Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Milford Grade Wildfire
Date: 10/12/2010
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Location Information
Region: 5
Forest: Plumas NF
District: Beckwourth
Wildfire Information (consistent with 5100-29)
Fire Number: CA-PNF-000151
Fire Name: Milford Grade Fire
Date of Fire Start mm/dd/yr: 4/22/2009
Final Fire Size (acres): 226
Date When Fire Entered Treatment: 4/22/2009
Treated Area Burned (acres): 216
Date Fire Contained: 4/22/2009
Fuel Treatment Information and Background:
The Last Chance DFPZ (Defensible Fuel Profile Zone) was planned and
implemented in accordance with the HFQLG framework as amended by the
2001 ROD and was approved by the Beckwourth District Ranger on July 18th of
2001.
This project is part of the strategic DFPZ network and was designed to reduce
the potential for large high-intensity wildfires while providing a relatively safe
location for fire suppression resources to take action. The desired condition
was to decrease stand density by providing openings in the overstory and retain
stands dominated by mostly larger, fire tolerant trees. The desired canopy
cover was not to exceed 40% and surface fuel loading less than 10 tons per
acre. These objectives were to be achieved through a suite of treatments on
5,784 acres including group selection, biomass thinning, grapple piling and
burning, hand thinning and pile burning as well as prescribed broadcast
burning.
The fire originated on the east side of Last Chance Creek on the western
border of a portion of the Last Chance Defensible Fuel Profile Zone (DFPZ).
This strategic fuel reduction project received chainsaw thin and slash piling
treatment in 2002. Follow up pile burning operations were done in the spring
and fall of 2004 and some units were underburned in the spring of 2005.
Las
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
1
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Treatment Type and Acres affected by Milford Fire
FACTS subunit ID
0511015160105000000
Last Chance Unit 18
294 acres
0511015160106000000
Last Chance Unit 27
32 acres
0511015160107000000
Last Chance Unit 30
38 acres
0511015160115000000
Last Chance Group
Selection 36 acres
Treatment Prescription, date
completed and total acres
Precommercial thin 9/15/2002
Pile burn 9/15/2004
Underburn May 2005
Precommercial thin 6/15/2002
Pile burn 9/15/2004
Underburn May 2005
Precommercial thin 7/15/2002
Pile burn 9/15/2004
Underburn May 2005
Group Selection 6/15/2002
Acres overlap with Milford
Fire
25 acres
32 acres
36 acres
3 acres
Narrative of Fire Interaction with Fuel Treatment
The Milford Fire on the Plumas National Forest was started by lighting from
thunder cell that moved through the eastern portion of the Beckwourth Ranger
District on April 21st. The Milford Fire burned approximately 230 acres in one
complete burning period the following day, much of it within the Last Chance
DFPZ project area. The general weather was typical for a passing cold front on
leeward side of the Sierra Nevada. The Milford Fire was discovered the
following day and at that point was well established with a smoke column
visible from the communities along the Hwy 395 corridor. Environmental
conditions for the initial attack burning period consisted of moderate spring
time temperatures, low relative humidity as well as an approaching cold front
that was producing high south west winds. The winds were sustained at 10-20
mph with gusts of up to 30 mph (table 1). The majority of the burn area was
approximately 5700 ft in elevation with variable aspects and low to moderate
slope gradients.
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
2
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Figure 1. The Milford Fire perimeter with completed fuel reduction treatments
within the Last Chance DFPZ project area.
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
3
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Personnel assigned to the incident
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Initial Attack-Type 4/5 IC BC-14, Type 3 IC BC-12
2 CDF Water Tenders
3 Type 3 Engines (Cal Fire and Forest Service)
2 Dozers (Cal Fire)
Air Attack
1 Type 3 Helicopter
3 Divisions Supervisors
Fire Investigator
3 Type 2 Twenty-person Hand Crews (Cal Fire)
Operational tactics consisted of anchor and flank with dozers and crews with
water support from type 3 engines. Field observations from division supervisors
units on the ground reported that the treatment areas appeared to have
provided a safe anchor point for crews to initiate line construction. The low
surface fuel loading allowed for increased line production rates due to low fire
line intensities and flame lengths allowing for direct attack suppression tactics.
In addition the Last Chance DFPZ demonstrated the ability to reduce overall
fire severity. The area shows minimal damage to the residual stands and low
mortality across the burn area. In general the areas of the fire that had adverse
fire effects was where slope steepness increased and was in alignment with the
southwest wind direction. The Last Chance DFPZ was effective at reducing fire
size and providing protection for natural resources.
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
4
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Photo 1 View of Milford Fire from Milford Air Attack.
Photo 2 Milford fire point of origin with Last Chance Creek in background
limiting backing fire potential. This site was untreated and met the desired fuel
conditions identified for the Last Chance DFPZ.
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
5
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Photo 3 Adjacent to point of origin facing east within the precommercial
thinning unit 27 with follow up underburn treatment unit. Fire effects
consisted of low scorch heights with moderate consumption of surface fuels.
Photo 4 South of Stone Dairy Cabin - Top of moderate slope on Division C in
an area that received no treatment and had high tree mortality. Fire effects in
this area consisted of mixed severity and high scorch heights with areas of near
full crown consumption. The surface fuel profile experienced near complete
surface fuel consumption including the duff and litter layers exposing large
areas (3+ acres) of bare mineral soil.
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
6
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Conditions When Fire Entered Treatment
Date and Source of Observations: Coyote RAWS
ERC (value and percentile):
Windspeed and Direction: 2 mph
Temperature: 45 degrees
RH: 14 – 34%
Fuel Moistures
1 hr:
10 hr: 10 gm
100 hr:
Live Fuel Moisture: Before Green Up
1000 hr:
Measured or Estimated?
Table 1 Coyote RAWS Weather Observations during Milford Fire.
Weather Observations on 4-22-2009 Coyote RAWS Station
Date and Time
Temp
(°F)
Dew
Point
(°F)
RH
(%)
Wind
Speed
(mph)
Wind
Gust
(mph)
Wind
Direction
Precip
Accum
(in)
10hr Fuel
Moisture
4/22/2009
7:59
4/22/2009
8:59
4/22/2009
9:59
4/22/2009
10:59
4/22/2009
11:59
4/22/2009
12:59
4/22/2009
13:59
4/22/2009
14:59
4/22/2009
15:59
4/22/2009
16:59
4/22/2009
17:59
4/22/2009
18:59
4/22/2009
19:59
45
37.6
75
2
4
ESE
10.35
10
56
41.4
58
2
4
S
10.35
10
68
38.6
34
5
8
SE
10.35
9
70
32.6
25
10
19
WSW
10.35
8
71
19.4
14
13
23
SW
10.35
7
72
24.8
17
14
24
SW
10.35
7
72
21.8
15
14
31
WSW
10.35
7
71
21
15
18
31
WSW
10.35
6
71
21
15
19
33
WSW
10.35
7
70
21.7
16
15
29
WSW
10.35
6
68
21.6
17
15
28
SW
10.35
6
65
24.1
21
11
24
WSW
10.35
6
61
30.2
31
8
18
SW
10.35
6
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
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Fuel Treatment Effectiveness
Additional Documentation
Recommend Additional Documentation? No
Name and Title of Person Completing the Report
Jon G. Lamb, Fire Ecologist
and
Colin Dillingham, Ecologist
Contact
Information
E-mail jlamb@fs.fed.us
cdillingham@fs.fed.us
Milford Grade Fire, Region 5, Plumas National Forest
Telephone 541-618-2106
530-283-7881
8