Monday, March 23, 2009

FW: TWF Camo and Casting Coalition Undertakes Ambitious Wildlife Management Project

North Cumberland Wildlife Openings Project

The Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Camo and Casting Coalition held meetings with TWRA and several local conservation groups at the University of Tennessee’s Ag center to discuss the possibilities of working together to create additional wildlife openings on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (WMA). After much discussion and consideration, a habitat management plan was developed by TWRA to increase the amount of permanent openings utilizing prescribed controlled burns on a scheduled basis. The goal of this management plan is to create 10,000 acres of new wildlife openings over a 10 year program. This is arguably the largest volunteer habitat management program ever proposed in East Tennessee.

On February 24th 46 volunteers from TWF, CORA, RMEF, NWTF and QU attended a class held at the Campbell County Forest Service offices to familiarize and educate volunteers in the process of controlled burns and fighting forest fires. The volunteers received Forest Service certifications enabling them to participate in the TWRA volunteer program. In January TWRA and TWF surveyed and selected areas to be managed through this program.

On Saturday, March 7th a volunteer force of over 43 individuals participated in the first of many controlled burns to be held on the North Cumberland to promote new wildlife openings. TWRA provided the heavy equipment used to construct fire breaks in advance of the Saturday burn schedule. Area Manager Stan Stooksbury held a comprehensive safety and coordination meeting the morning of the event. Due to some areas of the selected habitat to be managed, a group of volunteers were provided additional IMSA (mine site training) safety training enabling them to be on an active mine site. Much of the area selected to be burned were steep mountainous slopes with abandoned mine site high walls. Safety in these areas was a major concern and was heavily addressed by the TWRA Burn Boss Stan Stooksbury.

The volunteer group was divided into 5 teams of 6 with a team leader assigned to each. Some of the volunteers were assigned to road blocks at each entry into the areas stopping all vehicle traffic from entering into these targeted areas. Selected volunteers were also assigned to a support team that provided transportation and mobility for equipment like chain saws, water tanks and fuel for drip torches.

Communications by hand held radios were critically important to the success and safety of the volunteers. Each volunteer was equipped with a radio linked to his assigned individual team. Each team leader was linked to his individual team on one channel and to the other team leaders, the Burn Boss and the support team on another channel. This method allowed the each team to work within their area assignments and to call for backup support if conditions called for additional manpower or equipment.

Teams were assigned areas and a coordinated and structured fire was set along fire lines to create a beginning fire and back fires were set to control the fuel supply at the opposite side of the selected areas to allow the fires to burn themselves out.

Approx. 500 to 600 acres were successfully managed and controlled by the burning process. Areas where the fire crossed over the fire breaks were quickly controlled by the volunteers who were directed to the problem areas by radio. This method proved very effective by providing rapid response to these areas allowing volunteers to quickly extinguish fires before they became too large and out of control.

Cost for this program is being assembled and will be submitted as soon as possible. Costs using these techniques are historically much lower than other methods.

  • 43 volunteers from TWF, CORA, RMEF, NWTF and UT student’s approx 12 hours each plus 4 classroom
  • 3 UTV personnel and equipment carriers
  • 4 ATV’s with portable electric pump water tank sprayers
  • 3 backpack portable water sprayers
  • 30 Rakes and hand tools
  • 40 hand held radios
  • Approx. 24 sets of Nomex clothes
  • Bottled water

TWRA Assistance

  • 7 TWRA Personnel
  • Personnel used to set up, survey and mark fire lines and to evaluate the burn success after the event.
  • Approx 2 weeks of dozer work to cut fire lines
  • TWRA 550 John Deere Dozer
  • 2 UTV personnel and equipment carriers
  • 6 ATV’s 4 with portable electric pump water tank sprayers
  • 3 chain saws
  • 14 Drip torches and fuel mixture
  • 10 rakes and hand tools
  • 12 Hand held radios
  • Nomex clothes
  • Road Block Signage
  • Bottled water
  • Trucks and transportation