A forest fire in 1997 occurred along Marshal Creek beginning near the Alaska Highway. The fire was quickly controlled but about 100 ha were burned. The fall 1997 ES class established a forest structure plot like the six already established in and around the Marshal Creek clear cut. Our goal was to parallel the studies that had been undertaken by the Foothill Model Forest under the supervision of Dan Farr.
The ES class set out a 30 m equilateral plot just to the south of the hydro power line, 500 m south of the clear cut. The student measured all trees and standing dead and 4 conducted ground cover plots and course and fine woody debris studies, The team also scoured the plot for seedling regeneration. During the summer of 1998 many of the fire killed trees were cut for fire wood even though there was substantial more readily accessible beetle killed standing dead. The ES class has periodically gone back to this site over the past fifteen years to record the extent and character of the natural regeneration following fire. |