Reflections

It's been over four months since I returned home and to class from Lassen Park. In that time, I've learned a lot about forest ecology, fire dynamics, and trees in general. This has clarified my understanding of the project we did in the field all summer, and enriched my knowledge of succession and dynamic forest structure. Understanding fire regimes and the factors which define it - terrain, fuels, and weather- I can see the objective of the project much more clearly. Once defined quantitatively, these three factors define the fire regime. Terrain is perhaps the easiest to map, all variables (slope, aspect, elevation) available from a DEM (digital elevation model). Fuels are perhaps the most difficult. They are divided into ground, surface, and canopy; and they vary with species, density, age, and history of the stand. A layer of ground and surface fuels already exists, mapped by Calvin Farris. The data we collected will be used to make a map layer of canopy fuels, an extremely important factor when determining fire behavior, intensity, and potential severity. Canopy fuels determine the necessary intensity of surface fire to transition into the crown of trees. This can be the difference between a surface fire which consumes fuels without harming trees and a surface fire which torches (kills) many large trees.

 The above photo exemplifies the 'ladder' phenomenon, as well as the importance of canopy base height in determining canopy fuels. All the smallest trees are totally burnt, having canopy bases near the ground. Some of the intermediate trees torched because the small trees acted as a ladder for fire, and the intermediates almost acted as a ladder up to this emergent pije. You can see the intermediate tree to its right has torched on one side, very close to the canopy of the emergent pije. Other trees with higher canopies survived, however a few taller (intermediate) trees were torched, likely due to the ladder effect. The conditions pictured are ideal, creating a large amount of diversity in forest structure, because the area has never been subject to fire suppression or logging. This is a fire adapted forest (above). Below is an example of a tsme (mountain hemlock) forest stand. The trees are very far apart with little surface fuels and no ground fuels. This stand generates fuels much more slowly due to species type and elevation, located above 8000' on Brokeoff Mountain.

To the left, in contrast with the above forest stands, is a dense pico stand on the edge of Juniper Lake. This stand appears even-aged and is very dense with low canopy base height. The amount of fuels and the lack of diversity in tree height/canopy height raises the fire regime for this type of stand. Pico does not generate quite as much fuel as abco, which perhaps creates the most surface and canopy fuels of any species in the park.

In the field, I noticed a large amount of variation in species and structure of forest stands, often seeming dependent on elevation. Terrain characteristics, like elevation and aspect, influence the vegetation in the region. It is important to understand that while we can define a fire regime based on: terrain, fuels, and weather; these three characteristics are in no way static or independent. All three variables influence each other and are constantly undergoing change, such as how elevation can influence weather/climate, restricting which species can survive in the area, influencing the amounts/rates of fuels.

The measurements we took in the field gauge canopy fuels very well, as well as a plethora of other data. The number of statistical tests and models that can be generated with this data is immense. Spatial analysis, such as Morisita's index, is possible, as well as complex multivariate analysis like cluster analysis and rotation. While the main goal of the project is to quantify canopy fuels in a map layer, many other features and characteristics of the park can be described as well. Relationships between variables can be examined, such as fuels and species related to elevation or aspect.

The repeat photography project we worked on will be used for a different purpose. Rather than quantifying fire regimes or examining spatial patterns, this project seeks to show dynamic change in a forest structure. This change can then be examined and possible causes hypothesized. In regions where we know the causes of change, the photos are a fantastic teaching tool. These photos may even show evidence of a dynamic of change not yet discovered; a starting point for further research.

We also took several tree cores from subjectively chosen plots. The plots were even-aged fir stands with evidence of previous fire history. The project aims to age all the trees in the plot, and associate them with a previous fire of known date. This can, in turn, help us understand post-fire dynamics, such as shrub-field to tree succession.

Here is a poster I made of some photos and their relative locations. Red lines depict a feature in the picture on the map. White lines depict the location the picture was taken

Weeks 9 &10

With only four more days remaining of my summer internship in Lassen, I am amazed at how quickly the summer has passed. My time spent in the woods confirmed and elevated my love for the outdoors, and has further prepared me for more adventures.

Today, our last off-day until I depart for home on the 11th, I spent preparing for the long journey home. Between having my oil changed, cleaning out the whole inside of the van, and catching up with friends back east, I've left myself little time for updating the ol' blog. Fortunately, I am able to type a bit, and update you on some of the exciting occurrences in my past week or so. Last Thursday afternoon, after a week of working with two cool Forest Service employees from Oregon, we departed for South Lake Tahoe for a couple of days. Putting in seven straight days of 8-11 hours granted us two much-desired days off. Evan invited us down to his place at So. Lake, with plans to travel to San Fransisco for the Phillies v Giants game. Last minute, however, I opted to stay in Tahoe and get some riding in while Andrew and Evan headed to San Fran. My decision was well rewarded; the cyclists mantra "always ride" has yet to fail me.

Thursday night we headed to Meyers, a small town just south of the lake where some of Evan's friends live. Dan and Jeremy were planning a group ride the next day, and so of course I opted to join. Friday morning, after a quick breakfast, we geared up and drove to the trailhead. After negotiating a rather rough and tumble dirt road, a short half hour climb up yielded 10-11 miles of unbelievably exciting downhill. The trails in Tahoe are simply incredible. Flowy, rocky, technical; rock gardens with fantastic obstacles and drops slowly yeilded to smooth, flowing berm turns which twisted through pine stands so fast it shoots you out dizzy with exhileration. There were plenty of drops, jumps, and great rock features, many of which were above my comfort level. While I managed a few features, these trails are the type that only become more fun as you work out your lines and dial in each jump, drop and launch.

Saturday morning, Jeremy and I decided one ride only wet our appetite (mine especially), and so we headed out early to tag Mr. Toads Wild Ride, one of the most famous trails in the country. Offering even more spectacular riding, Mr. Toads also balances its ridiculous rock gardens and technical drops with smooth, flowing singletrack. Perhaps the best part about both endeavors was the ending point; right in Dan and Jeremy's backyard. This unbeatable setup makes shuttle runs especially easy.

Heading back to the park after Mr. Toads, we arrived somewhat late around 10:30, and began the next weeks work. Fortunately, it was only four days of work; unfortunately, bees saw to it being a less-than-perfect work week. Before leaving for Tahoe, I was stung in the chest on Wednesday. That was the first time I've been stung in about 8 years. It wouldn't be the last. This past Tuesday, as we were taking a repeat photo, a bee decided it would sting me in the right forearm, completely untaunted. As angry as I was about this odd twist of fate, I had no idea that the next day would carry with it even more poor luck. While measuring a tree I felt what could only be another sting on my left shin. Almost in disbelief, I raised my pantleg to find a bee hanging, dead, from its stinger on my leg. While my mind processed this, I was consecutively being stung on my right shin in nearly the exact same place. That's right, four bee stings, one week, three different days/locations. After nearly a decade without a single sting. Coincidence? Bee Conspiracy? I'll let you decide. All I know is I'm swollen in three out of four limbs and quite bee-paranoid.

In other current events, their has been some serious wild-fire activity recently. A thunderstorm managed to ignite several small fires in and around the park, one of which has grown significantly. The fire is near Snag Lake, where we spend three days backpacking. Listening over the radio to the fire crews is very interesting. Wildfire fighting differs significantly from that of structure fires; it is near impossible to put out a wildfire. Instead, management tactics usually entail strategically setting another fire which will burn upslope and meet the wildfire. In this way, when the fronts of both fires meet, they have nowhere further to spread as all the fuels already have been expended. Fire crews backpack into the wilderness and work fast to make a fire line, utilizing as many natural barriers as possible, before setting the back fire to spread up to meet the main fire. If I had more time, I could better illustrate this specific fire with maps, however I believe we must shortly aquire our provisions for the week and begin the long re-route to the park (the main highway is closed due to wildfire). That's all for now, will upload a plethora of photos when I have a chance. As always, thanks for reading, farewell until next Tuesday.

Incredible Campsites

Our campsite situation began as a fiasco and has ended as a bit of a disappointment; we did, however, enjoy two extremely nice sites this past week. Arriving late Thursday night we were surprised to find our supposedly reserved site already occupied. We spent the night at the horse corral (group site with a place for horses to stay), which was fine until our sleep was interrupted by others arriving around 4:30 am and setting up camp in the same location. As a side note, it amazes me that the National Park System not only allows horse riding on all trails, but even includes specific horse infrastructure, while banning bicycles from all roads and trails except paved roads (of which there is only one in the park). Hopefully that will all change soon.

Fortunately, the following morning we found campers who were moving out of their site, and so we moved in. The site was incredible, right on the beach. Above photo shows where I chose to pitch my tent, an amazing place to sleep under the stars, awakening right next to the lake in the morning. Monday morning we filled our packs with everything for the next few days and hiked out to Snag lake to spend Monday and Tuesday night. We managed to get a number of plots finished up out in that remote section of the park while we stayed at Snag lake. The experience was incredible, hiking everything you need in is strenuous but enjoyable. The best part of the trip was choosing our incredible site right on the edge of Snag Lake. Just a short walk away was our own personal beach, and we saw only a few people the entire three days we were there.

Night Photography

Looking out at Juniper Lake from our campsite, I had a lot of fun experimenting with shutter speeds, apertures, iso speeds and utilizing a tripod. The big dipper almost fits in the frame, but I couldn't get the top couple stars while there was still light on the horizon. Around 11 pm the dipper rotates low enough to fit, so perhaps I'll be able to get it to work by merging a couple photos. Tripods open whole new opportunities for fun and creativity with the camera!

Light Painting

After discussing light painting with Andrew for a week, I was in town last Thursday and saw that my sister Sher had posted on that exact topic. See her full blog here, just don't expect to understand everything (such as the title). Fantastic stuff though, really interesting and creative. This whole light drawing/painting thing inspired me to try my hand at it, so here are a few Andrew, Evan and I made last Thursday night at Juniper Lake.





Andrew drew his initials... nice one.


The coolest thing about these photos is the sharpness/clarity. If you zoom in really far, the picture remains incredibly sharp and the beams of light are incredible. So much fun! I will have to experiment with different apertures and iso speeds next time, and get more creative with the actual drawing.

Photos

Mid-

Here we are, already mid-way through the seventh week in LVNP, and it seems like just last week I was passing through Salt Lake City en-route to Reno to meet up for the start of our research. We've spent two weeks each at Butte Lake, Manzanita Lake, and Crags campgrounds, and tonight we move to Juniper Lake. This will be the first time we visit the southeastern part of the park, and I'm excited as I've heard it is some of the most beautiful country in the park.

The new camera I got for my birthday last Saturday received its fair share of use this past week. I am ecstatic with the results, such as the photo above of Lake Helen's incredibly clear, glacial-blue waters.

Unfortunately, we climbed this mountain for no real purpose, as after Andrew finishes perusing this map, he comes to realize it is Mt. Helen, not Bumpass Mountain. The views were worth the scramble up and down, however, and soon we were over on top of Bumpass for the correct repeat photo location.




The camera takes incredible close-up shots, as well as landscape shots. One of the most enjoyable features is the simple ability to manually focus the lense, something I've desired for years. Still, more practice I do require before truly magnificent shots can be taken. The camera is capable of far more than my current level of skill and understanding can produce. I am having a blast learning how to use the new and complex features available to me, however, and have managed a few presentable shots.


This weekend Evan Lawley will once again join us for a couple days of work. We will likely be harvesting core samples of trees as well as doing several fuel plots around the Juniper Lake area. So far we have completed over 110 fuel plots and ~45 photos, not too shabby for just the two of us with occasional assistance. As my understanding of forest ecology has improved, my interest in the subject flourishes similarly. The idea of fire as a natural element of the forest has become more and more second-nature as we visit plots of different tree species and topographic configuration. These two variables, incredibly interdependant, are similarly intriguing. I hope to upload several maps of the park in the next week or two, one simply topographic with features and trail names, and another depicting species type across the park. This past couple weeks saw us working more with Tsme (Mountain Hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana) than in the past, when we largely saw Jeffery and Ponderosa Pine, Western White Pine, White and Red Fir, and Lodgepole Pine dominating our plots. We have also completed a number of brush and shrub field plots, which contain little to no trees, and thusly take far less time to complete. Mountain Hemlock grows mainly in the upper elevations, roughly above 7000', and so we have been hiking amongst snow quite often even in mid-July. Tsme grows in gnarly clusters of trees, some remaining only a few meters tall for fifty to one hundred years because of the depth of snow and intensity of the weather. The trees can reach heights exceeding 20 meters, however they never grow quite as big as the Pines and Firs which dominate the overstory at lower elevations. So as per the usual day-off routine, we must now accomplish our food shopping for the week. If I have a chance I'll post again before heading to Juniper Lake, if not, fairwell until next week, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments!