoration and rehabilitation...

Rehabilitation of cheatgrass infested rangelands: an integrated approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion has astronomically altered native plant communities throughout the Intermountain West. Cheatgrass has truncated secondary succession by outcompeting native plant species for limited resources, thus building persistent seed banks to take advantage of conditions ...

Computerization of Mental Health Integration Complexity Scores at Intermountain Healthcare

PubMed Central

Oniki, Thomas A.; Rodrigues, Drayton; Rahman, Noman; Patur, Saritha; Briot, Pascal; Taylor, David P.; Wilcox, Adam B.; Reiss-Brennan, Brenda; Cannon, Wayne H.

2014-01-01

Intermountain Healthcare’s Mental Health Integration (MHI) Care Process Model (CPM) contains formal scoring criteria for assessing a patient’s mental health complexity as “mild,” “medium,” or “high” based on patient data. The complexity score attempts to assist Primary Care Physicians in assessing the mental health needs of their patients and what resources will need to be brought to bear. We describe an effort to computerize the scoring. Informatics and MHI personnel collaboratively and iteratively refined the criteria to make them adequately explicit and reflective of MHI objectives. When tested on retrospective data of 540 patients, the clinician agreed with the computer’s conclusion in 52.8% of the cases (285/540). We considered the analysis sufficiently successful to begin piloting the computerized score in prospective clinical care. So far in the pilot, clinicians have agreed with the computer in 70.6% of the cases (24/34). PMID:25954401

Bringing soil science to society after catastrophic events such as big forest fires. Some examples of field approaches in Spanish Mediterranean areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mataix-Solera, Jorge; Arcenegui, Vicky; Cerdà, Artemi; García-Orenes, Fuensanta; Moltó, Jorge; Chrenkovà, Katerina; Torres, Pilar; Lozano, Elena; Jimenez-Pinilla, Patricia; Jara-Navarro, Ana B.

2015-04-01

Forest fires must be considered a natural factor in Mediterranean ecosystems, but the changes in land use in the last six decades have altered its natural regime making them an ongoing environmental problem. Some big forest fires (> 500 has) also have a great socio-economical impact on human population. Our research team has experience of 20 years studying the effects of forest fires on soil properties, their recovery after fire and the impact of some post-fire management treatments. In this work we want to show our experience of how to transfer part of our knowledge to society after two catastrophic events of forest fires in the Alicante Province (E Spain). Two big forest fires: one in "Sierra de Mariola (Alcoi)" and other in "Montgó Natural Park (Javea-Denia)" occurred in in July 2012 and September 2014 respectivelly, and as consequence a great impact was produced on the populations of nearby affected villages. Immediatelly, some groups were formed through social networks with the aim of trying to help recover the affected areas as soon as possible. Usually, society calls for early reforestation and this preassure on forest managers and politicians can produce a response with a greater impact on fire-affected area than the actual fire. The soil is a fragile ecosystem after forest fire, and the situation after fire can vary greatly depending on many factors such as fire severity, previous history of fire in the area, soil type, topography, etc. An evaluation of the site to make the best decision for recovery of the area, protecting the soil and avoiding degradation of the ecosystem is necessary. In these 2 cases we organized some field activities and conferences to give society knowledge of how soil is affected by forest fires, and what would be the best post-fire management depending on how healthy the soil is and the vegetation resilience after fire and our expectations for a natural recovery. The application of different types of mulch in vulnerable areas, the participation of people on the days when we started field research with installation of plots and soil samplings, field trips with volunteers of some NGO's, etc., are some of examples of what we will show in this presentation of how to bring soil science to society. Acknowledgements: to the "Ministerio de Economía and Competitividad" of Spanish Government for finance the POSTFIRE project (CGL2013- 47862-C2-1-R), FUEGORED, Spanish Soil Science Society, Alcoi and Javea councils, Botánica Mediterrànea, ACIF Alcoi, ACIF Marina Alta, Xàbia Viva, Montgó Viu, and Sierra de Mariola and Montgó Natural Parks for their collaboration.

Wildfire, research, and a climate station

Treesearch

Ward McCaughey

2008-01-01

In August, the human-caused Tin Cup Fire took off a few miles to the north of where the Fire Sciences Laboratory crew was busy collecting fuels data on the Trapper Bunkhouse study site west of Darby. The fire demonstrated how quickly wildfire can escape initial attack in untreated stands, especially under extremely dry conditions, and how treated areas helped moderate...

Overview of the Fire Lab at Missoula Experiments (FLAME)

Treesearch

S. M. Kreidenweis; J. L. Collett; H. Moosmuller; W. P. Arnott; WeiMin Hao; W. C. Malm

2010-01-01

The Fire Lab at Missoula Experiments (FLAME) used a series of open biomass burns, conducted in 2006 and 2007 at the Forest Service Fire Science Laboratory in Missoula, MT, to characterize the physical, chemical and optical properties of biomass combustion emissions. Fuels were selected primarily based on their projected importance for emissions from prescribed and wild...

Advancing dendrochronological studies of fire in the United States

Treesearch

Grant L. Harley; Christopher H. Baisan; Peter M. Brown; Donald A. Falk; William T. Flatley; Henri D. Grissino-Mayer; Amy Hessl; Emily K. Heyerdahl; Margot W. Kaye; Charles W. Lafon; Ellis Q. Margolis; R. Stockton Maxwell; Adam T. Naito; William J. Platt; Monica T. Rother; Thomas Saladyga; Rosemary L. Sherriff; Lauren A. Stachowiak; Michael C. Stambaugh; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland; Alan H. Taylor

2018-01-01

Dendroecology is the science that dates tree rings to their exact calendar year of formation to study processes that influence forest ecology (e.g., Speer 2010 [1], Amoroso et al., 2017 [2]). Reconstruction of past fire regimes is a core application of dendroecology, linking fire history to population dynamics and climate effects on tree growth and survivorship. Since...

New and revised fire effects tools for fire management

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane; Greg Dillon; Stacy Drury; Robin Innes; Penny Morgan; Duncan Lutes; Susan J. Prichard; Jane Smith; Eva Strand

2014-01-01

Announcing the release of new software packages for application in wildland fire science and management, two fields that are already fully saturated with computer technology, may seem a bit too much to many managers. However, there have been some recent releases of new computer programs and revisions of existing software and information tools that deserve mention...

Chapter 12: Gaps in scientific knowledge about fire and nonnative invasive plants

Treesearch

Kristin Zouhar; Gregory T. Munger; Jane Kapler Smith

2008-01-01

The potential for nonnative, invasive plants to alter an ecosystem depends on species traits, ecosystem characteristics, and the effects of disturbances, including fire. This study identifies gaps in science-based knowledge about the relationships between fire and nonnative invasive plants in the United States. The literature was searched for information on 60...

A Comprehensive Review of Firefighter Post-Secondary Training and Education in Florida. Program Review Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

Florida's community college and school district postsecondary adult vocational programs in fire fighter training and fire science technology were subjected to a statewide program review. Efforts were made to reach Florida's entire community of career and volunteer fire fighters. Data were collected in the following ways: site interviews with…

Remote sensing information for fire management and fire effects assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuvieco, Emilio; Kasischke, Eric S.

2007-03-01

Over the past decade, much research has been carried out on the utilization of advanced geospatial technologies (remote sensing and geographic information systems) in the fire science and fire management disciplines. Recent advances in these technologies were the focus of a workshop sponsored by the EARSEL special interest group (SIG) on forest fires (FF-SIG) and the Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) fire implementation team. Here we summarize the framework and the key findings of papers submitted from this meeting and presented in this special section. These papers focus on the latest advances for near real-time monitoring of active fires, prediction of fire hazards and danger, monitoring of fuel moisture, mapping of fuel types, and postfire assessment of the impacts from fires.

Impacts of an Extreme Early-Season Freeze Event in the Interior Pacific Northwest (30 October-3 November 2002) on Western Juniper Woodlands.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapp, Paul A.; Soulé, Peter T.

2005-07-01

In mid-autumn 2002, an exceptional 5-day cold spell affected much of the interior Pacific Northwest, with minimum temperatures averaging 13°C below long-term means (1953-2002). On 31 October, minimum temperature records occurred at 98 of the 106 recording stations, with records lowered in some locations by 9°C. Calculation of recurrence intervals of minimum temperatures shows that 50% of the stations experienced a >500-yr event. The synoptic conditions responsible were the development of a pronounced high pressure ridge over western Canada and an intense low pressure area centered in the Intermountain West that promoted strong northeasterly winds. The cold spell occurred near the end of the growing season for an ecologically critical and dominant tree species of the interior Pacific Northwest—western juniper—and followed an extended period of severe drought. In spring 2003, it became apparent that the cold had caused high rates of tree mortality and canopy dieback in a species that is remarkable for its longevity and resistance to climatic stress. The cold event altered western juniper dominance in some areas, and this alteration may have long-term impacts on water budgets, fire intensities and frequencies, animal species interrelationships, and interspecific competition among plant species.

Fire investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomberg, A.

There was considerable progress made on several fronts of fire investigation in the United States in recent years. Progress was made in increasing the quantity of fire investigation and reporting, through efforts to develop the National Fire Incident Reporting System. Improving overall quality of fire investigation is the objective of efforts such as the Fire Investigation Handbook, which was developed and published by the National Bureau of Standards, and the upgrading and expanding of the ""dictionary'' of fire investigation and reporting, the NFPA 901, Uniform Coding for Fire Protection, system. The science of fire investigation as furthered also by new approaches to post fire interviews being developed at the University of Washington, and by in-depth research into factors involved in several large loss fires, including the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Finally, the use of special study fire investigations - in-depth investigations concentrating on specific fire problems - is producing new glimpses into the nature of the national fire problem. A brief description of the status of efforts in each of these areas is discussed.

Forest Fire Ecology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zucca, Carol; And Others

1995-01-01

Presents a model that integrates high school science with the needs of the local scientific community. Describes how a high school ecology class conducted scientific research in fire ecology that benefited the students and a state park forest ecologist. (MKR)

Research Shows Health Impacts and Economic Costs of Wildland Fires

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Researchers at EPA and colleagues at NC State University, the University of Sydney and the University of Tasmania are advancing the science of understanding the public health burden associated with wildland fires.

ChemCam Mast Unit Being Prepared for Laser Firing

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-12-23

Researchers prepare for a test of the Chemistry and Camera ChemCam instrument that will fly on NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission; researchers are preparing the instrument mast unit for a laser firing test.

High School Teams Compete in Science Bowl

Science.gov Websites

fire question and answer tournament which focuses on physics, math, biology, astronomy, chemistry National Science Bowl eight years ago to help stimulate interest in science and math. The competition has

Interim medusahead management guide for the intermountain west

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Medusahead is an exotic annual grass that is decreasing livestock forage production, increasing wildfire frequency, and reducing biodiversity in sagebrush rangelands. The spread of medusahead should be reduced by treating infestations along roads, increasing or maintaining high perennial bunchgrass...

Medusahead management guide for the Intermountain West

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Medusahead is an exotic annual grass that is decreasing livestock forage production, increasing wildfire frequency, and reducing biodiversity in sagebrush rangelands. The spread of medusahead should be reduced by treating infestations along roads, increasing or maintaining perennial bunchgrass abun...

Managing cheatgrass in rangeland restoration efforts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The accidental introduction and subsequent invasion of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) onto millions of acres of Intermountain west rangelands has significantly affected the ability of resource managers and land owners to effectively restore or rehabilitate disturbed rangelands. The Nevada Section-Soci...

Perennial grass establishment following cheatgrass control using herbicides

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The introduction and subsequent invasion of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) onto Intermountain rangelands has resulted in increased frequencies of wildfires and severely altered native plant communities. These destructive wildfires have negatively impacted wildlife and grazing resources as well as har...

77 FR 25749 - Certain Drill Bits and Products Containing Same; Notice of Receipt of Complaint; Solicitation of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-01

...., Peru; Christensen Chile S.A., Chile; Diamantina Christensen Trading Inc., Panama; and Intermountain... document electronically on or before the deadlines stated above and submit 8 true paper copies to the...

Imazapic, rimsulfuron, and sulfometuron methyl effectiveness at controlling cheatgrass

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The introduction and subsequent invasion of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) onto Intermountain rangelands has resulted in increased frequencies of wildfires and severely altered native plant communities. These destructive wildfires have negatively impacted wildlife and grazing resources. The ability o...

Reviews Book: Extended Project Student Guide Book: My Inventions Book: ASE Guide to Research in Science Education Classroom Video: The Science of Starlight Software: SPARKvue Book: The Geek Manifesto Ebook: A Big Ball of Fire Apps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-05-01

WE RECOMMEND Level 3 Extended Project Student Guide A non-specialist, generally useful and nicely put together guide to project work ASE Guide to Research in Science Education Few words wasted in this handy introduction and reference The Science of Starlight Slow but steady DVD covers useful ground SPARKvue Impressive software now available as an app WORTH A LOOK My Inventions and Other Writings Science, engineering, autobiography, visions and psychic phenomena mixed in a strange but revealing concoction The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters More enthusiasm than science, but a good motivator and interesting A Big Ball of Fire: Your questions about the Sun answered Free iTunes download made by and for students goes down well APPS Collider visualises LHC experiments ... Science Museum app enhances school trips ... useful information for the Cambridge Science Festival

Smokey comes of age: Unmanned aerial systems for fire management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twidwell, Dirac; Allen, Craig R.; Detweiler, Carrick; Higgins, James; Laney, Christian; Elbaum, Sebastian

2016-01-01

During the past century, fire management has focused on techniques both to protect human communities from catastrophic wildfire and to maintain fire-dependent ecological systems. However, despite a large and increasing allocation of resources and personnel to achieve these goals, fire management objectives at regional to global scales are not being met. Current fire management techniques are clearly inadequate for the challenges faced by fire managers, and technological innovations are needed. Advances in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology provide opportunities for innovation in fire management and science. In many countries, fire management organizations are beginning to explore the potential of UAS for monitoring fires. We have taken the next step and developed a prototype that can precisely ignite fires as part of wildfire suppression tactics or prescribed fires (fire intentionally ignited within predetermined conditions to reduce hazardous fuels, improve habitat, or mitigate for large wildfires). We discuss the potential for these technologies to benefit fire management activities, while acknowledging the sizeable sociopolitical barriers that prevent their immediate broad application.

Managing forest structure and fire hazard--a tool for planners.

Treesearch

M.C. Johnson; D.L. Peterson; C.L. Raymond

2006-01-01

Fire planners and other resource managers need to examine a range of potential fuel and vegetation treatments to select options that will lead to desired outcomes for fire hazard and natural resource conditions. A new approach to this issue integrates concepts and tools from silviculture and fuel science to quantify outcomes for a large number of treatment options in...

Participatory Geographic Information Systems as an organizational platform for the integration of traditional and scientific knowledge in contemporary fire and fuels management

Treesearch

Brooke Balauf McBride; Fernando Sanchez-Trigueros; Stephen J Carver; Alan E Watson; Linda Moon Stumpff; Roian Matt; William T. Borrie

2016-01-01

Traditional knowledge about fire and its effects held by indigenous people, who are connected to specific landscapes, holds promise for informing contemporary fire and fuels management strategies and augmenting knowledge and information derived from western science. In practice, however, inadequate means to organize and communicate this traditional knowledge with...

Measurements, datasets and preliminary results from the RxCADRE project-2008, 2011 and 2012

Treesearch

Roger D. Ottmar; J. Kevin Hiers; Bret W. Butler; Craig B. Clements; Matthew B. Dickinson; Andrew T. Hudak; Joseph O' Brien; Brian E. Potter; Eric M. Rowell; Tara M. Strand; Thomas J. Zajkowski

2016-01-01

The lack of independent, quality-assured field data prevents scientists from effectively evaluating and advancing wildland fire models. To rectify this, scientists and technicians convened in the southeastern United States in 2008, 2011 and 2012 to collect wildland fire data in six integrated core science disciplines defined by the fire modelling community. These were...

Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program: 2012 Research Accomplishments

Treesearch

Diane M. Smith; Colin C. Hardy

2012-01-01

In 2012, the nation experienced one of the largest wildland fire seasons in US history. More than 9 million acres burned, overwhelming fire-suppression budgets, burning homes and other structures, and taking the lives of both firefighters and civilians around the country. In Montana alone, 1.1 million acres burned, resulting in the largest wildfire year since 1910. As...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; economic uses fact sheet 08: prescribed fire costs

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Although the use of prescribed fire as a management tool is widespread, there is great variability and uncertainty in the treatment costs. Given specific site variables and management objectives, how much will it cost to use prescribed fire? This paper describes the FASTRACS database, a tool that has been developed to aid managers in addressing this question.

Science basis for changing forest structure to modify wildfire behavior and severity

Treesearch

Russell T. Graham; Sarah McCaffrey; Theresa B. Jain

2004-01-01

Fire, other disturbances, physical setting, weather, and climate shape the structure and function of forests throughout the Western United States. More than 80 years of fire research have shown that physical setting, fuels, and weather combine to determine wildfire intensity (the rate at which it consumes fuel) and severity (the effect fire has on vegetation, soils,...

Assessing three fuel classification systems and their maps using Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) surface fuel measurements

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane; Jason M. Herynk; Chris Toney; Shawn P. Urbanski; Duncan C. Lutes; Roger D. Ottmar

2015-01-01

Fuel classifications are integral tools in fire management and planning because they are used as inputs to fire behavior and effects simulation models. Fuel Loading Models (FLMs) and Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCSs) fuelbeds are the most popular classifications used throughout wildland fire science and management, but they have yet to be thoroughly...

The Lick Creek Demonstration - Forest Renewal Through Partial Harvest and Fire

Treesearch

Benjamin Zamora; Melinda Martin

2006-01-01

The Lick Creek Demonstration Site on the Pomeroy Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest, is a Joint Fire Science Program sponsored project to create a demonstration of the effects of fuels management on forest health. The project was initiated in 2001 and involved the integration of two levels of partial harvest with prescribed fire, a burn only treatment and an...

Siberian Fires

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... not be retrieved are shown as dark gray. Fire is an important ecological factor in the taiga forests, but in this region a ... NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Terra spacecraft is managed ...

Cheatgrass control and seeding: lessons learned

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), native to central Eurasia, is a highly invasive annual grass that has invaded millions of hectares of rangelands throughout the Intermountain West. Cheatgrass has revolutionized secondary succession by providing a fine-textured, early-maturing fuel that increases the ch...

Perils in the adaptation of fire management to a changing world

Treesearch

Armando González-Cabán; M.M. Fernández-Ramiro; Claudio Conese; Francesco Bosello; Jorge Núñez; Victor Otrachshenko; B.J. Orr

2014-01-01

Increased fire load and costs are anticipated under future scenarios of climate and other global changes. This requires increased efficiency in investments in wildfire management operations, and resolving the disconnect problem between science, policy and management.

Fire in eastern oak forests: delivering science to land managers

Treesearch

Matthew B., ed. Dickinson

2006-01-01

Contains 20 papers and 36 poster abstracts presented at a conference on fire in oak forests of the Eastern United States that was held at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, on November 15-17, 2005.

Space Station Freedom combustion research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faeth, G. M.

1992-01-01

Extended operations in microgravity, on board spacecraft like Space Station Freedom, provide both unusual opportunities and unusual challenges for combustion science. On the one hand, eliminating the intrusion of buoyancy provides a valuable new perspective for fundamental studies of combustion phenomena. On the other hand, however, the absence of buoyancy creates new hazards of fires and explosions that must be understood to assure safe manned space activities. These considerations - and the relevance of combustion science to problems of pollutants, energy utilization, waste incineration, power and propulsion systems, and fire and explosion hazards, among others - provide strong motivation for microgravity combustion research. The intrusion of buoyancy is a greater impediment to fundamental combustion studies than to most other areas of science. Combustion intrinsically heats gases with the resulting buoyant motion at normal gravity either preventing or vastly complicating measurements. Perversely, this limitation is most evident for fundamental laboratory experiments; few practical combustion phenomena are significantly affected by buoyancy. Thus, we have never observed the most fundamental combustion phenomena - laminar premixed and diffusion flames, heterogeneous flames of particles and surfaces, low-speed turbulent flames, etc. - without substantial buoyant disturbances. This precludes rational merging of theory, where buoyancy is of little interest, and experiments, that always are contaminated by buoyancy, which is the traditional path for developing most areas of science. The current microgravity combustion program seeks to rectify this deficiency using both ground-based and space-based facilities, with experiments involving space-based facilities including: laminar premixed flames, soot processes in laminar jet diffusion flames, structure of laminar and turbulent jet diffusion flames, solid surface combustion, one-dimensional smoldering, ignition and flame spread of liquids, drop combustion, and quenching of panicle-air flames. Unfortunately, the same features that make microgravity attractive for fundamental combustion experiments, introduce new fire and explosion hazards that have no counterpart on earth. For example, microgravity can cause broader flammability limits, novel regimes of flame spread, enhanced effects of flame radiation, slower fire detector response, and enhanced combustion upon injecting fire extinguishing agents, among others. On the other hand, spacecraft provide an opportunity to use 'fire-safe' atmospheres due to their controlled environment. Investigation of these problems is just beginning, with specific fire safety experiments supplementing the space based fundamental experiments listed earlier; thus, much remains to be done to develop an adequate technology base for fire and explosion safety considerations for spacecraft.

Comment [on “Science in the political arena: Taking fire from the right and the left”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darzi, Mike

The points made in “Science in the Political Arena: Taking Fire From the Right and the Left” [Eos, Nov. 21, 1995, p. 480] are well taken. However, I disagree strongly with the implication that assaults on science from the right and left are of equal gravity. While the assault from the left disrupts certain scientific projects, the assault from the right, I believe, risks America's preeminence in science and the development of significant benefits to society. Although environmentalists and animal-rights activists have certainly impeded research in some cases, their activism has also spurred many other fields of research including global change and biodiversity, and encouraged the development of fresh water supplies and alternative fuel sources.

NASA Flight Operations of Ikhana and Global Hawk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Posada, Herman D.

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the flight operations of Ikhana and Global Hawk Fire missions. The Ikhana fire missions modifications, ground systems, flight operations, range safety zones, primary and secondary emergency landing sites, and the Ikhana western states fire missions of 2007 are described, along with The Global Hawk specs, a description of the Global Hawk Pacific Science Campaign (GloPac '09) and GloPac payloads.

Wild Fire Computer Model Helps Firefighters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Canfield, Jesse

2012-09-04

A high-tech computer model called HIGRAD/FIRETEC, the cornerstone of a collaborative effort between U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and Los Alamos National Laboratory, provides insights that are essential for front-line fire fighters. The science team is looking into levels of bark beetle-induced conditions that lead to drastic changes in fire behavior and how variable or erratic the behavior is likely to be.

Wild Fire Computer Model Helps Firefighters

ScienceCinema

Canfield, Jesse

2018-02-14

A high-tech computer model called HIGRAD/FIRETEC, the cornerstone of a collaborative effort between U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and Los Alamos National Laboratory, provides insights that are essential for front-line fire fighters. The science team is looking into levels of bark beetle-induced conditions that lead to drastic changes in fire behavior and how variable or erratic the behavior is likely to be.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 01: Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

Treesearch

Steve Sutherland

2004-01-01

The Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) provides accessible, up-to-date fire effects summaries, taken from current English-language literature, for almost 900 plant species, about 100 animal species, and 16 Kuchler plant communities found on the North American continent. This fact sheet discusses the development of FEIS and what is contained in the species summary....

Relationships between models used to analyze fire and fuel management alternatives

Treesearch

Nicholas L. Crookston; Werner A. Kurz; Sarah J. Beukema; Elizabeth D. Reinhardt

2000-01-01

Needs for analytical tools, the roles existing tools play, the processes they represent, and how they might interact are elements of key findings generated during a workshop held in Seattle February 17-18, 1999. The workshop was attended by 26 Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) stakeholders and researchers. A focus of the workshop was the Fire and Fuels Extension to the...

GIS tools, courses, and learning pathways offered by The National Interagency Fuels, Fire, and Vegetation Technology Transfer (NIFTT)

Treesearch

Heather Heward; Kathy H. Schon

2009-01-01

As technology continues to evolve in the area of fuel and wildland fire management so does the need to have effective tools and training on these technologies. The National Interagency Fuels Coordination Group has chartered a team of professionals to coordinate, develop, and transfer consistent, efficient, science-based fuel and fire ecology assessment GIS tools and...

Tools, courses, and learning pathways offered by the National Interagency Fuels, Fire, and Vegetation Technology Transfer

Treesearch

Eva K. Strand; Kathy H. Schon; Jeff Jones

2010-01-01

Technological advances in the area of fuel and wildland fire management have created a need for effective decision support tools and technology training. The National Interagency Fuels Committee and LANDFIRE have chartered a team to develop science-based learning tools for assessment of fire and fuels and to provide online training and technology transfer to help...

Revegetating medusahead-invaded sagebrush rangelands in the intermountain west

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Revegetation of medusahead-invaded rangeland is needed to increase forage production, decrease the risk of wildfires, and improve wildlife habitat. Successful revegetation starts with effective control of medusahead. Prescribed burning followed by a fall application of a pre-emergent herbicide has...

76 FR 30955 - Invasive Species Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-27

... Commerce. The duty of the Council is to provide national leadership regarding invasive species issues... primarily on invaders in the intermountain West. The meeting will focus on adapting management of invasive... evaluate on-the-ground issues firsthand, thereby determining how management methods [[Page 30956

Integrated approach to cheatgrass suppression on great basin rangelands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), native to central Eurasia, is a highly invasive annual grass that has invaded millions of hectares of rangelands throughout the Intermountain West. Cheatgrass has revolutionized secondary succession by providing a fine-textured, early-maturing fuel that increases the c...

Conclusions [Chapter 15

Treesearch

Joanne J. Ho; David L. Peterson; Natalie J. Little

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) provided significant contributions to assist climate change response in national forests and national parks of the region. The effort synthesized the best available scientific information to assess climate change vulnerability, develop adaptation options, and catalyze a collaboration of land management agencies and...

Intermountain west range improvement practices: lessons learned

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Nevada Section, Society for Range Management held its annual summer field tour July 29-30, 2016 in Eureka, Nevada, where numerous private land owners, conservation districts, consultants, state and federal agencies participated in a learningful and exciting tour. The tour included the cooperatio...

Wildlife Habitat Improvement Using Range Improvement Practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wildfires in the Intermountain West are and annual event. The introduction and subsequent invasion of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) onto millions of hectares of rangelands throughout the West has resulted in devastating wildfires. With each passing wildfire season more and more critical wildlife habi...

Revegetating medusahead-invaded sagebrush rangelands in the Intermountain West

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Revegetation of medusahead-invaded rangeland is needed to increase forage production, decrease the risk of wildfires, and improve wildlife habitat. Successful revegetation starts with effective control of medusahead. Prescribed burning followed by a fall application of a pre-emergent herbicide has...

Rehabilitation of cheatgrass-infested rangelands: concepts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The introduction and subsequent invasion of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) onto millions of acres of Intermountain West rangelands has caused astronomical changes to numerous ecosystems and the multiple uses that depend on healthy and functional ecosystems. This is the first part, of a 3-part series ...

Managing Intermountain rangelands - sagebrush-grass ranges

Treesearch

James P. Blaisdell; Robert B Murray; E. Durant McArthur

1982-01-01

This paper is a distillation of some of the most important information resulting from a half-century of research on sagebrush-grass rangelands. It has been prepared as a reference for managers and users of rangelands and as a help for planning and decisionmaking.

Understanding the interaction between wild fire and vegetation distribution within the NCAR CESM framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, H.; Kim, Y.; Kim, H. J.

2017-12-01

Every year wild fire brings about 400Mha of land burned therefore 2Pg of carbon emissions from the surface occur. In this way fire not only affects the carbon circulation but also has an effect on the terrestrial ecosystems. This study aims to understand role of fire on the geographic vegetation distribution and the terrestrial carbon balances within the NCAR CESM framework, specifically with the CLM-BGC and CLM-BGC-DV. Global climate data from Climate Research Unit (CRU)-National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) data ranging from 1901 to 2010 are used to drive the land models. First, by comparing fire-on and fire-off simulations with the CLM-BGC-DV, the fire impacts in dynamic vegetation are quantified by the fractional land areas of the different plant functional types. In addition, we examine how changes in vegetation distribution affect the total sum of the burned areas and the carbon balances. This study would provide the limits of and suggestions for the fire and dynamic vegetation modules of the CLM-BGC. AcknowledgementsThis work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2015R1C1A2A01054800) and by the Korea Meteorological Administration R&D Program under Grant KMIPA 2015-6180. This work was also supported by the Yonsei University Future-leading Research Initiative of 2015(2016-22-0061).

Fire effects on aquatic ecosystems: an assessment of the current state of the science

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rebecca J. Bixby,; Scott D. Cooper,; Gresswell, Bob; Lee E. Brown,; Clifford N. Dahm,; Kathleen A. Dwire,

2015-01-01

Fire is a prevalent feature of many landscapes and has numerous and complex effects on geological, hydrological, ecological, and economic systems. In some regions, the frequency and intensity of wildfire have increased in recent years and are projected to escalate with predicted climatic and landuse changes. In addition, prescribed burns continue to be used in many parts of the world to clear vegetation for development projects, encourage desired vegetation, and reduce fuel loads. Given the prevalence of fire on the landscape, authors of papers in this special series examine the complexities of fire as a disturbance shaping freshwater ecosystems and highlight the state of the science. These papers cover key aspects of fire effects that range from vegetation loss and recovery in watersheds to effects on hydrology and water quality with consequences for communities (from algae to fish), food webs, and ecosystem processes (e.g., organic matter subsidies, nutrient cycling) across a range of scales. The results presented in this special series of articles expand our knowledge of fire effects in different biomes, water bodies, and geographic regions, encompassing aquatic population, community, and ecosystem responses. In this overview, we summarize each paper and emphasize its contributions to knowledge on fire ecology and freshwater ecosystems. This overview concludes with a list of 7 research foci that are needed to further our knowledge of fire effects on aquatic ecosystems, including research on: 1) additional biomes and geographic regions; 2) additional habitats, including wetlands and lacustrine ecosystems; 3) different fire severities, sizes, and spatial configurations; and 4) additional response variables (e.g., ecosystem processes) 5) over long (>5 y) time scales 6) with more rigorous study designs and data analyses, and 7) consideration of the effects of fire management practices and policies on aquatic ecosystems.

Students from Grand Junction High School Triumph in Colorado Science Bowl

Science.gov Websites

-fire questions about physics, math, biology, astronomy, chemistry, computers and the earth sciences years ago to help stimulate interest in science and math. The competition has evolved into one of the

Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis James), a Flexible Generalist of Forest Communities in the Intermountain West

PubMed Central

Windmuller-Campione, Marcella A.; Long, James N.

2016-01-01

As forest communities continue to experience interactions between climate change and shifting disturbance regimes, there is an increased need to link ecological understanding to applied management. Limber pine (Pinus flexilis James.), an understudied species of western North America, has been documented to dominate harsh environments and thought to be competitively excluded from mesic environments. An observational study was conducted using the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIAD) to test the competitive exclusion hypothesis across a broad elevational and geographic area within the Intermountain West, USA. We anticipated that competitive exclusion would result in limber pine’s absence from mid-elevation forest communities, creating a bi-modal distribution. Using the FIAD database, limber pine was observed to occur with 22 different overstory species, which represents a surprising number of the woody, overstory species commonly observed in the Intermountain West. There were no biologically significant relationships between measures of annual precipitation, annual temperature, or climatic indices (i.e. Ombrothermic Index) and limber pine dominance. Limber pine was observed to be a consistent component of forest communities across elevation classes. Of the plots that contained limber pine regeneration, nearly half did not have a live or dead limber pine in the overstory. However, limber pine regeneration was greater in plots with higher limber pine basal area and higher average annual precipitation. Our results suggest limber pine is an important habitat generalist, playing more than one functional role in forest communities. Generalists, like limber pine, may be increasingly important, as managers are challenged to build resistance and resilience to future conditions in western forests. Additional research is needed to understand how different silvicultural systems can be used to maintain multi-species forest communities. PMID:27575596

A spatial model to prioritize sagebrush landscapes in the intermountain west (U.S.A.) for restoration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meinke, C.W.; Knick, S.T.; Pyke, D.A.

2009-01-01

The ecological integrity of Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Intermountain West (U.S.A.) has been diminished by synergistic relationships among human activities, spread of invasive plants, and altered disturbance regimes. An aggressive effort to restore Sagebrush habitats is necessary if we are to stabilize or improve current habitat trajectories and reverse declining population trends of dependent wildlife. Existing economic resources, technical impediments, and logistic difficulties limit our efforts to a fraction of the extensive area undergoing fragmentation, degradation, and loss. We prioritized landscapes for restoring Sagebrush habitats within the intermountain western region of the United States using geographic information system (GIS) modeling techniques to identify areas meeting a set of conditions based on (1) optimum abiotic and biotic conditions favorable for revegetation of Sagebrush; (2) potential to increase connectivity of Sagebrush habitats in the landscape to benefit wildlife; (3) location of population strongholds for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, a species of conservation concern); and (4) potential impediments to successful restoration created by Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum, an invasive exotic annual grass). Approximately 5.8 million ha in southwestern Idaho, northern Nevada, and eastern Oregon met our criteria for restoring Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) and 5.1 million ha had high priority for restoring Mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. vaseyana). Our results represent an integral component in a hierarchical framework after which site-specific locations for treatments can be focused within high-priority areas. Using this approach, long-term restoration strategies can be implemented that combine local-scale treatments and objectives with large-scale ecological processes and priorities. ?? 2008 Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Simulated natural hydrologic regime of an intermountain playa conservation site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanderson, J.S.; Kotliar, N.B.; Steingraeber, D.A.; Browne, C.

2008-01-01

An intermountain playa wetland preserve in Colorado's San Luis Valley was studied to assess how its current hydrologic function compares to its natural hydrologic regime. Current hydrologic conditions were quantified, and on-site effects of off-site water use were assessed. A water-budget model was developed to simulate an unaltered (i.e., natural) hydrologic regime, and simulated natural conditions were compared to observed conditions. From 1998-2002, observed stream inflows accounted for ??? 80% of total annual water inputs. No ground water discharged to the wetland. Evapotranspiration (ET) accounted for ??? 69% of total annual water loss. Simulated natural conditions differed substantially from current altered conditions with respect to depth, variability, and frequency of flooding. During 1998-2002, observed monthly mean surface-water depth was 65% lower than under simulated natural conditions. Observed monthly variability in water depth range from 129% greater (May) to 100% less (September and October) than simulated. As observed, the wetland dried completely (i.e., was ephemeral) in all years; as simulated, the wetland was ephemeral in two of five years. For the period 1915-2002, the simulated wetland was inundated continuously for as long as 16 years and nine months. The large differences in observed and simulated surface-water dynamics resulted from differences between altered and simulated unaltered stream inflows. The maximum and minimum annual total stream inflows observed from 1998-2005 were 3.1 ?? 106 m3 and 0 m3, respectively, versus 15.5 ?? 106 m3 and 3.2 ?? 106 m3 under simulated natural conditions from 1915-2002. The maximum simulated inflow was 484% greater than observed. These data indicate that the current hydrologic regime of this intermountain playa differs significantly from its natural hydrologic regime, which has important implications for planning and assessing conservation success. ?? 2008, The Society of Wetland Scientists.

Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis James), a Flexible Generalist of Forest Communities in the Intermountain West.

PubMed

Windmuller-Campione, Marcella A; Long, James N

2016-01-01

As forest communities continue to experience interactions between climate change and shifting disturbance regimes, there is an increased need to link ecological understanding to applied management. Limber pine (Pinus flexilis James.), an understudied species of western North America, has been documented to dominate harsh environments and thought to be competitively excluded from mesic environments. An observational study was conducted using the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIAD) to test the competitive exclusion hypothesis across a broad elevational and geographic area within the Intermountain West, USA. We anticipated that competitive exclusion would result in limber pine's absence from mid-elevation forest communities, creating a bi-modal distribution. Using the FIAD database, limber pine was observed to occur with 22 different overstory species, which represents a surprising number of the woody, overstory species commonly observed in the Intermountain West. There were no biologically significant relationships between measures of annual precipitation, annual temperature, or climatic indices (i.e. Ombrothermic Index) and limber pine dominance. Limber pine was observed to be a consistent component of forest communities across elevation classes. Of the plots that contained limber pine regeneration, nearly half did not have a live or dead limber pine in the overstory. However, limber pine regeneration was greater in plots with higher limber pine basal area and higher average annual precipitation. Our results suggest limber pine is an important habitat generalist, playing more than one functional role in forest communities. Generalists, like limber pine, may be increasingly important, as managers are challenged to build resistance and resilience to future conditions in western forests. Additional research is needed to understand how different silvicultural systems can be used to maintain multi-species forest communities.

Linking Genetic Variation in Adaptive Plant Traits to Climate in Tetraploid and Octoploid Basin Wildrye [Leymus cinereus (Scribn. & Merr.) A. Love] in the Western U.S.

PubMed

Johnson, R C; Vance-Borland, Ken

2016-01-01

Few studies have assessed how ploidy type within a species affects genetic variation among populations in relation to source climates. Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus (Scribn. & Merr.) A. Love) is a large bunchgrass common in the intermountain Western U.S. found in both octoploid and tetraploid types. In common gardens at two sites over two years differences in both ploidy type and genetic variation within ploidy were observed in phenology, morphology, and production traits on 57 octoploid and 52 tetraploid basin wildrye from the intermountain Western U.S. (P<0.01). Octoploids had larger leaves, longer culms, and greater crown circumference than tetraploids but the numerical ranges of plant traits and their source climates overlapped between ploidy types. Still, among populations octoploids often had greater genetic variation for traits and occupied more diverse climates than tetraploids. Genetic variation for both ploidy types was linked to source climates in canonical correlation analysis, with the first two variates explaining 70% of the variation. Regression of those canonical variates with seed source climate variables produced models that explained 64% and 38% of the variation, respectively, and were used to map 15 seed zones covering 673,258 km2. Utilization of these seed zones will help ensure restoration with adaptive seed sources for both ploidy types. The link between genetic traits and seed source climates suggests climate driven natural selection and adaptive evolution in basin wildrye. The more diverse climates occupied by octoploids and higher trait variation suggests a higher capacity for ecological differentiation than tetraploids in the intermountain Western U.S.

Forecasting distribution of numbers of large fires

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eidenshink, Jeffery C.; Preisler, Haiganoush K.; Howard, Stephen; Burgan, Robert E.

2014-01-01

Systems to estimate forest fire potential commonly utilize one or more indexes that relate to expected fire behavior; however they indicate neither the chance that a large fire will occur, nor the expected number of large fires. That is, they do not quantify the probabilistic nature of fire danger. In this work we use large fire occurrence information from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project, and satellite and surface observations of fuel conditions in the form of the Fire Potential Index, to estimate two aspects of fire danger: 1) the probability that a 1 acre ignition will result in a 100+ acre fire, and 2) the probabilities of having at least 1, 2, 3, or 4 large fires within a Predictive Services Area in the forthcoming week. These statistical processes are the main thrust of the paper and are used to produce two daily national forecasts that are available from the U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center and via the Wildland Fire Assessment System. A validation study of our forecasts for the 2013 fire season demonstrated good agreement between observed and forecasted values.

Reconstruction of fire regimes through integrated paleoecological proxy data and ecological modeling.

PubMed

Iglesias, Virginia; Yospin, Gabriel I; Whitlock, Cathy

2014-01-01

Fire is a key ecological process affecting vegetation dynamics and land cover. The characteristic frequency, size, and intensity of fire are driven by interactions between top-down climate-driven and bottom-up fuel-related processes. Disentangling climatic from non-climatic drivers of past fire regimes is a grand challenge in Earth systems science, and a topic where both paleoecology and ecological modeling have made substantial contributions. In this manuscript, we (1) review the use of sedimentary charcoal as a fire proxy and the methods used in charcoal-based fire history reconstructions; (2) identify existing techniques for paleoecological modeling; and (3) evaluate opportunities for coupling of paleoecological and ecological modeling approaches to better understand the causes and consequences of past, present, and future fire activity.

The Safety Analysis of Shipborne Ammunition in Fire Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Junpeng; Wang, Xudong; Yue, Pengfei

2017-12-01

The safety of Ammunition has always been the focus of national military science and technology issues. And fire is one of the major safety threats to the ship’s ammunition storage environment, In this paper, Mk-82 shipborne aviation bomb has been taken as the study object, simulated the whole process of fire by using the FDS (Fire Detection System) software. According to the simulation results of FDS, ANSYS software was used to simulate the temperature field of Mk-82 carrier-based aviation bomb under fire environment, and the safety of aviation bomb in fire environment was analyzed. The result shows that the aviation bombs under the fire environment can occur the combustion or explosion after 70s constant cook-off, and it was a huge threat to the ship security.

Reconstruction of fire regimes through integrated paleoecological proxy data and ecological modeling

PubMed Central

Iglesias, Virginia; Yospin, Gabriel I.; Whitlock, Cathy

2015-01-01

Fire is a key ecological process affecting vegetation dynamics and land cover. The characteristic frequency, size, and intensity of fire are driven by interactions between top-down climate-driven and bottom-up fuel-related processes. Disentangling climatic from non-climatic drivers of past fire regimes is a grand challenge in Earth systems science, and a topic where both paleoecology and ecological modeling have made substantial contributions. In this manuscript, we (1) review the use of sedimentary charcoal as a fire proxy and the methods used in charcoal-based fire history reconstructions; (2) identify existing techniques for paleoecological modeling; and (3) evaluate opportunities for coupling of paleoecological and ecological modeling approaches to better understand the causes and consequences of past, present, and future fire activity. PMID:25657652

Challenges to implementing "best available science"

Treesearch

Vita Wright

2010-01-01

Interagency wildland fire policy directs manager to apply "best available science" to management plans and activities. But what does "best available science" mean? With a vague definition of this concept and few guidelines for delivering or integrating science into management, it can be difficult for scientists to effectively provide managers with...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 03: structure fires in the wildland-urban interface

Treesearch

Steve Sutherland

2004-01-01

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) data indicate that wildfires destroyed approximately 9,000 homes between 1985 and 1994 in the United States. The loss of homes to wildfire has had a significant impact on Federal fire policy. This fact sheet discusses the causes of home ignitions in the wildland-urban interface, home ignition zones, how to reduce home...

Social science at the wildland-urban interface: a compendium of research results to create fire-adapted communities

Treesearch

Eric Toman; Melanie Stidham; Sarah McCaffrey; Bruce Shindler

2013-01-01

Over the past decade, a growing body of research has been conducted on the human dimensions of wildland fire. As this research has matured, there has been a recognition of the need to examine the full body of resulting literature to synthesize disparate findings and identify lessons learned across studies. These lessons can then be applied to fostering fire-adapted...

Social science to improve fuels management: a synthesis of research on the impacts of wildland fires on communities

Treesearch

Stephen F. McCool; James Burchfield; Daniel R. Williams; Matt Carroll; Patricia Cohn; Yoshitaka Kumagai; Tam Ubben

2007-01-01

A series of syntheses were commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service to aid in fuels mitigation project planning. Focusing on research on the social impacts of wildland fire, this synthesis explores decisions and actions taken by communities before, during, and after a wildland fire to minimize its impacts. It then synthesizes the research studying (1) the consequences...

ARC-2008-ACD08-0147-023

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-14

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during a press briefing following a visit to Ames Earth Science Division for a briefing by Steve Hipskind on NASA Ames remote sensing fire fighting efforts. Also shown left to right, Mike Freilich, Director, NASA Earth Sceinces Division, Steve Hipskind, Pete Worden, Governor Schwarzenegger, Chief Del Walters, Assistant Region Fire Chief, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Tom Maruyama, Deputy Director, Office of Emergency Services

Fire toxicology from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) point of view

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winter, D. L.

1978-01-01

At the request of NASA the Subcommittee on Fire Toxicology undertook the tasks of evaluating the state-of-knowledge in fire toxicology and recommending guidelines for establishing standard approaches for testing the toxicity of polymeric materials in fires. The recommended guidelines on methodology for evaluation of toxicity of pyrolysis and combustion products are presented. Flow charts reflecting the organizations responsible for the evaluation tasks are presented to show organizational changes which took place between 1977 and 1978. Also listed are the names, phone numbers and companies in attendance at the meeting.

Chapter 19. Forbs for seeding range and wildlife habitats

Treesearch

Richard Stevens; Stephen B. Monsen

2004-01-01

Forbs are abundant in all vegetative types throughout the Intermountain West. Most are found intermixed in grasslands and as understory plants in shrub and forest types. Forbs provide ground cover, soil stability, community (flora and fauna) diversity, nutritious forage, and are of aesthetic value.

Ecosystem water availability in juniper versus sagebrush snow-dominated rangelands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Western Juniper (J. occidentalis Hook.) now dominates over 3.6 million ha of rangeland in the Intermountain Western US. Critical ecological relationships among snow distribution, water budgets, plant community transitions, and habitat requirements for wildlife, such as sage grouse, remain poorly und...

11. Photocopy of Sheet 4 of Building Plan R453 (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. Photocopy of Sheet 4 of Building Plan R4-53 (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) SIDE ELEVATION AND FRAMING - Buffalo Guard Station, Residence, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

11. Photocopy of Sheet 3 of Building Plan R451, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. Photocopy of Sheet 3 of Building Plan R4-51, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) Construction Details and Floor Framing. - Buffalo Guard Station, Office, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

10. Photocopy of Sheet 2 of Building Plan R451, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. Photocopy of Sheet 2 of Building Plan R4-51, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) Framing and Foundation Plans. - Buffalo Guard Station, Office, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

Loss of sagebrush ecosystems and declining bird populations in the Intermountain West: Priority research issues and information needs

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2002-01-01

Sagebrush lands in the Intermountain West are declining rapidly in quality and extent. Consequently, populations of many bird species dependent on these ecosystems also are declining. The greater sage-grouse has been petitioned for listing as a threatened and endangered species, and other species of sagebrush-obligate birds have special conservation status in most states. We identified the primary issues and information needs during a multi-agency workshop, conducted in response to concerns by management agencies related to declining bird population trends in sagebrush habitats. Priority needs were to (1) obtain a better understanding of bird response to habitat and landscape features, (2) develop monitoring designs to sample habitats and bird populations, (3) determine the effects of land use on sagebrush habitats and dependent bird species, and (4) identify linkages between breeding and wintering ranges. This agenda will identify causes and mechanisms of population declines in birds dependent on sagebrush ecosystems and will lead to better management of the ecosystems upon which they depend.

An integrated environmental tracer approach to characterizing groundwater circulation in a mountain block

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manning, Andrew H.; Solomon, D. Kip

2005-01-01

The subsurface transfer of water from a mountain block to an adjacent basin (mountain block recharge (MBR)) is a commonly invoked mechanism of recharge to intermountain basins. However, MBR estimates are highly uncertain. We present an approach to characterize bulk fluid circulation in a mountain block and thus MBR that utilizes environmental tracers from the basin aquifer. Noble gas recharge temperatures, groundwater ages, and temperature data combined with heat and fluid flow modeling are used to identify clearly improbable flow regimes in the southeastern Salt Lake Valley, Utah, and adjacent Wasatch Mountains. The range of possible MBR rates is reduced by 70%. Derived MBR rates (5.5–12.6 × 104 m3 d−1) are on the same order of magnitude as previous large estimates, indicating that significant MBR to intermountain basins is plausible. However, derived rates are 50–100% of the lowest previous estimate, meaning total recharge is probably less than previously thought.

Hydrothermal extremes at the South-West Pribaikalie during the current climate changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voropay, Nadezhda

2017-04-01

Climatic extremes of air temperature and precipitation were analyzed for the Tunka Intermountain Depression (South-West Pribaikalie, Buryatia, Russian Federation). Intermountain depressions occupy a quarter of the territory of the Baikal region. The specific climatic conditions in the depressions are formed due to the geographic location and the influence of latitudinal zonation and altitudinal gradients. Air temperature and precipitation data records from at weather stations for the period 1940-2015 were analyzed. Long-term average annual temperature is negative and varies from -0.8 °C to -2.4 °C. Air temperature absolute minimum is -48 °C, absolute maximum is +36 °C. The long-term average annual precipitation is 370-480 mm, but in some years annual precipitation reach 760 mm. The summer months have about 70% of the total annual precipitation, in July and August the sum may reach 340 mm. Maximum daily sum of rainfalls is 80 mm. The contribution of the global and regional circulation characteristics into the variability of regional climatic characteristics was estimated.

Vegetation fire proneness in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Mário; Aranha, José; Amraoui, Malik

2015-04-01

Fire selectivity has been studied for vegetation classes in terms of fire frequency and fire size in a few European regions. This analysis is often performed along with other landscape variables such as topography, distance to roads and towns. These studies aims to assess the landscape sensitivity to forest fires in peri-urban areas and land cover changes, to define landscape management guidelines and policies based on the relationships between landscape and fires in the Mediterranean region. Therefore, the objectives of this study includes the: (i) analysis of the spatial and temporal variability statistics within Europe; and, (ii) the identification and characterization of the vegetated land cover classes affected by fires; and, (iii) to propose a fire proneness index. The datasets used in the present study comprises: Corine Land Cover (CLC) maps for 2000 and 2006 (CLC2000, CLC2006) and burned area (BA) perimeters, from 2000 to 2013 in Europe, provided by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The CLC is a part of the European Commission programme to COoRdinate INformation on the Environment (Corine) and it provides consistent, reliable and comparable information on land cover across Europe. Both the CLC and EFFIS datasets were combined using geostatistics and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to access the spatial and temporal evolution of the types of shrubs and forest affected by fires. Obtained results confirms the usefulness and efficiency of the land cover classification scheme and fire proneness index which allows to quantify and to compare the propensity of vegetation classes and countries to fire. As expected, differences between northern and southern Europe are notorious in what concern to land cover distribution, fire incidence and fire proneness of vegetation cover classes. This work was supported by national funds by FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project PEst-OE/AGR/UI4033/2014 and by the project SUSTAINSYS: Environmental Sustainable Agro-Forestry Systems (NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000044), financed by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN), through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), as well as by National Funds (PIDDAC) through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT/MEC).

Undergraduate Research Experiences in Support of Dryland Monitoring: Field and Satellite Remote Sensing of Change in Savanna Structure, Biomass, and Carbon after Prescribed Fires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington-Allen, R. A.; Twidwell, D. L., Jr.; Mendieta, V. P.; Delgado, A.; Redman, B.; Trollope, W. S.; Trollope, L.; Govender, N.; Smit, I.; Popescu, S. C.; de Bruno Austin, C.; Reeves, M. C.

2009-12-01

The status and trend of degradation in the world’s Drylands, that support over 1.2 billion people, is unknown because monitoring & assessment has not occurred on a globally consistent basis and skilled personnel with a cultivated interest in natural resource science and management are lacking. A major monitoring dataset is the 37-year Landsat data archive that has been released free to the world, but this dataset requires persons who understand how to process and interpret this and similar datasets applicable to the desertification problem. The College of Agriculture & Life Sciences (COALS) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) has an initiative to provide undergraduates with both international and research experiences. The lead author used start-up money, USFS project funds for livestock footprint studies in the US, and seed money from COALS to 1) develop academic mentor contacts in Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Tunisia to prepare a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) Site proposal and 2) launch a pilot REU for two TAMU undergraduate students. Mr. Delgado and Mr. Redman received lidar processing and visualization, field survey training on global positioning systems (GPS), terrestrial LIDAR, and ground penetrating radar technologies and conducted carbon change studies by collecting pre- and post-fire laser scans on experimental burn (EPB) sites in Texas and South Africa. Mr. Redman also developed GIS databases of Landsat timeseries for these EPBs and others in southern Africa. Mr. Delgado participated in the Savanna Fire Ignition Research Experiment (SavFIRE) in Kruger National Park (KNP) by collected laser scan data on 3 EPBs. He also received mentoring from Dr. Winston Trollope, a prominent fire ecologist, and Mr. Chris Austin both of Working with Fire International and Navashni Govender, KNP’s Fire Ecologist. He also was an active participant in a NASA sponsored workshop on remote sensing of global savannas.

Sheri Anstedt | NREL

Science.gov Websites

discovered her passion for science writing in 2010 when working as a subcontractor for the Bureau of Land Management's Joint Fire Science Program. Before she discovered science writing, she worked as a marketing English with a Professional Writing Emphasis, Carroll University

How the science of injury prevention contributes to advancing home fire safety in the USA: successes and opportunities.

PubMed

Gielen, Andrea C; Frattaroli, Shannon; Pollack, Keshia M; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Yang, Jingzhen G

2018-06-01

In the decades since the landmark report-America Burning-was published in 1973, the number of home fire deaths has shrunk from >5500 per year to 2650 in 2015. This paper: (1) describes how science and practice in injury prevention and fire and life safety contributed to successful interventions, and (2) identifies emerging strategies and future opportunities to prevent home fire-related deaths. The aims are addressed through the lens of population health research, with a focus on the work of selected Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Injury Control Research Centers. Results are organised using the Haddon Matrix and an ecological model. We found evidence to support interventions that address all components of both the matrix and the model, including: reduced ignition propensity cigarettes, stop smoking campaigns, housing codes, residential sprinkler systems, smoke alarms, community risk reduction, school-based educational programmes, and fire and burn response systems. Future reductions are likely to come from enhancing residential sprinkler and smoke alarm technology, and increasing their utilisation; expanding the use of community risk reduction methods; and implementing new technological solutions. Despite the successes, substantial disparities in home fire death rates remain, reflecting underlying social determinants of health. Most of the evidence-supported interventions were focused on changing the policy and community environments to prevent home fires and reduce injury when a fire occurs. Future prevention efforts should give high priority to addressing the continued disparities in home fire deaths. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Thermocouple Probe Orientation Affects Prescribed Fire Behavior Estimation.

PubMed

Coates, T Adam; Chow, Alex T; Hagan, Donald L; Waldrop, Thomas A; Wang, G Geoff; Bridges, William C; Rogers, Mary-Frances; Dozier, James H

2018-01-01

Understanding the relationship between fire intensity and fuel mass is essential information for scientists and forest managers seeking to manage forests using prescribed fires. Peak burning temperature, duration of heating, and area under the temperature profile are fire behavior metrics obtained from thermocouple-datalogger assemblies used to characterize prescribed burns. Despite their recurrent usage in prescribed burn studies, there is no simple protocol established to guide the orientation of thermocouple installation. Our results from dormant and growing season burns in coastal longleaf pine ( Mill.) forests in South Carolina suggest that thermocouples located horizontally at the litter-soil interface record significantly higher estimates of peak burning temperature, duration of heating, and area under the temperature profile than thermocouples extending 28 cm vertically above the litter-soil interface ( < 0.01). Surprisingly, vertical and horizontal estimates of these measures did not show strong correlation with one another ( ≤ 0.14). The horizontal duration of heating values were greater in growing season burns than in dormant season burns ( < 0.01), but the vertical values did not indicate this difference ( = 0.52). Field measures of fuel mass and depth before and after fire showed promise as significant predictive variables ( ≤ 0.05) for the fire behavior metrics. However, all correlation coefficients were less than or equal to = 0.41. Given these findings, we encourage scientists, researchers, and managers to carefully consider thermocouple orientation when investigating fire behavior metrics, as orientation may affect estimates of fire intensity and the distinction of fire treatment effects, particularly in forests with litter-dominated surface fuels. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Suomi NPP VIIRS active fire product status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellicott, E. A.; Csiszar, I. A.; Schroeder, W.; Giglio, L.; Wind, B.; Justice, C. O.

2012-12-01

We provide an overview of the evaluation and development of the Active Fires product derived from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite during the first year of on-orbit data. Results from the initial evaluation of the standard SNPP Active Fires product, generated by the SNPP Interface Data Processing System (IDPS), supported the stabilization of the VIIRS Sensor Data Record (SDR) product. This activity focused in particular on the processing of the dual-gain 4 micron VIIRS M13 radiometric measurements into 750m aggregated data, which are fundamental for active fire detection. Following the VIIRS SDR product's Beta maturity status in April 2012, correlative analysis between VIIRS and near-simultaneous fire detections from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the NASA Earth Observing System Aqua satellite confirmed the expected relative detection rates driven primarily by sensor differences. The VIIRS Active Fires Product Development and Validation Team also developed a science code that is based on the latest MODIS Collection 6 algorithm and provides a full spatially explicit fire mask to replace the sparse array output of fire locations from a MODIS Collection 4 equivalent algorithm in the current IDPS product. The Algorithm Development Library (ADL) was used to support the planning for the transition of the science code into IDPS operations in the future. Product evaluation and user outreach was facilitated by a product website that provided end user access to fire data in user-friendly format over North America as well as examples of VIIRS-MODIS comparisons. The VIIRS fire team also developed an experimental product based on 375m VIIRS Imagery band measurements and provided high quality imagery of major fire events in US. By August 2012 the IDPS product achieved Beta maturity, with some known and documented shortfalls related to the processing of incorrect SDR input data and to apparent algorithm deficiencies in select observing and environmental conditions.

Community Intervention Model to Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alder, Stephen; Wuthrich, Amy; Haddadin, Bassam; Donnelly, Sharon; Hannah, Elizabeth Lyon; Stoddard, Greg; Benuzillo, Jose; Bateman, Kim; Samore, Matthew

2010-01-01

Background: The Inter-Mountain Project on Antibiotic Resistance and Therapy (IMPART) is an intervention that addresses emerging antimicrobial resistance and the reduction of unnecessary antimicrobial use. Purpose: This study assesses the design and implementation of the community intervention component of IMPART. Methods: The study was conducted…

Development of North American forb plant materials for rangeland revegetation and restoration

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plant materials development for Intermountain rangelands is a primary mission of the USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory. Currently there is a significant demand for North American forbs (including legumes) for rangeland revegetation and restoration in the Great Basin, but commercial quan...

Forecasting annual aboveground net primary production in the intermountain west

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For many land manager’s annual aboveground net primary production, or plant growth, is a key factor affecting business success, profitability and each land manager's ability to successfully meet land management objectives. The strategy often utilized for forecasting plant growth is to assume every y...

Adaptive Zones Based on Phenotypic Data for a Newly Recognized Subspecies of Bottlebrush Squirreltail

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides) is a highly ecotypic cool-season grass species that is prized for restoration applications in the Intermountain Region of the western U.S. Three major subspecies (elymoides, californicus, and brevifolius) have traditionally been recognized in this species...

Germplasm enhancement for RWA resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Our contribution to this annual newsletter is a summary of research accomplishments in the past year in germplasm enhancement for RWA resistance in barley at the USDA-ARS, Wheat, Peanut and Other Field Crops Research Unit, Stillwater, OK. RWA is a serious pest of barley in the intermountain regions...

Germplasm enhancement for RWA resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Our contribution to this annual newsletter is a summary of research accomplishments in the past year in germplasm enhancement for RWA resistance in barley at the USDA-ARS Wheat, Peanut and Other Field Crops Research Unit, Stillwater, OK. RWA is a serious pest of barley in the intermountain regions ...

Field guide to Intermountain rushes

Treesearch

Emerenciana G. Hurd; Sherel Goodrich; Nancy L. Shaw

1994-01-01

This guide provides technical descriptions of 23 lntermountain rushes (Juncus spp.), including the common and several less abundant species. Line drawings and color or black and white photos illustrate diagnostic characteristics of each species. An illustrated morphology and a glossary acquaint the layperson with terminology used to classify rushes....

12. Photocopy of Sheet 5 of Building Plan R453 (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. Photocopy of Sheet 5 of Building Plan R4-53 (USDA, Forest Service Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) PLAN OF KITCHEN CABINETS AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS - Buffalo Guard Station, Residence, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

6. Photocopy of Sheet 3 of Building Plan R421, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. Photocopy of Sheet 3 of Building Plan R4-21, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings') FRAMING PLAN AND GARAGE DOOR DETAIL - Buffalo Guard Station, Garage, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

15. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R41A, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R4-1A, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) FRONT ELEVATION AND FLOOR PLAN - Buffalo Guard Station, Residence, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

10. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R453 (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R4-53 (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) FRONT AND SIDE ELEVATIONS AND FLOOR PLAN - Buffalo Guard Station, Residence, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

5. Photocopy of Sheet 2 of Building Plan R421, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. Photocopy of Sheet 2 of Building Plan R4-21, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings') BACK SIDE ELEVATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS - Buffalo Guard Station, Garage, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

3. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R495D, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R4-95D, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) ELEVATION, FRAMING AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS - Buffalo Guard Station, Pumphouse, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

Investigating Your Environment--Intermountain Region.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forest Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

This resource notebook contains over 100 activities in which students investigate different aspects of the environment. The activities are presented in 21 sections covering the following environmental topics and issues: (1) soil; (2) water; (3) forests; (4) plant relationships; (5) wildlife; (6)measurement; (7) urban communities; (8) deserts; (9)…

Science in 60 – Simulating Flames Helps Tame Future Wildfires

ScienceCinema

Lin, Rod

2018-01-16

FIRETEC presents a new way of studying fire and learning how to better manage and cope with it. The model provides additional scientific input for decisions by policymakers working in land management, water resources and energy. The team hopes it will eventually assist fire and fuel management operations. This research is done in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, Air Force Wildland Fire Center, INRA and Canadian Forest Service.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 06: Guide to fuel treatments in dry forests of the Western United States: assessing forest structure and fire hazard

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2005-01-01

The Guide to Fuel Treatments analyzes a range of potential silvicultural thinnings and surface fuel treatments for 25 representative dry-forest stands in the Western United States. The guide provides quantitative guidelines and visualization for treatment based on scientific principles identified for reducing potential crown fires. This fact sheet identifies the...

A synopsis of short-term response to alternative restoration treatments in sagebrush-steppe: the SageSTEP project

USGS Publications Warehouse

McIver, James; Brunson, Mark; Bunting, Steve; Chambers, Jeanne; Doescher, Paul; Grace, James; Hulet, April; Johnson, Dale; Knick, Steven T.; Miller, Richard; Pellant, Mike; Pierson, Fred; Pyke, David; Rau, Benjamin; Rollins, Kim; Roundy, Bruce; Schupp, Eugene; Tausch, Robin; Williams, Jason

2014-01-01

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) is an integrated long-term study that evaluates ecological effects of alternative treatments designed to reduce woody fuels and to stimulate the herbaceous understory of sagebrush steppe communities of the Intermountain West. This synopsis summarizes results through 3 yr posttreatment. Woody vegetation reduction by prescribed fire, mechanical treatments, or herbicides initiated a cascade of effects, beginning with increased availability of nitrogen and soil water, followed by increased growth of herbaceous vegetation. Response of butterflies and magnitudes of runoff and erosion closely followed herbaceous vegetation recovery. Effects on shrubs, biological soil crust, tree cover, surface woody fuel loads, and sagebrush-obligate bird communities will take longer to be fully expressed. In the short term, cool wet sites were more resilient than warm dry sites, and resistance was mostly dependent on pretreatment herbaceous cover. At least 10 yr of posttreatment time will likely be necessary to determine outcomes for most sites. Mechanical treatments did not serve as surrogates for prescribed fire in how each influenced the fuel bed, the soil, erosion, and sage-obligate bird communities. Woody vegetation reduction by any means resulted in increased availability of soil water, higher herbaceous cover, and greater butterfly numbers. We identified several trade-offs (desirable outcomes for some variables, undesirable for others), involving most components of the study system. Trade-offs are inevitable when managing complex natural systems, and they underline the importance of asking questions about the whole system when developing management objectives. Substantial spatial and temporal heterogeneity in sagebrush steppe ecosystems emphasizes the point that there will rarely be a “recipe” for choosing management actions on any specific area. Use of a consistent evaluation process linked to monitoring may be the best chance managers have for arresting woodland expansion and cheatgrass invasion that may accelerate in a future warming climate.

Flathead River Basin Hydrologic Observatory, Northern Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woessner, W. W.; Running, S. W.; Potts, D. F.; Kimball, J. S.; Deluca, T. H.; Fagre, D. B.; Makepeace, S.; Hendrix, M. S.; Lorang, M. S.; Ellis, B. K.; Lafave, J.; Harper, J.

2004-12-01

We are proposing the 22, 515 km2 glacially-sculpted Flathead River Basin located in Montana and British Columbia as a Hydrologic Observatory. This hydrologic landscape is diverse and includes large pristine watersheds, rapidly developing intermountain valleys, and a 95 km2 regulated reservoir and 510 km2 lake. The basin has a topographic gradient of over 2,339 m, and spans high alpine to arid climatic zones and a range of biomes. Stream flows are snow-melt dominated and underpinned by groundwater baseflow. The site headwaters contain 37 glaciers and thousands of square kilometers of watersheds in which fire and disease are the only disturbances. In contrast, the HO also contains watersheds at multiple scales that were dominated by glaciers within the last 100 years but are now glacier free, impacted by timber harvests and fires of varying ages to varying degrees, modified by water management practices including irrigation diversion and dams, and altered by development for homes, cities and agriculture. This Observatory provides a sensitive monitor of historic and future climatic shifts, air shed influences and impacts, and the consequences of land and water management practices on the hydrologic system. The HO watersheds are some of the only pristine watersheds left in the contiguous U.S.. They provide critical habitat for key species including the native threaten bull trout and lynx, and the listed western cutthroat trout, bald eagle, gray wolf and the grizzly bear. For the last several thousand years this system has been dominated by snow-melt runoff and moderated by large quantities of water stored in glacial ice. However, the timing and magnitude of droughts and summer flows have changed dramatically. With the information that can be gleaned from sediment cores and landscape records at different scales, this HO provides scientists with opportunities to establish baseline watershed conditions and data on natural hydrologic variability within the system. Such a context frames the current and further observations and assists with translating measured changes into links with the varied HO ecosystems.

Wildland arson management

Treesearch

Jeffrey P. Prestemon; David T. Butry

2008-01-01

Wildland arson has received scant attention in the resource economics literature, yet is the cause of many large and damaging wildland fires. Research into wildfire management and policy in the United States has been principally concerned with wildfire suppression, fuels treatments, fire science (behavior), and economic efficiency questions. This is unfortunate,...

Unprecedented Fires in Southern Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The fires that raged across southern Africa this August and September produced a thick 'river of smoke' over the region. NASA-supported studies currently underway on the event will contribute to improved air pollution policies in the region and a better understanding of its impact on climate change. This year the southern African fire season peaked in early September. The region is subject to some of the highest levels of biomass burning in the world. The heaviest burning was in western Zambia, southern Angola, northern Namibia, and northern Botswana. Some of the blazes had fire fronts 20 miles long that lasted for days. In this animation, multiple fires are burning across the southern part of the African continent in September 2000. The fires, indicated in red, were observed by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument on board the NOAA-14 satellite. The fires generated large amounts of heat-absorbing aerosols (the dark haze), which were observed with the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument. These observations were collected as part of a NASA-supported field campaign called SAFARI 2000 (Southern African Regional Science Initiative). The recent six-week 'dry-season' portion of this experiment was planned to coincide with the annual fires. SAFARI 2000 planners tracked the changing location of fires with daily satellite maps provided by researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. 'Every year African biomass burning greatly exceeds the scale of the fires seen this year in the western United States,' says Robert Swap of the University of Virginia, one of the campaign organizers. 'But the southern African fire season we just observed may turn out to be an extreme one even by African standards. It was amazing how quickly this region went up in flames.' The thick haze layer from these fires was heavier than campaign participants had seen in previous field studies in the Amazon Basin and during the Kuwati oil fires. The haze aerosols sampled were more heat-absorbing than expected, which means the haze layer may have a significant warming influence on the region's atmosphere. For more information, see the press release Image courtesy NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Science Visualization Studio

Fires in Australia's Northern Territory and Bathurst Island

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image of fires in Australia with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on June 30, 2017. The image looks at multiple fires and smoke from those fires burning in northern Australia and the island of Bathurst on June 30, 2017. The Northern Territory fire incident map does show some incidents of grass and shrub fires, in the past 24 hours, but it also shows areas of what are called "strategic fires" which are those set by fire experts to rid an area of overgrowth, brush, dead grass and shrubs to prevent fires from spreading in the event of a lightning strike. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

A Forest Fire Sensor Web Concept with UAVSAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Y.; Chien, S.; Clark, D.; Doubleday, J.; Muellerschoen, R.; Zheng, Y.

2008-12-01

We developed a forest fire sensor web concept with a UAVSAR-based smart sensor and onboard automated response capability that will allow us to monitor fire progression based on coarse initial information provided by an external source. This autonomous disturbance detection and monitoring system combines the unique capabilities of imaging radar with high throughput onboard processing technology and onboard automated response capability based on specific science algorithms. In this forest fire sensor web scenario, a fire is initially located by MODIS/RapidFire or a ground-based fire observer. This information is transmitted to the UAVSAR onboard automated response system (CASPER). CASPER generates a flight plan to cover the alerted fire area and executes the flight plan. The onboard processor generates the fuel load map from raw radar data, used with wind and elevation information, predicts the likely fire progression. CASPER then autonomously alters the flight plan to track the fire progression, providing this information to the fire fighting team on the ground. We can also relay the precise fire location to other remote sensing assets with autonomous response capability such as Earth Observation-1 (EO-1)'s hyper-spectral imager to acquire the fire data.

Analysis of Idaho fire service education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Walter O.

1999-01-01

Becoming a career fire fighter in the state of Idaho requires specialized knowledge and training. Fire science education at Idaho colleges and universities is available only to people who are affiliated with a fire department. Law enforcement curriculum, on the other hand, is available to any interested persons. A student in law enforcement can attend the Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) academy or participate in classes in one of Idaho's institutions for higher education. There are no fire academies in Idaho. Applicants wanting to become professional fire fighters in Idaho are required to compete with applicants from other states; many of whom have had prior fire education and training. Resident Idaho fire fighter applicants are at a disadvantage when applying for Idaho fire fighting positions. Because of this apparent need, I surveyed the Idaho fire chiefs, using a research instrument I developed in a graduate field research class. I wrote the research instrument to determine the educational needs of the Idaho fire service. The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) and the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA) were the recipients of this survey. This report, Analysis of Idaho Fire Service Education, describes that research process from beginning to end.

Fire and Flood - Extending NOAA Resources to the Classroom and the Citizen Science for Resilient and Informed Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, M. A.; Schranz, S.

2017-12-01

The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado is a region particularly susceptable to both wildfire and flash flooding. As the population of Colorado continues to boom, it is critical to enhance the familiarity of resources that are available to the general public to understand, predict, and react to these dangers. At the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), a NOAA Cooperative Institute in partnership with Colorado State University, several research products related fire and precipitation processes have been evaluated and developed for public use. As part of a pilot program under development at CIRA, extensive use of CIRA public-facing products are now being used as part of teacher professional development programs available to educators on an ad-hoc basis along the Front Range. These PD programs address state standards in weather prediction, hazard mitigation, and natural disaster awareness, and are designed to incorporate NOAA resources into the classroom, including use of satellite imagery products such as the Satellite Loop Interactive Data Explorer in Real-Time (SLIDER) package, fire weather products developed at the Earth Systems Research Laboratory, and others. Resilience-focused efforts are drawn from fire weather training resources developed for and used by NWS IMET teams, and state suggestions for fire and flood mitigation efforts, tying in these concepts to the basic science made observable using NOAA products. Teachers become proficient in using products as teaching elements in the classroom, with the end goal of improving both awareness and resiliency while improving the awareness of NOAA products. Citizen science programs also incorporate these elements in ad-hoc presentations to museum groups and through partnerships with citizen science networks along the Front Range. Subject-matter expert presentations to community members of local organizations such as the Soaring Eagle Ecology Center and the Anythink Library Network stimulates interest and helps build community connections to increase awareness about the dangers of fire flood and drought. Examples and lessons learned from both programs will be presented.

Evaluation of Utah trefoil collections for rangeland restoration in the southern Great Basin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wildfires, weed invasion, and various other land disturbances are common in rangeland ecosystems of the Intermountain Region in the western U.S. Revegetation/restoration may be required on many of these rangelands to improve degraded conditions, speed recovery, and minimize soil erosion. Legumes n...

75 FR 25198 - Intermountain Region, Boise National Forest, Emmett Ranger District; Idaho Scriver Creek...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-07

... commercial and noncommercial vegetation management and road system modifications and maintenance. DATES... stands and old forest habitat; (2) improve watershed conditions and reduce road- related impacts to... commercial timber harvest on about 3,265 acres utilizing tractor/off-road jammer (1,124 acres), skyline (926...

78 FR 12714 - Intermountain Region, Payette National Forest, New Meadows Ranger District, Idaho; Lost Creek...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-25

... vegetation management and road system modifications and maintenance. DATES: Comments concerning the project..., especially in streams occupied by ESA-listed fishes and in designated critical habitat; (5) reduce road-related accelerated sediment and other road related impacts; (6) restore riparian vegetation and...

Intermountain Leisure Symposium Proceeding (Provo, Utah, November 17, 1983).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Catherall, Thomas, Ed.; Hafen, William J., Ed.

The following papers are included in these proceedings: (1) "A Needs Assessment for Computer Applications" (Bruce Holley); (2) "The Home, School, Community Partnership through Community Education" (Jim Burgon); (3) "Building Level Coordinators--How They Spend Their Time" (Burton Olsen and Murray Meszaros); (4) "Programming and Financing the…

75 FR 31418 - Intermountain Region, Payette National Forest, Council Ranger District; Idaho; Mill Creek-Council...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-03

... noncommercial vegetation management and road system modifications and maintenance. DATES: Comments concerning..., timber harvest (especially large diameter ponderosa pine) and road construction have affected forest.... There would be no equipment entry in riparian conservation areas (RCAs) except on existing roads or skid...

Intermountain Leisure Symposium Proceedings (12th, Provo, Utah, November 21, 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Doug, Ed.; Smith, S. Harold, Ed.

This report includes papers submitted by 23 presenters at a conference on recreation and leisure programs, facilities, and management. Titles of the papers are as follows: (1) "Trends in Parks and Recreation Masterplan Development" (C. W. Kelsey); (2) "Play Therapy: Implications to Recreation" (G. Bader); (3) "Wilderness…

Intermountain Leisure Symposium (8th, Ogden, Utah, November 19, 1987).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Dennis A., Ed.

Contained in this conference report are 22 selected papers presented at a symposium of leisure and recreation professionals. Titles and authors are: (1) "Ethics in Recreation and Leisure Services" (S. Harold Smith); (2) "Growing Opportunities: The Aging Population Market" (Nila M. Ipson); (3) "The Myth of Comfort"…

Intermountain Leisure Symposium Proceedings (6th, Logan, UT, November 7, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Howard, Ed.

Topics covered in this symposium included: (1) a perspective for seeking commercial sponsorships; (2) developing an activity program that perpetuates developmental skills; (3) emerging American lifestyles: implications for park and recreation professionals; (4) clinical hypnosis: a possible adjunct to therapeutic recreation; (5) impact fees for…

Forage production of grass-legume binary mixtures on Intermountain Western USA irrigated pastures

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A well-managed irrigated pasture is optimized for forage production with the use of N fertilizer which incurs extra expense. The objective was to determine which binary grass-legume mixture and mixture planting ratio of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) (TF), meadow brome (Bromus bieberstei...

75 FR 77897 - Long Walk National Historic Trail Feasibility Study, Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-14

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [7700-1104-SZS] Long Walk National Historic Trail Feasibility Study, Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement, National Trails Intermountain Region, NM... Environmental Impact Statement for the Long Walk National Historic Trail Feasibility Study. SUMMARY: Pursuant to...

Weed biocontrol insects reduce native plant recruitment through second-order apparent competition

Treesearch

Dean E. Pearson; Ragan M. Callaway

2008-01-01

Small-mammal seed predation is an important force structuring native-plant communities that may also influence exotic-plant invasions. In the intermountain West, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are prominent predators of native-plant seeds, but they avoid consuming seeds of certain widespread invasives like spotted knapweed (Centaurea...

Gene Expression Polymorphisms in Lateral and Upward Growing Subterranean Shoot Meristems of Elymus Wheatgrasses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Elymus lanceolatus (Thickspike wheatgrass) and Elymus wawawaiensis (Snake River wheatgrass) are perennial grasses common to the Great Plains and Intermountain regions of the Western United States. E. lanceolatus is a drought-tolerant rhizomatous grass that is valued for its forage and conservation ...

Effects of climate change on forest vegetation [Chapter 6

Treesearch

Patrick N. Behrens; Robert E. Keane; David L. Peterson; Joanne J. Ho

2018-01-01

Projected rapid changes in climate will affect vegetation assemblages in the Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) region directly and indirectly. Direct effects include altered vegetation growth, mortality, and regeneration, and indirect effects include changes in disturbance regimes (Chapter 8) and interactions with altered ecosystem processes (e.g., hydrology,...

The effects of downy brome invasion on mule deer habitat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Downy brome (Bromus tectorum), also widely known as cheatgrass, is a highly invasive exotic weed that has spread over millions of hectares of rangelands throughout the Intermountain West. Native to Eurasia, this early maturing annual provides a fine textured fuel that increases the chance, rate, sea...

Host responses to historical climate change shape parasite communities in North America’s intermountain west

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Host-parasite co-speciation, in which parasite divergence occurs in response to host divergence, is commonly proposed as a driver of parasite diversification, yet few empirical examples of strict co-speciation exist. Host-parasite co-evolutionary histories commonly reflect complex mosaics of co-spe...

Launching the Counterattack: Interdisciplinary Deployment of Functional Traits to Repair Damaged Intermountain Rangelands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ecologists worldwide recognize that the novel ecosystems of the future will display radically different structure and function from ecosystems that have dominated the study of ecology up until the prsent time. Because of both abiotic and biotic obstacles, rangelands dominated by invasive plants are...

Rural Values and Concensus(sic).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

England, J. Lynn; And Others

Sample populations from 15 Intermountain West communities (representative of population, ethnic, and employment variety) were surveyed to test the following hypotheses: (1) there is a greater degree of consensus in rural than in non-rural communities; (2) there are differences between values in rural and non-rural communities; (3) a model…

Alternative approaches to mixed conifer forest restoration: partitioning the competitive neighborhood

Treesearch

Michael I. Premer; Sophan Chhin; Jianwei Zhang

2017-01-01

Forest restoration efforts in the intermountain west of North America generally seek to promote the continuation of pine dominance, enhance wildlife habitat, and decrease hazardous fuels, thereby mitigating catastrophic losses from various stressors and disturbances. We propose a method of focal tree release thinning that partitions the...

Forest resources of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

Treesearch

Larry T. DeBlander

2001-01-01

The Interior West Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Evaluation (IWRIME) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (formerly the Intermountain Research Station), as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, entered into a cooperative agreement with the Northern Region (Region 1) for the inventory of its...

Forest resources of the Bitterroot National Forest

Treesearch

Tracey S. Frescino

2008-01-01

The Interior West Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Evaluation (IWRIME) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (formerly the Intermountain Research Station), as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, entered into a cooperative agreement with the Northern Region for the inventory of the National Forests...

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) biocontrol using indigenous fungal pathogens

Treesearch

Susan E. Meyer; David L. Nelson; Suzette Clement; Julie Beckstead

2008-01-01

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an exotic winter annual grass weed that has invaded millions of hectares in the Intermountain West. Restoration of cheatgrass-invaded wildlands is generally impractical without some form of cheatgrass control. We are investigating the possibility of manipulating indigenous fungal pathogens that already occur on...

Chapter 17. Guidelines for restoration and rehabilitation of principal plant communities

Treesearch

Richard Stevens; Stephen B. Monsen

2004-01-01

Range and wildland improvement projects conducted throughout the Intermountain region normally occur within specific plant communities. Each plant community has unique features that require different equipment, planting techniques, and plant materials to conduct improvement projects. Plant communities or associations discussed in this chapter are: (1) subalpine...

Effects of climate change on terrestrial animals [Chapter 9

Treesearch

Megan M. Friggens; Mary I. Williams; Karen E. Bagne; Tosha T. Wixom; Samuel A. Cushman

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) region encompasses a high diversity of grassland, shrubland, and forest habitats across a broad range of elevational gradients, supporting high biodiversity in the interior western United States. Terrestrial species comprise a wide range of life forms, each expressing varying levels of habitat specialization and life...

Foreword

Treesearch

E. Durant McArthur

2004-01-01

Restoring Western Ranges and Wildlands has had a fairly long gestation period. The final product of three volumes had its beginnings in 1983. At that time research administrators of the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station (now part of the Rocky Mountain Research Station) had obtained funding from the Four Corners Regional Commission (FCRC) to produce a...

78 FR 33799 - Newspapers Used for Publication of Legal Notices by the Intermountain Region; Utah, Idaho, Nevada...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-05

... District Ranger decisions for Duchesne, Roosevelt: Uintah Basin Standard Flaming Gorge District Ranger for... Register District Ranger decisions for Ashton, Dubois, Island Park, Palisades and Teton Basin: Post...: Idaho Mountain Express Sawtooth National Recreation Area: The Challis Messenger UINTA-WASATCH-CACHE...

76 FR 34034 - Newspapers Used for Publication of Legal Notices by the Intermountain Region; Utah, Idaho, Nevada...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-10

... Express District Ranger decisions for Duchesne, Roosevelt: Uintah Basin Standard Flaming Gorge District... Teton Basin: Post Register District Ranger decisions for Montpelier, Soda Springs and Westside: Idaho...: Idaho Mountain Express Sawtooth National Recreation Area: The Challis Messenger Uinta-Wasatch-Cache...

77 FR 33703 - Newspapers Used for Publication of Legal Notices by the Intermountain Region; Utah, Idaho, Nevada...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-07

... Express District Ranger decisions for Duchesne, Roosevelt: Uintah Basin Standard Flaming Gorge District... Teton Basin: Post Register District Ranger decisions for Montpelier, Soda Springs and Westside: Idaho... decisions: Idaho Mountain Express Sawtooth National Recreation Area: The Challis Messenger Uinta-Wasatch...

Common Ground: An Interactive Visual Exploration and Discovery for Complex Health Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

working with Intermountain Healthcare on a new rich dataset extracted directly from medical notes using natural language processing ( NLP ) algorithms...probabilities based on a state- of-the-art NLP classifiers. At that stage the data did not include geographic information or temporal information but we

16. Photocopy of Sheet 4 of Building Plan R41A, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

16. Photocopy of Sheet 4 of Building Plan R4-1A, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) SIDE ELEVATION AND DINING ALCOVE PLAN - Buffalo Guard Station, Residence, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

9. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R451, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R4-51, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) Front, Rear, and Side Elevations and Floor Plan. - Buffalo Guard Station, Office, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

17. Photocopy of Sheet 5 of Building Plan R41A, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

17. Photocopy of Sheet 5 of Building Plan R4-1A, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings'.) FRAMING PLAN, KITCHEN CABINET PLAN AND BATHTUB ARCH PLAN - Buffalo Guard Station, Residence, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

4. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R421, (USDA, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. Photocopy of Sheet 1 of Building Plan R4-21, (USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden. File 7300, 'Buildings') FRONT AND SIDE ELEVATIONS, FLOOR AND FOUNDATION PLANS. - Buffalo Guard Station, Garage, U.S. Highway 20/191 at Buffalo River, Island Park, Fremont County, ID

A Methodology for the Optimization of Disaggregated Space System Conceptual Designs

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-18

orbit disaggregated space systems. Savings of $82 million are identified for an optimized fire detection system. Savings of $5.7 billion are...solutions and update architecture ................................................................31 Fire detection problem...149 Figure 30 – Example cost vs. weighted mean science return output [37] ...................... 153 Figure 31

FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING OF MERCURY CONTROL IN COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses the existing knowledge base applicable to mercury (Hg) control in coal-fired boilers and outlines the gaps in knowledge that can be filled by experimentation and data gathering. Mercury can be controlled by existing air pollution control devices or by retrofit...

The chemical composition of aerosols from Wildland fires: Current state of the science and possible new directions.

EPA Science Inventory

Wildland fire emits a substantial quantity of aerosol to the atmosphere. These aerosols typically comprise a complex mixture of organic matter and refractory elemental or black carbon with a relatively minor contribution of inorganic matter from soils and plant micronutrients. Id...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; social issues fact sheet 10: Stages of collaboration

Treesearch

Christine Esposito

2006-01-01

Collaboration is a powerful tool for improving both the management of wildland fire and the overall health of forests and other elements of fire-dependent ecosystems. This fact sheet discusses seven stages that are typical of most collaborations.Other publications in this...

Remote monitoring of a Fire Protection System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauman, Steven; Vermeulen, Tom; Roberts, Larry; Matsushige, Grant; Gajadhar, Sarah; Taroma, Ralph; Elizares, Casey; Arruda, Tyson; Potter, Sharon; Hoffman, James

2011-03-01

Some years ago CFHT proposed developing a Remote Observing Environment aimed at producing Science Observations at their Observatory Facility on Mauna Kea from their Headquarters facility in Waimea, HI. This Remote Observing Project commonly referred to as OAP (Observatory Automation Project) was completed at the end of January 2011 and has been providing the majority of Science Data since. My poster will discuss the upgrades to the existing fire alarm protection system. With no one at the summit during nightly operations, the observatory facility required automated monitoring of the facility for safety to personnel and equipment in the case of a fire. An addressable analog fire panel was installed which utilizes digital communication protocol (DCP), intelligent communication with other devices, and an RS-232 interface which provides feedback and real-time monitoring of the system. Using the interface capabilities of the panel, it provides notifications when heat detectors, smoke sensors, manual pull stations, or the main observatory computer room fire suppression system has been activated. The notifications are sent out as alerts to staff in the form of test massages and emails and the observing control GUI interface alerts the remote telescope operator with a map showing the location of the fire occurrence and type of device that has been triggered. And all of this was accomplished without the need for an outside vendor to monitor the system and facilitate warnings or notifications regarding the system.

Integrating Land Cover Modeling and Adaptive Management to Conserve Endangered Species and Reduce Catastrophic Fire Risk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breininger, David; Duncan, Brean; Eaton, Mitchell; Johnson, Fred; Nichols, James

2014-01-01

Land cover modeling is used to inform land management, but most often via a two-step process where science informs how management alternatives can influence resources and then decision makers can use this to make decisions. A more efficient process is to directly integrate science and decision making, where science allows us to learn to better accomplish management objectives and is developed to address specific decisions. Co-development of management and science is especially productive when decisions are complicated by multiple objectives and impeded by uncertainty. Multiple objectives can be met by specification of tradeoffs, and relevant uncertainty can be addressed through targeted science (i.e., models and monitoring). We describe how to integrate habitat and fuels monitoring with decision making focused on dual objectives of managing for endangered species and minimizing catastrophic fire risk. Under certain conditions, both objectives might be achieved by a similar management policy, but habitat trajectories suggest tradeoffs. Knowledge about system responses to actions can be informed by applying competing management actions to different land units in the same system state and by ideas about fire behavior. Monitoring and management integration is important to optimize state-specific management decisions and increase knowledge about system responses. We believe this approach has broad utility for and cover modeling programs intended to inform decision making.

A human-driven decline in global burned area.

PubMed

Andela, N; Morton, D C; Giglio, L; Chen, Y; van der Werf, G R; Kasibhatla, P S; DeFries, R S; Collatz, G J; Hantson, S; Kloster, S; Bachelet, D; Forrest, M; Lasslop, G; Li, F; Mangeon, S; Melton, J R; Yue, C; Randerson, J T

2017-06-30

Fire is an essential Earth system process that alters ecosystem and atmospheric composition. Here we assessed long-term fire trends using multiple satellite data sets. We found that global burned area declined by 24.3 ± 8.8% over the past 18 years. The estimated decrease in burned area remained robust after adjusting for precipitation variability and was largest in savannas. Agricultural expansion and intensification were primary drivers of declining fire activity. Fewer and smaller fires reduced aerosol concentrations, modified vegetation structure, and increased the magnitude of the terrestrial carbon sink. Fire models were unable to reproduce the pattern and magnitude of observed declines, suggesting that they may overestimate fire emissions in future projections. Using economic and demographic variables, we developed a conceptual model for predicting fire in human-dominated landscapes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Fire-related medical science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Douglas R.

1987-01-01

Spacecraft fire safety may be improved by the use of a fire-retardant atmosphere in occupied spaces. Low concentrations of oxygen can protect humans from fire damage by reducing the rate and spread of combustion, but care must be taken to avoid the hypoxic effects of oxygen-lean atmospheres. Crews can live and work in 11 percent oxygen if barometric pressure were adjusted to maintain the partial pressure of oxygen above 16 kPa. Eleven percent oxygen should prevent most types of fires, since 15 percent oxygen retards the combustion of paper and 13 percent oxygen extinguishes pentane flames. Test results indicate that seated humans can perform mental tasks in atmospheres containing 11.5 percent oxygen. Although this strategy of fire safety is under consideration for submarines, it could be adapted to spacecraft once operational procedures define a maximum hyperbaric pressure and fire research defines the effects of reduced oxygen concentrations on combustion in low gravity environments.

Short- and long-term effects of fire on carbon in US dry temperate forest systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hurteau, Matthew D.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2011-01-01

Forests sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and in so doing can mitigate the effects of climate change. Fire is a natural disturbance process in many forest systems that releases carbon back to the atmosphere. In dry temperate forests, fires historically burned with greater frequency and lower severity than they do today. Frequent fires consumed fuels on the forest floor and maintained open stand structures. Fire suppression has resulted in increased understory fuel loads and tree density; a change in structure that has caused a shift from low- to high-severity fires. More severe fires, resulting in greater tree mortality, have caused a decrease in forest carbon stability. Fire management actions can mitigate the risk of high-severity fires, but these actions often require a trade-off between maximizing carbon stocks and carbon stability. We discuss the effects of fire on forest carbon stocks and recommend that managing forests on the basis of their specific ecologies should be the foremost goal, with carbon sequestration being an ancillary benefit. ?? 2011 by American Institute of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved.

Students From Highlands Ranch Triumph in Colorado Science Bowl

Science.gov Websites

final round of rapid-fire questions about physics, math, biology, astronomy, chemistry, computers and interest in science and math. The competition has evolved into one of the Energy Department's premier

Smoke Sense Demonstration at National Academies of Science Citizen Science Expo

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to wildland fire smoke can be sudden and unexpected, last hours to weeks, and affect communities that may or may not have a public health response plan to reduce the adverse impacts of smoke exposure. EPA is continuing to advance the science and technology required to u...

Interactions among wildland fires in a long-established Sierra Nevada natural fire area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collins, B.M.; Miller, J.D.; Thode, A.E.; Kelly, M.; van Wagtendonk, J.W.; Stephens, S.L.

2009-01-01

We investigate interactions between successive naturally occurring fires, and assess to what extent the environments in which fires burn influence these interactions. Using mapped fire perimeters and satellite-based estimates of post-fire effects (referred to hereafter as fire severity) for 19 fires burning relatively freely over a 31-year period, we demonstrate that fire as a landscape process can exhibit self-limiting characteristics in an upper elevation Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forest. We use the term 'self-limiting' to refer to recurring fire as a process over time (that is, fire regime) consuming fuel and ultimately constraining the spatial extent and lessening fire-induced effects of subsequent fires. When the amount of time between successive adjacent fires is under 9 years, and when fire weather is not extreme (burning index <34.9), the probability of the latter fire burning into the previous fire area is extremely low. Analysis of fire severity data by 10-year periods revealed a fair degree of stability in the proportion of area burned among fire severity classes (unchanged, low, moderate, high). This is in contrast to a recent study demonstrating increasing high-severity burning throughout the Sierra Nevada from 1984 to 2006, which suggests freely burning fires over time in upper elevation Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests can regulate fire-induced effects across the landscape. This information can help managers better anticipate short- and long-term effects of allowing naturally ignited fires to burn, and ultimately, improve their ability to implement Wildland Fire Use programs in similar forest types. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Using fire dynamics simulator to reconstruct a hydroelectric power plant fire accident.

PubMed

Chi, Jen-Hao; Wu, Sheng-Hung; Shu, Chi-Min

2011-11-01

The location of the hydroelectric power plant poses a high risk to occupants seeking to escape in a fire accident. Calculating the heat release rate of transformer oil as 11.5 MW/m(2), the fire at the Taiwan Dajia-River hydroelectric power plant was reconstructed using the fire dynamics simulator (FDS). The variations at the escape route of the fire hazard factors temperature, radiant heat, carbon monoxide, and oxygen were collected during the simulation to verify the causes of the serious casualties resulting from the fire. The simulated safe escape time when taking temperature changes into account is about 236 sec, 155 sec for radiant heat changes, 260 sec for carbon monoxide changes, and 235-248 sec for oxygen changes. These escape times are far less than the actual escape time of 302 sec. The simulation thus demonstrated the urgent need to improve escape options for people escaping a hydroelectric power plant fire. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Pedestrian evacuation at the subway station under fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao-Xia, Yang; Hai-Rong, Dong; Xiu-Ming, Yao; Xu-Bin, Sun

2016-04-01

With the development of urban rail transit, ensuring the safe evacuation of pedestrians at subway stations has become an important issue in the case of an emergency such as a fire. This paper chooses the platform of line 4 at the Beijing Xuanwumen subway station to study the emergency evacuation process under fire. Based on the established platform, effects of the fire dynamics, different initial pedestrian densities, and positions of fire on evacuation are investigated. According to simulation results, it is found that the fire increases the air temperature and the smoke density, and decreases pedestrians’ visibility and walking velocity. Also, there is a critical initial density at the platform if achieving a safe evacuation within the required 6 minutes. Furthermore, different positions of fire set in this paper have little difference on crowd evacuation if the fire is not large enough. The suggestions provided in this paper are helpful for the subway operators to prevent major casualties. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61322307 and 61233001).

Extensive Fires in the Western U.S.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The summer of 2000 is shaping up to be the worst U.S. fire season in four years. On July 27, 2000, fires were burning in Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), Montana, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California. The Mesa Verde fire has threatened some prehistoric archeological sites. Ironically, other sites have been unearthed as vegetation was burned away by the fire and as firefighters dug trenches to serve as firebreaks. In a bizarre coincidence, one of the fires came close to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, the third nuclear site affected by fire this year. This image from GOES 11, the newest NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), shows smoke plumes and heat signatures (red) from many of fires in the western United States on the evening of July 27. For current GOES images and more information, visit the GOES Project Science page. Marit Jentoft-Nilsen and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC, based on data provided by NOAA

Ant-seed mutualisms: Can red imported fire ants sour the relationship?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zettler, J.A.; Spira, T.P.; Allen, Craig R.

2001-01-01

Invasion by the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, has had negative impacts on individual animal and plant species, but little is known about how S. invicta affects complex mutualistic relationships. In some eastern forests of North America, 30% of herbaceous species have ant-dispersed seeds. We conducted experiments to determine if fire ants are attracted to seeds of these plant species and assessed the amount of scarification or damage that results from handling by fire ants. Fire ants removed nearly 100% of seeds of the ant-dispersed plants Trillium undulatum, T. discolor, T. catesbaei, Viola rotundifolia, and Sanguinaria canadensis. In recovered seeds fed to ant colonies, fire ants scarified 80% of S. canadensis seeds and destroyed 86% of V. rotundifolia seeds. Our study is the first to document that red imported fire ants are attracted to and remove seeds of species adapted for ant dispersal. Moreover, fire ants might damage these seeds and discard them in sites unfavorable for germination and seedling establishment. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tsé na'alkaah: Weaving Native and Mainstream Earth and Environmental Science into Place-Based Teacher Professional Development on the Colorado Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semken, S. C.; Godsey, H. S.; Tsosie, W. B., Jr.

2017-12-01

Place-based, culturally-integrated approaches to teaching geoscience and environmental science are aligned with traditional indigenous education, and illustrate the premise that leveraging the cultural capital of Native Americans and other underrepresented groups renders more inclusive and relevant teaching. Situating learning within local landscapes, environments, and communities; and meaningfully connecting mainstream science with Native science and knowledge of place enables students to construct new knowledge that is scaffolded by their own worldview and experiences, and helps lessen any sense of discontinuity that may arise from apparently disparate interpretations of Earth processes. We drew on this philosophy in implementing a multi-year program of summer professional-development workshops for K-12 teachers in the Colorado Plateau and Intermountain regions, many of whom work in schools that serve majority Native American student populations. Through collaboration of geoscientists, Diné (Navajo) cultural experts, and master teachers, we developed and implemented inquiry-rich field excursions in which learning about Earth-system features and processes on the Plateau utilized factual and conceptual knowledge from mainstream geoscience and Diné geoscience (tsé na'alkaah) alike, as well as on other forms of local place knowledge such as Diné toponymy and history. Participants used concepts such as the dynamic interactions of Earth (Nahasdzaan) and Sky (Yádilhil) systems and the natural order (nitsahakees, nahat'a, iina, siihasin) to interpret natural landscape features (e.g., desert landforms, Plateau stratigraphy, Laramide structures) as well as anthropogenic impacts (e.g., uranium extraction and its environmental and health effects) in the field. We will share specific examples of place-based, culturally integrated curriculum and assessment from this program.

AJ26 rocket engine test

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-11-10

Fire and steam signal a successful test firing of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Aerojet AJ26 rocket engine at John C. Stennis Space Center. AJ26 engines will be used to power Orbital's Taurus II space vehicle on commercial cargo flights to the International Space Station. On Nov. 10, operators at Stennis' E-1 Test Stand conducted a 10-second test fire of the engine, the first of a series of three verification tests. Orbital has partnered with NASA to provide eight missions to the ISS by 2015.

Fire and aquatic ecosystems of the western USA: Current knowledge and key questions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bisson, P.A.; Rieman, B.; Luce, C.; Hessburg, Paul F.; Lee, D.; Kershner, J.; Reeves, G.H.; Gresswell, Robert E.

2003-01-01

Understanding of the effects of wildland fire and fire management on aquatic and riparian ecosystems is an evolving field, with many questions still to be resolved. Limitations of current knowledge, and the certainty that fire management will continue, underscore the need to summarize available information. Integrating fire and fuels management with aquatic ecosystem conservation begins with recognizing that terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are linked and dynamic, and that fire can play a critical role in maintaining aquatic ecological diversity. To protect aquatic ecosystems we argue that it will be important to: (1) accommodate fire-related and other ecological processes that maintain aquatic habitats and biodiversity, and not simply control fires or fuels; (2) prioritize projects according to risks and opportunities for fire control and the protection of aquatic ecosystems; and (3) develop new consistency in the management and regulatory process. Ultimately, all natural resource management is uncertain; the role of science is to apply experimental design and hypothesis testing to management applications that affect fire and aquatic ecosystems. Policy-makers and the public will benefit from an expanded appreciation of fire ecology that enables them to implement watershed management projects as experiments with hypothesized outcomes, adequate controls, and replication.

Index for characterizing post-fire soil environments in temperate coniferous forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jain, Theresa B.; Pilliod, David S.; Graham, Russell T.; Lentile, Leigh B.; Sandquist, Jonathan E.

2012-01-01

Many scientists and managers have an interest in describing the environment following a fire to understand the effects on soil productivity, vegetation growth, and wildlife habitat, but little research has focused on the scientific rationale for classifying the post-fire environment. We developed an empirically-grounded soil post-fire index (PFI) based on available science and ecological thresholds. Using over 50 literature sources, we identified a minimum of five broad categories of post-fire outcomes: (a) unburned, (b) abundant surface organic matter ( > 85% surface organic matter), (c) moderate amount of surface organic matter ( ≥ 40 through 85%), (d) small amounts of surface organic matter ( < 40%), and (e) absence of surface organic matter (no organic matter left). We then subdivided each broad category on the basis of post-fire mineral soil colors providing a more fine-tuned post-fire soil index. We related each PFI category to characteristics such as soil temperature and duration of heating during fire, and physical, chemical, and biological responses. Classifying or describing post-fire soil conditions consistently will improve interpretations of fire effects research and facilitate communication of potential responses or outcomes (e.g., erosion potential) from fires of varying severities.

A Brief History of Fire, Heat and Their Manifestations in Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alavipanah, S. K.; Attarchi, S.

2015-12-01

The discovery of fire was one of the earliest of human discoveries. At the beginning, man sensed heat on his skin and then perceived the concept of fire and temperature. Fire and its manifestation in form of light and heat have contributed in many literary sources and religious books. It has being interpreted in various manners and construed by different explanations. Some of these definitions have resemblances with today's human findings in the argument about heat, temperature, light and their spectra. In this work, we reviewed a broad range of literary, historical, religious and cultural sources to gain deeper insight into the meaning of fire and heat in human's thought, beliefs and myths from the past to today. We found a close linkage between predecessor's perception and impression about heat and what is known today as thermal energy. It should be mentioned that we strictly deny the claim of their awareness of modern concepts such as energy or thermodynamics. However, we interfere that they perceived these conceptions. We cannot clearly explain how our predecessor shaped their impression about fire and heat without any knowledge of the nature of new science such as energy, temperature and thermal remote sensing. Nevertheless, their though compromise with modern science. According to the recent findings, temperature play important role as an efficient indicator of sustainability in landscape. Magnitude and distribution of temperature and its changes over time - which could be traced by thermal remote sensing- are of great importance. A concise literature review relating to fire and heat will broaden our knowledge about temperature and thermal remote sensing.

Postfire rehabilitation of the Hayman Fire

Treesearch

Peter Robichaud; Lee MacDonald; Jeff Freeouf; Dan Neary; Deborah Martin; Louise Ashmun

2003-01-01

Our team was asked to analyze and comment on the existing knowledge and science related to postfire rehabilitation treatments, with particular emphasis on the known effectiveness of these treatments. The general effects of fire on Western forested landscapes are well documented (Agee 1993; DeBano and others 1998; Kozlowski and Ahlgren 1974) and have been thoroughly...

Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: Science overview and knowledge needs

Treesearch

William T. Sommers; Rachel A. Loehman; Colin C. Hardy

2014-01-01

Wildland fires have influenced the global carbon cycle for 420 million years of Earth history, interacting with climate to define vegetation characteristics and distributions, trigger abrupt ecosystem shifts, and move carbon among terrestrial and atmospheric pools. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the dominant driver of ongoing climate change and the principal emissions...

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; social issues fact sheet 07: The "laws" of effective public education about fire hazards

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Within the past 10 years, breakthrough research has identified factors that are most important for effectively communicating about wildland fire hazards. This fact sheet discusses seven "Laws" of effective public communication that should be considered in any state-of-the-art education campaign.

Fuel Characteristic Classification System version 3.0: technical documentation

Treesearch

Susan J. Prichard; David V. Sandberg; Roger D. Ottmar; Ellen Eberhardt; Anne Andreu; Paige Eagle; Kjell Swedin

2013-01-01

The Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) is a software module that records wildland fuel characteristics and calculates potential fire behavior and hazard potentials based on input environmental variables. The FCCS 3.0 is housed within the Integrated Fuels Treatment Decision Support System (Joint Fire Science Program 2012). It can also be run from command...

Fire in the forest

Treesearch

James M. Saveland

1995-01-01

From ancient philosophies to present day science, the ubiquity of change and the process of transformation are core concepts. The primary focus of a recent white paper on disturbance ecology is summed up by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who stated, "Nothing is permanent but change." Disturbance processes, such as fire, provide a window into the emerging...

Examining the sources of public support for wildland fire policies

Treesearch

J.D. Absher; J.J. Vaske

2007-01-01

Recent severe wildfires have reinforced the need for successful mitigation strategies to be coordinated across all levels of government that address the needs and concerns of homeowners who live in the wildland/urban interface (WUI). Despite the growing body of social science literature on agency-initiated wildland fire policies and homeowner mitigation strategies,...

Optical closure experiments for biomass smoke aerosols

Treesearch

L. A. Mack; E. J. T. Levin; S. M. Kreidenweis; D. Obrist; H. Moosmuller; K. A. Lewis; W. P. Arnott; G. R. McMeeking; A. P. Sullivan; C. E. Wold; W.-M. Hao; J. L. Collett; W. C. Malm

2010-01-01

A series of laboratory experiments at the Fire Laboratory at Missoula (FLAME) investigated chemical, physical, and optical properties of fresh smoke samples from combustion of wildland fuels that are burned annually in the western and southeastern US The burns were conducted in the combustion chamber of the US Forest Service Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula,...

Green Science: Wildfires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palliser, Janna

2012-01-01

Every summer, fires rage in different areas of the western United States. They are often massive, out of control, and extremely destructive. How do these fires begin and how are they controlled? What are the overall impacts of a wildfire? Are there any benefits of a wildfire? These questions will be addressed in this article. (Contains 3 online…

Forest fuel treatments in western North America: merging silvicultural and fire management.

Treesearch

Morris C. Johnson; David L. Peterson

2005-01-01

For many years silviculture and fire management have mostly been separate forestry disciplines with disparate objectives and activities. However, in order to accomplish complex and multiple management objectives related to forest structure, fuels, and fxe disturbance, these two disciplines must be effectively integrated in science and practice. We have linked...

Views on Science Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stubbs, Harry C.

1979-01-01

Reviews six new children's science books. Five of the reviewed books deal separately with the topics of the space shuttle project, cosmology and stellar evolution, space, forest fires, and the electromagnetic spectrum; one is a book of geography puzzles. (GT)

[Effects of fire recurrence on fire behaviour in cork oak woodlands (Quercus suber L.) and Mediterranean shrublands over the last fifty years].

PubMed

Schaffhauser, Alice; Pimont, François; Curt, Thomas; Cassagne, Nathalie; Dupuy, Jean-Luc; Tatoni, Thierry

2015-12-01

Past fire recurrence impacts the vegetation structure, and it is consequently hypothesized to alter its future fire behaviour. We examined the fire behaviour in shrubland-forest mosaics of southeastern France, which were organized along a range of fire frequency (0 to 3-4 fires along the past 50 years) and had different time intervals between fires. The mosaic was dominated by Quercus suber L. and Erica-Cistus shrubland communities. We described the vegetation structure through measurements of tree height, base of tree crown or shrub layer, mean diameter, cover, plant water content and bulk density. We used the physical model Firetec to simulate the fire behaviour. Fire intensity, fire spread, plant water content and biomass loss varied significantly according to fire recurrence and vegetation structure, mainly linked to the time since the last fire, then the number of fires. These results confirm that past fire recurrence affects future fire behaviour, with multi-layered vegetation (particularly high shrublands) producing more intense fires, contrary to submature Quercus woodlands that have not burnt since 1959 and that are unlikely to reburn. Further simulations, with more vegetation scenes according to shrub and canopy covers, will complete this study in order to discuss the fire propagation risk in heterogeneous vegetation, particularly in the Mediterranean area, with a view to a local management of these ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Bottom-line empowerment: lessons from the firing line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, J. P.

1993-03-01

Empowering employees on the firing-line to actively participate in solving business problems can have a significant positive impact on bottom-line performance. Lessons from a number of companies and thousands of people from the firing-line have demonstrated this. Unfortunately, there is no simple, step-by-step method that can be guaranteed to succeed. Getting business results by successfully empowering the firing-line is as much art as science. Yet, as with any art, there are principles that, if rigorously followed, can go a long way to ensuring success. These principles are outlined in this paper as 18 critical success factors to empowerment.

Impacts of pinyon and juniper control on ecosystems processes in the Porter Canyon Experimental Watershed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The opportunistic encroachment of native pinyon and juniper trees into areas formerly dominated by sagebrush has reduced the presence of shrubs and grasses, impacting critical habitat and forage availability. Pinyon and juniper currently occupy 19 million ha in the Intermountain West and prior to 18...

77 FR 51825 - Certain Drill Bits and Products Containing Same; Determination To Review an Initial Determination...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-27

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-844] Certain Drill Bits and Products... sale for importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain drill bits and... Christensen Trading Inc. of Panama; and Intermountain Drilling Supply Corp. of West Valley City, Utah. On June...

Social Landscapes of the Inter-Mountain West: A Comparison of "Old West" and "New West" Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winkler, Richelle; Field, Donald R.; Luloff, A. E.; Krannich, Richard S.; Williams, Tracy

2007-01-01

Rural communities have experienced dramatic demographic, social, and economic transformations over the past 30 years. Historically characterized by close links between natural resources and social, cultural, and economic structures, few of today's rural communities remain heavily dependent upon traditional extractive industries like ranching,…

Evaluation of Utah trefoil (Lotus utahensis Ottley) collections for rangeland restoration/revegetation in the southern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wildfires, weed invasion, and various land uses have created a need for revegetation/restoration of rangeland ecosystems in the Intermountain Region of the western U.S.A. These rangelands may require revegetation/restoration to improve degraded conditions, speed recovery after wildfires, minimize s...

77 FR 74027 - Winter Use Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement Amended Record of Decision, Yellowstone...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-12

..., Yellowstone National Park. SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of... Wyoming. On December 3, 2012, the Regional Director, Intermountain Region, approved the Amended Record of... online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell . Dated: December 2, 2012. John Wessels, Regional Director...

77 FR 36251 - Intermountain Region, Boise National Forest; Emmett Ranger District, Idaho; Scriver Creek...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... relocated segment of NFS Road 696D would be decommissioned); and (4) road maintenance activities would occur... maintenance activities may include but are not limited to road prism blading, spot aggregate placement...) Permanent national forest system (NFS) roads can increase long term resource impacts and road maintenance...

Proceedings of the Intermountain Leisure Symposium (7th, Ogden, Utah, November 20, 1986).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Howard, Ed.

This publication contains 24 invited papers on leisure, parks and recreation issues. The papers include professional perspectives that range from the hands-on practical issues to innovative research projects and practical program developments that were prepared especially for the symposium. Among the papers included are: (1) "A Professional…

Plastid DNA analysis reveals cryptic hybridization in invasive dalmatian toadflax populations

Treesearch

Andrew Boswell; Sharlene E. Sing; Sarah M. Ward

2016-01-01

Gene flow between Dalmatian toadflax (DT) and yellow toadflax (YT), both aggressive invaders throughout the Intermountain West, is creating hybrid populations potentially more invasive than either parent species. To determine the direction of gene flow in these hybrid populations, species-diagnostic cytoplasmic markers were developed. Markers were based on...

Managing grazing of riparian areas in the Intermountain Region

Treesearch

Warren P. Clary; Bert F. Webster

1989-01-01

Concern about livestock grazing in riparian habitats and its effect upon riparian-dependent resources has resulted in numerous controversies about the appropriate management approach. This document provides guidance for grazing of riparian areas in a manner that should reduce both nonpoint source pollution and potential grazing impacts on other riparian-dependent...

Testing the "Learning Journey" of MSW Students in a Rural Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wall, Misty L.; Rainford, Will

2013-01-01

Using a quasi-experimental one-group, pretest-posttest design with non-random convenience sampling, the researchers assessed 61 advanced standing MSW students who matriculated at a rural intermountain Northwest school of social work. Changes in students' knowledge and attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people were measured using…

Chapter 22. Rosaceous shrubs

Treesearch

Nancy L. Shaw; Stephen B. Monsen; Richard Stevens

2004-01-01

Important shrubs of the Rose Family (Rosaceae) in the Intermountain region are distributed from blackbrush and salt desert shrub communities through high elevation forests and meadows. Growth habits of this group vary from trailing brambles to upright shrubs and small trees. Some species are evergreen while others are deciduous. Many of these species are highly valued...

Living artifacts: The ancient ponderosa pines of the West

Treesearch

Stephen F. Arno; Lars Östlund; Robert E. Keane

2008-01-01

Until late in the nineteenth century, magnificent ponderosa pine forests blanketed much of the inland West. They covered perhaps 30 million acres, an area the size of New York state, spreading across the mountains of New Mexico, Arizona, and California and flourishing throughout the eastern Cascades, the intermountain Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountains...

Seems like I hardly see them around anymore: Historical geographies of Cottonwood decline along the Wind River

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cottonwoods—as well as the water birch, bull berry, and currants that flourish in their galleries—hold special significance for Tribes of the Intermountain American West. These species have served ceremonial and practical purposes for generations. Yet cottonwoods have experienced well-documented dec...

A native plant development program for the Colorado Plateau

Treesearch

Stephen B. Monsen

2008-01-01

(Please note, this is an abstract only) Revegetation programs instigated in the Intermountain West have relied on the use of introduced perennial grasses, with attention focused upon improving the agronomic and forage attributes of these species. Currently, a wide number of site adapted native species are required to restore the extensive disturbances throughout the...

Historical and projected climate [Chapter 3

Treesearch

Linda A. Joyce; Marian Talbert

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) region is characterized by extreme temperatures and precipitation; it is home to some of the driest, hottest, and coldest locations in the conterminous United States. The region has numerous mountain ranges, high-elevation basins and valleys, and low-elevation mesas and canyons. Climate is influenced by this diverse and...

Subsurface drip irrigation for native wildflower seed production

Treesearch

Clint C. Shock; Erik Feibert; Lamont Saunders; Nancy Shaw

2008-01-01

Native forb seed is needed to restore rangelands of the Intermountain West. Commercial seed production is necessary to provide the quantity of seed needed for restoration efforts. A major limitation to economically viable commercial production of native forb seed is stable and consistent seed productivity over years. Variations in spring rainfall and soil moisture...

Native wildflower seed production with limited subsurface drip irrigation

Treesearch

Clinton C. Shock; Erik B. G. Feibert; Lamont D. Saunders; Nancy Shaw

2010-01-01

Native wildflower seed is needed to restore rangelands of the Intermountain West. Commercial seed production is necessary to provide the quantity of seed needed for restoration efforts. A major limitation to economically viable commercial production of native wildflower (forb) seed is stable and consistent seed productivity over years. Variations in spring rainfall and...

Native wildflower seed production with limited subsurface drip irrigation

Treesearch

Clint C. Shock; Erik Feibert; Lamont Saunders; Nancy Shaw

2009-01-01

Native wildflower seed is needed to restore rangelands of the Intermountain West. Commercial seed production is necessary to provide the quantity of seed needed for restoration efforts. A major limitation to economically viable commercial production of native wildflower (forb) seed is stable and consistent seed productivity over years. Variations in spring rainfall and...

Intermountain Lesiure Symposium Proceedings (10th, Provo, Utah, November 16, 1989).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Gary K., Ed.; Giles, Scott B., Ed.

The following papers were among those presented at the symposium hosted by Brigham Young University: (1) "Situational Leadership Styles of Four Recreation and Sport Supervisors Using a Time Series Design" (Maurice Phipps, and others; (2) "Backpacking Sitting Down: Reminiscences from the Great Siberian Railroad" (Daniel L. Dustin); (3) "The…

75 FR 38767 - Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests; ID; Amendment to the 2003...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-06

... the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests (NFs) will add and/or modify existing management... were issued in July 2003 for the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth NFs. The RODs implemented Alternative 7... Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth NFs identified that maintaining and restoring habitats for species of...

Integration of HTML documents into an XML-based knowledge repository.

PubMed

Roemer, Lorrie K; Rocha, Roberto A; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2005-01-01

The Emergency Patient Instruction Generator (EPIG) is an electronic content compiler / viewer / editor developed by Intermountain Health Care. The content is vendor-licensed HTML patient discharge instructions. This work describes the process by which discharge instructions where converted from ASCII-encoded HTML to XML, then loaded to a database for use by EPIG.

Chapter 3. Research background

Treesearch

James N. Davis

2004-01-01

The rangeland in the Intermountain West urgently required a scientific basis for its management, especially after the great mid-1800's livestock buildup, and then the plant die-off following the severe winters and droughts of the late 1800's (Stoddart and others 1975). After examining the Western ranges, Jared G. Smith (1895), an agrostologist with the U.S....

Rocky Mountain Research Station invasive species visionary white paper

Treesearch

D. E. Pearson; M. Kim; J. Butler

2011-01-01

Invasive species represent one of the single greatest threats to natural ecosystems and the services they provide. Effectively addressing the invasive species problem requires management that is based on sound research. We provide an overview of recent and ongoing invasive species research conducted by Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists in the Intermountain...

Impact of ungulate exclusion on understorey succession in relation to forest management in the Intermountain Western United States

Treesearch

Burak K. Pekin; Bryan A. Endress; Michael J. Wisdom; Bridgett J. Naylor; Catherine G. Parks

2014-01-01

Questions: Do successional trajectories in plant diversity, heterogeneity and dominance respond differently to ungulate exclusion in unmanaged forests vs managed forests that are thinned and burned? Is vegetation in recently thinned and burned standsmore sensitive to changes in the grazing regime? Location:...

Chapter 23. Shrubs of other families

Treesearch

Stephen B. Monsen; Richard Stevens; Nancy L. Shaw

2004-01-01

Numerous genera and species of shrubs occur throughout the Intermountain region in addition to those included in the Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Rosaceae families. Although shrubs are widespread throughout this region and dominate many areas, species richness is low compared to the shrub flora of the Pacific United States, Chile, western Australia, and South Africa...

Marker-trait association of rangeland and turf traits in hybrids of Festuca idahoensis and Festuca ovina

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The fine fescue species Festuca idahoensis Elmer is native to the Intermountain West and has potential for low-input turf and rangeland applications. The poor seed production and weak seedling vigor of this species may be overcome by identification and improvement of interspecific hybrids between F...

Forest resources of the Kootenai National Forest

Treesearch

Andrea M. Wilson; Patrick D. Miles

2000-01-01

THe Interior West Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Evaluation (IWRIME) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (formerly known as the Intermountain Research Station), as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, entered into a cooperative agreement with the Northern Region (Region 1) for the inventory of its...

Chapter 4. Basic considerations for range and wildland revegetation and restoration

Treesearch

Richard Stevens

2004-01-01

Plummer and others (1968) proposed 10 principles to follow when planning and implementing rangeland revegetation programs. These principles - or basic considerations for rangeland managers - are applicable to most sites in the Western United States (Jordan 1981; Merkel and Herbal 1973), and many projects in the Intermountain area have been conducted successfully by...

Breeding biologies, seed production and species-rich bee guilds of Cleome lutea and Cleome serrulata (Cleomaceae)

Treesearch

James H. Cane

2008-01-01

The summer-blooming annual forbs Cleome lutea and Cleome serrulata (Cleomaceae) are native across the US Intermountain West and Rocky Mountains, respectively. Their farmed seed is sought to help rehabilitate western rangelands in those regions. This study of the reproductive biologies and pollinator faunas of C. lutea...

Cultivation and irrigation of fernleaf biscuitroot (Lomatium dissectum) for seed production

Treesearch

Myrtle P. Shock; Clinton C. Shock; Erik G. B. Feibert; Nancy L. Shaw; Lamont D. Saunders; Ram K. Sampangi

2012-01-01

Native grass, forb, and shrub seed is needed to restore rangelands of the U.S. Intermountain West. Fernleaf biscuitroot [Lomatium dissectum (Nutt.) Mathias & Constance] is a desirable component of rangelands. Commercial seed production is necessary to provide the quantity and quality of seed needed for rangeland restoration and reclamation efforts. Fernleaf...

Epidemiologic and occupational investigation of an Escherichia coli O111 outbreak associated with a correctional facility dairy – Colorado, 2010

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In 2010, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS) partnered to investigate a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O...

PETE Students' Perceptions of a Healthy and Active Lifestyle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Carol; Pennington, Todd; Barney, David; Lockhart, Barbara; Hager, Ron; Prusak, Keven

2014-01-01

Participants were male and female students (n = 12) in a physical education teacher education (PETE) program with a healthy and active lifestyle management (HALM) focus, at a university in the Intermountain West. The purpose of the study was to examine PETE students' perceptions of a healthy and active lifestyle (HAL). Following inductive content…

Models for estimation and simulation of crown and canopy cover

Treesearch

John D. Shaw

2005-01-01

Crown width measurements collected during Forest Inventory and Analysis and Forest Health Monitoring surveys are being used to develop individual tree crown width models and plot-level canopy cover models for species and forest types in the Intermountain West. Several model applications are considered in the development process, including remote sensing of plot...

Expected net benefit of vaccinating rangeland sheep against bluetongue virus using a modified-live versus killed virus vaccine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recurring outbreaks of bluetongue virus in large rangeland sheep flocks in the Intermountain West of the United States have prompted questions about the economic benefits and costs of vaccinating individual flocks against bluetongue disease. We use enterprise budgets and stochastic simulation to est...

Bird Conservation Planning and Implementation in Canada's Intermountain Region

Treesearch

Ilia Hartasanchez; Krista De Groot; Andre Breault; Rob W. Butler

2005-01-01

Bird conservation planning in British Columbia and Yukon has been carried out by each of the major bird initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to provide a status report of planning activities and to discuss how integration of the initiatives is being accomplished for efficient and effective implementation of bird conservation actions.

Adaptive variation in Pinus ponderosa from Intermountain regions. II. Middle Columbia River system

Treesearch

Gerald Rehfeldt

1986-01-01

Seedling populations were grown and compared in common environments. Statistical analyses detected genetic differences between populations for numerous traits reflecting growth potential and periodicity of shoot elongation. Multiple regression models described an adaptive landscape in which populations from low elevations have a high growth potential while those from...

Effects of livestock grazing on neotropical migratory landbirds in western North America

Treesearch

Carl E. Bock; Victoria A. Saab; Terrell D. Rich; David S. Dobkin

1993-01-01

Livestock grazing is a widespread and important influence on neotropical migratory birds in four major ecosystems in western North America: grasslands of the Great Plains and Southwest, riparian woodlands, Intermountain shrubsteppe, and open coniferous forests. We have reviewed available literature on avian responses to grazing in these habitats. Among 35 plains...

Herbicide tolerance in grasses and native forb species

Treesearch

Kimberly A. Edvarchuk; Corey V. Ransom

2010-01-01

Native forb seed is needed to restore the rangelands of the Intermountain West. Studies were conducted to identify herbicides that can be used to control weeds in forb seed production with limited injury to the forbs. The forbs evaluated in this project include: basalt milkvetch (Astragalus filipes), Western prairie clover (Dalea ornata), and Searls' prairie...

Downy brome control and impacts on perennial grass abundance: a systematic review spanning 64 years

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Given the high cost of restoration and the underlying assumption that reducing annual grass abundance is a necessary precursor to rangeland restoration in the Intermountain West, USA, we sought to identify limitations and strengths of annual grass and woody plant reduction methods and refine future ...

Cheatgrass and red brome; the history and biology of two invaders

Treesearch

Chad R. Reid; Sherel Goodrich; James E. Bowns

2008-01-01

In recent history, there has not been a more ecologically important event than the introduction of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and red brome (Bromus rubens) into the Intermountain West. These grasses are very similar in ecology and history and are separated mostly by function of elevation. Both species are from the Mediterranean...

Stumpage market integration in western national forests

Treesearch

Jean M. Daniels

2011-01-01

This study presents results of statistical tests for stumpage market integration on 62 national forests in the Western United States. Quarterly stumpage prices from 1984 to 2007 obtained from cut and sold reports for USDA Forest Service Regions 1, 4, 5, and 6 (Northern, Intermountain, Pacific Southwest, and Pacific Northwest, respectively) were analyzed to establish...

Effects of climate change on outdoor recreation [Chapter 10

Treesearch

Michael S. Hand; Jordan W. Smith; David L. Peterson; Nancy A. Brunswick; Carol P. Brown

2018-01-01

Federal agencies and other public land management agencies in Utah, Nevada, and southern Idaho provide and manage for numerous outdoor recreation opportunities. National forests in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) Intermountain Region have nearly 19 million visits per year (table 10.1); adjacent National Park System units account for an...

ICLIS: A Model for Extending Knowledge to Residents in Rural Communities. A Planning Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utah State Univ., Logan.

The Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services (ICLIS) project was begun in 1985 to provide rural communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming with greater access to information and educational programming. Computer centers were housed in nine rural public libraries to provide services related to literacy, career guidance,…

Non-native plants and wildlife in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Andrea R. Litt; Dean E. Pearson

2013-01-01

Non-native plant invasions can change communities and ecosystems by altering the structure and composition of native vegetation. Changes in native plant communities caused by non-native plants can influence native wildlife species in diverse ways, but the outcomes and underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we review and synthesize current information for...

78 FR 64290 - Intermountain Power Agency v. Union Pacific Railroad Company-Oral Argument

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-28

... argument. A video broadcast of the oral argument will be available via the Board's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov , under ``Information Center''/``Webcast''/``Live Video'' on the home page. Instructions... room, but no provision will be made for connecting personal computers to the Internet. Cellular...

Spruce beetle-induced changes to Engelmann spruce foliage flammability

Treesearch

Wesley G. Page; Michael J. Jenkins; Justin B. Runyon

2014-01-01

Intermountain Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm) stands affected by the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) represent a unique and growing fuel complex. In this study, we quantified and compared the changes in moisture content, chemistry, and flammability of foliage from trees in three crown condition classes: unattacked (green [G]),...

Effects of climate change on infrastructure [Chapter 11

Treesearch

Michael J. Furniss; Natalie J. Little; David L. Peterson

2018-01-01

Climatic conditions, particularly extreme rainfall, snowmelt, and flooding, pose substantial risks to infrastructure in and near public lands in the Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) region (box 11.1). Minor floods happen frequently in the region, and large floods happen occasionally. These events can damage or destroy roads and other infrastructure and affect...

Direct and indirect responses of tallgrass prairie butterflies to prescribed burning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vogel, Jennifer A.; Koford, Rolf R.; Debinski, Diane M.

2010-01-01

Fire is an important tool in the conservation and restoration of tallgrass prairie ecosystems. We investigated how both the vegetation composition and butterfly community of tallgrass prairie remnants changed in relation to the elapsed time (in months) since prescribed fire. Butterfly richness and butterfly abundance were positively correlated with the time since burn. Habitat-specialist butterfly richness recovery time was greater than 70 months post-fire and habitat-specialist butterfly abundance recovery time was approximately 50 months post-fire. Thus, recovery times for butterfly populations after prescribed fires in our study were potentially longer than those previously reported. We used Path Analysis to evaluate the relative contributions of the direct effect of time since fire and the indirect effects of time since fire through changes in vegetation composition on butterfly abundance. Path models highlighted the importance of the indirect effects of fire on habitat features, such as increases in the cover of bare ground. Because fire return intervals on managed prairie remnants are often less than 5 years, information on recovery times for habitat-specialist insect species are of great importance. ?? 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Spatial patterns of large natural fires in Sierra Nevada wilderness areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collins, B.M.; Kelly, M.; van Wagtendonk, J.W.; Stephens, S.L.

2007-01-01

The effects of fire on vegetation vary based on the properties and amount of existing biomass (or fuel) in a forest stand, weather conditions, and topography. Identifying controls over the spatial patterning of fire-induced vegetation change, or fire severity, is critical in understanding fire as a landscape scale process. We use gridded estimates of fire severity, derived from Landsat ETM+ imagery, to identify the biotic and abiotic factors contributing to the observed spatial patterns of fire severity in two large natural fires. Regression tree analysis indicates the importance of weather, topography, and vegetation variables in explaining fire severity patterns between the two fires. Relative humidity explained the highest proportion of total sum of squares throughout the Hoover fire (Yosemite National Park, 2001). The lowest fire severity corresponded with increased relative humidity. For the Williams fire (Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks, 2003) dominant vegetation type explains the highest proportion of sum of squares. Dominant vegetation was also important in determining fire severity throughout the Hoover fire. In both fires, forest stands that were dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) burned at highest severity, while red fir (Abies magnifica) stands corresponded with the lowest fire severities. There was evidence in both fires that lower wind speed corresponded with higher fire severity, although the highest fire severity in the Williams fire occurred during increased wind speed. Additionally, in the vegetation types that were associated with lower severity, burn severity was lowest when the time since last fire was fewer than 11 and 17 years for the Williams and Hoover fires, respectively. Based on the factors and patterns identified, managers can anticipate the effects of management ignited and naturally ignited fires at the forest stand and the landscape levels. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

NASA Microgravity Combustion Science Research Plans for the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutliff, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

A peer-reviewed research program in Microgravity Combustion Science has been chartered by the Physical Sciences Research Division of the NASA Office of Biological and Physical Research. The scope of these investigations address both fundamental combustion phenomena and applied combustion research topics of interest to NASA. From this pool of research, flight investigations are selected which benefit from access to a microgravity environment. Fundamental research provides insights to develop accurate simulations of complex combustion processes and allows developers to improve the efficiency of combustion devices, to reduce the production of harmful emissions, and to reduce the incidence of accidental uncontrolled combustion (fires, explosions). Through its spacecraft fire safety program, applied research is conducted to decrease risks to humans living and working in space. The Microgravity Combustion Science program implements a structured flight research process utilizing the International Space Station (ISS) and two of its premier facilities- the Combustion Integrated Rack of the Fluids and Combustion Facility and the Microgravity Science Glovebox - to conduct space-based research investigations. This paper reviews the current plans for Microgravity Combustion Science research on the International Space Station from 2003 through 2012.

Using the ``blue spike'' to characterize biomass-burning sites during Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI) 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCourt, M. L.; McMillan, W. W.; Ackerman, S.; Holz, R.; Revercomb, H. E.; Tobin, D.

2004-10-01

During several flights of the ER-2 while participating in the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000), the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Scanning High Resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) obtained spectra containing isolated fires within its field of view (FOV). These fire-laden FOVs contain a spectral feature caused by rotational hot band transitions of CO2 near 2400 cm-1. Because of its location on the blue side of the 4.3 μm band of CO2, this feature is commonly referred to as the "blue spike." Using this feature, we detected fires on four flights: 24 and 27 August and 6 and 7 September 2000. Fire locations are further verified by the ER-2 pilot's flight logs and elevated brightness temperatures in the thermal detectors of the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) also on board the ER-2. Using line-by-line radiative transfer calculations (Genln2) with corrections for a fire's extreme high temperatures (HiTemp), we model S-HIS spectra for various scenes: background (cool surface and cool atmosphere), smoldering (warm surface and cool atmosphere), hot gas layer (cool surface and warm atmosphere), and fire (hot surface and hot atmosphere) cases. Using the controlled burn in the Timbavati Game Reserve on 7 September 2000 as a test case, we spectrally modeled the blue spike feature seen in the spectra obtained by S-HIS while the ER-2 flew over the fire. For this case, we found that ˜4.12 ± 0.05% of the FOV contained the hot gas layer while ˜0.23 ± 0.05% was actively burning. Originally viewed as a straightforward task of using the blue spike to characterize the fire temperature and size (fraction of S-HIS FOV), our analysis shows that numerous variables, including amount of carbon dioxide, amount of water vapor, and the temperature near the fire, play significant roles in the blue spike's shape and spectral position.

Science Teaching to Fire the Imagination.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandford, Diana; Fleetwood, Julie

1997-01-01

Presents a range of exciting ideas for encouraging active learning, for illuminating new concepts, and for making science lessons fun. Topics include modeling, matter, heat, diffusion, changes of state, heat transfer, energy changes, atomic structure, waves, gravity, enzymes, and habitats. (JRH)

Biological and geophysical feedbacks with fire in the Earth system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archibald, S.; Lehmann, C. E. R.; Belcher, C. M.; Bond, W. J.; Bradstock, R. A.; Daniau, A.-L.; Dexter, K. G.; Forrestel, E. J.; Greve, M.; He, T.; Higgins, S. I.; Hoffmann, W. A.; Lamont, B. B.; McGlinn, D. J.; Moncrieff, G. R.; Osborne, C. P.; Pausas, J. G.; Price, O.; Ripley, B. S.; Rogers, B. M.; Schwilk, D. W.; Simon, M. F.; Turetsky, M. R.; Van der Werf, G. R.; Zanne, A. E.

2018-03-01

Roughly 3% of the Earth’s land surface burns annually, representing a critical exchange of energy and matter between the land and atmosphere via combustion. Fires range from slow smouldering peat fires, to low-intensity surface fires, to intense crown fires, depending on vegetation structure, fuel moisture, prevailing climate, and weather conditions. While the links between biogeochemistry, climate and fire are widely studied within Earth system science, these relationships are also mediated by fuels—namely plants and their litter—that are the product of evolutionary and ecological processes. Fire is a powerful selective force and, over their evolutionary history, plants have evolved traits that both tolerate and promote fire numerous times and across diverse clades. Here we outline a conceptual framework of how plant traits determine the flammability of ecosystems and interact with climate and weather to influence fire regimes. We explore how these evolutionary and ecological processes scale to impact biogeochemical and Earth system processes. Finally, we outline several research challenges that, when resolved, will improve our understanding of the role of plant evolution in mediating the fire feedbacks driving Earth system processes. Understanding current patterns of fire and vegetation, as well as patterns of fire over geological time, requires research that incorporates evolutionary biology, ecology, biogeography, and the biogeosciences.

Early inpatient calculation of laboratory-based 30-day readmission risk scores empowers clinical risk modification during index hospitalization.

PubMed

Horne, Benjamin D; Budge, Deborah; Masica, Andrew L; Savitz, Lucy A; Benuzillo, José; Cantu, Gabriela; Bradshaw, Alejandra; McCubrey, Raymond O; Bair, Tami L; Roberts, Colleen A; Rasmusson, Kismet D; Alharethi, Rami; Kfoury, Abdallah G; James, Brent C; Lappé, Donald L

2017-03-01

Improving 30-day readmission continues to be problematic for most hospitals. This study reports the creation and validation of sex-specific inpatient (i) heart failure (HF) risk scores using electronic data from the beginning of inpatient care for effective and efficient prediction of 30-day readmission risk. HF patients hospitalized at Intermountain Healthcare from 2005 to 2012 (derivation: n=6079; validation: n=2663) and Baylor Scott & White Health (North Region) from 2005 to 2013 (validation: n=5162) were studied. Sex-specific iHF scores were derived to predict post-hospitalization 30-day readmission using common HF laboratory measures and age. Risk scores adding social, morbidity, and treatment factors were also evaluated. The iHF model for females utilized potassium, bicarbonate, blood urea nitrogen, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration; for males, components were B-type natriuretic peptide, sodium, creatinine, hematocrit, red cell distribution width, and mean platelet volume. Among females, odds ratios (OR) were OR=1.99 for iHF tertile 3 vs. 1 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.28, 3.08) for Intermountain validation (P-trend across tertiles=0.002) and OR=1.29 (CI=1.01, 1.66) for Baylor patients (P-trend=0.049). Among males, iHF had OR=1.95 (CI=1.33, 2.85) for tertile 3 vs. 1 in Intermountain (P-trend <0.001) and OR=2.03 (CI=1.52, 2.71) in Baylor (P-trend < 0.001). Expanded models using 182-183 variables had predictive abilities similar to iHF. Sex-specific laboratory-based electronic health record-delivered iHF risk scores effectively predicted 30-day readmission among HF patients. Efficient to calculate and deliver to clinicians, recent clinical implementation of iHF scores suggest they are useful and useable for more precise clinical HF treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Snowpack regimes of the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trujillo, Ernesto; Molotch, Noah P.

2014-07-01

Snow accumulation and melt patterns play a significant role in the water, energy, carbon, and nutrient cycles in the montane environments of the Western United States. Recent studies have illustrated that changes in the snow/rainfall apportionments and snow accumulation and melt patterns may occur as a consequence of changes in climate in the region. In order to understand how these changes may affect the snow regimes of the region, the current characteristics of the snow accumulation and melt patterns must be identified. Here we characterize the snow water equivalent (SWE) curve formed by the daily SWE values at 766 snow pillow stations in the Western United States, focusing on several metrics of the yearly SWE curves and the relationships between the different metrics. The metrics are the initial snow accumulation and snow disappearance dates, the peak snow accumulation and date of peak, the length of the snow accumulation season, the length of the snowmelt season, and the snow accumulation and snowmelt slopes. Three snow regimes emerge from these results: a maritime, an intermountain, and a continental regime. The maritime regime is characterized by higher maximum snow accumulations reaching 300 cm and shorter accumulation periods of less than 220 days. Conversely, the continental regime is characterized by lower maximum accumulations below 200 cm and longer accumulation periods reaching over 260 days. The intermountain regime lies in between. The regions that show the characteristics of the maritime regime include the Cascade Mountains, the Klamath Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The intermountain regime includes the Eastern Cascades slopes and foothills, the Blue Mountains, Northern and Central basins and ranges, the Columbia Mountains/Northern Rockies, the Idaho Batholith, and the Canadian Rockies. Lastly, the continental regime includes the Middle and Southern Rockies, and the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains. The implications of snow regime classification are discussed in the context of possible changes in accumulation and melt patterns associated with regional warming.

Assessing the effects of fire disturbances on ecosystems: A scientific agenda for research and management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmoldt, D.L.; Peterson, D.L.; Keane, R.E.; Lenihan, J.M.; McKenzie, D.; Weise, D.R.; Sandberg, D.V.

1999-01-01

A team of fire scientists and resource managers convened 17-19 April 1996 in Seattle, Washington, to assess the effects of fire disturbance on ecosystems. Objectives of this workshop were to develop scientific recommendations for future fire research and management activities. These recommendations included a series of numerically ranked scientific and managerial questions and responses focusing on (1) links among fire effects, fuels, and climate; (2) fire as a large-scale disturbance; (3) fire-effects modeling structures; and (4) managerial concerns, applications, and decision support. At the present time, understanding of fire effects and the ability to extrapolate fire-effects knowledge to large spatial scales are limited, because most data have been collected at small spatial scales for specific applications. Although we clearly need more large-scale fire-effects data, it will be more expedient to concentrate efforts on improving and linking existing models that simulate fire effects in a georeferenced format while integrating empirical data as they become available. A significant component of this effort should be improved communication between modelers and managers to develop modeling tools to use in a planning context. Another component of this modeling effort should improve our ability to predict the interactions of fire and potential climatic change at very large spatial scales. The priority issues and approaches described here provide a template for fire science and fire management programs in the next decade and beyond.

Integrating land cover modeling and adaptive management to conserve endangered species and reduce catastrophic fire risk

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breininger, David; Duncan, Brean; Eaton, Mitchell J.; Johnson, Fred; Nichols, James

2014-01-01

Land cover modeling is used to inform land management, but most often via a two-step process, where science informs how management alternatives can influence resources, and then, decision makers can use this information to make decisions. A more efficient process is to directly integrate science and decision-making, where science allows us to learn in order to better accomplish management objectives and is developed to address specific decisions. Co-development of management and science is especially productive when decisions are complicated by multiple objectives and impeded by uncertainty. Multiple objectives can be met by the specification of tradeoffs, and relevant uncertainty can be addressed through targeted science (i.e., models and monitoring). We describe how to integrate habitat and fuel monitoring with decision-making focused on the dual objectives of managing for endangered species and minimizing catastrophic fire risk. Under certain conditions, both objectives might be achieved by a similar management policy; other conditions require tradeoffs between objectives. Knowledge about system responses to actions can be informed by developing hypotheses based on ideas about fire behavior and then applying competing management actions to different land units in the same system state. Monitoring and management integration is important to optimize state-specific management decisions and to increase knowledge about system responses. We believe this approach has broad utility and identifies a clear role for land cover modeling programs intended to inform decision-making.

Fire tolerance of a resprouting Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winter, S.L.; Fuhlendorf, S.D.; Goad, C.L.; Davis, C.A.; Hickman, K.R.; Leslie, David M.

2011-01-01

In North America, most Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub species lack the ability to resprout after disturbances that remove aboveground biomass. We studied the response of one of the few resprouting Artemisia shrubs, Artemisia filifolia (sand sagebrush), to the effects of prescribed fires. We collected data on A. filifolia density and structural characteristics (height, canopy area, and canopy volume) in an A. filifolia shrubland in the southern Great Plains of North America. Our study sites included areas that had not been treated with prescribed fire, areas that had been treated with only one prescribed fire within the previous 5 years, and areas that had been treated with two prescribed fires within the previous 10 years. Our data were collected at time periods ranging from 1/2 to 5 years after the prescribed fires. Density of A. filifolia was not affected by one or two fires. Structural characteristics, although initially altered by prescribed fire, recovered to levels characteristic of unburned areas in 3-4 years after those fires. In contrast to most non-sprouting North American Artemisia shrub species, our research suggested that the resprouting A. filifolia is highly tolerant to the effects of fire. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Review of autopsy reports of deaths relating to fire in South Australia 2000-2015.

PubMed

Sully, Claire J; Walker, G Stewart; Langlois, Neil E I

2018-06-01

It has been noted there are gaps and inconsistencies in data pertaining to fire related deaths in Australia, which poses difficulties for analysis of national statistics. A search of post-mortem examination reports at Forensic Science SA from 2000 to 2015 revealed 275 cases regarded as fire related in which the body had been involved in a fire. The autopsy reports were evaluated to determine parameters including the location of the fire event, age and sex of victim, as well as the presence of soot in the airways and cherry-red coloration to the blood and/or organs, in addtion to toxicological levels of carboxyhemoglobin and alcohol. Fire events were clasified as structural, transportation or open air in type. Males were more commonly victims than females, especially in transportation fires, where males aged below 50 years were most at risk of death. Carboxyhemoglobin levels tended to be lower in victims of transportation fires. This study has confirmed that presence of soot in the respiratory tract and cherry-red coloration of a body retrieved from a fire are both linked to an increased level of blood carboxyhemoglobin. These findings significantly contribute to the documentation of fire deaths in Australia.

Influence of savanna fire on Australian monsoon season precipitation and circulation as simulated using a distributed computing environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynch, Amanda H.; Abramson, David; Görgen, Klaus; Beringer, Jason; Uotila, Petteri

2007-10-01

Fires in the Australian savanna have been hypothesized to affect monsoon evolution, but the hypothesis is controversial and the effects have not been quantified. A distributed computing approach allows the development of a challenging experimental design that permits simultaneous variation of all fire attributes. The climate model simulations are distributed around multiple independent computer clusters in six countries, an approach that has potential for a range of other large simulation applications in the earth sciences. The experiment clarifies that savanna burning can shape the monsoon through two mechanisms. Boundary-layer circulation and large-scale convergence is intensified monotonically through increasing fire intensity and area burned. However, thresholds of fire timing and area are evident in the consequent influence on monsoon rainfall. In the optimal band of late, high intensity fires with a somewhat limited extent, it is possible for the wet season to be significantly enhanced.

Born of fire - restoring sagebrush steppe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pyke, David A.

2002-01-01

Fire is a natural feature of sagebrush grasslands in the Great Basin. The invasion of exotic annual grasses, such as Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), has changed the environment in these ecosystems. Invasive annual grasses provide a dense and continuous source of fuel that extends the season for fires and increases the frequency of fires in the region. Frequent fires eventually eliminate the native sagebrush. These annual grasses also change soil nutrients, especially carbon and nitrogen, such that invasive annual grasses are favored over the native plants. The Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is studying how to reduce the problems caused by these invasive annual grasses and restore native sagebrush grasslands. The areas of research include understanding disturbance regimes, especially fire, discerning the role of nutrients in restoring native plants, determining the potential to restore forbs important for wildlife, and ascertaining the past and present use of native and nonnative plants in revegetation projects.

A burning story: The role of fire in the history of life

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pausas, J.G.; Keeley, J.E.

2009-01-01

Ecologists, biogeographers, and paleobotanists have long thought that climate and soils controlled the distribution of ecosystems, with the role of fire getting only limited appreciation. Here we review evidence from different disciplines demonstrating that wildfire appeared concomitant with the origin of terrestrial plants and played an important role throughout the history of life. The importance of fire has waxed and waned in association with changes in climate and paleoatmospheric conditions. Well before the emergence of humans on Earth, fire played a key role in the origins of plant adaptations as well as in the distribution of ecosystems. Humans initiated a new stage in ecosystem fire, using it to make the Earth more suited to their lifestyle. However, as human populations have expanded their use of fire, their actions have come to dominate some ecosystems and change natural processes in ways that threaten the sustainability of some landscapes. ?? 2009 by American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Fire frequency, area burned, and severity: A quantitative approach to defining a normal fire year

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lutz, J.A.; Key, C.H.; Kolden, C.A.; Kane, J.T.; van Wagtendonk, J.W.

2011-01-01

Fire frequency, area burned, and fire severity are important attributes of a fire regime, but few studies have quantified the interrelationships among them in evaluating a fire year. Although area burned is often used to summarize a fire season, burned area may not be well correlated with either the number or ecological effect of fires. Using the Landsat data archive, we examined all 148 wildland fires (prescribed fires and wildfires) >40 ha from 1984 through 2009 for the portion of the Sierra Nevada centered on Yosemite National Park, California, USA. We calculated mean fire frequency and mean annual area burned from a combination of field- and satellite-derived data. We used the continuous probability distribution of the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) values to describe fire severity. For fires >40 ha, fire frequency, annual area burned, and cumulative severity were consistent in only 13 of 26 years (50 %), but all pair-wise comparisons among these fire regime attributes were significant. Borrowing from long-established practice in climate science, we defined "fire normals" to be the 26 year means of fire frequency, annual area burned, and the area under the cumulative probability distribution of dNBR. Fire severity normals were significantly lower when they were aggregated by year compared to aggregation by area. Cumulative severity distributions for each year were best modeled with Weibull functions (all 26 years, r2 ??? 0.99; P < 0.001). Explicit modeling of the cumulative severity distributions may allow more comprehensive modeling of climate-severity and area-severity relationships. Together, the three metrics of number of fires, size of fires, and severity of fires provide land managers with a more comprehensive summary of a given fire year than any single metric.

Shifting seasonal cycles of surface ozone: the role of regional vs. global emission changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clifton, O.; Fiore, A. M.; Correa, G. J.; Naik, V.; Horowitz, L. W.

2013-12-01

Surface-level ozone seasonal cycles vary in shape and in magnitude with location. These variations reflect local contributions, whose influence differs each month, from regional anthropogenic and natural precursor emissions, as well as ozone transported from various sources. We focus on two U.S. regions with markedly different seasonal cycles over recent decades: the Northeast and the InterMountain West. In the Northeast, there are peak ozone values in the summer months due to high regional NOx emissions, abundant sunlight and isoprene emissions during this season. The lower NOx emissions in the InterMountain West combined with higher altitude where transported 'background' ozone is larger, leads to a weak spring maximum. Parrish et al. [2013] report a shift in seasonal cycles to earlier months in spring over recent decades at remote sites. We investigate here the role of changing global and regional ozone precursor emissions over the 21st century. With GFDL's fully coupled climate chemistry model CM3, we use selected Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios developed for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) in support of IPCC AR 5, and several sensitivity simulations, to examine the impacts of regional and global emissions on surface ozone seasonal cycles throughout the 21st century. In RCP8.5, an extreme climate warming scenario, methane doubles from the present to the end of the 21st century, whereas in RCP4.5, a more moderate climate warming scenario, there is a small (~10%) decrease of methane. For RCP8.5, global mean surface temperature increases by 4.5 K, and for RCP4.5, by 1.4 K. In RCP8.5 and RCP4.5, NOx emissions decrease globally by 70.1% and 52.3%, respectively, by the end of the 21st century. These regional NOx reductions shift the ozone maximum in the Northeast from summer to late winter/early spring, resembling the present-day seasonal cycle over the InterMountain West. Over the InterMoutain West, surface ozone also decreases in summer and increases in the late winter/early spring. We further find that in RCP8.5, the end of 21st century seasonal cycles in the Northeast and the InterMountain West increase by more than 5-15 ppb in each month due to the doubling of global methane. Across present-day high-NOx regions at northern mid-latitudes, surface ozone consistently decreases during the summer and fall months as NOx emissions decline globally, but in the RCP8.5 scenario increases during winter and early spring as CH4 rises.

The relationship of multispectral satellite imagery to immediate fire effects

Treesearch

Andrew T. Hudak; Penelope Morgan; Michael J. Bobbitt; Allstair M. S. Smith; Sarah A. Lewis; Leigh B. Lentile; Peter R. Robichaud; Jess T. Clark; Randy A. McKinley

2007-01-01

The Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) and the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Data Center produce Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps for use by Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams in rapid response to wildfires. BAER teams desire maps indicative of fire effects on soils, but green and...

Wildland fires and air pollution. Developments in Environmental Science 8

Treesearch

Andrzej Bytnerowicz; Michael Arbaugh; Christian Andersen; Allen Riebau

2009-01-01

The interaction between smoke and air pollution creates a public health challenge. Fuels treatments proposed for National Forests are intended to reduce fuel accumulations and wildfire frequency and severity, as well as to protect property located in the wild land-urban interface. However, prescribed fires produce gases and aerosols that have instantaneous and long-...

STS-40 MS Seddon pauses during fire fighting training at JSC's Fire Pit

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-08-22

S90-46497 (18 Aug 1990) --- Astronaut Rhea Seddon, STS-40 mission specialist, takes a break from firefighting training at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). In less than a year Dr. Seddon will be joined by four NASA astronauts and two payload specialists for the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) mission aboard Columbia.

Forests, people, fire: Integrating the sciences to build capacity for an “All Lands” approach to forest restoration

Treesearch

Marie Oliver; Susan Charnley; Thomas Spies; Jeff Kline; Eric White

2017-01-01

Interest in landscape-scale approaches to fire management and forest restoration is growing with the realization that these approaches are critical to maintaining healthy forests and protecting nearby communities. However, coordinated planning and action across multiple ownerships have been elusive because of differing goals and forest management styles among...

Forests at risk: integrating risk science into fuel management strategies.

Treesearch

Jonathan Thompson

2008-01-01

The threat from wildland fire continues to grow across many regions of the Western United States. Drought, urbanization, and a buildup of fuels over the last century have contributed to increasing wildfire risk to property and highly valued natural resources. Fuel treatments, including thinning overly dense forests to reduce fuel and lower fire risk, have become a...

Lambkins Roar as the Top High School in the 27th Colorado Science Bowl |

Science.gov Websites

round of the competition. As they readied to answer rapid-fire physics, math, biology, astronomy, energy group, which is an offshoot of his school's STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math

NREL: News - High School Students Gear Up for Battle of the Brains

Science.gov Websites

compete in this rapid-fire question-and-answer tournament, which focuses on physics, math, biology competition. DOE began the National Science Bowl 12 years ago to help stimulate interest in science and math

Smoke Sense Study: A Citizen Science Project Using a Mobile App

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA researchers are planning a citizen science study called Smoke Sense to determine the extent to which exposure to wildland fire smoke affects health and productivity, and to develop health risk communication strategies that protect public health.

Wildland fire and climate variability impacts on annual streamflow in watersheds across the continental United States: Regional patterns and attribution analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallema, D. W.; Sun, G.; Caldwell, P. V.; Norman, S. P.; Cohen, E. C.; Liu, Y.; McNulty, S. G.

2016-12-01

The magnitude of wildland fire impacts on water resources varies regionally depending on fire severity, topography, vegetation and climate. An assessment of the potential threat that wildland fire poses to water supplies across the conterminous United States (CONUS) is critically important because forests supply 50% of consumed water. In our assessment, we first performed a double mass analysis of streamflow (GAGES-II) vs. precipitation (PRISM) data from 170 burned watersheds to identify changes in average water yield in the first five years following wildland fire (MTBS burn severity dataset), which were positive in 52 watersheds (Chow test p<0.1), negative in 69 (p<0.1), and not significant in 49 (p>0.1). Subsequently, we separated the respective contributions of fire and climate variability to changes in annual runoff (dQ) by fitting linear climate elasticity models (CEMs), yielding acceptable CEMs (coefficient p<0.1) for 106 watersheds. Median dQ (MdQ) for 62 watersheds with a burned area to drainage area ratio (BAR) <10% declined by -12%, mostly attributed to lower annual precipitation (P) (-16%) associated with regional climate trends, which was a common response in watersheds in the eastern states with low severity prescribed (Rx) or wildfires. MdQ increased by +11% in 44 watersheds with BAR >10%, notwithstanding overall declining P. These watersheds were for the greatest part located in the western CONUS, where dQ was correlated with burn severity (R2>0.53, variable per severity class) and PET (R2=0.73). The most severe impacts were observed in Arizona (2005 Cave Creek Complex, 2004 Edge Complex and 2004 Willow Fires), with BARs >39% and dQ>+160%, while hydrologic response in the east was much less extreme with only 10 cases where post-fire dQ increased >+10%. The clear regional patterns in post-fire Q together with evidence showing that downward trends in P can mask flow enhancing effects of fire disturbance (24 watersheds), underline the importance of the combined analysis of wildland fire and climate impacts in national scale assessments. Research funded by the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Joint Fire Science Program (#14-1-06-18), and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (U.S. Department of Energy).

Mechanised spraying device a novel technology for spraying fire protective coating material in the benches of opencast coal mines for preventing spontaneous combustion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R.V.K. Singh; V.K. Singh

2004-10-15

Spontaneous combustion in coal mines plays a vital role in occurrences of fire. Fire in coal, particularly in opencast mines, not only causes irreparable loss of national wealth but damages the surface structure and pollutes the environment. The problem of spontaneous combustion/fire in opencast coal benches is acute. Presently over 75% of the total production of coal in Indian mines is being carried out by opencast mining. Accordingly a mechanised spraying device has been developed for spraying the fire protective coating material for preventing spontaneous combustion in coal benches of opencast mines jointly by Central Mining Research Institute, Dhanbad andmore » M/s Signum Fire Protection (India) Pvt. Ltd., Nagpur under Science & Technology (S&T) project funded by Ministry of Coal, Govt. of India. The objective of this paper is to describe in detail about the mechanised spraying device and its application for spraying fire protective coating material in the benches of opencast coal mines for preventing spontaneous combustion/fire.« less

Wildfires effects on soils: water repellency, NIR models and post-fire treatments. My personal view (SSS Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcenegui, Victoria

2017-04-01

I first was intrigued by fire, because all summers we had some of them in our location, and then I was involve in fire effects on soils. We had, and also have, a lot of question to answer. I am absolutely sure that soil science was my best choice. Soils are amazing, a lot of things are happening in soils. Soils and fire, are my main research topics. I studied the immediately effect of fire on soils, focus on the effect of fire in soil water repellency and aggregate stability. Two physical properties that are crucial to post-fire soil response. I also construct NIR models to know the maximum temperature reached in soils. It is well known that temperature is a key factor affecting soils properties. Then, it is a really important tool to predict the temperature reached in a soil after a wildfire. Currently, I am involve in a project to investigate what are the best post-fire treatments in our soils and how this treatments affects soil properties.

Investigation of Mechanism of Potential Aircraft Fuel Tank Vent Fires and Explosions Caused by Atmospheric Electricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1961-01-01

The nature of the potential fuel tank vent fire and explosion hazard is discussed in relation to present vent exit design practice, available knowledge of atmospheric electricity as a source of ignition energy, and the vent system vapor space environment. Flammable mixtures and possible ignition sources may occur simultaneously as a rare phenomena according to existing knowledge. There is a need to extend the state of science in order to make possible vent design which is aimed specifically at minimizing fire and explosion hazards.

Science in 60 – Tabletop Fire Prediction

ScienceCinema

Cary, Lyle

2018-01-16

At the Interagency Fire Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory, experts rely on the state-of-the-art Simtable to help them predict the unpredictable. With algorithms that include camera-based object-tracking and projection developed by the Laboratory, the emergency operations team can simulate a wildland fire spreading across any terrain. The table system, developed and marketed by Simtable, a Santa Fe, N.M., company, takes into account weather, vegetation and fuel conditions. The project also received funding from the LANS Venture Acceleration Fund to improve the user interface.

Science in 60 – Tabletop Fire Prediction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cary, Lyle

At the Interagency Fire Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory, experts rely on the state-of-the-art Simtable to help them predict the unpredictable. With algorithms that include camera-based object-tracking and projection developed by the Laboratory, the emergency operations team can simulate a wildland fire spreading across any terrain. The table system, developed and marketed by Simtable, a Santa Fe, N.M., company, takes into account weather, vegetation and fuel conditions. The project also received funding from the LANS Venture Acceleration Fund to improve the user interface.

Fire as a natural and human factor shaping the Mediterranean Ecosystems. The Montgó forest fire and the teaching for the Geograns (older than 55) students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerdà, Artemi; González Pelayo, Óscar; Mataix-Solera, Jorge; Arcenegui, Victoria; Jordán, Antonio; Úbeda, Xavier; Pereira, Paulo

2015-04-01

Cerdà and Civera (2012); Fernández Raga et al., (2013) and Cerdà et al., (2014) show that teaching Earth Sciences to students older than 55 is a new challenge for the universities of developed countries due to the higher life expectancy and the arrival of new students and teaching programs to the academy. Fire, due to the background of many of our students, is one of those topics that need more attention when teaching to students older than 55. Most of them see the fire as the enemy and not as a part of the natural and human ecosystems. The view of the scientists is based in the scientific method, and they see the fire as part of the ecosystems and the human societies (Roebroeks and Villa, 2011; Archibald et al., 2012; Berna et al, 2012; Romme et al., 2012; Zumbrunnen et al., 2012). Moreover, the studies developed on the soils, vegetation and hydrological response of fire affected land, show that the fire disturbance use to be short and the ecosystems return to the pre-fire period after a window of disturbance (Cerdà and Lasanta, 2005; Doerr and Cerdà, 2005; Lasanta and Cerdà, 2005; Granjed et al., 2011; Pérez Cabello et al., 2012; Bodí et al., 2013; Guenon et al., 2013; León et al., 2013: Pereira et al., 2013; Pereira et al., 2015; Prats et al., 2015), and this is related to the policies applied in different countries (Carreiras et al., 2014). More recent advances in the impact of fire on soils can be found in Bento-Gonçalves et al. (2012) This research show the different strategies that we apply to explain the students older than 55 to understand the natural processes that are involved in nature due to the fire. The lectures are developed at the lectures room as an introduction about the fire in the Earth System and how the fire modify the soils, the water resources and change the vegetation cover, and 10 hours of field work in an recently fire affected land. The second part of the course, 10 hours in the field, will be done in February during a visit to the recently fire affected land in the Montgó Mountain in Eastern Spain. Acknowledgements To the "Ministerio de Economía and Competitividad" of Spanish Government for finance the POSTFIRE project (CGL2013- 47862-C2-1-R), FUEGORED, Spanish Soil Science Society, Alcoi andJavea councils, Botánica Mediterrànea, ACIF Alcoi, ACIF Marina Alta, Xàbia Viva, Montgó Viu, and Sierra de Mariola and Montgó Natural Parks for their collaboration in our teaching. The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857 and PREVENTING AND REMEDIATING DEGRADATION OF SOILS IN EUROPE THROUGH LAND CARE (RECARE)FP7-ENV-2013- supported this research. References Archibald, S., Staver, A. C., Levin, S. A. 2012. Evolution of human-driven fire regimes in Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(3), 847-852. Bento-Gonçalves, A., Vieira, A., Úbeda, X., Martin, D. 2012. Fire and soils: key concepts and recent advances. Geoderma, 191, 3-13. Berna, F., Goldberg, P., Horwitz, L. K., Brink, J., Holt, S., Bamford, M., & Chazan, M. (2012). Microstratigraphic evidence of in situ fire in the Acheulean strata of Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape province, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(20), E1215-E1220. Bodí, M.B., Muñoz-Santa, I., Armero, C., Doerr, S.H., Mataix-Solera, J., Cerdá, A. 2013. Spatial and temporal variations of water repellency and probability of its occurrence in calcareous Mediterranean rangeland soils affected by fires Catena. 108:14-25. 10.1016/j.catena.2012.04.002. Carreiras, M., Ferreira, A.J.D., Valente, S., Fleskens, L., Gonzales-Pelayo, Ó., Rubio, J.L., Stoof, C.R., Coelho, C.O.A., Ferreira, C.S.S., Ritsema, C.J. 2014. Comparative analysis of policies to deal with the wildfire risk. Land Degradation & Development, 25, 92-103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2274 Cerdà, A., Civera, C. (2012) Teaching Physical Geography to students older than 55. The GEOGRANS Project within the NAUGRAN program at the University of Valencia, Spain. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 14, p. 14010). Cerdà, A., Civera, C., Giménez-Morera, A., Burguet, M. (2014). Teaching Environmental Soil Science to Students older than 55. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 16, p. 16967). Cerdà, A., Lasanta, A. 2005. Long-term erosional responses after fire in the Central Spanish Pyrenees: 1. Water and sediment yield. Catena, 60, 59-80. Doerr, S., Cerdà, A. 2005. Fire effects on soil system functioning: new insights and future challenges International Journal of Wildland Fire Preface. International Journal of Wildland Fire 14(4) 339-342 Fernández Raga, M., Cerdà, A., Civera, C. 2013. New successful ideas to teach Earth Science to students older than 55 by means of trekking. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 15, p. 1041). Granged, A. J., Jordán, A., Zavala, L. M., Bárcenas, G. (2011): Fire-induced changes in soil water repellency increased fingered flow and runoff rates following the 2004 Huelva wildfire. Hydrological Processes, 25: 1614-1629. Guénon, R., Vennetier, M., Dupuy, N., Roussos, S., Pailler, A., Gros, R. 2013. Trends in recovery of Mediterranean soil chemical properties and microbial activities after infrequent and frequent wildfires. Land Degradation & Development, 24: 115- 128. DOI 10.1002/ldr.1109 Lasanta, A., Cerdà, A. 2005. Long-term erosional responses after fire in the Central Spanish Pyrenees: 2. Solute release. Catena, 60, 80-101. León, J. Bodí, M.B., Cerdà, A.., Badía, D. 2013. The contrasted response of ash to wetting. The effects of ash type, thickness and rainfall events. Geoderma, 209-210, 143-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.01.006 Pereira, P., Úbeda, X., Martin, D., Mataix-Solera, J., Cerdà, A., Burguet, M. 2013. Wildfire effects on extractable elements in ash from a Pinus pinaster forest in Portugal, Hydrological Processes, DOI: 10.1002/hyp.9907 Pereira, P., Cerdà, A., Úbeda, X., Mataix-Solera, J., Arcenegui, V., Zavala, L. M. 2015. Modelling the impacts of wildfire on ash in a short-term period. Land Degradation & Development.| DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2195 Pérez-Cabello, F., Cerdà, A., de la Riva, J., Echeverría, M.T., García-Martín, A., Ibarra, P., Lasanta, T., Montorio, R., Palacios, V. 2012. Micro-scale post-fire surface cover changes monitored using high spatial resolution photography in a semiarid environment: A useful tool in the study of post-fire soil erosion processes, Journal of Arid Environments, 76: 88-96. 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.08.007 Pérez-Cabello, F., Cerdà, A., de la Riva, J., Echeverría, M.T., García-Martín, A., Ibarra, P., Lasanta, T., Montorio, R., Palacios, V. 2012. Micro-scale post-fire surface cover changes monitored using high spatial resolution photography in a semiarid environment: A useful tool in the study of post-fire soil erosion processes, Journal of Arid Environments, 76: 88-96. 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.08.007 Prats, S.A., Malvar, M.C., Simões-Vieira, D.C., MacDonald, L., Keizer, J.J. 2015. Effectiveness of hydro- mulching to reduce runoff and erosion in a recently burnt pine plantation in central Portugal. Land Degradation & Development, DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2236. Roebroeks, W., Villa, P. 2011. On the earliest evidence for habitual use of fire in Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(13), 5209-5214. Romme, W. H., Boyce, M. S., Gresswell, R., Merrill, E. H., Minshall, G. W., Whitlock, C., Turner, M. G. 2011. Twenty years after the 1988 Yellowstone fires: lessons about disturbance and ecosystems. Ecosystems, 14(7), 1196-1215. Zumbrunnen, T., Menéndez, P., Bugmann, H., Conedera, M., Gimmi, U., Bürgi, M. 2012. Human impacts on fire occurrence: a case study of hundred years of forest fires in a dry alpine valley in Switzerland. Regional Environmental Change, 12(4), 935-949.

Terrestrial-based lidar beach topography of Fire Island, New York, June 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brenner, Owen T.; Hapke, Cheryl J.; Lee, Kathryn G.; Kimbrow, Dustin R.

2016-02-19

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in Florida and the USGS Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center (LMG WSC) in Montgomery, Alabama, collaborated to gather alongshore terrestrial-based lidar beach elevation data at Fire Island, New York. This high-resolution elevation dataset was collected on June 11, 2014, to characterize beach topography and document ongoing beach evolution and recovery, and is part of the ongoing beach monitoring within the Hurricane Sandy Supplemental Project GS2-2B. This USGS data series includes the resulting processed elevation point data (xyz) and an interpolated digital elevation model (DEM).

Seeding big sagebrush successfully on Intermountain rangelands

Treesearch

Susan E. Meyer; Thomas W. Warren

2015-01-01

Big sagebrush can be seeded successfully on climatically suitable sites in the Great Basin using the proper seeding guidelines. These guidelines include using sufficient quantities of high-quality seed of the correct subspecies and ecotype, seeding in late fall to mid-winter, making sure that the seed is not planted too deeply, and seeding into an environment...

Proceedings from the Intermountain Leisure Symposium (11th, Provo, Utah, November 15, 1990).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Gary K., Ed.; And Others

This conference proceedings report includes papers submitted by 19 presenters addressing current trends, critical issues, and emerging perspectives. Titles of the papers are as follows: (1) "Envisioning Your Own Destiny: The Case for Strategic Planning in the Park and Recreation Movement" (H. Gray, D. McLean, and E. Crook); (2)…

Institutional Gender Equity Salary Analysis and Recursive Impact of Career and Life Choices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Teri S.

2013-01-01

This study employed mixed methods, engaging both quantitative and qualitative inquiries. In terms of the quantitative inquiry, the purpose of this study was to explore and assess gender-based salary inequities at a Carnegie Classified Research High university in the Intermountain West. Qualitative inquiry was used to follow up and contextually…

Using adjunct forest inventory methodology to quantify pinyon jay habitat in the great basin

Treesearch

Christopher Witt

2015-01-01

Pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) are the principal dispersal agent for pinyon pine seeds in the Great Basin region of the Intermountain West. However, Pinyon jays have exhibited significant population declines over much their range in recent decades, even as pinyon-juniper woodlands appear to have been expanding over the past 150 years. In...

Guide to understory burning in ponderosa pine-larch-fir forests in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Bruce M. Kilgore; George A. Curtis

1987-01-01

Summarizes the objectives, prescriptions, and techniques used in prescribed burning beneath the canopy of ponderosa pine stands, and stands of ponderosa pine mixed with western larch, Douglas-fir, and grand fir. Information was derived from 12 districts in two USDA Forest Service Regions and seven National Forests in Montana and Oregon.

Irrigation requirements for seed production of five Lomatium species in a semiarid environment

Treesearch

Clinton C. Shock; Erik B. G. Feibert; Alicia Rivera; Lamont D. Saunders; Nancy Shaw; Francis F. Kilkenny

2016-01-01

Seeds of native plants are needed for rangeland restoration in the Intermountain West. Many of these plants are rarely cultivated and relatively little is known about the cultural practices required for their seed production. Irrigation trials were conducted for five perennial Lomatium species over multiple years. Lomatium species grown at the Oregon State University...

Scarification of basalt milkvetch (Astragalus filipes) seed for improved emergence

Treesearch

Clinton C. Shock; Erik Feibert; Lamont D. Saunders

2008-01-01

Basalt milkvetch (Astragalus nlipes) is a forb (non woody perennial) native to western North America. Basalt milkvetch is a legume forb species of interest for revegetating rangelands of the intermountain northwest; it can contribute high quality feed, valuable seed for wildlife, and nitrogen fixation to help maintain range productivity. Basalt milkvetch has a hard...

Seed production and field establishment of hoary tansyaster (Machaeranthera canescens)

Treesearch

Derek J. Tilley

2015-01-01

The USDA NRCS Aberdeen Plant Materials Center (PMC) produces certified early generation seed of hoary tansyaster (Machaeranthera canescens (Pursh) A. Gray [Asteraceae]), a late summer and fall blooming forb native to the Intermountain West region. Hoary tansyaster is an excellent forb candidate for restoration efforts in arid to semiarid sites. It is relatively easy to...

Indicators of rangeland health and functionality in the Intermountain West

Treesearch

Renee A. O' Brien; Curtis M. Johnson; Andrea M. Wilson; Van C. Elsbernd

2003-01-01

Rangelands comprise about 42 percent of the land area of the United States and provide vital land functions such as watershed, multiple-use, recreation, and other amenities. Currently, we do not know the status and trends of many of our nation's rangelands, and consistent protocols for describing rangeland system dynamics across land management agencies are...

Effects of climate change on nonforest vegetation [Chapter 7

Treesearch

Wayne G. Padgett; Matthew C. Reeves; Stanley G. Kitchen; David L. Tart; Jeanne C. Chambers; Cheri Howell; Mary E. Manning; John G. Proctor

2018-01-01

Nonforest ecosystems, as they are addressed in this chapter, contain woodland, shrubland, herbaceous, wetland, or riparian vegetation types. They are estimated to occupy over 30 million acres and 50 percent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) Intermountain Region (table 7.1). These diverse ecosystems range in elevation from desert floors to...

Integration of HTML Documents into an XML-Based Knowledge Repository

PubMed Central

Roemer, Lorrie K; Rocha, Roberto A; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2005-01-01

The Emergency Patient Instruction Generator (EPIG) is an electronic content compiler/viewer/editor developed by Intermountain Health Care. The content is vendor-licensed HTML patient discharge instructions. This work describes the process by which discharge instructions where converted from ASCII-encoded HTML to XML, then loaded to a database for use by EPIG. PMID:16779384

Climate vulnerability of native cold-water salmonids in the Northern Rockies Region [Chapter 5

Treesearch

Michael K. Young; Daniel J. Isaak; Scott Spaulding; Cameron A. Thomas; Scott A. Barndt; Matthew C. Groce; Dona Horan; David E. Nagel

2018-01-01

During the 21st century, climate change is expected to alter aquatic habitats throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains, intermountain basins, and western Great Plains. Particularly in montane watersheds, direct changes are likely to include warmer water temperatures, earlier snowmelt-driven runoff, earlier declines to summer baseflow, downhill movement of perennial...

Remarks

Treesearch

Cecil D. Andrus

2010-01-01

I want to thank Harv Forsgren, the Intermountain Regional Forester, for his invitation to me to offer a few remarks to this very impressive gathering. I was raised in western Oregon, which provided the genesis for my love of forests. My beginnings of government service started over 50 years ago by serving in the Korean War and I subsequently became a political accident...

Aspen succession in the Intermountain West: A deterministic model

Treesearch

Dale L. Bartos; Frederick R. Ward; George S. Innis

1983-01-01

A deterministic model of succession in aspen forests was developed using existing data and intuition. The degree of uncertainty, which was determined by allowing the parameter values to vary at random within limits, was larger than desired. This report presents results of an analysis of model sensitivity to changes in parameter values. These results have indicated...

76 FR 32986 - Vendor Outreach Workshop for Small Businesses in the Texas Intermountain Region of the United States

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-07

... small business interested in working with the Department, we urge you to register online at: http://www... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Vendor Outreach Workshop for Small Businesses.... ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of the Department of...

Evaluation of a collaborative model: a case study analysis of watershed planning in the intermountain west

Treesearch

Gary Bentrup

2001-01-01

Collaborative planning processes have become increasingly popular for addressing environmental planning issues, resulting in a number of conceptual models for collaboration. A model proposed by Selin and Chavez suggests that collaboration emerges from a series of antecedents and then proceeds sequentially through problem-setting, direction-setting, implementation, and...

Demography of Lewis's Woodpecker, breeding bird densities, and riparian aspen integrity in a grazed landscape

Treesearch

Karen Rachel Newlon

2005-01-01

Aspen (Populus tremuloides) riparian woodlands are extremely limited in distribution throughout the western U.S., yet these habitats have a disproportionate value to breeding birds. Aspen habitats are also considered prime sheep and cattle summer range, particularly in the semiarid Intermountain West. Such concentrated use has raised concern about...