Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2017

AUTHORS: Christine Bielski, Dirac Twidwell - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

ABSTRACT: Heterogeneity in plant composition and structure across multiple spatiotemporal scales is fundamental to maintaining wildlife populations. Grassland birds, for example, are a major conservation concern of the 21st century that rely on structural heterogeneity to create a variety of habitat types necessary for high levels of diversity. The relationship between spatial heterogeneity and diversity is also evident in many small mammal and insect populations. Disturbances, such as fire, create heterogeneity in plant composition and structure. Fine-scale variability in fire intensity and severity can also lead to landscape-level changes in vegetation over time. However, technological limitations exist in our current approach to quantifying fine-scale variability in fire behavior across large areas. This study examines the potential for infrared technology to improve the amount and resolution of spatial fire behavior data in experimental landscapes. We use a LumaSense MC320LHT Thermal Imager that detects temperatures ranging from 200°C to 1600°C. In collaboration with LumaSpec RT software, fire behavior can be monitored every half second for a 320 x 240 cell array where the dimensions of each cell may range from sub-meter to thousands of meters. For a given fire, a real-time infrared video as well as hundreds of millions of temperature readings may be archived for later use and analysis. We aim to use this information to better understand fine-scale fire behavior and it’s impacts on vegetation structure across multiple scales. Such information is fundamental to improving our use of prescribed fire to promote habitat necessary for sustaining wildlife populations.