Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Agreement #05046 Final Report June 2007

Transcription

1 Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Agreement #05046 Final Report June 2007

2 Background Lake Wales Ridge associated habitats support a suite of wildlife species several of which have been identified as species in need of conservation in the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Lightning-ignited landscape fires historically provided optimal habitat characteristics for wildlife. Many of the species that occur in the uplands are fire dependent. For example, regular fire maintains open sand gaps for scrub-jays and sand skinks, pine regeneration for bald eagles and fox squirrels nests, and herbaceous groundcover for gopher tortoise and Florida mouse forage. The lack of fire in recent decades has left these habitats in overgrown conditions undesirable for most species. If fire is not applied, it can be assumed that the species will eventually be extirpated. The Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team is an interagency project coordinated by The Nature. This project deploys an ecosystem-wide fire strike team to restore habitat on conservation areas. The Nature hires and trains a team of four seasonal crew and two year-round leaders providing much needed additional personnel and equipment. The team works in concert with local conservation managers, who must provide their own burn bosses, fire management plans, burn unit plans and a partial burn crew for each burn on their property. Progress Since the agreement was executed and modification number 1 was made, The Nature was able to begin planning for the 2006 fire season and recruit the fourperson fire crew. In lieu of a formal steering committee meeting, staff met individually with burn bosses. fire leader Steve Morrison met with the assistant manager for Highlands Hammock and Lake June-in-Winter state parks. After a central Florida Prescribed Fire Council meeting, Morrison spoke with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation staff about the Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area. On October 19, Morrison met with USFWS personnel to discuss burning at Flamingo Villas. staff prepared job descriptions (revised in 2007; see Appendix A); posted the job announcements; reviewed resumes; and conducted interviews. Out of 15 applicants, four crew members were hired. Hire letters and packets were sent out on Friday, December 12, Two prescribed fire technician members returned for their third season: Seth Bond from Ohio and Parker Titus from Colorado. Two prescribed fire crew members were hired Kathleen Shell from Ohio and Matt Dynan from Wisconsin. The four-person Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team started on January 17, 2006 with the following qualifications: Seth Bond, Fire Fighter Type 1/Crew Boss- five years of prescribed fire experience Parker Titus, Fire Fighter Type 1/Engine Boss- three years of prescribed fire experience Kathy Shell, Firefighter Type 1- three years of prescribed fire experience Matt Dynan, Firefighter Type 3- one year of prescribed fire experience In addition, two members of the s permanent fire staff are assigned to the project: Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 2

3 Steve Morrison, RxB2/Crew Boss 25 years of prescribed fire experience Adam Peterson, RxB2/Crew Boss 10 years of prescribed fire experience Crew received the following training: Parker Titus completed Crew Boss Academy earning Fire Fighter Type 1 status. Matt Dynan and Kathy Shell completed Engine Academy (S211 and S214) training. All crew passed the physical fitness test and at the beginning of the season attended a Lake Wales Ridge ecological workshop, emphasizing the identification and management of listed species on the Lake Wales Ridge. At the end of May, two crew members (Seth Bond and Kathy Shell) left to take full-time positions with the U.S. Forest Service. A new crew member Will Rice, from South Carolina, fire fighter type II with one year prescribed fire experience, started on July 5. The crew s last day was August 18. From October 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006, The Nature spent much of the quarter planning for the 2007 fire season and recruiting the four-person fire crew. The Nature revised job descriptions creating two positions: a burn crew manager and fire crew (provided in Appendix A). After posting the positions, the received 40 resumes and interviewed 13 top candidates. The following seasonal individuals were hired. Burn Crew Manager Parker Titus, Colorado - 4th year on team. FFT1, Crewboss qualified, Burn Boss Trainee/RXB2 candidate (will qualify in April 2007) Fire Crew Aaron Knudson, North Dakota - FFT1 qualified Tracy Hmielowski, Florida - FFT2 qualified James Pilsmaker, Massachusetts - FFT2 qualified Fire crew received the following training: Parker Titus attended interagency prescribed fire training; James Pilsmaker attended S212 chainsaw training; and Aaron Knudson and Tracy Hmielowski attended S290. All crew passed the physical fitness test. At the beginning of the season, all crew attended a Lake Wales Ridge ecological workshop, emphasizing the identification and management of listed species on the Lake Wales Ridge. The Nature also hosted 11 visiting crew from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois and Maine for three separate burn blocks. Fire equipment was overhauled in preparation for the 2007 season. A meeting with Ridge fire managers was held November 7 to discuss the upcoming burn season. Twenty people attended from nine different agencies including Florida Division of, Florida Department of Environmental, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Defense, Polk County, University of Florida, Archbold Biological Station and The Nature. Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 3

4 The Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team exceeded goals for prescribed burning and fire preparation as outlined in the contract, despite severe drought conditions during the spring of 2006 and From July 1, 2006 though March 31, 2007, the Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team conducted 28 prescribed burns and five burnout operations, as part of the State Wildlife Grants Program. Prescribed burns took place on 11 different natural areas, managed by seven separate agencies. The team treated a total of 5,460 acres with prescribed fire under the State Wildlife Grant. See Table 1. The Nature gives priority to partners, only burning its own sites when the team has not been requested by an agency. Maps depicting the areas burned with the assistance of the Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team are provided in Appendix B. Table 1. Prescribed burns Date Property/Agency Unit Acres Habitat 1/31/2006 Tiger Creek 2/8/2006 Lake Kissimmee State Park/ Department of Environmental 2/15/2006 Lake Kissimmee State Park/ Department of Environmental 2/21/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest/ Division of 2/23/2006 Lake Kissimmee State Park/ Department of Environmental 2/23/2006 Broussard Catfish Creek State Park/ Department of Environmental 2/27/2006 Lake Kissimmee State Park/ Department of Environmental QURU 2A KP5B KP7 SH 3 & 8 KP 12,13&14 Burn-out operation KP18 70 /Scrubby 280 Marsh 330 Marsh/ 328 Scrubby /Sandhill 569 Marsh 0 /Scrubby /Sandhill 520 Marsh Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 4

5 Date Property/Agency Unit Acres Habitat 2/28/06 Royce Unit/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 3/1/2006 Broussard Catfish Creek State Park/ Department of Environmental 3/6/2006 Tiger Creek 3/9/006 Tiger Creek 6/19/2006 Tiger Creek 6/21/2006 Tiger Creek 6/22/2006 Tiger Creek 7/10/2006 Tiger Creek 7/11//06 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest/ Division of 7/17/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest/ Division of 7/26/2006 Tiger Creek 7/31/2006 Tiger Creek 8/1/2006 Tiger Creek 8/2/2006 Tiger Creek RU11B QURU 20 PFUN1 LOST LAKE 5 CEHI 10-17,29-39 Mop up PF10 LC 2, 4, 5, 6, 11 Quail Run PF 10 Mop up Mop up 62 Marsh 69 Scrub/Sandhill/Scrubby 11 Scrub/Sandhill/Scrubby 22 Sandhill/Scrubby 35 /Scrubby 270 Sandhill/Scrubby 0 Sandhill/Scrubby 1 Scrub/sandhill/scrubby 927 Scrub/sandhill/scrubby 885 Scrub/sandhill/scrubby // dry & wet prairie 1 Sandhill 45 Sandhill 0 Sandhill 0 Sandhill Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 5

6 Date Property/Agency Unit Acres Habitat 8/4/2006 Archbold Biological Station 20A 20 Cutthroat/ /scrub 8/8/2006 Archbold Biological Station 76,79 45 Cutthroat/ /scrub 8/9/2006 Tiger Creek 8/10/2006 Gould Road/ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 8/16/06 Tiger Creek 1/10/07 Lakeland Highlands Scrub/Polk County 1/29/07 Avon Park Air Force Range/DoD 1/30/07 Tiger Creek 1/31/07 Lakeland Highlands Scrub/Polk County Mop up Westside 3 TCFO 1C 0 Sandhill 77 Scrub 66 Sandhill 35 Scrubby Scrubby 2/6/07 Venus 2/8/07 McJunkin/FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation 2/28/07 Tiger Creek Wakeford 4 & 5 Total Scrub/scrubby 21 Sandhill/scrubby In addition to prescribed fire, the team conducted prescribed fire preparation. During the performance period of the contract, the team conducted fire preparation on six sites managed by five different agencies. Accomplishments across the ecosystem are Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 6

7 summarized in Table 2. The team sometimes split up and conducted fire preparation at two different sites on the same day. Table 2. Prescribed fire preparation Date Site Agency 1/24/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 1/24/2006 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 1/26/2006 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 2/2/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 2/6/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 2/13/2006 Saddle Blanket Scrub Preserve The Nature 3/7/2006 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 3/7/2006 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 3/15/2006 Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge - Flamingo Villas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4/3/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 4/6/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 4/6/2006 Lake Wales Ridge WEA - Grassy Lake Stuart Preserve Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 4/7/2006 Lake Wales Ridge WEA - Grassy Lake Stuart Preserve Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 4/11/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 4/18/2006 Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park Department of Environmental 5/3/2006 Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park Department of Environmental 5/24/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 7

8 Date Site Agency 5/26/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 6/1/2006 Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park Department of Environmental 6/14/2006 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 6/15/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 6/16/2006 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest Florida Division of 8/16/2006 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 1/23/07 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 1/24/07 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature 3/1/07 Tiger Creek Preserve The Nature The Nature compiled Ridge-wide fire statistics to provide a landscape level picture of fire accomplishments across the ecosystem. The Fire on the Ridge 2006 report is provided in Appendix C. In addition, The Nature produced a publication entitled, Prescribed Fire: Getting it Done, that uses the Fire Strike Team as an example of how to get more fire on the ground. This was distributed to fire managers and agency partners. The State Wildlife Grants Program s support is acknowledged. A copy of the report is provided in Appendix D. Lake Wales Ridge Prescribed Fire Strike Team Final Report 8