Field Sessions

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Perception, Partners, and Prescribed Fire
A joint conference with the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council

8-9 September, 2006
Cadillac Woods Resort, Cadillac, Michigan

9 Sep. 2006 Field Sessions - Saturday

King Burn on state land. Burned 24 May 2006, about 13 acres. Bryce Avery (DNR) shows the group an oak stand where underburning has eliminated understory competition (lots of killed white pine) to release oak regeneration, and to reduce the duff layer. A partial harvest of the oak is scheduled. The burn was successful.

32nd Street Burn. Burned twice, 15 August 2001 and 8 October 2003; about 32 acres. A spring 2007 burn is scheduled. Cory Borgman (USFS) explains how fire was used to help create/restore a jack pine savannah, although little jack pine was present and oaks dominated the tree composition. The open area had some cool and warm season grasses (and some forbs and shrubs), but remained dominated by Pennsylvania sedge. The objective is increase the reproduction of warm season grasses (e.g. the bluestems, Indian grass). Pockets were burnt into the sedge mat to encourage the grasses. Desired results were achieved with a moderately fast hot fire.

Wolf Lake Burn. Burned 18 April 2006, about 70 acres. Cory Borgman (USFS) explained the area received storm damage in 1998 (lots of blowdown, high fuel loads). Jack pine was piled and burned during the winter of 1999. The residual red pine was thinnned in 2000. The objective was to reduce the 100-hour fuel load 30-65% and reduce the 1-hour fuels 60-100%. Overstory mortality was to be kept under 10%. The fire successfully reduced the fuel loads to prescribed levels. Some red pine stems were scorched and stand mortality will be monitored. Bracken fern responded very positively to the fire.
*Jason Stephens briefs group.*	*Hot spot from two day-old burn.*
Steve Cross and Paul Rogers inspect burn site.	Progressive ladder fuels, challenge adjacent to burn site.
Buckley Pine Burn. Burned 7 September 2006. The objective is to secure natural red pine regeneration and removal of understory red maple and juneberry. Aspen suckering may become a post-burn threat to red pine regeneration. Oak regeneration will be acceptable. The burn conditions from two days age were insufficient to carry the fire across entire treatment area. The site will be re-visited to complete treatment when conditions are more acceptable. At a nearby site, Jason has installed a set of three photo points to provide visual records of fire-induced changes.

Torch of Liberty Burn. Burned 21 & 22 June 2004, about 60 of 80 acres. The untreated 20 acres were used to provide natural fire barriers rather than building tradional fire line. This red & jack pine stand was underburned to encourage natural regeneration of red pine. The red pine cone beetle is a predator that can be controlled by early burns. The June date, in this case, may not have been early enough. New red pine germinants were abundant throughout the stand. The jack pine strips were not completely harvested and fire did not consistently carry well through those strips.

Images provided by Tom Ward and Bill Cook.

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