It also provided the portability to all look at a shared map as they roamed the burn scar. (Image courtesy of American Forests)įor the BLM’s Francis and other foresters, ArcGIS Online became the place to combine data and plan collaboratively. Oaks are coming back because they are well adapted to these conditions. The low-elevation foothills in and around the Camp Fire burn scar are warming up and drying out faster than any part of the state, aside from the Mojave Desert. GIS is used to perform this suitability analysis, with predictions that improve with more data. This level of climate action requires a detailed map to understand what exists, the conditions best suited for each plant, and where similar conditions can be found elsewhere. “In the Camp Fire area, because of its low elevation, it’s quickly turning from dense mixed conifer forest into a place that wants to be more oak and grassland and chaparral and gray pine.”Īnalysts at American Forests apply models that use spatial analytics to consider species tolerances and soil types, along with climate forecasts about heat and rainfall, to predict what plants will want to live in a place, far into the future. “Assisted migration is a no-brainer for our organization, knowing that forests need to adapt,” Rempel said. It’s up to foresters to plant for what the forest wants to become, a practice known as “assisted migration.” Trees can’t just pick up their roots and move, and a natural migration could take centuries. Low-elevation sugar pine is going to be a thing of the past.” Assisting Tree Migration “For instance, sugar pine is everyone’s favorite tree because they grow big and look nice, but climate models say they don’t want to live here anymore. “This place doesn’t want to be the same forest because it’s so climate challenged,” said Austin Rempel, senior manager of reforestation at the nonprofit American Forests. Together, these fires have left few trees untouched in this corner of northern California. Since then, more megafires have hit, including the North Complex fire that consumed 318,935 acres in 2020, and the Dixie Fire that burned 963,309 acres this summer. Several fires had burned across the same 153,336-acre Camp Fire burn area in less than a decade. To create a smart restoration plan she convened experts to combine their knowledge about the land and forest using geographic information system (GIS) technology to build a sustainable plan. The pace of change in the forests around Paradise, however, has forced everyone to re-examine their understanding and try to catch up. (Image courtesy of American Forests)ĭuring her more than 20-year forestry career, Francis has seen shifts in forest health from drought, insects, disease, and climate. Wolfy Rougle of the Butte County Resource Conservation District surveys plans. “We want to plant it back better to withstand wildfire and future climate, so the community is not vulnerable like that again,” said Coreen Francis, California and Nevada state forester at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Rather than simply replant what was there, the Bureau of Land Management set out to map a climate-informed restoration plan. Ever since, experts have been devising ways to safeguard against another tragedy and rebuild the forest destroyed by the 2018 Camp Fire. Three years ago, an enormous California wildfire claimed 85 lives and consumed the entire town of Paradise. Foresters accessed the maps in the forest to make precise decisions.Land managers use GIS to be strategic, making the most of scarce resources.Foresters record details about vegetation and conditions to understand the ecosystems.A shared map enabled foresters and land managers to devise a collaborative and science-informed plan to reforest the Camp Fire burn scar with the right mix of plants in the right places.
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