Download Bulletin #2

This Book Belongs To:
Published by:
Canyon County Parks, Recreation and
Waterways
Copyright 2009
Director
Tom Bicak
Written & Produced By:
Jami Carbray
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
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Soil Erosion
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Plant Adaptations To Wildfire
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Animal Adaptations To Wildfire
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Adaptations To Wildfires Word Search
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Wildfire Adaptations Glossary
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This project has been made
possible with funding from the BLM.
Valuable Technical
Support by Devin Nottingham
Idaho has one of the largest and most complex fire management programs in the Bureau of Land Management.
BLM protects and manages wildfire on approximately 11 million acres of rangelands and forests located in
central and southern Idaho.
Wildfire management in Idaho is especially challenging due to volatile fuel conditions and difficult terrain.
Each year, BLM responds to an average of 330 that burn about 270,000 of public and private lands. BLM consists of about 250 seasonal firefighters and 150 yearlong fire managers and specialists.
Interagency Dispatch Centers
Fire management in Idaho is carried out through three interagency dispatch centers. Each dispatch center allocates personnel and equipment, manages aircraft operations, provides fire information, and supervises fire
management strategies.
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC. Decisions are made using the
interagency cooperation concept because NIFC has no single director or manager.
The Boise Interagency Fire Center (BIFC) was created in 1965 because the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), and National Weather Service saw the need to work together to reduce the duplication of
services, cut costs, and coordinate national fire planning and operations. The National Park Service and Bureau
of Indian Affairs joined BIFC in the mid 1970s. The US Fish and Wildlife Service later joined in 1979. The
Center's name was changed in 1993 from the Boise Interagency Fire Center to the National Interagency Fire
Center to more accurately reflect its national mission.
Wildfire suppression is built on a three-tiered system of support - the local area, one of the 11 geographic regions, and finally, the national level. When a fire is reported, the local agency and its firefighting partners respond. If the fire continues to grow, the agency can ask for help from its geographic area. When a geographic
area has exhausted all its resources, it can turn to NICC at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) for
help in locating what is needed, from air tankers to radios to firefighting crews to incident management teams.
ICC — Interagency Coordination Center
CC — Coordination Center
Soil erosion can be an immediate consequence of wildfires. Shrubs, grass, and trees protect the soil from severe rainstorms. Plant roots stabilize and keep the soil
healthy, while stems and leaves slow the water to give it
time to absorb into the soil.
During a wildfire, many plants and trees are destroyed, leaving the soil unprotected. When a plant or
tree is destroyed by fire, the root system slowly decays.
After a forest fire, it takes about 10 years for the roots of
a tree to completely decay. Because roots keep the soil
in place, rainfall after root decay can lead to disastrous
landslides. Following a rangeland fire, decay of sage
grass roots takes about 6 years. The effects on the
rangeland aren’t nearly as obvious as after a forest fire
because the desert gets substantially less rainfall.
A severe, slow-moving fire causes combustion of
vegetative materials that creates a gas which penetrates
the soil. As the soil cools, this gas forms a waxy coating
that causes the soil to repel water. This is called hydrophobicity and can result in increased
water runoff. Hydrophobicity decreases the amount of water that enters the soil. This makes it
hard for seeds to germinate, and existing plants don’t get enough water. Hydrophobic soils
aren’t always the result of a wildfire. Other factors contributing to hydrophobic soil are: a
thick layer of litter before the fire, severe, slow-moving surface fires and fast moving crown
fires, and coarse textured soils (sand or decomposed granite). Different types of soils are more
susceptible to hydrophobicity.
For example, granitic soil has big
pores in it that lets the gasses in
easier than basalt soil which is
denser. A hydrophobic layer must
be physically broken down (a
deer’s hooves walking across it
can accomplish this) in order to
get air and water into the soil.
After this occurs, the organisms
in the soil can then start coming
back to life.
Seeding immediately following a fire is the most effective way to get plants to grow
back. If this doesn’t work, it may be because the water from rainfall is hitting the soil with a
force so strong that the soil is being displaced by the water and not taking any in. Normally,
raindrops will lose energy by hitting leaves and such, so that when they hit the ground they are
able to soak into it. After a fire, there is nothing to slow down the water’s energy. In this case,
processes known as interception and destruction may be used. Interception is a process by
which something is used to slow the water down so it is able to soak into the ground. Destruction is the process by which something (such as a tree) is felled on purpose in order to obstruct
the water. This will slow down the flow, and get rid of the water’s energy so it can’t take the
soil with it. In more extreme cases, a trench may be dug to reduce the water flow.
A fire will usually kill a lot of living things that we can’t see. Most of the soil life is located in the vadose zone (top layer). Some living things are capable of going deeper into the
ground, but many die because they’re too small to move quickly enough to escape the fire.
Luckily, most of the living things that reside in the soil repopulate quickly, but a really thick
hydrophobic layer can restrict that. We’re not really sure how things are able to repopulate so
quickly; the wind may be a factor, as well as bird poop, which can carry many of the fungi and
bacteria. Ash following a fire is a good short-term fertilizer. It is all that the bugs need to
move back in. Once the bugs are back, they move stuff around in order to get nutrients back to
a healthy enough state to keep things going.
Plants vary in their adaptive response to fire. Fire readily kills some plants, rejuvenates others, and some may even require fire to exist. The manner in which plants are affected by fire is largely determined by their biological characteristics and fire behavior. Some of the biological characteristics include: Sprouting: Some plants have the ability to sprout
when the above ground portion has been burned. Depending upon the plant species, sprouting can occur from roots, rhizomes, base of the trunk, branches, below ground root crown, and grass crowns. Seed Adaptation: Some seeds require
heat in order to germinate, are tolerant of higher temperatures, or possess some other adaptation which improves survivability. Growth Stage: For some plants, the stage of growth determines the degree of damage from fire. Most perennial
grasses, for example, are more susceptible to fire damage when actively growing than when dormant. Size: Often times
plants of smaller stature survive fire because they contain less fuel. Small grasses with many stems, for example, may
burn at lower temperatures than larger leafier grasses and therefore may be more likely to survive a fire. Also, temperatures during a wildfire are usually less at ground surface which is conducive to the survival of small plants. Wildfire is a
natural disturbance process that in many ecosystems is needed for maintaining healthy plant communities. Regularly
occurring fires help to maintain a healthy mix of plant species, age classes, and structural variability within fire adapted
ecosystems. Wildfires also help to recycle nutrients back into soils and allows sunlight to reach growing seedlings, helping to maintaining the health of the overall habitat. While fire suppression has fundamentally altered many forest ecosystems, the opposite is often true in grassland, shrubland and desert habitats. In these systems, fire incidence has been
increasing, often due to the spread of non-native vegetation, wildland range fires usually have negative consequences for
native plants and animals.
Native Vegetation
Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata )is an aromatic, native , evergreen shrub that often lives for 50 years or more and
grows in elevations ranging from 2,000 to 9,000 feet. This plant is well adapted to dry soil conditions. It is a primary
food item for sage grouse and provides critical habitats for birds. Big sagebrush is killed or heavily damaged by fire.
Historically, fire burned through sagebrush communities in patchy patterns. Since sagebrush are prolific seeders, however, burned areas reestablished after a fire from the wind dispersed seedbank of nearby shrubs. This pattern of regeneration has been the principal form of renewal in older sagebrush stands.
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)is a warm season perennial forb that grows in abundance throughout the United States.
The name is derived from the milky sap that oozes from cut leaves and stems. Milkweeds produce large, nectar filled
flowers which attract insects that facilitated a rather complex pollination process. Seed production is abundant. During
the seedling stage, plants direct most of their energy into root growth contributing to a high level of drought tolerance.
Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs on Milkweed leaves. A chemical substance emitted from the plant renders the Monarch Caterpillar distasteful to predators. Fire will most likely destroy the exposed surface of Milkweed, but seeds stored
in the soil are protected and germinate following a fire. Burning eliminates dead stalks and stimulates new growth. It
also enhances flower and seed production.
Greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus)is a woody shrub that typically grows about 3-5 feet tall. A deep taproot allows
this plant to access subterranean water supplies and remain green in arid conditions. Male and female flowers usually
grow on the same plant. Seeds are winged and rely mainly on the wind for dispersal. Greasewood responds to severe
drought by shedding leaves and reducing its canopy size. Greasewoods can quickly reestablish after a fire by sprouting
from the stem base or from the roots. Greasewood shrubs contain a low fuel load so they are a valuable addition to areas
with fire intolerant species.
Non-Native Vegetation
Many plants will survive and reinitiate growth soon after a fire. Their ability tothrive and reseed in subsequent years is
greatly affected by the presence of Cheatgrass and other invasive weeds.
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)is native to southern Europe and southwestern Asia. Cheatgrass made its way to the
United States aboard ships around 1790. Within a short time this species invaded the rangelands of the midwest and
soon after became a common, although unwelcome, element of the western landscape. Cheatgrass thrives in areas of
overgrazing and frequent burning. A fibrous root system and an abundant seed production allow it to proliferate in infertile environmental conditions. Cheatgrass dries out sooner than other plant species which puts them at greater risk of fire
damage. Early seed germination allows Cheatgrass to regenerate quickly and take over an area. The continual expansion of Cheatgrass adversely alters the ecosystem in many ways which includes shorter intervals between wildland fires
as well as wildland fires starting earlier in the growing season, which is a very sensitive period for many rangeland
plants. The invasion of Cheatgrass has altered fire behavior in sagebrush ecosystem. Cheatgrass forms a continuous
blanket of fuel, which cause large destructive fires rather than the historic smaller, patchy fires of the past, making it increasing difficult for seed from nearby stands to regenerate the area. Sites blanketed with cheatgrass are more susceptible to fire which prohibit the germination of native plant’s seeds further reducing the ability of the species to regenerate
after a fire.
Clasping Pepperweed (Lepidium perfoliatum) is an annual herb in the mustard family. It is native to Europe and Asia
and has been introduced into most of the United States. It reaches a maximum height of about 2 feet. The tip of its stem
has small yellow flowers that are 1/8 inch long. The fruit is a diamond-shaped or flattened oval 3/4 of an inch long.
The leaves are short and hairy below and hairless and covered with a waxy coating above. Clasping Pepperweed is
found in mostly dry areas such as fields and roadsides, occurring in elevations between 1800 to 4500 feet and flowers
between March and June. Clasping Pepperweed has taken over the native grasses and herbage over thousands of square
miles in the western U.S. This has in turn reduced the grazing value of the desert habitat to almost completely sagebrush. With the invasion of exotic annuals such as this one, more severe and frequent wildfires will occur. Wet conditions will increase the spread of Clasping Pepperweed, which will then serve as a fuel for wildfires during dry spells.
Milkweed
Big Sage Brush
Cheetgrass
Greasewood
Clasping
Pepperweed
To survive a fire, most animals will either flee or, in the case of burrowing animals, move deeper underground.
Animals such as mountain lions, coyotes and foxes, which are accomplished runners and jumpers, use their
skills to escape the flames. Other animals such as ground squirrels, marmots, snakes and lizards, use burrows
to escape fire. Mature birds can fly to a safer area until the flames have passed. Most animals actually escape
the fire because it’s a natural defense to escape dangerous situations such as the flames of a fire.
What happens after a fire is more important than the actual fire. The real challenge for animals comes later
because of the transformation of the landscape from a fire. In some cases animals can benefit from wildfires in
the long term because of new growth that develops into a healthier ecosystem. As for the short term, some
animals will be displaced. Many displaced animals simply find a new place to live. But at the same time, the
scorched area often blooms as a perfect new home for more animals, thus a natural cycle begins. Insects such
as ants and beetles that remain immediately following a fire attract insect-feeding birds and reptiles such as
lizards. Nutrient rich ash becomes fertilizer for new, often more tasty plants to grow, attracting herbivores.
This in turn attracts the predators such as mountain lions, coyotes, foxes and raptors.
Unfortunately some sagebrush wildfires in southern Idaho have more of a devastating effect for animals.
Cheatgrass tends to replace the original sagebrush after fires, thus hurting the survival and adaptation of animals such as antelope, mule deer, sage grouse, sage thrashers and sage sparrows.
Insects
Although some insect populations decline as a result of fire, ants seem to thrive. Ant populations have been
recorded as more frequent in burned areas than in unburned areas. An important species in deserts for loosening the soil and buried seeds, ant populations increase after a rangeland fire. Ants exhibited no significant
changes following a fire, with the exception of an increased number of insects killed in the fire being collected
by the ants following the burn. As well as sufficient seed reserves that remains after the fire to support ant foraging activity.
During a fire, most insects and animals flee in all directions, flying, running, crawling and using every possible
means to avoid the deadly flames. But there are exceptions, like some jewel beetles from the family genus
Melanophila. These insects are fire seekers. Fire in the woods draws them from more than 30 miles away. In
their fire-seeking frenzy, flying into flames or crawling along still-smoldering trees, the beetles may be trying
to beat competitors to weakened or dying trees so that they are the first to plant their eggs into them. To do
that, though, the beetles must be able to find burning trees and get to them quickly.
Reptiles
Western Fence Lizards can survive wildfires by staying underground, and can be seen on the ends of burned
branches after a fire.
Rattle Snakes survive with the help of gophers who create tunnels that end in small chambers. Along with
many other animal species, rattlesnakes utilize these tunnels to stay protected from wildfires.
Birds
Birds have the advantage of being able to fly to avoid fire. However, wildfires create large losses of shrub
habitat, which affects smaller birds like killdeer who survive on insects to larger birds like Golden Eagles who
survive on jackrabbits. Major fires in Southwestern Idaho have led to a drop in the success rate of golden eagle pairs. Obvious immediate consequences of a rangeland wildfire is the elimination of nesting habitat for
ground nesters.
Mammals
Ground Squirrels and several related species hibernate as soon as they have accumulated a sufficient reserve of
fat, sometimes as early as the end of July. They may sleep for eight months oblivious to the fires raging
above. However, right after a wildfire the abundance of ground squirrels may decline due to less forage availability and the threat of predators because of less available coverage. The American Badger is rarely affected
by fires because when threatened by fire it will quickly dig deep burrows that have more than one entrance
which minimizes the chance of asphyxiation
1. The covering of Earth’s surface. It consists of fine rock particles mixed with
pieces of decayed organisms.
2. The kind of place where an organism normally lives.
3. An organism that eats or absorbs nutrients from other organisms.
4. The underground portion of a plant that absorbs moisture, obtains nutrients
from the soil (and may store them too), and provides support.
5. Length of life; ability to outlive other organisms.
6. Something about an organism that helps it survive and reproduce; an aspect of its form, function, or behavior that helps it out-compete other organisms.
7. The offspring of a plant. Each seed contains a tiny, living plant called an
embryo and its protective covering, which is filled with nutrients.
8. The living and dead vegetation that can be burned in a wildland fire. Fuel
includes dead woody material, leaves of trees and shrubs, litter, duff,
grasses, and other plants.
9. A hole in the ground used by an animal for shelter.
10. To put forth new growth on a plant; to grow a new plant from buds on an
existing plant.
11. The tissue covering stems, branches, and roots of a tree or shrub, extending from the cambium to the outer surface.
12. In ecology, all of the living things that occupy a habitat; the populations
of all species in a given habitat. In social science, all of the people who reside in one area, are subject to the same laws, and have the same interests.
13. A community of organisms interacting with one another and with their
environment through a flow of energy and cycling of materials.
14. A many-celled organism that uses photosynthesis to capture energy from
sunlight and store it in the chemical bonds of sugars or other food molecules.
15. The process by which a plant, animal, or fungus produces a new organism
of the same species.
16. The part of a plant that holds leaves and flowers up and connects them to
roots.
17. An area where the species present and the processes occurring are relatively unchanged from times before settlement by European Americans.
Adaptation Something about an organism that helps it survive and reproduce; an aspect
of its form, function, or behavior that helps it out-compete other organisms.
Animal Organism that eats or absorbs nutrients from other organisms.
Bark The tissue covering stems, branches, and roots of a tree or shrub, extending from
the cambium to the outer surface.
Burrow A hole in the ground used by an animal for shelter.
Community In ecology, all of the living things that occupy a habitat; the populations of
all species in a given habitat. In social science, all of the people who reside in one
area, are subject to the same laws, and have the same interests.
Ecosystem A community of organisms interacting with one another and with their
environment through a flow of energy and cycling of materials.
Fuel The living and dead vegetation that can be burned in a wildland fire. Fuel includes
dead woody material, leaves of trees and shrubs, litter, duff, grasses, and other plants.
Habitat The kind of place where an organism normally lives.
Plant A many-celled organism that uses.
Photosynthesis To capture energy from sunlight and store it in the chemical bonds of sugars or
other food molecules.
Reproduction The process by which a plant, animal, or fungus produces a new organism
of the same species.
Root The underground portion of a plant that absorbs moisture, obtains nutrients from the
soil (and may store them too), and provides support.
Seed Offspring of a plant. Each seed contains a tiny, living plant called an embryo and
its protective covering, which is filled with nutrients. If a seed forms without an
embryo, it is called unfilled seed. Seeds need just the right temperature, water,
sunlight, and soil conditions before they can grow; some also need to be heated,
cooled, or cracked open before they can grow.
Soil The covering of Earth’s surface. Soil consists of fine rock particles mixed with pieces
of decayed organisms.
Sprout To put forth new growth on a plant; to grow a new plant from buds on an existing
plant.
Stem The part of a plant that holds leaves and flowers up and connects them to roots.
Survival Length of life; ability to outlive other organisms.
Wildland An area where the species present and the processes occurring are relatively
unchanged from times before settlement by European Americans. Wildlands are often
contrasted with agricultural and urban lands.
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