Evaluation Sourcebook (.pdf) - School of Natural Resources and ...

INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES THREATS ASSETS STRATEGIESX Is local knowledge about fires increasing? What is the public perception of fire?Do fire practices reflect new knowledge?To what extent do fire-suppression policies affect your project area? Number of educators and land managers that are knowledgeable about thenatural role of fire in their ecosystemsNumber of individuals who have had courses on fire trainingProportion of fires that are suppressedNumber of stakeholders who help design the fire policiesNumber of stakeholders who benefit from the policiesNumber of stakeholders with management plans that include fuels treatmentNumber of landscapes committed to restoring fire-adapted ecosystemsNumber of partner groups working to reduce fire risksData sources• USDA Forest Service Fire Effects InformationSystem (database of effects of fire and fireregimes for organisms throughout the U.S.):http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/• Aerial surveys/GIS maps/Landsat imagesshowing changes in compositional coverKEEP IT SIMPLETo assess the effect of fire onthe duff or litter depth, put anail in the ground to the heightof the layer before a fire andmeasure the height relative tothat nail after the fire.ExampleRestoring Fire-Adapted Ecosystems is a collaborative project involving the US ForestService, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service,Bureau of Indian Affairs and The Nature Conservancy. The partnership focuses on: 1)increasing restoration efforts among different landowners; 2) establishing a fire learningnetwork that uses past experience and ideas to help community-based projects implementfire management; 3) enhancing fire education; and 4) increasing fire management training.They are measuring success by tallying: a) the number of acres undergoing multistakeholder,collaborative planning for fuels treatment; b) the number of landscapescommitted to restoring fire-adapted ecosystems; c) the number of partner groups that wereworking together to reduce fire risks to people and natural resources; d) the number ofindividuals who completed fire training; and e) the number of fire educators and managersthat were made aware “of the importance of including the natural role of fire in communityeducation messages.”For more information see: http://www.tncfire.org.For an example of a group measuring fuel loads see Fire and other key disturbances andprocesses (p. 52).Evaluation Sourcebook 125