Black Hills Complex Tetlin NWR and Wrangell St. Elias NPP

Long Term Assessment August 2003Kara Paintner

Overview• Two fires – Fish Lake and

Black Hills• Wildland Fire for

Resource Benefit• Fire Size and Progression• Weather • Points of Concern• Rare Events Risk

Assessment Process (RERAP) results

• Potential for Research and Monitoring

Thank you…• Mary Kwart• Peter Butteri• Brian Sorbel – NPS Alaska

Region Fire GIS Specialist• Marsha Henderson – Fire

Management Officer, Wrangell St. Elias NPP

• Tim Hammond and staff – AFS GIS

• Line Officers at both Tetlin NWR and Wrangell St. Elias NPP

Fish Lake Fire

• Lightning 7/21/2003

• Burning in area of 1996 fire

• Currently 110 acres

Black Hills Fire• Started

7/16/2003• Major

Growth – 7/22/03– 8/9-

13/03– 8/15/03– 8/17/03– 8/18/03

• Currently 42,600 ac

Resources to be Protected

• Fuels assessed for each line to points of concern

• Historical winds examined to see the probability of winds pushing fire toward a point of concern

Rare Events Risk Assessment Process (RERAP)

• Season ending Event – Rainfall combined with depression of the Duff Moisture Code

Highest Risks

Direction ProbabilityWorst

Case Points of

Concern

Method Rare/

Significant Events

Segment H – SE flank to MMA Boundary across Chisana River

5 % by 9/1518 % by

9/15MMA

BoundaryRare Event

Segment D – SE flank to Management Action Point on west side of Chisana River

3% by 9/1514% by

9/15

MAP and MMA Boundary

Rare Event

Segment A – Fish Lake fire to allotment near Northway

3% by 9/158% by

9/15

Allotment and Northway

Rare Event

Summary

• Largest Fire in Refuge History

• Fire Effects appear within Natural Range of Variability

• ‘Nice’ Mosaic• Burn Severity Mapping • Effects of mosaic on

different habitats• More research w/

Roger Ottmar• Others…….