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Paleoecology

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Paleoecology

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    4. 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

    5. 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

    6. Fire Regime Condition Class Graphical way to depict condition classes.Graphical way to depict condition classes.

    7. 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

    14. Uncharacteristic Conditions fuel accumulation above natural excessive grazing invasive plants, insects, or disease unchar. insect & disease epidemics unchar. fire effects soil & hydrologic dysfunction When discussing the bullets use adjective Uncharacteristic to describe When discussing the bullets use adjective Uncharacteristic to describe

    15. 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

    16. Coarse Scale Data Layers – 2000 Fire Regime Condition Class

    17. FRCC Value for Integration Although FRCC does not directly measure or classify hazard or risk for fire, fuel, or resources, it does provide a measure that is highly associated with these hazards. If we can come together on one variable and learn the language this will help us communicate. FRCC does provide a relatively good index of coarse-filter native biodiversity and sustainability.Although FRCC does not directly measure or classify hazard or risk for fire, fuel, or resources, it does provide a measure that is highly associated with these hazards. If we can come together on one variable and learn the language this will help us communicate. FRCC does provide a relatively good index of coarse-filter native biodiversity and sustainability.

    18. 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

    19. 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?

    20. 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

    21. HRV varies with scale

    22. HRV is useful for... Evaluating and assessing change Establishing goals for ecological restoration Determining desired future conditions Setting priorities for action Understanding and illustrating change

    23. HRV is less useful when Focus is on an individual species Historical patterns and processes are socially unacceptable Risk and uncertainty are high Biophysical conditions have changed greatly

    24. Historical information has been used to guide management Colorado River (Poff et al. 1997) Everglades (Harwell 1997) Forests in the Midwest (Mladenoff and Pastor 1993), Southwest (Moore et al. 1999), and Northwest (Lesica 1996, Lertzman et al. 1997, Hessburg et al. 1999) National Forests in Idaho (USDA 2000b) Fire regime condition class system now required of five federal land mgt agencies in US (www.frcc.gov)

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