fs.fed/fire/fuelman

1. http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fuelman Schmidt et al. 2000. GTR RMRS-87.

2. Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) • Used by all 5 federal land management agencies • Performance measure • Strategic allocation of scarce resources • Prioritize areas for fuels management • Required under the Healthy Forest Restoration Act

3. FRCC is an ecological departure index • Reflects departure of current from natural (historical) vegetation & disturbance regime • Improving condition class (3  2 1) associated with: • reducing hazardous fuels • reducing large fire hazard • improving habitat conditions • improving watershed conditions • improving forest/rangeland health • more sustainable landscapes

4. Fire Regime Condition Class 100 CC 3 66 CC 2 Departure (%) – Fire Frequency-Severity Fire Frequency (years) 33 CC 1 0 100 66 33 Departure (%) - Veg-Fuel Composition/Structure

5. Determining FRCC • Stratify a landscape by biophysical setting • Potential natural vegetation group • Determine reference conditions • Fire frequency and severity (fire probabilities and % severe) • Relative abundance of vegetation-fuel classes (simulation model) • Characterize current conditions • Fire frequency and severity (fire probabilities and % severe) • Relative abundance of vegetation-fuel classes • Calculate departure • Online training (produced by University of Idaho FRAMES project, www.frames.gov and www.frcc.gov) and field training being provided by the Interagency FRCC Working Group made up of federal agencies and The Nature Conservancy

6. FR Condition = 30; FRCC = 1 Result of 1990s timber harvest, thin, and prescribed fire in CC2 (60%) landscape Ponderosa Pine – Douglas-fir Fire Regime Group I – Frequent Surface and Mixed

7. FR Condition = 25FRCC = 1 Result of wildland fire use in CC2 (60%) fire-excluded landscape Ponderosa Pine – Douglas-fir Fire Regime Group I – Frequent Surface and Mixed

8. FR Condition = 62FRCC = 2 Result of Fire Exclusion – 100 years Ponderosa Pine – Douglas-fir Fire Regime Group I – Frequent Surface and Mixed

9. FR Condition = 50; FRCC = 2 Result of 50 years of fire exclusion & late 1800s-1970s excessive grazing Sagebrush-grass with tree encroachment Great Basin fire regime group II – Frequent stand-replacing

10. FR Condition = 90FRCC = 3 Result of 1960-1980 timber harvests Ponderosa Pine – Douglas-fir Fire Regime Group I – Frequent Surface and Mixed

11. FR Condition = 90; FRCC = 3 Result of wildfire in drought year in CC2 (60%) fire-excluded landscape Ponderosa Pine – Douglas-fir Fire Regime Group I – Frequent Surface and Mixed

12. Uncharacteristic Conditions • fuel accumulation above natural • excessive grazing • invasive plants, insects, or disease • unchar. insect & disease epidemics • unchar. fire effects • soil & hydrologic dysfunction Restore uncharacteristic by emulating natural

13. Why FRCC? • Recent decades with large, severe wildfires with high costs of suppression and threats to people and property • Policy changes in 1995 • GAO called for cohesive strategy in 1999 • Cohesive strategy and National Fire Plan in 2000 • Coarse-scale FRCC useful for strategic planning and prioritizing action and funding

14. Coarse Scale Data Layers – 2000Fire Regime Condition Class All Wildland – Lower 48 - 1250 million acres 40% Forest 60% Rangeland FRG1&2 – Frequent – 60% FRG3&4 – Infrequent– 35% FRG5 – Rare -- 5% CC1 – 45% CC2 – 40% CC3 – 15% Fire Regime Condition Class 1 Fire Regime Condition Class 2 Fire Regime Condition Class 3 Water Ag & Non Vegetative Areas Coarse-scale was designed for National strategic assessment & planning Should not be used for local assessment & planning 1 km (250 acre pixel) – too coarse for local useUnderestimated CC3 – could be as high as 45%

15. Not a direct fire & fuel hazard Associated with increasing hazards Not a directresource hazard Associated with increasing hazards Not a direct costof mgt or mitigation Associated with increasing costs Index ofsustainability Index of forest &rangeland health Common to all Collaborative FRCC Value for Integration

16. Recent and ongoing FRCC approaches • Coarse scale • GTR RMRS-87, http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fuelman • Lower 48 states, expert opinion, 1km2 • Guidebook (http://www.frcc.gov) • FRCC working group: Interagency & The Nature Conservancy • Rapid assessment • LANDFIRE (http://www.landfire.gov) • Science review

17. Strengths and limitations • Landscape scale • Ecological • Simple • Uncharacteristic vegetation, pattern & fire • Reference conditions • Estimated through simulation based on experience and often very limited data • Are they relevant? Restorable? Useful?

18. Determining FRCC • Stratify a landscape by biophysical setting • Potential natural vegetation group • Determine reference conditions • Fire frequency and severity (fire probabilities and % severe) • Relative abundance of vegetation-fuel classes (simulation model) • Characterize current conditions • Fire frequency and severity (fire probabilities and % severe) • Relative abundance of vegetation-fuel classes • Calculate departure • Online training (produced by University of Idaho FRAMES project, www.frames.gov and www.frcc.gov) and field training being provided by the Interagency FRCC Working Group made up of federal agencies and The Nature Conservancy