Historical and current fire regimes in ponderosa pine forests at Zion National Park, Utah: Restoration of pattern and process after a century of fire exclusion

2019 ◽  
Vol 445 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Brown ◽  
Christopher Gentry ◽  
Qichao Yao
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Pattern And Process ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Zion National Park ◽  
Fire Exclusion

Long-term fire history from alluvial fan sediments: the role of drought and climate variability, and implications for management of Rocky Mountain forests

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Pierce ◽  
Grant Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Grass Growth ◽  
In Fire

Alluvial fan deposits are widespread and preserve millennial-length records of fire. We used these records to examine changes in fire regimes over the last 2000 years in Yellowstone National Park mixed-conifer forests and drier central Idaho ponderosa pine forests. In Idaho, frequent, small, fire-related erosional events occurred within the Little Ice Age (~1450–1800 AD), when greater effective moisture probably promoted grass growth and low-severity fires. This regime is consistent with tree-ring records showing generally wetter conditions and frequent fires before European settlement. At higher elevations in Yellowstone, cool conditions limited overall fire activity. Conversely, both Idaho and Yellowstone experienced a peak in fire-related debris flows between ~950 and 1150 AD. During this generally warmer time, severe multidecadal droughts were interspersed with unusually wet intervals that probably increased forest densities, producing stand-replacing fires. Thus, severe fires are clearly within the natural range of variability in Idaho ponderosa pine forests over longer timescales. Historical records indicate that large burn areas in Idaho correspond with drought intervals within the past 100 years and that burn area has increased markedly since ~1985. Recent stand-replacing fires in ponderosa pine forests are likely related to both changes in management and increasing temperatures and drought severity during the 20th century.

Woody fuel structure and fire in subalpine fir forests, Olympic National Park, Washington

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Taylor ◽  
R. W. Fonda
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
National Park ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Olympic National Park ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Relationship

The fuel structure and flammability of subalpine fir (Abieslasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) stands were studied to determine the relationship between these forests and fire. It has long been known that subalpine fir forests burn catastrophically, but the contributions of fuel structure and fuel moisture to this pattern of burning have been relatively unstudied. This investigation discovered two relationships. First, over twice as much fuel in subalpine fir forests accumulated around the bases of the fir trees than in the forest as a whole, and the many dead branches on the lower trunks may allow fire to travel up into the canopy. Second, the fuels in subalpine fir forests were more flammable at the end of the summer than at the beginning, and maximum flammability was achieved in early August when the fuel moisture was between 16 and 22%. We also found that the fuel structure of subalpine fir was different from that of fire-stable ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa Laws.) forests. The fuel around the bases of the trees in ponderosa pine forests was not significantly different from that in the entire forest, and there were few branches on the lower trunks.

scholarly journals Some Effects of Fire on Vegetation and Wildlife in Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Southern Black Hills

1981 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 90-95
Author(s):  
Jane Bock ◽  
Carl Bock
Keyword(s):  
South Dakota ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
National Park ◽  
Progress Report ◽  
Black Hills ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Wildlife Populations ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forest

This progress report summarized our findings in three years of research at Wind Cave National Park. Effects of prescription burns upon vegetation, birds, rodents, and bison were studied for three years in ponderosa pine forest and pine-grassland ecotone of Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. We established study plots and analyzed vegetation in summer 1979, prior to fall 1979 and spring 1980 burning. Vegetation and wildlife populations were studied in 1980 and 1981, through two post-fire growing seasons.

Effects of Oxidant Air-pollution on Needle Health and Annual-ring Width in a Ponderosa Pine Forest

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne T. Williams ◽  
JoAnne Ackermann Williams
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Annual Ring Width ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forest

More than 485,000 hectares of the Ponderosa Pine forests in the southern Sierra Nevada of California are diseased as a result of air pollution, while approximately 25% of the area of Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park receives enough oxidant air-pollution to elicit symptoms of smog injury on Ponderosa Pine, the dominant mid-elevation tree.In 1983 we re-examined four permanent study plots that had been established in 1974–75. Smog symptoms on current needles in 1983 occurred on 23.8% of the trees compared with 14.5% only in 1975. Second-year needles had 60.7% showing symptoms compared with 44.2% in 1975. Less than 0.5% of the trees retained 6-years-old needles, and 21% had only 2 years of needle retention. Mortality attributed to air pollution was observed.

Fire-induced erosion and millennial-scale climate change in northern ponderosa pine forests

Nature ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 432 (7013) ◽  
pp. 87-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Pierce ◽  
Grant A. Meyer ◽  
A. J. Timothy Jull
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Millennial Scale
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