The Martin fire: living with fire

Authors: Clements, Darin - Charlie; VOTH, DAVID - Nevada Department Of Agriculture; Harmon, Daniel - Dan

Submitted to: The Progressive Rancher
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/18/2019
Publication Date: 9/9/2019
Citation: Clements, D.D., Voth, D.M., Harmon, D.N. 2019. The Martin fire: living with fire. The Progressive Rancher. 19(8):26-27.

Interpretive Summary: The Martin Fire broke out on July 4, 2018 and consumed some 439,000 acres or 686 square miles of rangelands. This was the second year in a row that over 1 million acres burned in Nevada. These wildfires impact land owners, grazing resources and wildlife habitats at an overwhelming magnitude. The rehabilitation of such large areas of land is an unsurmountable task that requires strategic actions to maximize effectiveness. Collaborative efforts between land managers, producers and researchers can increase the effectiveness of such efforts. Many challenges operators face following such large wildfires include fencing @ $15,000/mile, loss of permits for the immediate future that can impact animal unit months (AUM), added labor in operating on alternative allotments, added trucking of cattle, and the added costs associated with purchasing, along with the loss of revenue when forced to sell cattle. There is also a cost to counties in this case as it is reported that an estimated 80-90% of all fires that Humbolt County (the heart of the Martin Fire) is called to are range fires, and even though Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are the main source of fighting these fires, it is the county that are often the first to respond.Not only is there an expense of updating and maintaining fire fighting equipment such as fire trucks, there is also a loss of revenue when cattle AUM’s are reduced, as well as when hunting opportunities due to these wildfires. Following the Martin Fire, the insurance agreement between Humbolt County and the Nevada Division of Forestry increased from $100,000 to $150,000 per year which makes it very difficult for counties to cover these enormous costs. These rehabilitation efforts are critical in providing habitats to numerous wildlife species as well as improve grazing resources. The Nevada Department of Wildlife pointed out that these wildfires are devastating to game and non-game species alike and the consequences of this particular wildfire would result in mule deer losing their transitional and wintering habitats in the near future, as well as the male sage grouse peak counts declining from 762 in 2017, 408 in 2018, and 126 in 2019. Through aggressive and well thought out rehabilitation efforts, all involved parties treated more than 120,000 acres with drill and broadcast seeding and herbicide treatments to be seeded in 2019. Many successes have been experienced in providing future habitats for wildife and grazing resources.

Technical Abstract: The Martin Fire broke out on July 4, 2018 and consumed some 439,000 acres or 686 square miles of rangelands. This was the second year in a row that over 1 million acres burned in Nevada. These wildfires impact land owners, grazing resources and wildlife habitats at an overwhelming magnitude. The rehabilitation of such large areas of land is an unsurmountable task that requires strategic actions to maximize effectiveness. Collaborative efforts between land managers, producers and researchers can increase the effectiveness of such efforts. Many challenges operators face following such large wildfires include fencing @ $15,000/mile, loss of permits for the immediate future that can impact animal unit months (AUM), added labor in operating on alternative allotments, added trucking of cattle, and the added costs associated with purchasing, along with the loss of revenue when forced to sell cattle. There is also a cost to counties in this case as it is reported that an estimated 80-90% of all fires that Humbolt County (the heart of the Martin Fire) is called to are range fires, and even though Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are the main source of fighting these fires, it is the county that are often the first to respond.Not only is there an expense of updating and maintaining fire fighting equipment such as fire trucks, there is also a loss of revenue when cattle AUM’s are reduced, as well as when hunting opportunities due to these wildfires. Following the Martin Fire, the insurance agreement between Humbolt County and the Nevada Division of Forestry increased from $100,000 to $150,000 per year which makes it very difficult for counties to cover these enormous costs. These rehabilitation efforts are critical in providing habitats to numerous wildlife species as well as improve grazing resources. The Nevada Department of Wildlife pointed out that these wildfires are devastating to game and non-game species alike and the consequences of this particular wildfire would result in mule deer losing their transitional and wintering habitats in the near future, as well as the male sage grouse peak counts declining from 762 in 2017, 408 in 2018, and 126 in 2019. Through aggressive and well thought out rehabilitation efforts, all involved parties treated more than 120,000 acres with drill and broadcast seeding and herbicide treatments to be seeded in 2019. Many successes have been experienced in providing future habitats for wildife and grazing resources.