Prescribed burns provide benefits to forest lands | News, Sports, Jobs - Times Observer

 

Prescribed burns provide benefits to forest lands

Firefighters obscured by heat haze keep their eyes on the main body of a prescribed burn Friday at the beanfields in Irvine.

Fire is a destructive force, but, when handled properly, it can lead to renewed growth for desirable plants and improved habitat for animals.

This weekend, the Allegheny National Forest scheduled two prescribed burns — intentionally set and monitored fires.

On Friday, 22 primary and secondary ANF fire personnel, and visitors from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (four), and the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana (three), burned a little over 70 acres at the beanfields in Irvine.

That area is black now, but should be greening up in a week or so. “Come out in a week and it’ll look almost like we mowed it,” ANF Fire Management Officer John Fry said.

Prior to the burn, Burn Boss Craig Kostrzewski spoke with the team of about 30 people in a briefing and the Forestry Services Laboratory near Buckaloons Recreation Area.

An Allegheny National Forest firefighter walks through smoke during a prescribed burn Friday at the beanfields in Irvine.

“Some of these folks are primary duty,” Fry said. That means their first job is to fight fires.

Others were “collateral duty,” Fry said — fire is part of their job, but not the biggest part. “It’s great to have the supervisor’s permission to have them out here.”

Many of the firefighters have participated in prescribed burns and fighting wildfires for years or decades, but for others, it was their first fire experience.

The goal for Friday’s burn was three-fold, Kostrzewski said.

First was improving habitat, mostly for birds. “Anything that likes grass seed,” Engine Boss Joe Gomola said.

Times Observer photos by Brian Ferry An Allegheny National Forest firefighter drips fire ahead of the main body of a prescribed burn Friday at the beanfields in Irvine.

The warm season grasses at the beanfields are primarily big bluestem, little bluestem, and some switchgrass, Gomola said.

The grasses will grow right back. As a bonus, the fire knocked down some locust that was growing among the fields was not welcome. “This would out-compete everything,” Fry said. Other trees — there were some mature pines among the fields — will be browned, but will survive.

Second was fuels reduction. The dry, matted grasses burned fast and hot. It was better to have that burn take place under controlled conditions than for it to break out by surprise.

Burning fast wasn’t an accident. “We want to get as much lift as we can to get the smoke up and out of here,” Fry said. “Within an hour of us completing ignition, you won’t be able to see any smoke in the area.”

The extreme heat within the fire was evident as fire whirls — what some might call fire tornadoes – formed early in the burn.

The third goal was training. “Working with different folks and different training structures,” Kostrzewski said.

The area surrounding the burn was not expected to be susceptible to break-out fire. “If anything does get out, I’m not expecting any fire growth or intense fire behavior,” he said.

The team set a test fire at the very southern end of the beanfields at around noon.

When that fire behaved as expected, Kostrzewski set the team in motion.

Firefighters with drip torches outlined the areas to be burned — a small stretch at a time. When the winds were higher or some other concern required a little slower development, the lighters made dots of fire, instead of lines, Fry said.

Once a fire was started, it burned quickly. Not counting the test fire, the firefighters set four fires in four areas of the beanfields. They allowed each of those fires to burn out before starting the next.

Kostrzewski said it had been since 2015 since a prescribed burn was held at the beanfields. “Hopefully, we’ll get back on a three-to-four-year rotation here,” he said.

On Saturday, the crews will get back to work with a much larger burn — about 500 acres — in forested land at Izenbrown Corners, just south of the site of the Cobham Hill Wildfire that burned over 200 acres last year.

Ignitions Complete as of 1712 at Big Mountain Unit 1, with 557 acres burned. Crews will remain on site this evening and tomorrow to monitor the burn area.

Prescribed burning is underway at Big Mountain Unit 1. The 557-acre burn area is located approximately five miles west of Cherry Grove in Pendleton County on National Forest System land. Smoke may be visible in the area.

Elkins, W.Va., April 26, 2022 — Monongahela National Forest plans to burn Unit 1 in the Big Mountain Prescribed Burn area Friday, April 29, if weather conditions continue to be favorable. The 557-acre burn area is located approximately five miles west of Cherry Grove in Pendleton County on National Forest System land.

This prescribed burn will create conditions that favor oak regeneration, which in turn enhances wildlife habitat for the many animals that depend on oak trees for food. Prescribed burning also reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires by consuming burnable material on the forest floor.

Monongahela National Forest follows strict guidelines for conducting prescribed burns and takes into consideration environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, smoke dispersion and wind. If any environmental conditions are not within limits, the burn will be postponed.

Signs will be posted on roads near the burn area before and during burning. The public is asked to avoid the prescribed burn area on the day of the burn and for several days after to ensure public safety. Residents and Forest visitors may see and smell smoke for several days. If you encounter smoke on the highway, slow down, turn on your vehicle’s lights and drive appropriately for the conditions.

Local radio stations will be alerted to burn activities ahead of time. Information, photos, and maps are available at InciWeb, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8082/ 

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Prescribed burning operations may begin in Big Mountain Unit 1 Friday April 29 if predicted weather forecasts and fuel moisture content continue looking favorable.  Check back to this InciWeb site for the latest updates!

Stress First Aid/Critical Incident Stress Management Presentation to Firefighters 

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 was grateful for the opportunity to work with the Cambridge Fire Department and several community members to begin the process of stress recovery.  Safety Officer Todd Legler, Deputy Incident Commander Mark Giacoletto, a representative from the Nebraska State Critical Response Team, and a local chaplain presented and provided resources, for those in attendance, on stress first aid. 

Stress First Aid, Peer Support, and Self-Care are critical elements not only for first responders, but for anyone.  Stress reactions are a normal part of life, and they impact each and every one of us.  Our stress reactions are ours to own and no one else’s.  Just because you are having a negative stress reaction does not mean that anything is wrong with you, or that you are weak, or that you are incapable.  Stress First Aid is a framework to address and cope with stress reactions before they become a larger issue or build a bridge to needing a higher level of care.  Allowing yourself the patience, grace, and time to process your stress reactions is self-care and takes effort.  Building a support network of peers that are non-judgmental, that meet you where you are, and hold you accountable is key to help navigate negative stress reactions and move toward a place of wellness.  “I have witnessed firsthand with my son how having these elements in place can move a person from the darkest of places to a place of wellness, given time.  As a result, I have also identified my own vulnerabilities so that I can continue to be the warrior and provide servant leadership,” says Safety Officer Todd Legler, about the stress first aid process.  For more information about stress first aid please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/employee-services/stress-first-aid 

Road 702 Fire Update
April 28, 2022 - 9 am
 

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team One
  Dan Dallas, Incident Commander  

 

Special Note:   

The increase in acreage is due the inclusion of unburned interior islands being absorbed within the fire perimeter.  Fires typically don’t burn 100% of all vegetation within a perimeter and unburned areas frequently exist.  These unburned pockets will vary in number and size and are not easily excluded when mapping a fire so it is standard practice to just create the outermost boundary to show the fire footprint.   

   

Today the Nebraska Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT3) will shadow the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1(CIMT1) as it prepares to assume command of the Road 702 Fire.  Management of the fire will transition to the IMT3 on Friday at 7 am.  The CIMT3 will be demobilized and will return home to reset for a few days before going back on call early next week.  Many of the members of the IMT3 have been working along with the CIMT1 so a smooth transition is expected.  This will be the last fire update from the Rocky Mountain CIMT1. 

 

Road 702 Current Situation:  

Night shift, consisting of four engines and a division supervisor, patrolled the fire area mopping up any hotspots that posed a threat to the line.  In addition, the night shift has been responding to 911 calls of smoke and flame within the fire area.  

 

There are two areas of uncontrolled fire edge in Branches I and III.  Both areas are just south of US-6 along the Republican River.  Firefighters will focus on these areas and will continue to secure the fireline and mop up to work towards full containment of the fire.  In addition, firefighters will continue to patrol and mop up all portions of the fireline that have been previously contained to further secure the fire perimeter in those areas.   

 

Evacuations and Fire Restrictions: There are currently no evacuations on the Road 702 Fire. For information on fire restrictions in Nebraska, please visit https://sfm.nebraska.gov/fire-departments/burn-permits.  

 

Other Fires in Nebraska: For information on other fires in Nebraska, please follow NEMA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nema.page or Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets. 

 

Extended Weather Outlook:  Warm and breezy today, although increased moisture will yield higher daytime relative humidity.  There is slight chance of thunderstorms by early evening and again early Friday morning as a low pressure system develops over the area. Chances increase for a wetting rain across the fire area Friday into Friday night, although highest precipitation amounts will remain north and east. Given the threat of thunderstorms, precipitation is likely to be highly variable from the fire area southward. Winds will shift northwesterly Friday afternoon behind the front and will increase through the night with gusts up to 40-50 mph likely through Saturday. 
 
 Road 702 Fire Statistics: 
Size: 43,582 acres 
Containment: 88% 
Total Personnel: 221 
Location: Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier Counties (NE); and Phillips and Norton Counties (KS) 
Reported: April 22, 2022 

 

 For More Information on Road 702 Fire: 
 Fire Information Phone: 402-327-1511 
 Fire Email: 2022.nebraskaspring@firenet.gov 
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nema.page 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets 
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8081/ 

 

Road 702 Fire Update
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team One
Dan Dallas, Incident Commander  

  

Road 702 Current Situation:  

Firefighters continued to make progress on containing the Road 702 Fire despite critical fire weather yesterday.  Shifting winds and gusts 30 – 40 mph caused the fire to spot in two places outside of the current perimeter. Due to good coordination between firefighters and local landowners supported by National Guard helicopters doing bucket drops, both spot fires were quickly caught and tied back into the main fire.  There was no change in acreage on the fire from the previous day. 

 

As containment continues to increase on the Road 702 Fire, excess resources will be demobilized to return home or be reassigned to other incidents.  On portions of the fire where containment has been achieved, firefighters will continue to mop up and patrol the fire perimeter to ensure that no hot spots remain that could pose a threat.   

 

Branch I (North and West side)- Today firefighters will focus on the section of uncontained fire edge that is south of US-6 (east of Bartley), along the Republican River. Crews will continue to establish containment lines and cool down hot spots within the timbered draws.  Heavy equipment will be used, as necessary, to remove trees that pose a hazard to firefighters in this area.   

 

Branch III (East and South side)- The portion of the fire in Kansas has been contained.  Two areas of uncontained fire edge remain in this Branch.  Firefighters continue to work on the finger of fire, south of Wilsonville, which still contains several hot spots.  On the north end of this Branch, south of US-6 (west of Cambridge), there are still several areas of heat near the Republican River.  In addition, heavy equipment will be used to create fireline around unburned islands of vegetation within the fire perimeter.  Securing the islands lessens the risk of fire escaping containment lines.    

 

Weather:  Elevated fire weather conditions are expected today. Very warm temperatures along with continued low relative humidity is predicted, although winds will be lighter than previous days. As an upper system pushes through, moisture will begin streaming into the region later today with a slight chance of a thunderstorm after 6 pm. Any thunderstorm would result in lightning and gusty, erratic winds. 

 

Evacuations and Fire Restrictions: There are currently no evacuations on the Road 702 Fire.  For information on fire restrictions in Nebraska, please visit https://sfm.nebraska.gov/fire-departments/burn-permits.  

 

Other Fires in Nebraska: For information on other fires in Nebraska, please follow NEMA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nema.page or Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets.   

Road 702 Fire Statistics:
Size: 41,448 acres
Containment: 74%
Total Personnel: 208
Location: Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier Counties (NE); and Phillips and Norton Counties (KS)
Reported: April 22, 2022
Injuries to Date from Initial Attack: 5  

 

For More Information on Road 702 Fire:
Fire Information Phone: 402-327-1511
Fire Email: 2022.nebraskaspring@firenet.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nema.page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8081/

 

Road 702 Fire Update
Monday April 25, 2022

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team One
Dan Dallas, Incident Commander

Special Safety Information:
There are many interior pockets of unburned vegetation within the Road 702 Fire perimeter.  As winds shift or increase, these areas within the fire may burn.  Residents in and around the fire area should expect to see flare-ups and smoke both due to these unburned islands burning as well as the intense heat that remains in the timbered draws. The threat of additional fire growth remains as firefighters continue to extinguish hotspots in brushy draws and near structures.

The public is asked to continue to avoid the Road 702 Fire area and to use caution when driving in areas with reduced visibility due to smoke and dust.  As residents return to homes, please be cautious of surroundings as hazards may be present that did not exist prior to the fire.
NOTE:  An Inciweb site has been created for this incident:  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8081/

Road 702 Current Situation:
Yesterday afternoon, the Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) from Colorado mapped the fire area and current acreage is 41,155.  Firefighters working the night shift patrolled the fire area watching for increased fire behavior and wind shifts that could threaten the current control lines. 
 
Branch I (West side)-  Branch I encompasses the area from Cambridge west along the fire edge and south to Lebanon, NE.  The fire was active primarily in the timbered draws where the fuels are heaviest.  Dozers have been ordered to help mitigate hazards by knocking over fire-weakened trees so firefighters can safely work in these areas.  Today firefighters, supported by aerial resources, will continue to secure the fireline by mopping up hotspots that threaten control lines and working to cool down areas of heat in the timbered draws where it is safe to do so.
 
Branch III (East side)- Branch III encompasses east and south perimeters of the fire from Cambridge south to Wilsonville and into Kansas.  The fire was very active on this branch yesterday in both the lighter fuels and the timbered draws.  Today firefighters, supported by aerial resources, will continue to secure the fireline by mopping up the fire edge and will work on containing any unburned islands within the fire perimeter.  Dozers will be used to help remove hazard trees so firefighters can work safely to contain these areas.
 
Weather: Elevated weather conditions are forecast for Monday through mid-week, with near critical fire weather conditions expected on Tuesday.  While winds will be lower today, gusts out of the northwest to 25 mph coupled with low relative humidity will result in elevated fire weather through the afternoon.  Winds will be light and turn southerly Monday night.
Evacuations and Fire Restrictions: There are currently no evacuations on the Road 702 Fire.  For information on fire restrictions in Nebraska, please visit https://sfm.nebraska.gov/fire-departments/burn-permits.
Other Fires in Nebraska: For information on other fires in Nebraska, please follow NEMA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nema.page or Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets.   

Road 702 Fire Statistics:
Size: 41,155 acres
Containment: 0%
Total Personnel: 100 plus
Location: Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier Counties
Reported: April 22, 2022

For More Information on Road 702 Fire: 
Fire Information Phone: 402-327-1511
Fire email: 2022.nebraskaspring@firenet.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nema.page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8081/ 

 

Road 702 Fire Update 
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 - 9 am 

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team One 
Dan Dallas, Incident Commander  

Special Safety and Weather Information:

A Red Flag Warning is in effect from noon until 8 pm today.  Temperatures are predicted to be in the 70’s with winds from the south shifting south/southwest around 10 am.  Winds are predicted to be 16-26 mph gusting to 28-40.  Critical fire weather conditions will continue into Tuesday evening with winds gusting 20-25 mph through most of the night.  Increased gusty winds may create low visibility in and around the fire area due to blowing dust and ash. 

Road 702 Current Situation: Additional resources have arrived from several surrounding states to assist with suppression efforts on the Road 702 Fire.  The arrival of these resources has allowed firefighters from local volunteer departments to get some rest and reset with family after what has already been several weeks high fire activity.  Incident Management would like to acknowledge the great work that was done by first responders.  It is gearing up to be a very busy fire season, and we are honored to be able to assist the local departments.    

Branch I (North and West side)-  Branch I encompasses the area from Cambridge west along the fire edge and south to Lebanon, NE.  The portion of the fire north of US-6, in Division A, has been contained.  Firefighters will continue to patrol and mop up in this area and continue to strengthen containment lines.  Along the west side of the fire, from US-6 south to near Silver Creek, firefighters continue to work on containment lines and cooling down hot spots within the timbered draws.  Heavy equipment is being used to remove trees that pose a hazard to firefighters in this area.  From near Silver Creek south to the Branch I/III break at State Highway 89, the perimeter has been contained and firefighters will continue to patrol and mop up.  

Branch III (East and South side)- Branch III encompasses east and south perimeters of the fire from Cambridge south to Wilsonville and into Kansas.  From the Branch I/III break at State Highway 89 south to Road 702, the fire perimeter has been contained.  Good progress is being made on the portion of the fire that is in Kansas and containment on this section of the fire is expected soon.  On the east side, the fire previously pushed out in several places creating fingers of unsecured fire edge.  Direct and indirect fireline is being constructed to contain the fingers to lessen the risk of fire escaping containment lines.   Firefighters will continue to patrol and mop up all portions of Branch III that have been contained.   

Evacuations and Fire Restrictions: There are currently no evacuations on the Road 702 Fire.  For information on fire restrictions in Nebraska, please visit https://sfm.nebraska.gov/fire-departments/burn-permits.  

Note on Fire Size: Please note the decrease in acres from last night’s report.  Last night we reported that the fire had increased by just over 1000 acres due to field verification of an area that had previously burned north of US-6.  Fire acreage frequently fluctuates early in an incident as incoming GIS data is verified and cleaned up (i.e., smoothing out jagged and overlapping areas).   

Other Fires in Nebraska: For information on other fires in Nebraska, please follow NEMA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nema.page or Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets. 

Road 702 Fire Statistics:
 Size: 41,448 acres
 Containment: 47%
 Total Personnel: 159
 Location: Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier Counties (NE); and Phillips and Norton Counties (KS)
 Reported: April 22, 2022

For More Information on Road 702 Fire:
 Fire Information Phone: 402-327-1511
 Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8081/
 Fire Email: 2022.nebraskaspring@firenet.gov
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nema.page
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEMAtweets