Temporal fuel dynamics following high-severity fire in dry mixed conifer forests of the eastern Cascades, Oregon, USA

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Dunn ◽  
John D. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Fuel Loading ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests ◽  
Fuel Dynamics

Fire-resilient landscapes require the recurrent use of fire, but successful use of fire in previously burned areas must account for temporal fuel dynamics. We analysed factors influencing temporal fuel dynamics across a 24-year spatial chronosequence of unmanipulated dry mixed conifer forests following high-severity fire. Duff and litter accumulated as bark sloughed from snags and leaves senesced from recovering vegetation, averaging 14.6 Mg ha–1 and 22.1 Mg ha–1 at our 24-year post-fire site, respectively. 1-h fuels increased linearly, averaging 1.1 Mg ha–1 at our 24-year post-fire site, with additions occurring from recovering vegetation. 10-h and 100-h fuels exhibited non-linear temporal trends, with maximum loadings occurring 14 years (3.9 Mg ha–1) and 18 years (10.5 Mg ha–1) post-fire, respectively. 1000-h fuel accumulation slowed after 20 years post-fire (reached 124.6 Mg ha–1), concurrently with ~90% snag fall and fragmentation. Maximum herbaceous fuel loading averaged 0.73 Mg ha–1 at our 5-year post-fire sites, but only averaged 0.02 Mg ha–1 at all sites thereafter. Live shrub biomass accumulation slowed after 21 years post-fire, averaging 14.3 Mg ha–1 at our 24-year post-fire site. Managers can use post-fire temporal fuel dynamics to help facilitate the restoration of fire regimes while mitigating undesirable fire effects.

Differentiating mixed- and high-severity fire regimes in mixed-conifer forests of the Canadian Cordillera

2015 ◽  
Vol 341 ◽  
pp. 45-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène M. Marcoux ◽  
Lori D. Daniels ◽  
Sarah E. Gergel ◽  
Eric Da Silva ◽  
Ze’ev Gedalof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

A multi-century history of fire regimes along a transect of mixed-conifer forests in central Oregon, U.S.A.

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily K. Heyerdahl ◽  
Rachel A. Loehman ◽  
Donald A. Falk
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests ◽  
History Of

Dry mixed-conifer forests are widespread in the interior Pacific Northwest, but their historical fire regimes are poorly characterized, in particular the relative mix of low- and high-severity fire. We reconstructed a multi-century history of fire from tree rings in dry mixed-conifer forests in central Oregon. These forests are dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), and grand fir (Abies grandis (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindl.). Across four, 30-plot grids of ∼800 ha covering a mosaic of dry mixed-conifer forest types, we sampled 4065 trees for evidence of both high- and low-severity fire. From 1650 to ∼1900, all four sites sustained frequent, often extensive, low-severity fires that sometimes included small patches of severe fire (50–150 ha during 18%–28% of fire years). Fire intervals were similar among sites and also among forest types within sites (mean intervals of 14–32 years). To characterize the continuous nature of the variation in fire severity, we computed a plot-based index that captures the relative occurrence of low- and high-severity fire. Our work contributes to the growing understanding of variation in past fire regimes in the complex and dynamic forests of North America’s Interior West.

Fine-scale factors influence fire regimes in mixed-conifer forests on three high mountains in Mexico

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa L. Yocom ◽  
Peter Z. Fulé ◽  
Donald A. Falk ◽  
Celia García-Domínguez ◽  
Eladio Cornejo-Oviedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Fire Occurrence ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Scale Factors ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

We investigated the influence of broad- v. fine-scale factors on fire in an unusual landscape suitable for distinguishing the drivers of fire synchrony. Our study was conducted in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, in north-eastern Mexico. We worked in nine sites on three parallel mountains that receive nearly identical broad-scale climatic influence, but between which fires are unlikely to spread. We collected and cross dated samples from 357 fire-scarred trees in nine sites in high-elevation mixed-conifer forests and identified fire dates. We used Jaccard similarity analysis to evaluate synchrony among sites and quantified relationships between climate and fire occurrence. Fires were historically frequent (mean fire interval ranged from 8 to 16 years in all sites) and dates of fire exclusion ranged from 1887 to 1962. We found low fire synchrony among the three mountains, indicating a strong influence of fine-scale factors on fire occurrence. Fire regime attributes were similar across mountains despite the independence of fire dates. La Niña events were associated with fire over time, although not significantly since the 1830s. Our results highlight the importance of scale in describing fire regimes and suggest that we can use fire history to understand controls on complex ecosystem processes and patterns.

scholarly journals High‐severity wildfire leads to multi‐decadal impacts on soil biogeochemistry in mixed‐conifer forests

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Dove ◽  
Hugh D. Safford ◽  
Gabrielle N. Bohlman ◽  
Becky L. Estes ◽  
Stephen C. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Soil Biogeochemistry ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

scholarly journals Average Stand Age from Forest Inventory Plots Does Not Describe Historical Fire Regimes in Ponderosa Pine and Mixed-Conifer Forests of Western North America

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e0147688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens T. Stevens ◽  
Hugh D. Safford ◽  
Malcolm P. North ◽  
Jeremy S. Fried ◽  
Andrew N. Gray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

Spatial, temporal and latitudinal components of historical fire regimes in mixed conifer forests, California

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1239-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Krasnow ◽  
Danny L. Fry ◽  
Scott L. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

Historical high-severity fire patches in mixed-conifer forests

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1587-1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa L. Yocom-Kent ◽  
Peter Z. Fulé ◽  
Windy A. Bunn ◽  
Eric G. Gdula
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Grand Canyon ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
High Severity ◽  
The North ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

Two ends of the fire regime spectrum are a frequent low-intensity fire regime and an infrequent high-intensity fire regime, but intermediate fire regimes combine high- and low-severity fire over space and time. We used fire-scar and tree-age data to reconstruct fire regime attributes of mixed-conifer and aspen forests in the North Rim area of Grand Canyon National Park, with a goal of estimating patch sizes of historical high-severity fire and comparing them with modern patch sizes. We used three methods based on (i) aspen groves, (ii) even-aged stands, and (iii) inverse distance weighting, to estimate occurrence and patch sizes of historical high-severity fire. Evidence of high-severity fire was common in the 1800s, and high-severity fire years were associated with drought. High-severity fire patch sizes likely ranged from 10−1 to 102 ha. However, the forest is quite young, and we cannot rule out a historical large high-severity fire that could have reinitiated much of the 1400 ha study area. Fire scars, which are indicative of low-severity fire, were also common. Historical fire was likely heterogeneous across the landscape. Maintaining heterogeneity of fire severity, size, and frequency would promote heterogeneity of forest structure and composition and resilience to future disturbances.

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