The relationship between past vegetation type and fire frequency in western Japan inferred from phytolith and charcoal records in cumulative soils

2016 ◽  
Vol 397 ◽  
pp. 513-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Inoue ◽  
Ryota Okunaka ◽  
Tatsuichiro Kawano
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Western Japan ◽  
The Relationship

Shifting fire regimes from late to early dry-season fires to abate greenhouse emissions does not completely equate with terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity co-benefits on Cape York Peninsula, Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin J. Perry ◽  
Eric P. Vanderduys ◽  
Alex S. Kutt
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Carbon Abatement ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrate ◽  
Savanna Burning ◽  
Cape York ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
The Relationship

Carbon farming initiatives have rapidly developed in recent years, influencing broad scale changes to land management regimes. In the open carbon market a premium can be secured if additional benefits, such as biodiversity conservation or social advancement, can be quantified. In Australia, there is an accepted method for carbon abatement that requires shifting fire frequency from predominantly late, defined as fires occurring after August 1, to early dry-season fires or by reducing overall fire frequency. There is an assumption and some evidence that this might accrue co-benefits for biodiversity. We tested this assumption by comparing terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity patterns (richness and abundance of reptiles, birds and mammals) against increasing fire frequency in the early and late dry-season at the same spatial resolution as the fire management for emission abatement method. We systematically sampled 202 sites on Cape York Peninsula, and examined the relationship between vertebrate fauna, fire and environmental metrics. We found that within the approved vegetation type, open woodlands in tropical savanna woodland, early and late dry-season fire frequency had the same weak linear relationship with only some elements of the observed fauna. Additionally, the response of each taxa to fire frequency were different across broad vegetation structural categories, suggesting that a more nuanced species-specific monitoring approach is required to expose links between savanna burning for carbon abatement and burning for biodiversity benefit.

Determinants of spatial variation in fire return period in a semiarid African savanna

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 540 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. O'Connor ◽  
C. M. Mulqueeny ◽  
P. S. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Return Period ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
African Savanna ◽  
Data Set

Fire pattern is predicted to vary across an African savanna in accordance with spatial variation in rainfall through its effects on fuel production, vegetation type (on account of differences in fuel load and in flammability), and distribution of herbivores (because of their effects on fuel load). These predictions were examined for the 23 651-ha Mkuzi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, based on a 37-year data set. Fire return period varied from no occurrence to a fire every 1.76 years. Approximately 75% of the reserve experienced a fire approximately every 5 years, 25% every 4.1–2.2 years and less than 1% every 2 years on average. Fire return period decreased in relation to an increase in mean annual rainfall. For terrestrial vegetation types, median fire return periods decreased with increasing herbaceous biomass, from forest that did not burn to grasslands that burnt every 2.64 years. Fire was absent from some permanent wetlands but seasonal wetlands burnt every 5.29 years. Grazer biomass above 0.5 animal units ha–1 had a limiting influence on the maximum fire frequency of fire-prone vegetation types. The primary determinant of long-term spatial fire patterns is thus fuel load as determined by mean rainfall, vegetation type, and the effects of grazing herbivores.

Predicting spatial patterns of fire on a southern California landscape

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra D. Syphard ◽  
Volker C. Radeloff ◽  
Nicholas S. Keuler ◽  
Robert S. Taylor ◽  
Todd J. Hawbaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Fuel Loading ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Fire Ignitions

Humans influence the frequency and spatial pattern of fire and contribute to altered fire regimes, but fuel loading is often the only factor considered when planning management activities to reduce fire hazard. Understanding both the human and biophysical landscape characteristics that explain how fire patterns vary should help to identify where fire is most likely to threaten values at risk. We used human and biophysical explanatory variables to model and map the spatial patterns of both fire ignitions and fire frequency in the Santa Monica Mountains, a human-dominated southern California landscape. Most fires in the study area are caused by humans, and our results showed that fire ignition patterns were strongly influenced by human variables. In particular, ignitions were most likely to occur close to roads, trails, and housing development but were also related to vegetation type. In contrast, biophysical variables related to climate and terrain (January temperature, transformed aspect, elevation, and slope) explained most of the variation in fire frequency. Although most ignitions occur close to human infrastructure, fires were more likely to spread when located farther from urban development. How far fires spread was ultimately related to biophysical variables, and the largest fires in southern California occurred as a function of wind speed, topography, and vegetation type. Overlaying predictive maps of fire ignitions and fire frequency may be useful for identifying high-risk areas that can be targeted for fire management actions.

A Study on Complexity of Major Vegetation Types in China

2013 ◽  
Vol 864-867 ◽  
pp. 2459-2462
Author(s):  
Zong Han Li ◽  
Hua Yong Zhang ◽  
Fei Li ◽  
Xiang Xu
Keyword(s):  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Alpine Vegetation ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Vegetation Map ◽  
Tropical Mountains ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Vegetation Patches ◽  
Dimension Index

In this study, fractal dimension index is applied to describe the complexity of 11 vegetation groups and 5 needle-leaf forest vegetation types in China. Basing on the Vegetation Map of China, we calculate the perimeter and area of vegetation patches with the software ArcGis. The relationship between perimeter and area is established for each vegetation group and vegetation type, and the corresponding fractal dimension index is estimated. The results show that, among the 11 vegetation groups, the Alpine vegetation is the most complex vegetation. In the 5 needle-leaf forest types, the subtropical and tropical mountains needle-leaf forest is the most complex vegetation. It seems that the complexity of vegetation is associated with altitude. The topography may be responsible for the complexity at different scales.

scholarly journals Latrine site selection of raccoon dogs in a hilly area in north-eastern Japan

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-85
Author(s):  
Kazuma Watanabe ◽  
Nami Kumagai ◽  
Masayuki U. Saito
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Slope Angle ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Position Index ◽  
Latrine Site ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Eastern Japan ◽  
Raccoon Dogs

We evaluated the environment types of raccoon dog latrine sites in the hilly areas of north-eastern Japan. We conducted a route census in the spring and autumn of 2020 to record the latrine sites and analysed the relationship between the presence or absence of latrine sites and environmental factors, namely, topographic position index (TPI), slope, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and vegetation type for each season. To investigate the space use of raccoon dogs, we also conducted camera trapping from July to November 2020 along the spring survey route. We analysed the relationship between the occurrence frequency of raccoon dogs and TPI, slope angle, NDVI, and vegetation type. The analysis showed that latrine sites tended to be located at sites with a high TPI (topography closer to the ridge) in both seasons. However, the occurrence of latrine sites in broadleaf forests was significantly higher in autumn. The frequency of raccoon dogs, based on camera-trap footage, was significantly higher at sites with gentle slopes; although the environment and space used by raccoon dogs at these sites differed. Raccoon dogs possibly select visually and olfactorily conspicuous sites on the ridge as latrine sites to facilitate odour dispersal. In addition, broadleaf forests in autumn are considered important feeding grounds for raccoon dogs, suggesting that the latrine sites were formed near foraging sites.

scholarly journals Can the dataset of field based recharge estimates in Australia be used to predict recharge in data-poor areas?

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 5647-5684 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Crosbie ◽  
I. D. Jolly ◽  
F. W. Leaney ◽  
C. Petheram
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Empirical Relationships ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Difficult Time ◽  
Average Annual Rainfall ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Surface Geology ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Effective management of water resources requires that all elements of the water balance be estimated. Groundwater recharge measurements are difficult, time consuming and expensive. In some cases a field study cannot be justified and simple empirical relationships are used to estimate recharge, and often the value chosen is simply a percentage of rainfall. This paper aims to use a data-base of 4386 field based estimates of recharge from 172 studies in Australia to produce simple empirical relationships that relate recharge to nationally available datasets and hence can be used to estimate recharge in data-poor areas in a scientifically defensible way. It was found that the vegetation and soil type were critical determinants in forming relationships between average annual rainfall and average annual recharge. Climate zones and surface geology were not found to be significant determinants in the relationship between rainfall and recharge. The method used to estimate recharge had an impact upon the magnitude of the recharge estimates due to the spatial and temporal scales over which the different methods estimate recharge. Relationships have been developed here between average annual rainfall and average annual recharge for combinations of soil and vegetation type that can be used with only nationally available datasets to provide a recharge estimate. The 95 percent confidence limits about the recharge predicted using these relationships is generally greater than an order of magnitude either side of the relationship developed. This means that if these relationships are used to help determine water allocations then the precautionary principle should limit allocations to less than about 5% of the estimated recharge, if allocations are greater than this a more detailed site specific study is warranted.

scholarly journals Postglacial Fire Frequency and its Relation to Long-Term Vegetational and Climatic Changes in Yellowstone Park

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 212-218
Author(s):  
Cathy Whitlock
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Northern Rocky Mountains ◽  
Modern Pollen ◽  
Pollen Rain ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fossil Records ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Relationship

The primary research objective has been to study the vegetational history of Yellowstone and its sensitivity to changes in climate and fire frequency. To establish a sequence of vegetational changes, a network of pollen records spanning the last 14,000 years has been studied from different types of vegetation within the Park. The relationship between modern pollen rain, modern vegetation and present­day climate in the northern Rocky Mountains has been the basis for interpreting past vegetation and climate from the fossil records. Changes in fire regime during the past 14,000 years have been inferred from sedimentary charcoal and other fire proxy in lake sediments. Calibration of the fire signal is based on a study that measures the input of charcoal into lakes following the 1988 fires in Yellowstone.

Aboveground and belowground carbon dynamics in response to fire regimes in the grazed rangelands of northern Australia: initial results from field studies and modelling

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. P. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Stocks

The world’s rangelands are often seen as offering considerable potential as a carbon (C) sink, which could contribute to the management of atmospheric C levels, but there are often few data available to assess this potential or to inform the type of management regimes that would be necessary. This paper reports on a review of the literature, a field study and modelling of C stocks under a selection of experimental fire regimes in two plant communities in Australia’s northern rangelands. The field study on an open eucalypt savanna woodland and a savanna grassland-open shrubland suggested that fire regime had no effect or an inconsistent effect on aboveground C stocks. However, modelling using the Century model for the open woodland site showed that increasing fire frequency was associated with reduced aboveground and soil C stocks. Thus, while infrequent fires allowed C stocks to increase (10-yearly fire) or remain stable (6-yearly fire) over a modelled 58-year period, a regime of more frequent fires (4- and 2-yearly fires) reduced C stocks over time. Simulation of C dynamics over 93 years of pastoral settlement suggested that total C stocks had increased by 9.5 t ha–1, largely due to an increase in C in woody vegetation following a reduction in fire frequency associated with pastoral settlement. Frequent burning, as recommended to maintain low woody density and promote pasture production for grazing, will, therefore, reduce aboveground and to a lesser extent soil C stocks where there has been a history of infrequent fire. The opportunities for pastoralists to increase C stocks will depend on the frequency of fire and vegetation type, especially its woodiness or potential woodiness. Reducing fire frequency in woody rangelands will increase C stocks but may have adverse effects on pasture and livestock production. Reducing grazing pressure or destocking might also increase C stocks but may be relevant only when a property is overstocked or where relatively unproductive land could be taken out of livestock production. Any C gains from altering fire and grazing management are likely to be modest.

Using Spatial Statistics Tools on Remote-Sensing Data to Identify Fire Regime Linked with Savanna Vegetation Degradation

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Jacquin ◽  
Michel Goulard
Keyword(s):  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Ancillary Data ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Savanna Vegetation ◽  
Vegetation Activity ◽  
The Relationship

Fire is acknowledged to be a factor for explaining the disturbance of vegetation dynamics interacting with other environmental factors. In this study, the authors want to clarify the importance and the role of fire on the dynamics of savanna vegetation. The study area is the Marovoay watershed located on the north-west coast of Madagascar. In this site, burning herbaceous cover is the main practice in the extensive grazing system. They analyzed the relationship between two indicators, one related to vegetation activity changes and one about fire regime that results from a combination of fire frequency and seasonality. All indicators were measured between 2000 and 2007 using a time series of MODIS images. In this work, the authors implemented two approaches of spatial analysis. The first one analyzes the spatial structure of the residuals of a per-pixel non-spatial GLM model. In the second approach, a spatial GLM model is directly computed. In both approaches, the authors proposed two levels of stratification for the study area according to the spatial variations of the relationship established between vegetation activity changes and fire regime. The use of spatial statistical tools produces parsimonious models which they found to be consistent with expert knowledge. The authors demonstrated that a statistical analysis based on spatial GLM is able either to stratify an area when non ancillary data on land use exist or to validate an existing stratification.

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