DATA COLLECTION AND FIRE MODELING DETERMINE POTENTIAL FOR THE USE OF PLATEAU

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DATA COLLECTION AND FIRE MODELING DETERMINE
POTENTIAL FOR THE USE OF PLATEAU TO ESTABLISH
FUEL BREAKS IN BROMUS TECTORUM-DOMINATED
RANGELANDS

• Brenda K. Kury1, Jack D. Alexander III1, Jennifer
  Vollmer2.
• 1 Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc., 1755 Hymer
  Avenue, Sparks, NV 89431
• Phone [phone], brenda_at_countgrass.com
• 2 BASF Corporation, 2166 North 15th Street,
  Laramie, WY 82072
• Phone [phone], vollmej_at_basf.com.

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Acknowledgments

• Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc., would like to
  thank Dr. Jennifer L. Vollmer of BASF Corporation
  for the opportunity to participate in this study
  and Dr. Joe Vollmer for treatment photographs.
• Additional thanks go to Kathi Kershaw, Idaho
  Bureau of Land Management, for her assistance in
  gathering historical data for the site.
• Your interest and participation were greatly
  appreciated.

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Introduction

• Area burned in July 1995.
• Study site established by BASF Corporation (BASF)
  and the Idaho Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  within an exclosure in the Snake River Birds of
  Prey National Conservation Area to determine the
  efficacy of Plateau and Methylated Seed Oil (MSO)
  applied at various rates on Bromus tectorum
  (cheatgrass).
• Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc., (Synergy)
  collected biomass data from three replication
  sets of five treatment levels to determine the
  effects of Plateau on Bromus tectorum biomass and
  fire behavior.

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
4
Site Information

• Area was enclosed within a fence built in April
  of 1996 to exclude livestock.
• Oust was applied at 1 quart/acre (ac) in the
  winter of 1996-97.
• In November of 1997, the study area was drill
  seeded with a variety of native and introduced
  grasses, forbs, and shrubs.
• Prior to treatment with Plateau, the study area
  was estimated to consist of approximately 90
  cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and 10 Wyoming big
  sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and Sandbergs
  bluegrass (Poa secunda). Synergy sampled four of
  the six treatment levels and the control
  treatment.
• Twenty-four plots within the study area were
  treated with Plateau at 6 treatment levels in
  November of 1999 three plots were control
  treatments (untreated).

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
5
Site Layout
Sampled Treatment Levels
Transects were established in each sampled plot.
Transects were 10m in length.
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
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Methods

• A 10-m transect was placed 1.5 m from the
  left-hand (south) side of each plot.
• Synergy sampled biomass, plant height, and plant
  spacing at odd meter-marks (1m, 3m, 5m, 7m, and
  9m) resulting in 5 quadrats per transect.
• Clipping for biomass was completed in a 0.2x0.2m
  sub-quadrat in each quadrat.
• Plant height and plant spacing were measured from
  a sample point in the lower left-hand corner of
  each 0.1x0.1m grid square.
• Biomass data and fuel bed depth (calculated using
  plant height) were input to BehavePlus fire
  modeling program to determine projected flame
  length and the rate of fire spread in each
  treatment.

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
7
Sub-Quadrat Diagram





Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
8
Double Sampling

• Doubling-weight sampling (double sampling) was
  performed using the methodology described in
  Sampling Vegetation Attributes, BLM Technical
  Reference 1734-4 (BLM 1999).
• A single observer made all estimates for the
  project.
• This observer estimated the biomass (in grams)
  for by species and litter for each sub-quadrat.
• Several annual forbs were present, including
  kochia, pinnate tansymustard, and clasping
  pepperweed.
• Perennial grasses consisted of squirreltail and
  Sandbergs bluegrass.
• Annual grasses consisted primarily of Bromus
  tectorum, although small portions of sixweeks
  fescue were included.
• Litter consisted of all dead vegetative material.
  
• Synergy clipped at least one 0.2x0.2m sub-quadrat
  for each transect.

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
9
Plant Height and Interspace

• Height of one plant for each species was measured
  (to the nearest 5 mm) in each of the twenty-five
  0.1x0.1m grids in the quadrat. The plant
  measured was the individual of each species
  closest to the quadrat sample point. Plants were
  measured to the tallest part of the plant.
• While plant interspace distance cannot yet be
  entered into a fire behavior model, it is
  proposed for use in the BehavePlus Fuel Modeling
  system within the next two years. Synergy
  recommends more development of protocol for
  determining plant interspace.

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
10
Data Summary Plant Height
  Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac)
Mean height by species (mm) Control 6 8 10 12
Squirreltail 0 165 190 252 0
Sandberg bluegrass 57 69 64 65 59
Cheatgrass 99 50 54 47 69
Sixweeks fescue 0 35 0 0 87
Pinnate tansymustard 100 0 30 0 0
Clasping pepperweed 60 0 0 0 0
Other Annual Forbs 48 37 33 29 34
Phlox 70 0 0 0 0
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
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Data Summary - Biomass
Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac)
BIOMASS (tonne/ha) Control 6 8 10 12
Replication 1 1.040 0.784 0.705 0.514 0.646
Replication 2 1.110 0.705 0.776 0.918 1.300
Replication 3 6.1001 0.625 0.561 1.090 1.360
Mean Treatment Weight (tonne/ha) 2.754 0.705 0.680 0.841 1.103
1 Biomass due to litter component
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
12
Flame Length Compared Across Treatments
Flame heights at three slopes and three wind
speeds and 5 fine fuel moisture comparing
Plateau treatment levels of 6 oz/ac and 12 oz/ac.
The orange (solid) line represents flame length
of 1.2 m (above which hand control ceases to be
effective). The red (dashed) line represents
flame length of 2.4 m (the fire cannot be
contained from the head fire).
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
13
Percent Composition Compared Across Treatments
Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac) Plateau Treatment Level (oz/ac)
Plant Species Control 6 8 10 12
Cheatgrass 25 6 6 3 2
Sandbergs bluegrass 5 18 22 15 11
Kochia 2 16 6 15 22
Litter 68 58 62 64 64
Squirreltail 0 0 4 4 0
Clasping pepperweed 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 100 100 100 100 100
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
14
Rate of Spread ComparedAcross Treatments
Rate of spread (m/min) at three slopes and three
wind speeds and 5 fine fuel moisture comparing
Plateau application rates of 0, 6, and 12 oz/ac
for three slopes and three wind speeds and 5
fine fuel moisture. Rate of spread increased as
wind and slope increased.
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
15
Summary

• Fuel Modeling output indicated that for all
  environmental variables considered, plots treated
  with Plateau had a lower flame height and rate of
  spread than control treatment levels.
• Data indicated that areas treated with Plateau,
  regardless of the treatment level, would have a
  lower rate of spread and flame length than
  control treatments. The modeled rates of spread
  and flame lengths could be controlled with hand
  tools.

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
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What do these data mean?

• There are opportunities for greenstrip or fuel
  break establishment using Plateau.
• Plateau could be useful in creating fuel breaks
  around important habitat resources (i.e., native
  sagebrush communities, Areas of Critical
  Environmental Concern) in fire-prone areas.
• Incorporating Plateau into management strategies
  could protect habitat for sage grouse and other
  species of concern.
• Potential application sites include areas along
  maintained roads and in or around maintained fire
  breaks.

Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)
17
What do these data mean? (Contd)

• Results indicate that Plateau can provide Bromus
  tectorum control in areas with high fire risk.
• This provides an opportunity to reduce the 542
  million spent by federal agencies to control
  wildland fires in 2001, reduce danger to life and
  property, and reduce destruction of wildlife and
  plant habitats.
• Any entity responsible for land management on the
  urban/wildland interface (i.e., city and county
  governments, home-owners associations) could
  incorporate Plateau herbicide into their land
  management plan and reduce the risk of loss of
  life, structures, and vegetation in areas of
  concern by reducing fuel loads.

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For More Information
Please Contact

• Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
• 1755 Hymer Avenue
• Sparks, NV 89431
• 775-331-5577
• www.countgrass.com
• brenda_at_countgrass.com
• 307-734-0555

BASF Corporation Dr. Jennifer L. Vollmer2166
North 15th StreetLaramie, WY  82072www.vmanswers
.comvollmej_at_basf-corp.com 307-755-5218
Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc.
(www.countgrass.com) and BASF Corporation
(www.vmanswers.com)