Impact of wildfire disturbance and salvage harvesting on forest health 6
years after prescribed burning and harvesting treatments in naturally
regenerated red pine forests
Location: Muskrat Lakes Fire/Fire Surrogate Site, Newberry, Michigan
Dates 9/30/2012 – 12/31/2013, Year 1 of 1 Year Project
Funding Source: Fire Plan
Personnel:
Andrew J. Storer (Project director), (906) 487-3470, storer@mtu.edu;
Linda M. Nagel (Co-Principal Investigator), (906) 487-2812; lmnagel@mtu.edu
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400
Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931
Cooperators:
Rita M. Koch, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological
University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931; (906) 281-3891, rmkoch@mtu.edu
Linda Haugen,USDA FS FHP, St. Paul, MN; (651) 649-5029, lhaugen@fs.fed.us
Michael Ostry, Research pathologist, North Central Research Station, mostry@fs.fed.us
Keith Magnussen, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, magnussk@michigan.gov
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
1. Determine the effects of wildfire disturbance following prescribed burning and mechanical
treatments, alone and in combination, on incidence and impact of forest insect pests and pathogens
in mature red pine stands in the Lake States.
2. Document the effects on forest health concerns of salvage harvesting operations following wildfire
disturbance.
Initial visits to the site suggested that those areas which received prescribed burning treatments
experienced lower fire intensity/severity than sites that were only harvested or used as controls (Figure 2).
This project seeks to quantify these impacts and demonstrate to managers the potential protective function
of prescribed burning in anticipation of wildfire events. In addition, salvage harvesting operations were
implemented quickly following the wildfire and we seek to examine the impact of this additional
disturbance on forest pests and disease and other ecosystem attributes.
JUSTIFICATION:
In May of 2012, lightning ignited the Duck Lake Wildfire, which over the course 3 weeks burned
21,069 acres in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and stands as the third-largest fire in Michigan’s history.
42.6 miles of fireline were built in the course of control efforts, but in the end, this fire resulted in the loss
of 136 structures. Many pine forests within the wildfire area experienced high intensity crown fire
(Michigan DNR). Fire regimes in red and white pine forests typically involved frequent (20-40 yr interval)
low to moderate intensity fires, with less frequent (100-300+ yr interval) high intensity stand replacing
fires. However, recent studies suggest that extreme fire weather and extreme fire events could increase in
frequency along with global climate change (Kloster et al, 2012).
The eastern edge of the Duck Lake Wildfire contained part of the Muskrat Lakes Fire/Fire
Surrogate study site (Figure 1). This site had previously been treated with prescribed fire, harvesting, and a
combination of these treatments in 2005-2006. Seven of twelve treatment areas burned over in the wildfire.
This disturbance allows us a spectacular opportunity to evaluate the impact of previous treatments on
wildfire severity and intensity in addition to continued shoot blight disease and wood-infesting insect
monitoring. It must also be noted that salvage harvesting took place almost immediately after the fire,
further changing the character of this site. Work at Muskrat Lakes has already demonstrated a reduction in
shoot blight spore catches in relation to active management. Plot re-establishment and further data
collection will add to the unfolding story on this site which now includes wildfire and salvage harvesting.
The successful execution of this project would advance FHM Fire Plan goals by acquiring results
soon after a disturbance and serving to advise managers in similar circumstances. Also, it would provide
information about a disturbance event that has been rare on the landscape for many years, but could
become a more commonplace occurrence as a result of climate change. Fire, bark beetle impacts, and
climate change are all very current and important topics. Information from this study could advise
managers on a regional and larger scale about these issues.
In addition, incidences of shoot blight pathogens remain an important forest health issue in pine
stands across the Lake States, as evidenced by FHM survey data reported in the annual Forest Health
Highlights. For instance, Diplodia shoot blight was reported as a hindrance to red pine regeneration in
several parts of Michigan in the 2008 highlights report. Sirococcus shoot blight damage was reported in
nearby Alger County, Michigan in 2010.
This project would remain cost effective by drawing on information and sampling infrastructure
that is already in place from a previous study. The personnel involved in this study are familiar with the
area and with prior data and would work closely with collaborators to take advantage of this excellent
scientific opportunity.
Duck Lake
Wildfire Burn
Area
County Rd 500
A
B
C
Figure 1: Burn area of the Duck
Lake Wildfire along County Rd
500 in Luce Co, Michigan and the
7 treatment areas contained within
the wildfire boundary.
D
Figure 2: Photos A and B show a before treatment (2004) and after
wildfire (2012) sequence in an area that had been harvested and prescribed
burned. Photos C and D are taken in the same timeframe in a treatment
area that was harvested but not burned. Note the increased scorch height
and lower crown scorch in photos C and D, areas that did not receive
prescribed burn treatment, following wildfire disturbance.
a. Background:
Fire can act as a natural control of certain insects and diseases (Hardison 1976, McCullough et al.
1998). Fire has been linked to reductions in the incidence of Armillaria and Annosus root rots (Froelich et
al. 1978, Reaves et al. 1990), and certain rust diseases (Parmeter and Uhrenholdt 1974). Shoot blight
pathogens have been increasing in importance in the Lake States (Ostry et al. 1999, Nichols and Ostry
1990, Ostry et al. 1990). Surface fires reduce understory vegetation and may raise the lower-level of the
canopy, changing microclimate and eliminating or reducing populations of shoot blight pathogens. High
intensity fires, however, can exacerbate forest health problems. Trees stressed by excessive crown scorch
are subject to colonization by bark beetles, wood-borers and root weevils. Low intensity prescribed fires,
therefore, should be considered an option for integrated pest management programs in red pine stands.
Initial reconnaissance of this site show it could serve as an excellent visual demonstration area for the
positive impacts of prescribed burning in anticipation of wildfire. These impacts include reduced bole and
crown scorch and, as a result, reduced tree stress leading to insect and disease problems (Figure 2).
In 1997, Linda Haugen, Mike Ostry, and Al Saberniak began a preliminary study in a 400 acre red
pine stand on the Hiawatha National Forest, which was partially prescribed burned in 1998 and 2000. We
used this effort to determine what response variables and means of data collection are feasible. Andrew
Storer is an entomology and pathology site discipline leader at the Blodgett forest site (in CA) of the
National Fire/Fire Surrogate (FFS) study funded by the Joint Fire Sciences Council. In 2002, Dr. Storer
and Dr. Linda Nagel selected and undertook preliminary work on Michigan DNR land in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan, in the vicinity of Muskrat Lakes in Luce County, to establish an independent
fire/fire surrogate site in naturally regenerated red pine. Harvesting and prescribed burning took place in
2005-2006 and the study was monitored as part of Rita M. Koch’s doctoral research for the next several
years. This same group of personnel would be available to tackle the new challenge presented by the
profound changes to this site.
b. Methods:
Study site and treatments: Twelve treatment areas of approximately 17 hectares each have been divided
into 3 blocks based upon predominant species composition. Twenty plot centers, 50 m apart, were
permanently marked in each treatment area and will be relocated using a metal detector and remarked.
Overstory tree information has been collected from each of the plot centers. The cost for establishing this
site, estimated at over $10,000, has been paid for from Michigan Technological University sources. The
treatment types are:
1. Untreated control - No cutting or burning in these blocks.
2. Prescribed fire only - No trees harvested in these blocks, spring prescribed burn used.
3. Harvest down to 50% crown closure favoring red and white pine.
4. Harvest followed by prescribed fire. An initial cut reducing crown closure to below 50% favoring red
and white pine. An understory burn took place under Michigan DNR supervision in 2006.
Seven of these treatment areas, including all 4 treatment types, burned over in the Duck Lake wildfire and
would be re-assessed in this study. The treatment areas outside the burn area could serve as areas for
comparison (Figure 1).
Data collection: New data on incidence of insects and pathogens will be collected in all treatment areas.
This sampling will be based around the plot centers already established in each treatment area. 1/10 acre
plots will be resampled to assess overstory characteristics of the forest following wildfire and salvage
harvesting. All trees in each treatment area will be assessed for beetle activity by conducting 360 degree
scans from each plot center and recording trees with discolored crowns or thin crowns. Wood infesting
insects will be assessed using passive flight intercept traps (Storer et al, 2002). Pathogens will be evaluated
using spore traps (Vaseline-coated slides).
c. Products: Results will be incorporated into recommendations that enable managers to make more
informed decisions about how the tool of prescribed fire can impact subsequent wildfire disturbance and
forest health issues. We will provide this information to end-users in “how-to” leaflets, extension bulletins,
web sites (e.g. USFS FHP web site in St. Paul), and visual media that show before and after differences in
treated versus untreated forests. Our results and recommendations will be presented at state and regional
meetings of federal, state and private forest managers and landowners, and presented at FHM working
group meetings. We will also document results in technical reports and scientific publications.
d. Schedule of Activities:
May 2013
July-Aug 2013
Sept-Dec 2013
Finalize study plan and acquire equipment and supplies
Field data collection
Data analysis, sample processing, preparation of outreach materials and visual materials for
managers, publish results; FHM report, and FHM fact sheet.
f. Literature cited in proposal and other supporting references
Dickmann, D.I., 1993. Management of red pine for multiple use benefits using prescribed fire. Northern
Journal of Applied Forestry 10:53-62.
Froelich, R.C., C.S. Hodges, Jr., and S.S. Sackett. 1978. Prescribed burning reduces severity of Annosus root
rot in the South. Forest Science 24:93-100.
Forest Health Monitoring, 2008 and 2010 Michigan Forest Health Highlights.
Hardison, J.R. 1976. Fire and flame for plant disease control. Annual review of Phytopathology 14:355-379.
Kloster, S., Mahowald, N.M, Randerson, J.T., and Lawrence, P.J. 2012. The impacts of climate, land use,
and demography on fires during the 21st century simulated by CLM-CN. Biogeosciences 9: 509-529.
McCullough, D.G., R.A. Werner and D. Neumann. 1998. Fire and insects in northern and boreal forests of
North America. Annual Review of Entomology 43:107-127.
Michigan DNR. 2012. Duck Lake Fire (Luce County) Final Fast Facts – as of June 15, 2012.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Quick_Facts_387797_7.pdf. Accessed September 26, 2012.
Neumann, D. D. 1997. Activity and diversity of carabid ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) following
prescribed burning in a mature red and white pine stand in southern Michigan. M.S. thesis, Michigan State
University.
Neumann, D.D. and D.I. Dickmann. 2001. Surface burning in a mature stand of Pinus resinosa and Pinus
strobus in Michigan: effects on understory vegetation. International Journal of Wildland Fire 10:91-101.
Nicholls, T.H., and M.E. Ostry. 1990. Sphaeropsis sapinea cankers on stressed red and jack pines in
Minnesota and Wisconsin. Plant Disease 74:54-56.
Ostry, M.E., T.H. Nicholls, and D.D. Skilling. 1990. Biology and control of Sirococcus shoot blight on red
pine. USDA Forest Service Research Paper. NC-295. 11p.
Ostry, M.E., L.M. Haugen, and J.G. O'Brien. 1999. Disease risk to uneven-aged red pine. p. 389-390 in
Proceedings of the Society of American Foresters 1998 National Convention. Traverse City, MI. 19-23
September 1998.
Parameter, J.R. Jr. and B. Uhrenholdt. 1974. Effects of smoke on pathogens and other fungi. Proceedings of
the Tall Timbers Forest Ecology Conference 14:299-303.
Reaves, J.L., C.G. Shaw III, and J.E. Mayfield. 1990 The effects of Trichoderma spp. isolated from burned
and unburned forest soils on the growth and development of Armillaria ostoyae in culture. Northwest
Science 64:39-44.
Storer, Andrew J., David L. Wood, Daniel T. Stark, and Scott L. Stephens. 2003. Effects of fire and fire
surrogate treatments on activity levels of wood infesting insects. Page 93 In: Blodgett Forest Research
Station, Research Symposium 2003: Abstracts, February 7-8. University of California, Center for Forestry.
Georgetown, California. Blodgett Forest Research Symposium Abstracts on the Web.
Storer, Andrew J., D. L. Wood, Stark D. T., Bonello, Pierluigi, and T. R. Gordon. 2002. Bark beetle landing
rates as indicators of future tree mortality. Page 61. In: Blodgett Forest Research Station, Research
Symposium 2002: Abstract Presentations, January 25-26. University of California, Center for Forestry.
Georgetown, California. Abstract (.pdf); Blodgett Forest Research Symposium Abstracts on the Web.
COSTS
The 2013 funding request is $9095.88
2013
Requested FHM
EM-Fire
Funding
Item
Administration
Salary (MTU)
5,200
Overhead (MTU,
15%)
Travel
Procurements
Other-Source
Funding
7,000
795.88
2,200
Contracting
Equipment
Supplies
Total
200
700
$9095.88
7,000
Source
MTU