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Evaluating a selective harvest operation as a forest fuel treatment as a forest fuel treatment. A case study in a mature douglas-fir forest in central interior British Columbia

https://library.fpinnovations.ca/en/permalink/fpipub53038
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
MacKinnon, Brandon
Date
September 2020
Material Type
Research report
Field
Fibre Supply
. .............................................................................................. 5 List of tables Table 1. Potential for crown fire initiation at 90th percentile conditions
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
MacKinnon, Brandon
Contributor
City of Quesnel
Date
September 2020
Material Type
Research report
Physical Description
18 p.
Sector
Forest Operations
Field
Fibre Supply
Research Area
Forestry
Subject
Wildfires
Forestry
Fuel
Black spruce
Alberta
Density
Physical properties
Mulch
Forest fire
Crown fire
Wind
FPI TR
FOP Technical Report
Series Number
Technical Report ; TR 2020 n.34
Location
Quesnel, British Columbia
Language
English
Abstract
The City of Quesnel, B.C. has applied an innovative selective harvesting technique in a mature Douglas-fir forest stand with the objectives of maintaining biodiversity and reducing fuel-load buildup and consequent wildfire threat. FPInnovations researchers monitored and documented the harvesting operations and measured machine productivity to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the operation. To support the assessment of fuel-load reduction, FPInnovations’ Wildfire Operations group conducted pre- and post-harvest fuel-sampling activities to evaluate changes in forest fuel components.
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Fire behaviour in black spruce forest fuels following mulch fuel treatments: a case study at Red Earth Creek, Alberta

https://library.fpinnovations.ca/en/permalink/fpipub6093
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Schroeder, Dave
Thompson, Dan
Date
October 2016
Edition
44254
Material Type
Research report
Field
Fibre Supply
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Schroeder, Dave
Thompson, Dan
Date
October 2016
Edition
44254
Material Type
Research report
Physical Description
30 p.
Sector
Forest Operations
Field
Fibre Supply
Research Area
Forestry
Subject
Wildfires
Forestry
Fuel
Black spruce
Alberta
Density
Physical properties
Mulch
Forest fire
Crown fire
Wind
FOP Technical Report
FPI TR
Series Number
Technical Report ; TR 2016 n.42
Language
English
Abstract
Forest fuels engineering is one of the primary wildfire mitigation strategies advocated by FireSmart™ Canada and applied by partnering wildfire management agencies and industry operators. Fuel treatments have been extensively applied in and around communities in the wildland-urban interface, through a broad range of fuel modification techniques. A primary objective of fuel treatments is to modify fire behaviour to a ‘less difficult, disruptive, and destructive’ state (Reinhardt et al. 2008) which can allow for safer, more effective fire suppression operations (Moghaddas and Craggs 2007). Black spruce is one of the most prevalent fuel types surrounding communities in central and northern Alberta, as well as other parts of boreal Canada. The densely stocked black spruce forest stands in the Red Earth Creek FireSmart research area exhibit typical crown fuel properties of black spruce: high crown bulk density and low crown base height, which contribute to crown fire initiation (Van Wagner 1977). These fuel characteristics, combined with low fuel moisture contents and strong winds, create ideal conditions for high-intensity, rapidly-spreading catastrophic wildfire (Flat Top Complex Wildfire Review Committee 2012). Mulch fuel treatments use various types of equipment to masticate forest vegetation resulting in a reduction in crown bulk density and the conversion of canopy and ladder fuels to a more compacted and less available fuel source in the surface layer (Battaglia et al. 2010). Mulch thinning and strip mulch treatments create a more open surface fuel environment with both negative and positive impacts. Due to increased exposure to sun and wind flow, the chipped debris and other surface fuels in the open areas of the treatments dry more quickly than fine fuels in enclosed stands (Schiks and Wotton 2015). From a control perspective, the open thinned areas of the treatments allow more effective penetration of water/suppressant through canopy fuels to surface fuels (Hsieh in progress). Additionally, fine fuels at the surface of openings respond more quickly to water and suppressant application. Open areas of the treatments that have been wetted by sprinkler systems or aerial water delivery should reduce the potential for ignition and sustained burning, providing a potential barrier to fire spread. Experimental crown fires have been conducted to challenge fuels treatments in other forest fuel types (Schroeder 2010, Mooney 2013) to evaluate the efficacy of these treatments in moderating fire behaviour. Mechanical (shearblading) fuel treatments in black spruce fuels (Butler et al. 2013) have been shown to reduce fire intensity. However, documentation of crown fire challenging mulch fuel treatments in black spruce fuels is limited. Fire and fuels managers would like to evaluate the effectiveness of mulch fuel treatments in reducing fire intensity and rate of spread and, ultimately, their ability to mitigate wildfire risk to communities surrounding these hazardous fuels. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AAF) Wildfire Management Branch fuels managers designed the Red Earth Creek FireSmart research area with the objective of conducting research that will lead to a better understanding of mulch fuel treatments and how these changes in the black spruce fuel environment affect fire behaviour. On May 14, 2015, Slave Lake Forest Area personnel conducted an experimental fire at this site; FPInnovations and research partners collected data to document changes in fire behaviour.
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Fire behaviour in jack pine/ black spruce fuels following mulch fuel treatments: a case study at the CBCFS project

https://library.fpinnovations.ca/en/permalink/fpipub40235
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Date
November 2016
Material Type
research report
Field
Fibre Supply
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Date
November 2016
Material Type
research report
Physical Description
1 p.
Sector
Forest Operations
Field
Fibre Supply
Research Area
Wildfire Operations
Subject
Fire
Crown fire
Mulch
Treatment
Series Number
InfoNote ; 2016 n.23
Language
English
Abstract
The Canadian Boreal Community FireSmart project has been the site of several research projects designed to evaluate the efficacy of fuel treatments in mitigating wildfire. In June 2016, FPInnovations conducted an experimental crown fire which challenged a mulch fuel treatment.
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Fuel amendment as a forest fuel removal treatment: exploratory trials in black spruce fuels at the Fort Providence Wildfire Experimental Site

https://library.fpinnovations.ca/en/permalink/fpipub36410
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Date
May 2020
Material Type
Research report
Field
Fibre Supply
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Contributor
Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources
Date
May 2020
Material Type
Research report
Physical Description
15 p.
Sector
Forest Operations
Field
Fibre Supply
Research Area
Wildfire Operations
Subject
Fire
Crown fire
Mulch
Treatment
Black spruce
FPI TR
Picea mariana
Series Number
Technical Reports ; TR 2020 n.21
Language
English
Abstract
A fuel amendment treatment is proposed as a technique that can allow prescribed burning in hazardous fuels during low to moderate fire hazard conditions to minimize the risk of fire escape. In August 2017, a fuel amendment technique was applied at the Fort Providence Wildfire Experimental Site. In October 2019, a burn trial was conducted in a plot treated with the fuel amendment technique and fire spread to adjacent fuels was documented. Future documentation at this site will include assessing crown mortality to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
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Fuel treatment intensity and fire behaviour. Experimental fires in mulched fuels at Pelican mountain

https://library.fpinnovations.ca/en/permalink/fpipub36371
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Date
March 2020
Material Type
Research report
Field
Fibre Supply
Author
Hvenegaard, Steven
Contributor
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AAF)
Date
March 2020
Material Type
Research report
Physical Description
15 p.
Sector
Forest Operations
Field
Fibre Supply
Research Area
Forestry
Subject
Wildfires
Forestry
Fuel
Black spruce
Alberta
Density
Physical properties
Mulch
Forest fire
Crown fire
Wind
FPI TR
FOP Technical Report
Series Number
Technical Report ; TR 2020 n.18
Language
English
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of applying three mulch treatment intensities on fuel bed characteristics and the resultant fire behaviour. This is a companion report to a previously published report titled Mulching productivity in black spruce fuels: Productivity as a function of treatment intensity. The findings of these fire behaviour trials, in conjunction with productivity results, can assist fuel management practitioners in developing appropriate cost-effective mulching prescriptions.
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Phos-Chek Solid Foam Stick and Scotty Foam-Fast Applicator evaluation

https://library.fpinnovations.ca/en/permalink/fpipub44261
Author
Campbell, Roy
Date
January 2017
Material Type
Research report
Field
Fibre Supply
Author
Campbell, Roy
Date
January 2017
Material Type
Research report
Physical Description
21 p.
Sector
Forest Operations
Field
Fibre Supply
Research Area
Forestry
Subject
Wildfires
Forestry
Fuel
Black spruce
Alberta
Density
Physical properties
Mulch
Forest fire
Crown fire
Wind
FOP Technical Report
FPI TR
Series Number
Technical Report ; TR 2017 n.3
Language
English
Abstract
Class A foam “lowers water’s surface tension making it more effective in suppressing fire in Class A combustibles (wood, vegetation, paper and cotton products and rubber)” (ICL Performance Products LP, n.d.). Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has used class A liquid foam and liquid foam inductor kits in wildfire suppression since the 1980s. Although class A liquid foam has proven to be an effective tool, promoting the consistent use of it in Alberta has been a challenge since its introduction. Firefighter reluctance to use class A foam is often linked to reasons such as set-up time, working with the foam solution, system awkwardness, and anecdotal comparisons to straight water. Alberta’s Provincial Warehouse and Service Centre (PWSC) was approached by ICL Performance Products LP (ICL) regarding a new class A foam system, the Phos-Chek SOLID Foam Stick and Scotty Foam-Fast Applicator. The foam stick and applicator were promoted by ICL as a simple and effective way of producing low-expansion class A foam using minimal equipment. Following an ICL presentation to Alberta’s PWSC and Fireline Equipment Working Group (FEWG), a decision was made to pursue field trials before considering a large-scale purchase. To facilitate field trials, the PWSC purchased several applicators and a supply of foam sticks with the intent of having their firefighters assess the system. Further discussion by the group identified a lack of consistent evaluation criteria and a need for documented, fact-based test results. In follow-up, the PWSC requested assistance from Alberta’s Wildfire Management Science and Technology (WMST) program to engage a research provider, and in March of 2015, they asked FPInnovations to conduct an evaluation of the Phos-Chek SOLID Foam Stick (formulation ID #049-019F) and the Scotty Foam-Fast Applicator (model 4010-50). FPInnovations worked with the WMST program working group, PWSC manager, and designated FEWG members to review research questions, project needs and develop the following project objectives.
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6 records – page 1 of 1.