Hydrologic and mineral budgets of New Jersey Pine Barrens upland forests following two intensities of fire

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph E. J. Boerner ◽  
R. T. T. Forman
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Pine Barrens ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Fire Adaptations ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Before And After

The hydrologic and mineral budgets of upland forest sites in the New Jersey Pine Barrens exposed to different fire intensities were determined. Inputs from bulk precipitation and outputs to groundwater were monitored in an unburned control site, two sites burned by severe wildfire, and two sites burned by light prescribed burning. Fluxes of water, calcium, magnesium, and potassium to groundwater were highest in wildfire sites, intermediate in prescribed burn sites, and lowest in the unburned control. At all sites, outputs were the greatest during late-winter snowmelt. In the unburned site, outputs were essentially absent during the growing season, whereas in the wildfire sites outputs to groundwater were present year round. Rates of mineral and water output were inversely proportional to biomass and forest floor mass, which in turn depended upon fire intensity. Relative increases in output were similar to those reported following fire in other ecosystems. However, absolute rates of mineral output both before and after fire were lower in these sandy soils than those reported elsewhere, probably due to the low total mineral storage and variety of fire adaptations present in the Pine Barrens ecosystem.

Changes in ectomycorrhizal communities and nutrient availability following prescribed burns in two upland pine–oak forests in the New Jersey pine barrens

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1755-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy R Tuininga ◽  
John Dighton
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Pine Barrens ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Ectomycorrhizal Diversity

Forests in the New Jersey pine barrens are frequently prescribed burned to reduce fuel loads and risk of wildfire. To acquire baseline data for effects of prescribed burns on ectomycorrhizal diversity and nutrient uptake, field studies were undertaken in two upland pine–oak forests in the New Jersey pine barrens subjected to different burn regimes. Ectomycorrhizal diversity was assessed by extraction of roots from soil cores and separation according to morphological characters. Nutrient availability to plant roots was measured using root bioassays. Relative to unburned plots, plots exposed to a fire at Greenwood, where burning was more frequent, had decreased total abundance of ectomycorrhizal tips, richness of ectomycorrhizal types, and Simpson's diversity in the L and F horizons, but increased Simpson's diversity in the deeper A horizon. At Lebanon, under a less frequent burn regime, richness was lower in whole cores and in the A horizon of burned versus unburned plots. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium uptake by root bioassays indicated higher field availability of nutrients to roots in burned plots than roots in unburned plots, indicating a fertilization effect of the fire. Prescribed burning primarily impacted ectomycorrhizal community structure in the L and F horizons at these sites. Changes in function of ectomycorrhizae (nutrient uptake) in response to the burns was associated with decreased ectomycorrhizal diversity.

scholarly journals Characterization of Fuel before and after a Single Prescribed Fire in an Appalachian Hardwood Forest

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Loucks ◽  
Mary A. Arthur ◽  
Jessi E. Lyons ◽  
David L. Loftis
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Fuel Mass ◽  
Fuel Loads ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Improved understanding of how fuel loads and prescribed fire interact in Appalachian hardwood forests can help managers evaluate the impacts of increased use of prescribed fire in the region. The objective of this study was to characterize fuel loads before and after a single late-winter/early spring prescribed fire and after autumn leaf fall. A repeated measures split-plot design was used to examine dead and down fuels by treatment, sampling time, and landscape position. Preburn mean fuel mass was 40.5 Mg/ha with the duff (Oea) comprising the largest component (19.5 Mg/ha; 48%), followed by large (more than 7.6 cm in diameter) downed logs (9.6 Mg/ha; 24%). Fuel mass was similar across landscape positions; however, duff depth was greater on subxeric compared with intermediate and submesic landscape positions. Burning reduced litter mass (Oi; P < 0.001)and duff depth (P = 0.01). Changes in woody fuels (1-, 10-, 100-, and 1,000-hour) and duff mass were not statistically significant. Post–leaf fall fuel masses did not differ from preburn masses. Thus, a single prescribed burn did not accomplish significant fuel reduction. However, significant declines in duff depth and fuel bed continuity may limit the spread of fire beyond leaf fall and increase potential for soil erosion. This study contributes to the dialogue regarding the use of fire in the Appalachian forest region and impacts on fuel loads.

scholarly journals Prescribed burning in a mediterranean-climate region mitigates the disturbance by bushfire to a critical food resource for an endangered bird, the Carnaby’s cockatoo

Fire Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie S. Densmore ◽  
Emma S. Clingan
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Percentage Survival

Abstract Background Prescribed burning is used to reduce fire hazard in highly flammable vegetation types, including Banksia L.f. woodland that occurs on the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP), Western Australia, Australia. The 2016 census recorded well over 1.9 million people living on the SCP, which also encompasses Perth, the fourth largest city in Australia. Banksia woodland is prone to frequent ignitions that can cause extensive bushfires that consume canopy-stored banksia seeds, a critical food resource for an endangered bird, the Carnaby’s cockatoo (Calyptorynchus latirostris, Carnaby 1948). The time needed for banksias to reach maturity and maximum seed production is several years longer than the typical interval between prescribed burns. We compared prescribed burns to bushfires and unburned sites at three locations in banksia woodland to determine whether low-intensity prescribed burns affect the number of adult banksias and their seed production. Study sites were matched to the same vegetation complex, fire regime, and time-since-fire to isolate fire intensity as a variable. Results Headfire rates of spread and differenced normalized burn ratios indicated that prescribed burning was generally of a much lower intensity than bushfire. The percentage survival of adult banksias and their production of cones and follicles (seeds) did not decrease during the first three years following a prescribed burn. However, survival and seed production were significantly diminished followed high-intensity bushfire. Thus, carrying capacity for Carnaby’s cockatoo was unchanged by prescribed burning but decreased markedly following bushfire in banksia woodland. Conclusions These results suggest that prescribed burning is markedly different from bushfire when considering appropriate fire intervals to conserve canopy habitats in fire-resilient vegetation communities. Therefore, low-intensity prescribed burning represents a viable management tool to reduce the frequency and extent of bushfire impacts on banksia woodland and Carnaby’s cockatoo.

scholarly journals Facilitating Prescribed Fire in Northern California through Indigenous Governance and Interagency Partnerships

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Tony Marks-Block ◽  
William Tripp
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
The United States ◽  
Northern California ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
California Department ◽  
State Regulations

Prescribed burning by Indigenous people was once ubiquitous throughout California. Settler colonialism brought immense investments in fire suppression by the United States Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE) to protect timber and structures, effectively limiting prescribed burning in California. Despite this, fire-dependent American Indian communities such as the Karuk and Yurok peoples, stalwartly advocate for expanding prescribed burning as a part of their efforts to revitalize their culture and sovereignty. To examine the political ecology of prescribed burning in Northern California, we coupled participant observation of prescribed burning in Karuk and Yurok territories (2015–2019) with 75 surveys and 18 interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous fire managers to identify political structures and material conditions that facilitate and constrain prescribed fire expansion. Managers report that interagency partnerships have provided supplemental funding and personnel to enable burning, and that decentralized prescribed burn associations facilitate prescribed fire. However, land dispossession and centralized state regulations undermine Indigenous and local fire governance. Excessive investment in suppression and the underfunding of prescribed fire produces a scarcity of personnel to implement and plan burns. Where Tribes and local communities have established burning infrastructure, authorities should consider the devolution of decision-making and land repatriation to accelerate prescribed fire expansion.

scholarly journals Quantitative Analysis of Forest Fires in Southeastern Australia Using SAR Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2386
Author(s):  
Aqil Tariq ◽  
Hong Shu ◽  
Qingting Li ◽  
Orhan Altan ◽  
Mobushir Riaz Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Backscatter Coefficient ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Sar Data ◽  
Sar Imagery

Prescribed burning is a common strategy for minimizing forest fire risk. Fire is introduced under specific environmental conditions, with explicit duration, intensity, and rate of spread. Such conditions deviate from those encountered during the fire season. Prescribed burns mostly affect surface fuels and understory vegetation, an outcome markedly different when compared to wildfires. Data on prescribed burning are crucial for evaluating whether land management targets have been reached. This research developed a methodology to quantify the effects of prescribed burns using multi-temporal Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery in the forests of southeastern Australia. C-band SAR datasets were specifically used to statistically explore changes in radar backscatter coefficients with the intensity of prescribed burns. Two modeling approaches based on pre- and post-fire ratios were applied for evaluating prescribed burn impacts. The effects of prescribed burns were documented with an overall accuracy of 82.3% using cross-polarized backscatter (VH) SAR data under dry conditions. The VV polarization indicated some potential to detect burned areas under wet conditions. The findings in this study indicate that the C-band SAR backscatter coefficient has the potential to evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed burns due to its sensitivity to changes in vegetation structure.

A correlation between chytrid abundance and ecological integrity in New Jersey pine barrens waters

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karena DiLeo ◽  
Kimberly Donat ◽  
Amelia Min-Venditti ◽  
John Dighton
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Pine Barrens

Prescribed Burning for Stand Conversion in Budworm-killed Balsam Fir: An Ontario Case History

1986 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. McRae
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Stand Conversion

Recent spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana [Clem.]) infestations have resulted in widespread areas of balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) mortality in Ontario, and there is growing interest in reestablishing these areas quickly as productive forests. One technique being used is prescribed fire after a salvage and bulldozer tramping operation. A 445-ha prescribed burn was carried out under moderate fire danger conditions in northern Ontario. The site, which was covered by balsam fir fuel that had been killed by spruce budworm, was tramped to improve fire spread. Weather, fuel consumption, and fire effects are reported. The burn effectively reduced heavy surface fuel loadings and consequently planting on the site was easier. Key words: Prescribed burning, fire, spruce budworm. Choristoneura fumiferana, balsam fir, Abies balsamea, fuel consumption, site preparation, tramping, stand conversion.

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