GASNER DIVIDE UNDERBURN

Mount Hough Ranger District
Plumas National Forest

152m
Looking up toward Gansner Divide
from downtown Quincy. Plumas
County courthouse in foreground.
Looking north to Quincy from
Watershed Road(Project
Map).

The Mount Hough Ranger District undertook a prescribed fire beginning June 18 and ending June 27. The area of the burn covered approximately 287 acres. The area had been thinned in 1996 and 1997 as part of the Westside Biomass Project.

Herein is a case study of burn. Elements of the case study include the following:

134m 135m 141m

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES

  1. Reduce fire hazard and facilitate resource protection by;

    A. Reducing fuel loadings to an amount that will not allow for fireline intensities greater than 100, i.e., flame lengths less than 4 feet.

  2. Maintain structural components associated with older stands, ie.; large trees, large down logs, large snags and multi-layered stands.
  3. Maintain 75% of ground cover within the Stream Management Zone (SMZ).
  4. Preserve any heritage resources identified as needing protection/avoidance.

PRESCRIBED BURN OBJECTIVES

  1. Eliminate 75% of 1 and 10 hour fuels.
  2. Eliminate 50% of 100 hour fuels.
  3. Maintain 2 large diameter logs/acre where present (20 inch diameter x 10 feet long).
  4. Maintain 90%- of standing snags (24"+).
  5. Maintain 90% of crop trees over 8 inch dbh.
  6. Maintain 50% of ground cover.

DESIRED EFFECTS AND TOLERABLE DEVIATIONS

  1. Eliminate 5O-90% of 1 and 10 hour fuels (0-1 inch).
  2. Eliminate 30-70% of 100 hour fuels (1-3 inches).
  3. Maintain 1-3 large diameter logs/acre on average over entire area (20 inch diameter at breast height).
  4. Maintain 80 - 100% of large (24 inches+) standing snags.
  5. Maintain 80-100% of crop trees.
  6. Maintain 40-100% of ground cover.

 

142m 148m 150m
     

PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION:

Unit No. 1 2 3 4 5 9 10 N
Acres 37 20 6 68 63 42 33 18
Perimeter 145 chains 68 chains 34 chains 175 chains 146 chains 167 chains 117 chains 61 chains
Top Elevation 4,260 6,010 6,220 5,620 5,240 5,580 4,760 5,040
Bottom Elevation 4,100 5,830 6,080 5,160 4,720 5,240 4,340 4,480
Aspect All N N NE N-W NE-NW All W-NW
Slope, Ave% 15% 13% 20% 15% 23% 15% 10%. -50%
County Plumas

 

UNIT NUMBER: 1 2 3 4 5 9 10 N
NFFL Fuel Model (Inside) 11 8 8 11 11 11 11 11
NFFL Fuel Model (outside) 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 8
FUEL LOADING (TONS PER ACRE)
0 -.25" 0.5 1.2 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 1.3
0.26 -1.0" 4.4 4.1 4.1 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.3 5.8
1.1-3.0" 4.0 6.6 6.6 3.0 3.0 3.5 3.0 7.8
3.1-9.0” 6.1 10.6 10.6 10.9 10.9 8.9 10.9 19.1
9.1-20.0" 1.4 - - 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4
20.1” 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1
Total 18.5 24.6 24.6 19.8 19.8 18.3 19.8 37.5

 

 

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