Interactions among forest composition, structure, fuel loadings and fire history: A case study of red pine-dominated forests of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Michigan

To understand the dynamics of fire in red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) forest ecosystems that once dominated areas of the northern Lake States, we dendrochronologically reconstructed the fire regime prior to European settlement (pre-1860), after European settlement (1860–1935), and postrefuge establishment (post-1935) for different portions (wilderness and nonwilderness) and landforms (sand ridges and outwash channels) of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) in eastern Upper Michigan. Using data from 50 sites, we found that the cumulative number of fires showed a slow rate of accumulation from the 1700s to 1859, a steeper pattern suggesting higher fire occurrence from 1860 to 1935, and a return to fewer fires after 1935. Prior to European settlement, the fire cycle (FC) of sand ridge landforms interspersed within a poorly drained lacustrine plain in the Seney Wilderness Area was 91–144 years. This was longer than on glacial outwash channel landforms (53 years) and on sand ridge landforms interspersed within lacustrine plains located outside of the wilderness (47 years). The FC was also shorter (30 years) during this period and has subsequently increased (149–1090 years) after SNWR establishment. Differences in fire regimes among landform types were minor relative to the temporal variation in fire regimes among the three time periods.

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Fire history and fire management implications in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, interior Alaska

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2008.04.040 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 256 (3) ◽

pp. 304-312 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

S.A. Drury ◽

P.J. Grissom

Keyword(s):

Fire History ◽

Fire Management ◽

National Wildlife Refuge ◽

Management Implications ◽

Wildlife Refuge ◽

Interior Alaska

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Fuelwood Harvest and No Harvest Effects on Forest Composition, Structure, and Diversity of Arasbaran Forests—A Case Study

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12121631 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1631

Author(s):

Sajad Ghanbari ◽

Christel C. Kern

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Tree Height ◽

Woody Species ◽

Forest Composition ◽

Stem Density ◽

Regeneration Status ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Composition Structure ◽

The Impact

The impact of fuelwood harvesting on forest structure and composition is not clear, especially on the understudied and scarce Arasbaran forests in Iran. This research compared woody species density, species diversity, forest composition, and regeneration status in areas of continuous and ceased fuelwood harvesting in Arasbaran forests. We expected fuelwood harvesting to decrease stem density, species diversity, tree size (diameter at the breast height (DBH) and height), and shift composition away from preferred fuelwood species. We measured woody species size and frequency and identified species in three fuelwood harvest and three no harvest sites, with six sample plots (100 m × 50 m) per site. Results tended to show differences in composition, diversity, woody species height, and density. Carpinus orientalis, a preferred fuelwood species, tended to be more dominant in no harvest (importance values index (IVI) = 173.4) than harvest areas (IVI = 4.4). The diversity or richness of woody species tended to be higher in harvest (20 ± 1 species per ha) than in no harvest (14 ± 2 species per ha) areas, and other measures of diversity supported this trend as well. Harvest areas tended to also be characterized by shorter tree height and lower density of trees, a higher density of regeneration, and fewer small pole-sized trees than no harvest areas. Ongoing fuelwood harvests may further shift composition and structure away from no harvest area, compromising future fuelwood availability, but further detailed research is needed. Close to nature practices may be useful in sustaining fuelwood harvest areas and diversifying areas where fuelwood harvesting has ceased.

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Decision analysis of mitigation and remediation of sedimentation within large wetland systems: a case study using Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge

Open-File Report ◽

10.3133/ofr20141180 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Max Post van der Burg ◽

Karen E. Jenni ◽

Timothy L. Nieman ◽

Josh D. Eash ◽

Gregory A. Knutsen

Keyword(s):

Decision Analysis ◽

National Wildlife Refuge ◽

Wildlife Refuge

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ADAPTATION TO A CHANGING CLIMATE IN THE COASTAL ZONE â€“ A CASE STUDY OF PRIME HOOK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Coastal Engineering Proceedings ◽

10.9753/icce.v36.risk.2 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 2

Author(s):

Jeffrey R. Tabar

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

Hurricane Sandy ◽

Delaware Bay ◽

Storm Events ◽

Engineering Analysis ◽

National Wildlife Refuge ◽

Wildlife Refuge ◽

The Past ◽

Morphologic Changes

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and its adjacent water bodies are important natural features along western Delaware Bay, USA. Historically salt and brackish marsh habitats, portions of the Refuge were diked and managed as freshwater impoundments starting in the early 1980s. Over the past decade, some of these impoundments have reverted to saline conditions, largely due to several storm events (including Hurricane Sandy in 2012) that have caused flooding, erosion, and opened several breaches between the Refuge and Delaware Bay. Because of these significant morphologic changes, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) completed a series of surveys and coastal engineering analysis to aid in developing restoration alternatives for managing the Refuge. As part of this effort, seasonal shoreline surveys were conducted in the fall of 2011 through the spring of 2017 to provide a temporal span of data for evaluating the rapid retreat.

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