Test Burn to be Conducted in Beetle Killed Trees

将在甲虫致死树木区域进行试验性焚烧

Date: November 12, 2008

发布日期：2008年11月12日

Contact: Kyle Patterson, 970-586-1363

联系人：凯尔·帕特森，970-586-1363

Fire managers from Rocky Mountain National Park are collaborating with Colorado State University researchers to learn more about the impacts of the mountain pine beetle epidemic on fire behavior. This pilot project will investigate three important issues: the flammability of lodgepole pine crowns, the mechanisms of pine seed dispersal following beetle attack, and survival of beetle larvae following burning. The purpose of the project is to remove the dead foliage from several stands of beetle-killed trees in the park through the use of prescribed fire and learn more about fire behavior in beetle killed trees.

落基山国家公园的火灾管理人员正在与科罗拉多州立大学的研究人员合作，旨在深入了解关于山松甲虫疫情对火灾行为的影响。该试点项目将研究三个重要问题：黑松树冠的可燃性，甲虫侵袭后松树种子的传播机制，以及焚烧后甲虫幼虫的存活率。该项目的目的是通过计划烧除来清除公园内几片甲虫致死的树木林区的枯死枝叶，并进一步了解甲虫致死树木的火灾行为。

Needles on trees killed by beetles remain on the tree for two to three years before falling to the forest floor. There are unknowns regarding how the current outbreak will impact future fire behavior in beetle-killed stands. However, it is thought that the risk of a crown fire may be greater in stands composed primarily of standing dead trees with red needles than in stands of green trees. The prescribed burn will be ignited after a snow or sufficient wetting rain. This prescribed burn unit is located in Horseshoe Valley, south of Fall River and north of Deer Ridge Junction.

被甲虫杀死的树木，其针叶会在树上停留两到三年后才掉落到林地。关于当前的甲虫爆发将如何影响未来枯死林区的火灾行为，目前还存在未知因素。然而，一般认为，在主要由枯立木和红色针叶构成的林区，发生树冠火的风险可能比在由活树构成的林区更大。此次计划烧除将在降雪或充分降雨使地面湿润后进行点火。计划烧除区域位于马蹄谷，瀑布河以南、鹿脊路口以北。

There are several objectives of the project:

该项目有几个具体目标：

To break up the continuous canopy of standing dead trees between the park and adjacent communities to minimize the risk of a high intensity fire burning out of the park

阻断公园和邻近社区之间枯立木形成的连续树冠层，以最大程度减少高强度火灾从公园内向外蔓延的风险

To advance scientific knowledge of fire behavior in beetle-killed lodgepole pine

增进对甲虫致死黑松树火灾行为的科学认知，

To determine if burning crowns of recently attacked trees has any impact on lodgepole pine regeneration or on the survival rates of overwintering beetle larvae

确定焚烧近期受到甲虫侵袭树木的树冠是否对黑松树的再生或越冬甲虫幼虫的存活率产生影响

Safety factors, weather conditions, air quality and environmental regulations are continually monitored as a part of any fire management operation. For more information please contact the park information office at (970) 586-1206.

作为所有火灾管理行动的一部分，安全因素、天气状况、空气质量和环境法规都将受到持续监控。欲了解更多信息，请致电公园信息办公室：（970）586-1206。