Warm Fire Recovery Project

Background

The Warm Fire was started by lightning on June 8. The fire met the criteria for wildland fire use spelled out in the Kaibab National Forest's land and fire management plans, and federal wildland fire management policies. The forest managed the as a wildland fire use fire for approximately two and a half weeks.

However, the fire escaped the boundaries prescribed for wildland fire use and burned about 40,000 acres in the central part of the Kaibab Plateau from June 25, when fire managers shifted from a wildland fire use to a suppression strategy, until it was contained on July 4. Much of that area burned at a high intensity and suffered severe fire effects.

The Kaibab National Forest and its partners are now developing a series of post-fire monitoring, research and recovery projects, and reviewing management of the fire to learn lessons about future wildland fire use management on the Kaibab Plateau.

Fire Management & Effects

Wildland Fire Use Management
(documents and photos related to the fire when it was being managed as a WFU)
Wildland Fire Suppression

Effects
A Burned Area Emergency Response team identified roughly 17,300 acres, about 30 percent of the total fire area, as having high burn severity as it relates to soil and watershed conditions. Of those acres, 11,750 acres required immediate stabilization treatments. During the week of July 24, the 11,750 acres were aerially seeded with sterile annual rye grass seed by fixed-wing aircraft. We expect these treatments to result in rapid growth of ground cover that will reduce the risk of flooding, soil erosion and invasion of noxious weeds...

BAER Team Report — .pdf (78.6 kb)

With stabilization measures completed, we turned our attention to post fire recovery of the wildfire area. A team of resource specialists was convened to evaluate resource conditions in the wildfire area and identify opportunities for recovery work...
Assessment FINAL, April 2007 — .pdf (5.11 mb)
The – After Action Review, March 2007 — .pdf (62.3 kb)

Post Fire Recovery

Rehabilitation And Recovery Plan And Status Summary; December 2008: .pdf (45 kb)

Specific Projects

Reforestation Project

Maps
ADOT Hazard Tree Removal
NKRD Hazard Tree Removal along Highways and Forest System Roads and Trails in the 2006
Range Improvement
RMRS Research
Recovery EIS

Recovery Project: Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement and Appendicies (March 2009)

Errata, Record of Decision (April 16, 2009) (17kb .pdf file)

Analysis Background

Related Literature

USDA Forest Service, 2008a. Higgins, B (2.07MB .pdf file). A Comparative Analysis of Forest Recovery After Uncharacteristic Fire in Ponderosa Pine Forest

A report that documents monitoring and evaluation of four previous fires on and near the Kaibab National Forest; both salvage logged and not salvage logged, and planted and not planted. Comparisons are made for several ecosystem attibutes, along with evaluations and conclusions regarding effects of both active and passive management.

Public Involvement

Postcard from the Field: Survey; October 2007:

Release

Partners Field Trip Notes, October 12, 2006:

.pdf (90.5 kb)

Public Questions & Responses Generated from Kanab Public Meeting on Oct. 11, 2006:

.pdf (103 kb)

Collaboration Phase Comments:

.pdf (102 kb)

Recover EIS - Slide Show:

.pdf (76.5 kb)

Salvage Public Meeting Notes, Flagstaff, Arizona February 8, 2007: