Search A to Z

Heartland I&M Network and Prairie Cluster Inventory and Monitoring Program

Fire EcologyPhoto of a prescribed fire at HOME by Merrith Baughman

Fire effects monitoring in the Central Great Plains is a collaborative effort between the Midwest Region Fire Ecology Program, the Heartland I&M Network (HTLN), and Missouri State University (MSU). The Fire Ecology Program provides funds to expand vital signs monitoring in parks with active fire programs and to conduct focused analysis of vital signs data for fire effects. MSU provides scientific and administrative support.

Importance

Tallgrass prairie is an endangered ecosystem in the Midwestern U.S. Formerly, grasslands stretched from the west coast to the east and from Mexico to Canada. The Central Grasslands region or Eastern Great Plains, prior to European settlement, was a vast sea of prairie with scattered savannahs and woodlands intermixed. Grasslands in the central U.S. are maintained by an interaction of disturbances such as fire, grazing/browsing, drought, wind, and ice storms. Fire, historically and currently, occurs via lightning strikes as well as from human sources.

Photo of eastern redcedar burningFire Ecology is the study of the effects of fire on living organisms and their environment (National Wildfire Coordinating Group/Fire Research and Management Exchange System). Many grasslands in the region would become degraded without these disturbances, especially without fire. For example, once established in a prairie eastern redcedar can become a thicket within 20 years if left unchecked.  When applied at appropriate return intervals fire can maintain grasslands by controlling woody plant invasion, recycling nutrients, and stimulating plant reproduction. Grassland plant and wildlife communities are dependent upon each other.  Hence, fires support healthy plant communities which also benefit wildlife. The fire ecology program of the Heartland I&M Network primarily assists parks in the Central Grasslands region which have grassland resources.

Parks serviced by the HTLN program are in highlighted blue on the map of fire ecology networks.

Coordination

Management staff within this region often encounter similar management challenges and the fire ecology program serves as an information sharing link between these parks. The fire ecology program strives to provide feedback to resource managers on the use of fire in achieving management goals, as well as providing input on the development of fire related program goals. Analysis of fire as a management tool can also help us understand observed patterns in grassland plant and wildlife monitoring data.

Reports

Ozark National Scenic Riverways      Resoure Brief       
Smith, A., D. Swanson and S. Leis. 2008. The fire ecology of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Natural Resource Report NPS/HTLN/NRR- 2008/031. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.  
   
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield      Resoure Brief  
Leis, S.A., and K. James. 2008. Effects of multiple intense disturbances at Manley Woods, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR- 2008/123. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.  
   
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site      Resource Brief  

Williams, M.H., S.A. Leis, and P. Christiansen. 2007. Evaluation of fire effects and restoration progress through 21 years of prairie vegetation monitoring at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 1982-2005. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2007/052. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

 
   

Prescribed Fire Reports 

 
These brief reports describe the events occurring during a prescribed fire including a narrative, maps, weather, smoke, and fire behavior data. (NPS only).  
   
Fire Resource Kit - Resource Brief  

The prescribed fire resource kit is a collection of information resources relating to tallgrass prairie fire ecology. It includes summaries on fire history, managing for heterogeneity, exotic species and woody plant control as well as links to helpful websites, and an annotated bibliography. A companion document, available by request, includes seminal research articles some of which are cited in the kit. This document is intended to be occasionally updated with new information.

 
   

Fire Ecology Site Bulletin

 

This site bulletin can be customized for your park. It can be distributed to visitors during prescribed fire season or remain in the racks all year round. A site bulletin template for customizing this example for a park is located on the HTLN Intranet (NPS only).

 
   

Prescribed Fire Notice

 
This notice has been used in the past to notify park neighbors of the upcoming fire season, but could be distributed to any interested persons. It is customizable and a map of the prescribed fire locations could be posted on the back (prints on standard letter sized paper). A fire notice template for customizing this example for a park is located on the HTLN Intranet (NPS only).  

Protocol

References

  • Stewart, O.C. 2002. Forgotten Fires: Native Americans and the Transient Wilderness. H. T. Lewis and M. K. Anderson, editors. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Pp 364.

Links

Contact Information

update on 10/17/2007  I   http://inp2300fcsdepo1.nps.doi.net/im/units/htln/fire.cfm   I  Email: Kevin James

Please download the latest version of Adobe Reader :: Free Download
This site is best viewed in Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape 7.0