# Presentation: 680238

## Treatments and methods to manipulate stand                                        structure suitable for fuel reduction

## Objectives

- Review  the terminology used in fuels management.

- Common understanding of how to modify fuels to change fire behavior.

- Describe the tools utilized for fuels reduction

- Discuss the Constraints and Challenges to implement prescribed Fire.

## FUELS MANAGEMENT - the manipulation, modification,

- and reduction of flammable vegetation to meet fire protection
- and land management goals.  (SAF Forestry Handbook, 1984)

##  VALUES (at risk to wildfire)

-  VALUES (at risk to wildfire)
-  RISK (potential to ignite)
-  HAZARD (potential to burn)

- Factor that need to be evaluated in Fuels Management

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## Rothermal Fire Spread Equation

## (Canopy Base Height)

- Crown Bulk Density

## Assessment for the Potential Of Crown Fire Activity

- 1)  Surface Fuel Loading

- 2) Ladder Fuels
- Average height from the surface fuel to the lowest crowns
- of trees.   (canopy base height)

- 3)  Volume of crown fuel present  (crown bulk density)

## Surface fuels need to produce enough heat intensity while burning  to ignite the lowest portion of the crowns to initiate 

- Surface fuels need to produce enough heat intensity while burning  to ignite the lowest portion of the crowns to initiate
- crown fire.

- Material <3” in diameter influence rate of spread

- Larger fuels influence duration and intensity

- Rate of spread?  intensity?  duration?

- With this fuel loading – need a crown fire to damage a stand?

- Rate of spread, intensity, duration?

- The lowest portion of the canopy (canopy base height) and its
- relationship to the surface fuels is critical
- in the initiation phase of a crown fire (torching).

- Ladder Fuels

## The fuel volume in the crowns (crown bulk density) is a factor for sustaining crown fire over a given distance.

- - slope & wind are other factors that influence crown fire

## Tools for Managing:

- Surface Fuel Loading

- Average height from the surface fuel to the lowest crowns
- of trees.

- Volume of crown fuel present

- *

- *

## Commercial Thinning

**Thinned removing the smallest diameter trees.**
**Increases Tree vigor.**
**Reduces crown bulk density and some of the available ladder fuels. **

## Commercial Thinning – removes >8” dbh

- Non-Commercial Thinning removes < 8“ dbh (ladder fuels)

## Density Management & Fuels Reduction in CHU

## Commercial Thinning

- Have a reduction in aerial fuels (crown bulk density)

- Have a reduction in ladder fuels  (crown base height)
-      (along with precommercial thinning)

- Increase in surface fuels (may have to treat)

## Treatment of surface fuels

## Reduce surface fuels & some ladder fuels

## Time of year will determine the fuel size that is consumed.

- Time of year will impact cost and potential for escape.

- Ecological impacts

## Manual Treatment

## Handpiling:

- Treats fuel: <6” in diameter and 2’ and longer

## Slide 29

## Why not just underburn?

-  Thinning(<8”dbh)	$459 / acre
-  Slashbuster	$400 / acre
-  Pile & Cover	$575 / acre

- Burning Treatments: (Ave Costs)
-  Pile Burn		$ 50 / ac
- Underburn		$250 / ac

- Example of Average Unit Cost (manual treatment):
- Thin + Pile  +  Pile Burn  =  $1,084 / acre

## Constraints and Challenges

- Smoke Management

- Local Considerations (outside designated areas)

- -Type of Burning impacts emissions

**Stand Objectives**

## Survey and managed Species

- Seasonal Constraints – may conflict with a burn window

- Costs to conduct surveys

## Survey and Managed Species

- Manual treatment

## Strategy

- Size of treatment?

## Accountability

- GAO

- Are we treating high priority areas?
-  WUI vs. high values at risk outside of the WUI.

- Are treatments effective?
- Are we compromising effective treatments to meet other objectives?

- Are we treating in the WUI?

- Reporting System (Targets)

## Political Aspects

- Fires of 2000

- National Fire Plan

- Fires of 2002

- San Diego 2003

## Healthy Forests Restoration Act

- Passed on November 21, 2003
- 20 million acres federal land at high risk of catastrophic wildfire
- Authorize $760 million for tree-thinning projects (half in WUI)
- Requires federal courts to balance environmental consequences of thinning vs. the no- action.

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## Field Trip

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