Description

The Card Street Fire (AK-KKS-503292) was ignited by humans on June 15, 2015. The exact cause and location are still under investigation. The final perimeter shows a total burned area of approximately 8,876 acres. The fire started on private property, and 15-20 mph winds pushed the fire quickly through a residential area. A total of 3 residences and 8 outbuildings were lost. The fire quickly spread to the east onto the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) where the majority of the acres burned occurred.  The fire intersected two separate fuels treatment projects. Portions of the northeastern flank of the fire were stopped and ultimately controlled in part due to the change in vegetation types created by these treatments. The first unit is a 672 acre parcel completed in 1984, and the second is a 124 acre unit completed in 2009. Both areas were treated mechanically. The 1984 unit was treated by tree crushing machines. The 2009 unit was completed by a combination of hydraulic axe and feller buncher machines. The feller buncher created several large slash piles throughout the unit, which were later burned. The area was also opened to firewood cutters after completion. The firewood cutters further removed some of the slash left over from the treatment. Effectively, both units were “clear cut”, leaving only a small amount of seed trees scattered throughout the units. The purpose of this report is to document the effects and use of these fuel treatments during the Card Street Fire and provide discussion and recommendations that could aid fire managers in future planning efforts.