|
| |
City Manager Report: 2/29/00
Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge Fire
On Monday, February 21, 2000, a fire occurred at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge
north of NW 39th Street. The fire burned approximately 60 acres of the 800 acre
refuge from NW 39th Street north toward the North Canadian River. The majority
of the area impacted is the wetland/marsh area of the refuge. The
StinchcombWildlife Refuge is a natural habitat for a large variety of plants and
animals including dove, duck, geese, deer, rabbit and fox. The Park and
Recreation Department's Naturalist has surveyed the burned area to determine the
impact of the fire on the plants and animals and his findings are the following:
1. The fire has burned out dead vegetation which will encourage more abundant
growth this spring. Live plants are in a dormant state below the soil level and
they were protected by the soil from the effects of the fire. Much of the
above-ground vegetation was dead and dry. The fire removed this smothering dead
vegetation which will greatly benefit the below-ground live dormant plants by
allowing the sunlight to reach the soil level. The blackened ground will also
benefit the dormant plants by absorbing the sun's heat faster to stimulate new
plant growth. In addition, the fire converted dead vegetation into ash which
released the locked up nutrients in the dead vegetation. Many of the nutrients
will be flushed back into the ecosystem which will also stimulate new growth.
The overabundance of the old, decaying plant material negatively affects water
quality.
2. Due to the fire, any wildlife roaming that 60 acres will lose escape cover
and habitat. The impact on wildlife is minimal as they will relocate to the
other 740 acres of the refuge or to any of the surrounding areas outside the
refuge that were not impacted by the fire. The spring growing season is just
beginning so wildlife will have escape cover returning rapidly. Also, since the
majority of the plant material lost is dead cattails which grow in water areas,
new water areas will be opened up for the geese and ducks. A water area
overcrowded with cattails also crowds out the water fowl.
3. The majority of the area that burned is a wetland/marsh area, mostly composed
of moisture retaining organic material, and is a very difficult type of terrain
to traverse without sinking into the silt. Any trash that had been in the area
would have been windblown trash that was consumed by the fire. A cleanup
opportunity exists in the 10' to 12' wide wooded area that extends between the
road and the wetland for a quarter of a mile north of 39th Street on the west
perimeter of the refuge. Although the trees are scorched and will recover, most
of the underbrush was burned out. The loss of the underbrush will allow a
clean-up crew to spot any cans, bottles, and other debris that had been
discarded or dumped along the side of the road.
Fire can be a useful scientific land management tool, but only if used by
experts in a controlled manner. Although this particular fire will actually
provide more benefit than harm to the ecosystem of that 60 acres, any
accidental, uncontrolled fires of this type, regardless of the benefit, have the
potential of major damage to property and human life and should be prevented by
all means available.
Glenn Deck
City Manager
http://www.okc-cityhall.org/Library/CityManager/Archive/CMR2-29-00.html |
