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…….
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