Shrub Response to High and Low Severity Burns Following Clearcutting in Northern Idaho

1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Morgan ◽  
Leon F. Neuenschwander
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Shrub Cover ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Western Redcedar ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Shrub Community ◽  
Northern Idaho

Abstract Early seral shrub community development following clearcutting is documented for fall broadcast burns aged 0-5 and 15 years on a western redcedar (Thuja plicata)/beadlilly (Clintonia uniflora) habitat type. Shrub cover was dominated by redstem ceanothus (Ceanothus sanguineus), blackberry (Rubus ursinus), thimbleberry (R. parviflorus), common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), and 8 other shrub species. Frequency of occurrence differed significantly (P < 0.05) with burn severity (6 of 12 species), but not with burn age (10 of 12 species) up to 15 years after fire. Percent canopy cover of seedlings and sprouts, summed over species, differed with burn severity on burns less than 4 years old. There was greater total cover of rhizomatous shrub sprouts (P < 0.01) on low severity burns. Cover of shrub seedlings was significantly less (P = 0.03) on low severity than on high severity burns. However, there was no difference (P = 0.60) in cover of nonrhizomatous sprouts on high and low severity burns. West. J. Appl. For. 3(1):5-9, January 1988.

Seed-bank contributions to regeneration of shrub species after clear-cutting and burning

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Morgan ◽  
L. F. Neuenschwander
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Clear Cutting

Seed banks contributed significantly to regeneration of early seral shrubs after clear-cutting and fall broadcast burning of dense coniferous forests of the Thuja plicata/Clintonia uniflora habitat type in northern Idaho. Seeds were separated from 36 samples of soil and surface organic matter from 15 uncut forest stands. Total seed density averaged 1151 ± 1896 seeds/m2, and seed density for individual shrub species ranged from 1 ± 3 to 690 ± 1728 seeds/m2. Canopy cover of the "obligate" seed bank species, such as Ceanothus sanguineus and Prunus emarginata, was low or nonexistent in uncut forests, seed constancy and density in seed bank were high, and seedling regeneration on 2-year-old burns was abundant. Species that were "non-reliant" on seed banks, including Symphoricarpos albus and Rosa gymnocarpa, resprouted and no seedlings were found after burning. Response of "opportunistic" seed-bank species such as Rubus parviflorus and Rubus ursinus was intermediate; both seedling and sprout regeneration occurred after cutting and burning. These species existed in uncut stands both in the seed bank and in the understory. Burn severity affected germination and (or) seedling survival of Ceanothus sanguineus. Its percent canopy cover was greater on high-severity than on low-severity 2-year-old burns.

Distribution and habitat preference of protected reindeer lichen species (Cladonia arbuscula, C. mitis and C. rangiferina) in the Balaton Uplands (Hungary)

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-282
Author(s):  
Mónika Sinigla ◽  
Erzsébet Szurdoki ◽  
László Lőkös ◽  
Dénes Bartha ◽  
István Galambos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Cladonia Rangiferina

AbstractThe maintenance of protected lichen species and their biodiversity in general depends on good management practices based on their distribution and habitat preferences. To date, 10 of the 17 protected lichen species of Hungary have been recorded in the Bakony Mts including the Balaton Uplands region. Habitat preferences of three protected Cladonia species (C. arbuscula, C. mitis and C. rangiferina) growing on underlying rocks of red sandstone, basalt, Pannonian sandstone and gravel were investigated by detailed sampling. We recorded aspect, underlying rock type, soil depth, pH and CaCO3 content, habitat type (as defined by the General National Habitat Classification System Á-NÉR), all species of lichen, bryophyte and vascular plants as well as percentage cover of exposed rock, total bryophytes, lichens, vascular plants and canopy, degree of disturbance and animal impacts. Sporadic populations of these species mostly exist at the top of hills and mountains in open acidofrequent oak forests, but they may occur in other habitats, such as closed acidofrequent oak forests, slope steppes on stony soils, siliceous open rocky grasslands, open sand steppes, wet and mesic pioneer scrub and dry Calluna heaths. Cladonia rangiferina was found to grow beneath higher canopy cover than either C. arbuscula or C. mitis in the Balaton Uplands. Furthermore, there were significant differences in canopy cover between occupied and unoccupied quadrats in the case of all three species. Cladonia rangiferina is a good indicator species of natural habitats in Hungary due to its restricted distribution and low ecological tolerance. These results may lead to the adoption of effective conservation methods (e.g. game exclusion, artificial dispersal) in the future.

The mating system in natural populations of western redcedar (Thuja plicata)

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 753-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. O'Connell ◽  
Frédérique Viard ◽  
John Russell ◽  
Kermit Ritland
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Western Redcedar

scholarly journals Overstory–Understory Vegetation Cover and Soil Water Content Observations in Western Juniper Woodlands: A Paired Watershed Study in Central Oregon, USA

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Ray ◽  
Carlos G. Ochoa ◽  
Tim Deboodt ◽  
Ricardo Mata-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Understory Vegetation ◽  
Watershed Scale ◽  
Shrub Cover ◽  
Western Juniper ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover

The effects of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) control on understory vegetation and soil water content were studied at the watershed-scale. Seasonal differences in topsoil (12 cm) water content, as affected by vegetation structure and soil texture, were evaluated in a 96-ha untreated watershed and in a 116-ha watershed where 90% juniper was removed in 2005. A watershed-scale characterization of vegetation canopy cover and soil texture was completed to determine some of the potential driving factors influencing topsoil water content fluctuations throughout dry and wet seasons for approximately one year (2014–2015). We found greater perennial grass, annual grass, and shrub cover in the treated watershed. Forb cover was no different between watersheds, and as expected, tree canopy cover was greater in the untreated watershed. Results also show that on average, topsoil water content was 1% to 3% greater in the treated watershed. The exception was during one of the wettest months (March) evaluated, when soil water content in the untreated watershed exceeded that of the treated by <2%. It was noted that soil water content levels that accumulated in areas near valley bottoms and streams were greater in the treated watershed than in the untreated toward the end of the study in late spring. This is consistent with results obtained from a more recent study where we documented an increase in subsurface flow residence time in the treated watershed. Overall, even though average soil water content differences between watersheds were not starkly different, the fact that more herbaceous vegetation and shrub cover were found in the treated watershed led us to conclude that the long-term effects of juniper removal on soil water content redistribution throughout the landscape may be beneficial towards restoring important ecohydrologic connections in these semiarid ecosystems of central Oregon.

scholarly journals Avian Response to Wildfire Severity in a Northern Boreal Region

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1330
Author(s):  
Michelle Knaggs ◽  
Samuel Haché ◽  
Scott E. Nielsen ◽  
Rhiannon F. Pankratz ◽  
Erin Bayne
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
High Severity

Research Highlights: The effects of fire on birds in the most northern parts of the boreal forest are understudied. We found distinct differences in bird communities with increasing fire severity in two vegetation types with naturally different burn severity. The highest severity burns tended to have communities dominated by generalist species, regardless of the original vegetation type. Background and Objectives: Wildfire is the primary natural disturbance in the boreal ecosystems of northwestern Canada. Increased wildfire frequency, extent, and severity are expected with climate change in this region. In particular, the proportion of burns that are high severity and the area of peatlands burned are increasing, and how this influences birds is poorly understood. Materials and Methods: We quantified the effects of burn severity (low, moderate, and high severity) in uplands and peatlands on occupancy, density, richness, community composition, and functional diversity using point counts (n = 1158) from the first two years post-fire for two large fires in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Results: Burn severity had a significant effect on the occupancy and density of 86% of our focal species (n = 20). Responses to burn severity depended on vegetation type for four of the 18 species using occupancy and seven of the 18 using density, but were typically in a similar direction. Species richness and functional diversity were lower in areas of high severity burns than unburned areas and low severity burns in peatlands. Richness was not related to severity in uplands, but functional diversity was. Peatlands had higher species richness than uplands in all burn severities, but as burn severity increased the upland and peatland communities became more similar. Conclusions: Our results suggest that high severity burns in both vegetation types support five generalist species and two fire specialists that may benefit from alterations in vegetation structure as a result of climate induced changes to fire regimes. However, eight species avoided burns, particularly birds preferring peatlands, and are likely to be more susceptible to fire-driven changes to their habitat caused by climate change. Understanding the long-term risks to these species from climate change requires additional efforts that link fire to bird populations.

scholarly journals Vegetative and Edaphic Responses in a Northern Mixed Conifer Forest Three Decades after Harvest and Fire: Implications for Managing Regeneration and Carbon and Nitrogen Pools

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1040
Author(s):  
R. Kasten Dumroese ◽  
Martin F. Jurgensen ◽  
Deborah S. Page-Dumroese
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Larix Occidentalis ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Silvicultural Practices ◽  
C And N ◽  
C And N Pools

Research Highlights: This experiment compares a range of combinations of harvest, prescribed fire, and wildfire. Leveraging a 30-year-old forest management-driven experiment, we explored the recovery of woody species composition, regeneration of the charismatic forest tree species Larix occidentalis Nutt., and vegetation and soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. Background and Objectives: Initiated in 1967, this experiment intended to explore combinations of habitat type phases and prescribed fire severity toward supporting regeneration of L. occidentalis. At onset of the experiment, a wildfire affected a portion of the 60 research plots, allowing for additional study. Our objective was to better understand silvicultural practices to support L. occidentalis regeneration and to better understand the subsequent impacts of silvicultural practices on C and N pools within the vegetation and soil. Materials and Methods: We categorized disturbance severity based on loss of forest floor depth; 11 categories were defined, including controls for the two habitat type phases involved. We collected abundance, biomass, and C and N concentrations for the herbaceous layer, shrubs, and trees using nested quadrats and 6 to 10 experimental units per disturbance category plot. Moreover, we systematically sampled woody residue from transects, and forest floor, soil wood, and mineral soil with a systematic grid of 16 soil cores per disturbance category plot. Results: We found that (1) disturbance severity affected shrub species richness, diversity, and evenness within habitat type phases; (2) L. occidentalis regenerates when fire is part of the disturbance; (3) N-fixing shrub species were more diverse in the hotter, drier plots; (4) recovery levels of C and N pools within the soil had surpassed or were closer to pre-disturbance levels than pools within the vegetation. Conclusions: We confirm that L. occidentalis regeneration and a diverse suite of understory shrub species can be supported by harvest and prescribed fire, particularly in southern and western aspects. We also conclude that these methods can regenerate L. occidentalis in cooler, moister sites, which may be important as this species’ climate niche shifts with climate change.

Ectomycorrhizal mushroom response to partial cutting in a western hemlock - western redcedar forest

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 978-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
P Kroeger
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Western Redcedar ◽  
Significant Block

We examined epigeous ectomycorrhizal mushroom richness and productivity after partial cutting in a western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) - western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don in Lamb.) forest of northwestern British Columbia. Mushrooms were collected throughout the fruiting season (July to October) for 3 years, starting 5 years after partial cutting, from plots with mesic soil conditions and residual basal areas ranging from 23 to 69 m2/ha for western hemlock and 0 to 26 m2/ha for western redcedar. Partial cutting had no apparent effect on mushroom phenology over the 3 years. Significant block interactions demonstrated that reductions in basal area of western hemlock could lead to positive, neutral, and negative responses in mushroom richness, biomass, and number of fruiting bodies. These responses were related to stand structure and the potential differences in tree vigour after partial cutting. In addition, there was weak evidence that western redcedar, a host for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza, had a negative effect on average taxon richness. The study demonstrated that partial-cutting systems could allow some timber removal without necessarily reducing ectomycorrhizal mushroom communities.

Remote Sensing of Forest Fire Severity and Vegetation Recovery

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD White ◽  
KC Ryan ◽  
CC Key ◽  
SW Running
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Data ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Forested Areas

Burned forested areas have patterns of varying burn severity as a consequence of various topographic, vegetation, and meteorological factors. These patterns are detected and mapped using satellite data. Other ecological information can be abstracted from satellite data regarding rates of recovery of vegetation foliage and variation of burn severity on different vegetation types. Middle infrared wavelengths are useful for burn severity mapping because the land cover changes associated with burning increase reflectance in this part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Simple stratification of Landsat Thematic Mapper data define varying classes of burn severity because of changes in canopy cover, biomass removal, and soil chemical composition. Reasonable maps of burn severity are produced when the class limits of burn severity reflectance are applied to the entire satellite data. Changes in satellite reflectance over multiple years reveal the dynamics of vegetation and fire severity as low burn areas have lower changes in reflectance relative to high burn areas. This results as a consequence of how much the site was altered due to the burn and how much space is available for vegetation recovery. Analysis of change in reflectance across steppe, riparian, and forested vegetation types indicate that fires potentially increase biomass in steppe areas, while riparian and forested areas are slower to regrow to pre-fire conditions. This satellite-based technology is useful for mapping severely burned areas by exploring the ecological manifestations before and after fire.

A system using aerial photography to estimate area of root disease centers in forests

1978 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph E. Williams ◽  
C. D. Leaphart
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Root Disease ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Coeur D'alene ◽  
Commercial Forest ◽  
Northern Idaho

The area of root disease centers on the Coeur d'Alene National Forest in northern Idaho was effectively estimated from large-scale color infrared aerial photographs. An estimated 5.1% (12 160.7 ha) of the commercial forest land was occupied by infection centers. Root disease centers were identified in 113 of 364 stands actually surveyed. Although most of these 113 stands were of the Tsugaheterophylla – Pachistimamyrsinites habitat type, the highest percentage of stands with root disease was found in the Abiesgrandis – Pachistimamyrsinites habitat type.Observations made during these studies suggest that occurrence of Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco, Abiesgrandis (Dougl.) Lindl., or both in a stand is the most important factor in the expression of root disease centers. Accuracy of interpretation of photographs was 92%; incorrect interpretations were consistently associated with stands in the Abieslasiocarpa series of habitat types or with stands stocked with conifers tolerant of root pathogens.

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