Stage III: Long-Term Implementation Actions

Stage III: Long-Term Implementation Actions

Ecklund Complex: Ecklund Fire and Davis Draw Fire

Little Snake River BLM, Dinosaur National Monument, Browns Park FWS

I. Objectives

Management and Resource Objectives / · Implement actions that fully provide for personnel and public safety
· Protect private lands and structures; and protect
public improvements
· Encourage the natural role of fire to promote mosaic age classes in all plant communities
· Avoid actions that might impair the area’s wilderness character
· Do not allow fires to burn into cottonwood stands along the Green River
· Develop strategies and implement actions commensurate with resource values
· Coordinate with Resource Advisor to determine the need for burned area rehabilitation

II. MMA

Description / The MMA is approximately 45,715 acres, encompassing Lower Snake District BLM lands (31,043 a., appx. 68% of the MMA), Browns Park FWS (1,330 a., appx. 3% of the MMA) , Dinosaur National Monument lands (9,485 a., appx. 21% of the MMA), and private lands (3,282 a., appx. 7% of the MMA) . The perimeter of the MMA is approximately 41 miles.
Fuels in the MMA consist of the following NFFL fuel models: 1 (scattered areas of cheat grass); 2 (sagebrush with grass understory); 6 (pinyon-juniper with grass understory); 9 (ponderosa pine); and 10 (Douglas-fir). Predominant fuels are 2 and 6. The topography within the MMA is characterized by steep, rocky slopes bisected by broad sagebrush flats.
The MMA is divided into 6 segments described below:
Segment 1 (5.5 miles) - Segment 1 is the northeast segment of the MMA and is entirely on FWS land along the flats of the Green River. This segment follows a road paralleling the Green River. Fuels in this section are characterized by FM 2 and terrain is relatively flat.
Segment 2 (5.3 miles) – Segment 2 is one of the eastern boundary segments and it is bound entirely by the 2000 Buster Flats Fire. This segment starts at Hoy Draw and follows south to Ladore Ranger Station. Fuels in this section are characterized by FM 2 and terrain is relatively flat on the northern part of the segment and starts getting steep in the Green River canyon on the southern part. The northern part of this segment is on FWS lands and the southern part is on NPS lands.
Segment 3 (12.3 miles) – Segment 3 is the other eastern boundary segment and is entirely on NPS lands along the bottom of the very steep Green River canyon. Slopes along this MMA are in excess of 100% (FM 1 – short grass and shrubs) and fuels are extremely sparse. The Buster Flats Fire (2000) did not burn right up to the Green River along this segment of the MMA, but did burn most of the available fuel on the northern half of this MMA.
Segment 4 (5.1 miles) – Segment 4 is the southwest boundary of the MMA and is on both NPS and BLM lands. This segment follows the WSA boundary. Fuels are characterized as a FM 2 – grass understory. Except where this MMA exits the Green River canyon, slopes are gentle and vegetation consists of broad sagebrush fields.
Segment 5 (8.1 miles) – Segment 5 is one of the main western MMA boundaries and shares the private land /BLM boundary in many areas along the segment. This segment also follows the WSA boundary. Fuels are mostly pinyon-juniper (FM 6); and slopes are moderately steep and vary considerably along the segment.
Segment 6 (5.2 miles) – Segment 6 is the northwest boundary of the MMA and is entirely on BLM land. This segment follows Chokecherry Draw and follows an unimproved road for approximately 2 miles. Fuels are mostly pinyon-juniper (FM 6) and slopes are fairly steep along the MMA.
Threats to the MMA/Values to be Protected along the MMA / Segment 1 – Prevailing winds (from the SW) would push the Davis Draw fire toward this section of the MMA. However, fuels are relatively sparse along this border. Perimeter reinforcement has occurred in places along this segment to protect cottonwood trees near Section 25. Blacklining has been completed from Hoy Draw west toward Chokecherry Draw following the two-track across section 21. Risk of escape on this boundary is moderately high.
Segment 2 – Prevailing winds (from the SW) would also push the Davis Draw fire toward this MMA. Risk of the fire escaping on this segment is relatively low due to the barrier of the Buster Flats Fire that occurred last year. A secondary barrier in some of this section is the Green River. To date, there has been no mitigation other than handline and black line tying ridgeline point in Section 34 to two-track.
Segment 3 – The extremely steep Green River Canyon would pose a formidable barrier to fire spread on this segment of the MMA. Prevailing winds would push the Ecklund Fire toward this segment of the MMA. The Green River is the actual boundary line along this segment. Slopes are extremely steep and vegetation is very sparse along this perimeter. Pot Creek Campground is located on the Green River along this segment. There appears to be little risk of the fire spotting across the canyon. Protection of this segment will consist of water drops to suppress any fire entering Pot Creek drainage.
Segment 4 –Winds from the north or northeast would push the Ecklund Fire toward this segment of the MMA. This segment follows a two-track road.
Segment 5 – This segment encompasses much private land and there are several structures along this segment. This segment could be threatened by both the Davis and Ecklund Fires with any wind event from the east. Additionally, this segment has some of the highest values to be protected in terms of private property, improvements, and structures. Road access in this segment is only fair. Threats to this segment are primarily due to heavy brush fuels and steep rocky slopes along this segment. Risks to this segment are high due to close proximity of structures. See holding and mitigation actions.
Segment 6 – This segment follows the Chokecherry Drainage. Fuels are very heavy along this segment. Winds from the east may push the Davis Draw Fire toward this segment. Mid-slope lines and heavy fuels compromise this segment of the MMA. This segment would be very difficult to defend due to topography and fuels.

III. Weather

Drought Situation

/ After two consecutive years of drought, live and dead fuels are extremely dry across Northwestern Colorado and Northeastern Utah. Measured live fuel moistures, on the Iron Springs Bench -approximately 20 miles south of the fire area - ranged from 50 to 64% with an average of 60% for all samples taken on July 21, 2001. National Fire Danger Indices for weather stations in the area are all reaching record high’s for the second year in a row.
Temperatures have been slightly above normal and precipitation below normal for the summer to date; relative humidity recovery at night has been very poor. These conditions have all contributed to the abnormally dry and volatile fuel conditions in this area.

Forecasted

/ As of July 30, current weather is dominated by a high pressure system that will remain over the central U.S. for the next 10 days. A few surges of monsoonal moisture can be expected resulting in slightly above normal precipitation over SW Colorado and SE Utah. Temperatures will remain above normal.

IV. Fire Behavior

Discussion

/ Fire behavior has been dominated by a cycle of several days of little or no spread with low fire activity, followed by a day or two of significant growth. These growth days can be tied to days with high Haines indexes (6) and higher wind speeds. The “trigger” for large fire growth appears to be a combination of:
·  dry bulb temperatures above 85 degrees
·  relative humidity below 10 percent
·  with wind speeds > 10 m.p.h.
Under these conditions, fire growth of one thousand acres per burning period is not unusual.
Fire behavior will continue to follow the cycle described above until significant moderation in either the high temperatures or low relative humidities occurs. Spread events of 1 to 2 miles have already occurred on these fires and there is no reason to not expect them to continue.

V. Long-Term Risk Assessment

Fire Season Severity /

To assess the current and potential severity of the 2001 fire season, the energy release component (ERC) was analyzed using Fire Family Plus for twenty plus years of data from the following NFDRS weather stations:

Station #050102 Dinosaur NM HQ
Station #050104 Lodore
Station #050105 Dinosaur NM Success
Station #050106 Great Divide
Station #051402 Pinto
Station #420805 Cart Creek
The ERC graphs (see Appendix), shows three lines, the historical maximum, the historical average, and the current year. The current year demonstrates that the fire season started slightly above average and continued warm dry weather has resulted in a rapid increase to near historic maximum ERC levels. Given the long-range forecasts it is unlikely that significant monsoonal moisture will occur in the near future to moderate these dry conditions.
Fuel Conditions /

Large fuels are sufficiently dry to ignite and 100 % consumption has been observed. 1000-hour fuel moistures are around 6 % at this time.

Live vegetation plays a key role in fire activity in this area, providing significant, additional fuel when foliar and live woody fuel moisture is low. Abundant new season growth can retard fire spread and intensity due to moisture content of plant fiber present in immature leaves and stems. However, plants in dormant condition or mature plants with approximately 80% or less moisture content (based on the plant’s dry weight) can actively contribute to fire intensity. Current woody live fuel moistures have been measured at about 60% in the area.

Fire Slowing Events /

Fire slowing events are defined by weather events that end fire spread or modify fire behavior such that a fire no longer poses a significant spread threat. In Northwestern Colorado, this has been defined as a total of at least 0.25 inches of precipitation occurring over 3 consecutive days during the fire season. Typically, this area receives about 1 inch of precipitation every month during the summer. This has not occurred during the summer of 2001, to date.

VI. Probability of Fire Staying within MMA

Discussion

/ Under the current weather conditions, the likelihood of the fire remaining within the MMA is moderate, as long as the MMA is not threatened at more than one location at a time, utilizing the resources that are currently available (July 22).

VII. SAFETY

Safety Concerns / ·  Extremely dry fuels and extreme fire behavior with high temperatures and low humidities may lead to extreme fire behavior.
·  Use extra caution on steep, rocky slopes.
·  There is heavy Douglas-fir with insect damage on the north side of the Ecklund Fire that could lead to extreme fire behavior.
·  Heads up for rolling material, gusty winds, and working in steep terrain.
·  Watch for rolling material – both burned and unburned.
·  Live fuel moisture in sagebrush was recently measured at 60%. Such dry fuels could lead to extreme fire behavior.
·  Pre-identify escape routes and safety zones. Conduct tests to determine how long it will take to travel via escape routes to safety zones.

VIII. MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE CONCERNS

List of Concerns

/ ·  Cottonwood trees
·  Wilderness values (Diamond Breaks WSA and Dinosaur National Monument)
·  Private lands and structures
·  Campground at base of Pot Creek Draw
·  Peregrine falcon
·  Light-hand suppression tactics

IX. MONITORING ACTIONS

Discussion / Monitoring is important to document fire weather, fire behavior, smoke dispersal and volume, and to validate fire behavior predictions. Monitoring variables that are important include: smoke dispersal, live and dead fuel moistures, daily weather observations, mapping fire perimeter and progression, and observed fire behavior. Monitoring locations and frequency will depend upon fire activity, location and threats from that fire.
·  Photographic documentation will be used to document smoke movement, fire behavior, fuel types and other site-specific information. Smoke concentrations and movement can be documented daily during aerial reconnaissance and by ground monitors. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will receive situation updates and will be notified prior to any proposed large burnout operations and during major smoke events as necessary.
·  Fire personnel will take weather observations. Portable Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) will be obtained and located to obtain more site-specific information as needed.
·  Fine dead fuel moisture contents will be evaluated using dead fuel moisture reference tables and from weather station computed values. When requested, fire personnel will collect live fuel moisture samples and provide them to the fire behavior section of the identified fire management team for documentation and use.
·  Fire behavior will be determined from aerial reconnaissance and by ground personnel. On-the-ground monitoring will provide more specific information and increase in use as the fire becomes more active.
·  Mapping of fires to obtain current size, daily growth, and proximity to boundaries and other threats will be conducted by aerial reconnaissance and on-the-ground fire personnel. Data will be relayed to the planning section of the fire management team for map production and documentation.
·  Specific monitoring locations, frequency, and necessary personnel will be identified in Incident Action Plans and produced as frequently as necessary.
·  With the advent of the rainy season, fires can generally be monitored from the zone aerial observer unless a significant drying trend or a wind event following a drying trend is forecast. Daily monitoring can also include monitoring from Zenobia and Roundtop lookout towers and from agency fire personnel using vantage points along fire site roads. Monitoring will occur at various intervals depending on fire activity. While the fires are staffed the following elements will be routinely recorded and made part of the fire package: fire behavior, fire spread and weather.
Specific monitoring actions for each fire include:
·  Ecklund Fire – The Ecklund Fire has several roads and overlooks in the area. Fire personnel can use these roads and overlooks to effectively monitor fire effects and fire progress. River Rangers can report activity from the river corridor. The fire can monitored as part of the normal area aerial reconnaissance.
·  Davis Draw Fire – The Davis Draw Fire has several roads with good vantage points in and around the MMA. The fire area can be monitored as part of the normal area aerial reconnaissance and can also be monitored from Zenobia and Roundtop Lookouts.
If the fires are left in monitoring status and un-staffed, weather will be monitored by the pre-identified dispatch/fire organization. Monitoring will be initiated on a schedule and assigned to the identified unit until the fires are declared out.

X. HOLDING AND MITIGATION ACTIONS