Fuels Planning: Science Synthesis and

Integration

Environmental Consequences Fact Sheet: 1

Fire Effects Information System

(FEIS)

United States

Department

of Agriculture

Forest Service

Rocky Mountain

Research Station

Research Note

RMRS-RN-23-1-WWW

September 2004

What Is FEIS?

Managers and fuel planners need ready

access to quality information about the

effects of fire on plants and animals. The

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

provides accessible, up-to-date fire effects

summaries, taken from current Englishlanguage literature, for almost 900 plant

species, about 100 animal species, and 16

Kuchler plant communities found on the

North American continent. The emphasis of each summary is fire and how it affects each species, but background information on taxonomy, distribution, basic

biology, and ecology of each species is

also included. Species summaries are thoroughly documented and each contains a

complete bibliography. Summaries are updated as funding becomes available or

upon request.

Fire creates conditions that are favorable

to the establishment of noxious musk

thistle (Cardus nutans), so if its seeds are

present and competition is minimal, musk thistle

may be favored in the postfire community. FEIS

provides this kind of information for a range of

plants and animal species (photo credit: Steve

Sutherland).

Who Developed FEIS?

The system was developed at the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, MT. Managers from several agencies (Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service) identified the species to be included in the database. Those agencies funded the original work and

continue to support maintenance and updating of the database. The interagency

Joint Fire Sciences Program is currently supporting the writing or updating of 60

invasive plant species summaries.

What Is Contained in the Species Summary?

IntroductionóThe speciesí abbreviation, common names, taxonomy, Federal

legal status (endangered, threatened, and so forth), other status, and authorship

and citation information are contained in the introductory section.

Distribution and occurrenceóGeneral distribution, ecosystems, States/Provinces, BLM physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society of American Foresters cover types, Society for Range Management cover types, and plant

communities are listed in this section.

Fuels planning: Science synthesis and integration, an interagency research/management

partnership to support the Ten-Year Fire Plan,

led by Russell T. Graham, RMRS, and Sarah

M. McCaffrey, NCRS.

Synthesizing

Scientific Information

for Fire and Fuels

Project Managers

Pacific Northwest

Research Station

Environmental Consequences

Team Leader

Elaine Kennedy Sutherland

USDA Forest Service

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Missoula, MT

Steve Sutherland

USDA Forest Service

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Fire Sciences Laboratory

Missoula, MT
The Fuels Planning fact sheets are based on preliminary findings. Information from fact sheets will be synthesized in an upcoming publication.

Botanical and ecological characteristics (for plant

summaries)óHere you will find general botanical characteristics, Raunkiaer life form, regeneration processes,

site characteristics, successional status, and seasonal

development (phenology) information.

Biological data and habitat requirements (for animal summaries)óThis section contains timing of major life history events, preferred habitat, cover requirements, food habits, predator information, and management considerations.

Fire ecology (for plant summaries)óFire ecology or

adaptations, including information about fire regimes,

fire histories, postfire regeneration strategies, and a list

of ways plants can regenerate after fire are contained in

this section.

Fire effectsóThis section contains discussions and qualifications of (a) fire effects information about plants, including first order fire effects, second order or indirect responses to fire, fire management considerations including

information for estimating fuel loadings, and (b) fire effects information about animals, including second order

or indirect habitat related fire effects, prescribed fire,

and fire for other resource objectives.

Fire case studies (for plant summaries)óSummaries

of one or more research projects that tell a story about

fire effects on the plant are listed here, including information about preburn conditions, burn conditions, fire

behavior, and plant responses to fire.

Management considerations (for plant summaries)ó

This section contains information about the plantís value

to livestock and wildlife, for rehabilitation of disturbed

sites, and for medicinal and commercial uses. If the plant

is invasive, this section also contains information on its

impact and control.

ReferencesóHere you will find complete citations for

all reports cited in the species summary, allowing you to

access detailed information from the original studies.

Where Can You Access FEIS?

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/index.html

For information about adding a species to FEIS, contact Jane Kapler Smith at phone (406) 329-4805 or

e-mail jsmith09@fs.fed.us

Environmental Consequences Fact

Sheets

Look for fact sheet topics from the Environmental Consequences

Team including information about the effects of fire behavior and

alternative treatment strategies, Wildlife Response Model, weed responses, riparian systems, soil erosion, restoration objectives, treated

spaces, the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS), and the First

Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM).

Fuels Planning: Synthesis and Integration

This fact sheet is one in a series being produced as part of a larger

project supported by the USDA Forest Service to synthesize new

knowledge and information relevant to fire and fuels management.

Fact sheets address topics related to stand structure, environmental

impacts, economics, and human responses to these factors. Information in the fact sheets is targeted for the dry forests of the Inland

West, but is often applicable across broad regions of the country.

For more information, please visit our Web site at:

www.fs.fed.us/fire/tech_transfer/synthesis/synthesis_index

Heart-leaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia) 2 years after fire (photo

credit: Steve Sutherland).