FY23 Burned Area Rehabilitation – Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Accomplishments for the National Park Service

In FY23, there were 24 national parks throughout the country that received assistance for both Emergency stabilization (otherwise known as Burned Area Emergency Response, or BAER) as well as Burned Area Recovery (BAR) funds for approximately 34 fire incidents. Both sources of funds are provided to stabilize and protect values-at-risk that are threatened by post-fire events such as flashfloods, debris flows, and erosion. Funds are also made available to rehabilitate lands that will not naturally recover and to treat post-fire invasive species.

The NPS collaborated with the other Department of Interior (DOI) Bureaus and Office of Wildland Fire in developing a BAR Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) spending plan to support the post fire recovery of lands managed by the DOI. This consisted of two solicitations for funding in FY24, including $33M for plant materials in anticipation of fire, as well as $11M in funding to support the rehabilitation and recovery of burned areas, 5-10 years post fire. The solicitations resulted in 11 NPS-sponsored plant materials proposals that were collaborative with partnering land management agencies (Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribes, etc.) resulting in $9,355,011 in funds to be obligated in FY24 and up to $24,652,712 through FY26. For treating burn scars 5-10 years post fire, 12 NPS projects were funded for $684,095 in FY24 and up to $2,124,845 through FY26.

Additionally, BAR- BIL funds supported on-the-ground restoration for seven separate fire incidents in FY23 for five parks: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Yosemite National Park.

For the above parks, BAR BIL funds accomplished the following In FY23:

• 2,822 acres of burned area were surveyed for invasive plants.

• 470 NET acres were treated for invasive plants.

• 1,760 feet of ungulate fence was replaced.

• 7 miles of boundary fence replaced.

• 151 miles of trail stabilized.

• 135,500 giant sequoia and associated conifer species were propagated to plant in early FY24 on 648 acres.

• 34 acres of conservation plantings replaced.

• 150,000 mixed conifer seedlings were propagated to plant in early FY24 on 522 acres of federally listed Pacific fisher habitat.

• 112 sugar pine trees were protected with verbenone treatment.

• 54 lbs. of native seed were collected to be grown out to 200 lbs. of native seed to be sown in FY24.

• 5 acres of federally listed whitebark pine habitat identified and prepped for replanting.

• 4 trail bridges were replaced.

  Park-specific Highlights

Park staff loading herbicide in preparation to spray invasives within the burned area.

NPS

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Powerline Fire

Three applications of aerial herbicide for the invasive banana poka (Passiflora tarminiana) in the 43-acre burned area were completed with a helicopter. Additional disturbed land around the burned area was treated to control invasive plants that may disperse seed back into the fire perimeter. Ground crews composed of NPS staff and partners then followed up by hand spraying any seedlings or remnant plants. A total of 2,075 invasive plants were controlled by ground crews.

Additionally, the park was able to dismantle and remove 1,760 feet of fire-damaged sections of ungulate-proof fences, which was replaced with new T posts, anchors and hog wire. Old material was recycled.

Lassen Volcanic National Park - Dixie Fire

The park detected invasive plants on 2064 acres and was able to treat 110.45 infested (NET) acres. An explosion of invasive plants was detected this season, and the park plans to expand crew size in FY24 to tackle the invasion. Also, the park was able to replace four trail bridges, and 131 miles of trails were stabilized due to impact from the fire. Due to hazardous waste cleanup still needed on several trail sites, the crew was unable to finish replacement of these sites. Additionally, six miles of NPS boundary were reestablished to prevent cattle trespass.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks - Castle and Rattlesnake Fires

For Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, a total of 12,500 seedlings from giant sequoia and associated conifer species were contract grown. Seed was collected in September of 2022, stratified in the Fall, and sown in Spring of 2023. A portion of the seedlings were collected from giant sequoia groves outside the genetic neighborhood of the proposed planting area. They came from groves that have harsher conditions - targeted as an adaptation to climate change – and are from larger groves with known higher levels of genetic diversity. The seedlings will be planted in the 48-acre high severity portion of Board Camp Grove in early FY24. In addition, BAR BIL funds paid for UC Berkeley to design planting effectiveness monitoring protocols, and they will install the planting effectiveness plots in early FY24.

ACE youth corps and NPS working on North Fork Boundary Fence.

NPS

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks - KNP Complex

Approximately one mile of boundary fence was replaced with BAR BIL funds in FY23. Field work began in January 2023 with a combination of NPS and youth corps (American Conservation Experience – ACE) workers. All 5100’ of this fence was successfully rebuilt by June, despite repeated interruptions due to road closures, landslides, and harsh weather during the series of atmospheric rivers that impacted the area.

Additionally, 34 acres of conservation plantings at Tunnel Rock were replaced by park collaboration with Bank of the Sierra and the nonprofit One Tree Planted. Tunnel Rock is a popular destination in the foothills and gets significant off trail traffic. Before the fire, park staff had worked together to make improvements to trails, fence off areas of high foot traffic, and replant informal trails that were made much worse by the denuded conditions of the site following the KNP Fire. Collaborating with the trail crew, Bank of the Sierra, and One Tree Planted meant that the park was able to leverage fee funds and philanthropic dollars to increase the amount of site prep and planting area in addition to BAR BIL funds. Park staff also collected acorns in the foothills for propagation of oaks and have grown over 800 giant sequoia seedlings and other mixed conifer and shrub species for use in Giant Forest, to be planted in FY24.

In order replace mixed conifer species in the federally listed Pacific fisher habitat, a total of 150,000 seedlings from three pine species were contract grown. Seed was collected in Sept of 2022, stratified in the fall and sown in Spring of 2023. The seedlings are now at the appropriate size for planting. Replanting is to begin in early FY24, within the 450-acre Pacific fisher habitat corridor. Second year data indicates the need for reforestation is highly likely. Surveys completed during FY22 and FY23 (funded through the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program) found 40% of plots had zero mixed conifer seedlings present and the remainder with extremely low numbers of seedlings.

Also, a total of 123,000 seedlings from giant sequoia and three pine species were contract grown for the KNP Complex. This was a separate effort from the Castle and Rattlesnake Fires, described above. A portion of the seedlings were collected from giant sequoia groves outside the genetic neighborhood and from groves that have harsher conditions - targeted as an adaptation to climate change – and are from different groves to achieve higher levels of genetic diversity. These seedlings are scheduled to be planted in early FY24.

Park staff treating invasive plants within the fire perimeter of the Washburn Fire.

NPS

Yosemite National Park – Washburn Fire

Yosemite National Park staff surveyed over 406 acres and treated 67.7 gross infested acres in fiscal year 2023, from October 1st, 2022 - September 30th, 2023. Additional treatments will be completed in the fall of 2023 using leveraged funds and will be reported in the FY24 report if funding is extended. Surveys identified 1,757 unique non-native plant populations, and the crews mapped 8.4 canopy acres in 144.6 gross acres.

Application of beetle anti-aggregate pheromone Verbenone/SPLAT to sugar pine at Yosemite National Park.

NPS

The park was also able to apply beetle anti-aggregate pheromone Verbenone/SPLAT to 112 large sugar pines in 87 acres to protect them from post-fire mortality. Additionally, the park collected 53.72 lbs. of uncleaned native perennial grass seed and established three 0.5-acre (1.5 acre total) seed increase fields with the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center. These fields should return 100-200 lbs. of pure live seed for restoration in the fire. And the trails crew repaired 8 miles of trail damaged during the fire to protect visitor safety. All affected trails in the fire treated and opened to public.