Fire Regime Condition Class

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Fire Regime Condition Class

• Update April 2005

2
Objectives

• Review FRCC and its ecological concepts
• Training and implementation to date
• Methodology and Guide Updates

3
Objectives

• Mapping Tool/LANDFIRE Integration and Training
• Expanding Scope to Include
• --LANDFIRE
• --Fire Behavior Modeling
• --Integrated Fuels Treatment Planning

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The Problem

• Fires threatening communities and municipal
  watersheds
• Landscapes out of whack Dysfunctional
  ecological processes can have adverse effects on
  wildlife, hydrology, biodiversity

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The Goals

• Protect communities by treating the Wildland
  Urban Interface (WUI)
• Restore fire ecology of landscapes

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The Goals

• Protect communities by altering fire behavior
• FIRESHED process
• Restore landscapes by moving towards the natural
  range
• FRCC metric

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What is FRCC?

• A landscape measure of departure from historic
  conditions
• An indication of ecosystem components at risk of
  loss in the next major disturbance
• Based on the historic range in fire frequency and
  severity

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What is a Fire Regime?

• Characteristic frequency, severity, and size of
  fires on a landscape
• Driven by the biophysical setting (potential
  vegetation used as reference frame)
• The BpS defines climate, terrain, soils,
  vegetation for the landscape

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Fire Regimes
Fire Regime V - Rare
Rare
200
Fire Frequency (years)
Fire Regime III
IV
Infrequent
35
Fire Regime I
II
Frequent
Low Mixed
Replacement
75
Fire Severity - Upper Layer Replacement
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What is the range of variation?

• Vegetation disturbance regime without
  post-Euro-American influences
• Includes anthropogenic burning
• Historic/natural is baseline
• Permanently altered ecosystems a special challenge

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Why manage for the natural range?

• Emulates conditions to which native species are
  adapted
• Represents conditions in sync with soil
  hydrologic system
• Natural considered socially desirable
• Thats what we know worked.

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Why landscape scale?

• Disturbance processes operate at landscape scales
• Diversity of vegetation patterns at landscape
  scales
• More flexibility for deciding where, when, and
  what to treat

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Condition Class

• Departure of vegetation-fuel composition/structure
  and associated disturbances
• Departure from landscape fire frequency
• Departure from landscape fire severity

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Landscape ecologyChanges in space and time
Condition Class 3 Uncharacteristic disturbances
Condition Class 2
Condition Class 1 (Within NRV)
A
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How do we determine Condition Class?
FRCC incorporates 3 variables.
Historical/Natural versus current 1.
Vegetation seral stage distribution across
landscapes 2. Fire frequency 3. Fire severity
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FRCC Training/Implementation

• Began in 2003
• National level Western trainings complete
  Eastern remaining
• Many local regional trainings
• Implementation teams in operation
• NFPORS reporting

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Methodology/Guide Updates

• FRCC Guide Version 1.2 to be released this month
• Landscape and Stand Scorecard
• Methods Dropped
• Stand Level Method now uses Abundance Class

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Methodology/Guide Updates

• Stand Level Assessment now simpler and more
  defensible
• Mapping Tool

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Mapping Tool

• ArcGIS Extension
• Requires BpS, Existing Vegetation,
• and Landscape Boundary Layers
• Demonstration later today

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LANDFIRE

• National Mapping of FRCC
• Two phases Rapid Assessment and LANDFIRE
• Rapid assessment maps available soon LANDFIRE in
  3-5 years

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Mapping Tool/LANDFIRE

• Implementing National Training
• Zones 16 and 19 Rapid Assessment Maps Ready
• Pacific Northwest rapid assessment maps ready
  fall 2005
• Trainings over next two years

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Expanding Scope

• FRCC
• LANDFIRE
• Fire Behavior
• Integrated Fuels Treatment Planning
• New Version Guidebook Fall 2005

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The Goals

• Protect communities by altering fire behavior
• FIRESHED process
• Restore landscapes by moving towards the natural
  range
• FRCC metric

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Integrated Fuels Treatment Planning

• Protect communities by altering fire behavior
• FIRESHED process
• Restore landscapes by moving towards the natural
  range
• FRCC metric
• Wildland Fire Use

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Integrated Fuels Treatment Planning Challenges

• Protect communities by altering fire behavior
• Need a metric for success
• How to integrate protecting the WUI, restoring
  landscapes, and wildland fire use

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Integrated Fuels Treatment Planning Challenges

• Current budget 1.1 billion for suppression and
  0.6 billion for fuels treatments
• Plan on fixed budget of 1.7 billion

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For More Information

• www.frcc.gov
• www.landfire.gov