Biodiversity Guide - The Intertwine

egional conservation strategybiodiversity guideChapter 6 Important Issues and Conceptsresulted in a mosaic of prairie, savanna, and openwoodland; these habitats occupied significantportions of the region when it was first surveyedand mapped around 1850. By exposing mineralsoil, fire can create a favorable environment forthe establishment of annual and perennial forbsamong perennial grasses. However, the presenceof non-native grasses in modern habitats complicatesthe use of fire in restoration; this is sobecause perennials such as velvet grass (Holcussp), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinaceae),and bentgrass (Agrostis sp) and annuals such ascheatgrass (Bromus sp) and dog-tail (Cynosurussp) can capitalize on the additional nutrients andgrowing space to increase their cover followingfire, unless supplemental treatments are part ofthe restoration plan.Although data are scarce, observations of theresponse of prairies and savanna to the cessationof fire suggests that frequent fire (i.e., every 1 to10 years) must have played an important rolein maintaining these habitats. Mid-nineteenthcentury residents of the region reported rapiddevelopment of shrubs and oaks in prairie andsavanna. Evidence of the role of fire in maintainingprairies and savanna also exists in the manyexamples of formerly open-grown oak or fir treesthat now are surrounded by younger, dense forests.These changes, together with the wholesaleconversion of prairie and oak habitats to agriculture,Douglas fir forestry, and residential development,have resulted in the loss of more than 98percent of former prairie and 85 percent of all oakhabitat types in the Willamette Valley. Most of theremaining oak habitat in the Willamette Valleyremains threatened with conversion to Douglasfir. The situation is most severe in the greaterPortland-Vancouver region.that even high-intensity, stand-replacing-typefires burned erratically, leaving unburned treesand patches of different ages in a mosaic acrosslarge landscapes. Full canopy closure followingfire appears to have developed over severaldecades (creating valuable shrub habitat), andmany biological legacies were retained from theburned forest, including large standing living,damaged, and dead trees and large fallen treesthat served as habitat for a variety of species, frombacteria and insects to salamanders and woodpeckers.In drier forest types, especially thoseadjacent to prairie and savanna, it is likely thatlow-intensity fires kept stands relatively open,favored large individuals of fire-resistant speciessuch as Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine, andhelped maintain a diverse shrub community.Implications of the Modern-day Lack of FireThe lack of fire in the modern landscape threatensthe region’s biodiversity and creates challenges forregional resource managers, in part because firealso represents a risk to valuable infrastructure,human lives, and livelihoods. However, withoutfire or management approaches that effectivelymimic its impact, we will be unable to maintaina rich diversity of prairie, savanna, and open oakwoodland habitats. In all habitats, the buildup offuel loads in areas with a history of burning ora high chance of ignition creates a risk of higherintensity, so-called catastrophic wildfire, with thepossibility of substantial losses of mature forestfrom the region’s conservation portfolio and damageor destruction of valuable property.Strategies to Address the Need for Firein the Landscapeperspectives are an important element of capacitybuilding and public outreach and educationefforts.n Improved landscaping practices. Creatingfire-resistant landscapes around natural areas canreduce the chances of fires spreading into or fromnatural areas and increase the safety and effectivenessof fire control measures when fires occur.n Forest management with fire in mind. Planssuch as those developed by the City of Portlandfor Forest Park that integrate fire resistance andresilience into resource management plans willincrease the likelihood that entire natural areaswill not be lost to fire, and that, when fire doesoccur, it will provide benefits rather than bedestructive.n Research fire alternatives. Resource managersand academics should continue to develop, test,and report on alternatives to prescribed fire.Likely Effects of Climate ChangeAlthough the future climate remains uncertain,models currently forecast wetter winters and drierwarmer summers. Such a scenario would increasefire risk and heightens the need for the strategicmeasures identified above.For More InformationIndians, Fire and the Land in the Pacific NorthwestR. Boyd (editor). Oregon State University Press.1999.“Fire, Mowing, and Hand-Removal of WoodySpecies in Restoring a Native Wetland Prairie inthe Willamette Valley of Oregon”D.L. Clark and M.V. Wilson. Wetlands 2001;21:135-144.Preparing for Climate Change in the UpperWillamette River Basin of Western OregonR. Doppelt, R. Hamilton, and S. Vynne. 1-47.2009. Climate Leadership Initiative, Institute forSustainable Environment, University of Oregon.“Dynamic Responses of a British ColumbianForest-grassland Interface to Prescribed Burning”K. Ducherer, Y. Bai, D. Thompson, and K.Broersma. Western North American Naturalist2009;69:75-87.“Simulating Cumulative Fire Effects in PonderosaPine/Douglas-fir Forests”R.E. Keane, S.F. Arno, and J.K. Brown. Ecology1990;71:189-203.“Small Mammal Responses to Fine Woody Debrisand Forest Fuel Reduction in Southwest Oregon”J.A. Manning and W.D. Edge. Journal of WildlifeManagement 2008;72:625-632.“Prescribed Fire and the Response of WoodySpecies in Willamette Valley Wetland Prairies”K.L. Pendergrass, P.M. Miller, and J.B. Kauffman.Restoration Ecology 1998;6:303-311.“Traditional Ecological Knowledge and RestorationPractice”n Strategic use of prescribed fire. In placeswhere the risks associated with prescribed fire are“Climate Change and Forest Disturbances”Effects of Fire on Upland Forestsreasonable (i.e. in larger, more isolated locationsV.H. Dale, L.A. Joyce, S. McNulty, R.P. Neilson,R. Senos, F. Lake, N. Turner, and D. Martinez.Before 1850, conifer-dominated forests also were and where fire control infrastructure is good),M.P. Ayres, M.D. Flannigan, P.J. Hanson, L.C.In: Restoring the Pacific Northwest, The Art andshaped by fire. At that time fires covering many resource managers should partner with local fireIrland, A.E. Lugo, C.J. Peterson, D. Simberloff,Science of Ecological Restoration in Cascadia.thousands of acres initiated and modified stand districts, federal agencies, and professional fireF.J. Swanson, B.J. Stocks, and M.B. Wotton.Apostol D, & Sinclair M (editors) Island Press.development in both the Coast and Cascade crews to execute safe, effective prescribed fires.BioScience 2001; 51:723-734.2006.ranges and foothills. Vegetation data collected inThe Use of Fire as a Tool for Controlling InvasiveRegional Strategies for Restoring Invaded Prairiesthe 1850s show that 16 percent of the region’s forestshad recently been burned. It is likely however, ation between agencies and the public to developJ. Di Tomaso and D. Johnson. USGS / Cal IPC.n Community wildfire protection plans. Cooper-PlantsA.G. Stanley, T.N. Kaye, and P.W. Dunwiddie.110 and implement plans that address fire from many2006.111