Fire history in a Sequoiasempervirens forest at Salt Point State Park, California

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1451-1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Finney ◽  
Robert E. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Coast Redwood ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Point Data ◽  
Substantial Bias ◽  
Fire Intervals ◽  
Redwood Forest ◽  
Composite Data

Fire occurrence data between the 12th and 20th centuries were obtained from analysis of fire scars on coast redwood (Sequoiasempervirens (D. Don.) Endl.) and bishop pine (Pinusmuricata D. Don.). Mean fire intervals were calculated for settlement and presettlement periods from fire scar samples individually (point data) and from composites of samples aggregated within three approximately 200-ha study areas. Mean fire intervals from point data (20.5 to 29.0 years) were more than three times greater than mean intervals from composite data (6.1 to 9.3 years). Mean fire intervals derived from point data compared well with values previously reported, although substantial bias ascribed to point data suggests that these values for mean fire intervals in redwood forest communities are too large. A period of significantly longer fire intervals during the 17th century was suggested by analysis of fire intervals by century and using a moving average.

Comparing methods of reconstructing fire history using fire scars in a southwestern United States ponderosa pine forest

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 855-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan L Van Horne ◽  
Peter Z Fulé
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Targeted Sampling ◽  
Fire Intervals

Fire scars have been used to understand the historical role of fire in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) ecosystems, but sampling methods and interpretation of results have been criticized for being statistically invalid and biased and for leading to exaggerated estimates of fire frequency. We compared "targeted" sampling, random sampling, and grid-based sampling to a census of all 1479 fire-scarred trees in a 1 km2 study site in northern Arizona. Of these trees, 1246 were sufficiently intact to collect cross-sections; of these, 648 had fire scars that could be cross-dated to the year of occurrence in the 200-year analysis period. Given a sufficient sample size (approximately n ≥ 50), we concluded that all tested sampling methods resulted in accurate estimates of the census fire frequency, with mean fire intervals within 1 year of the census mean. We also assessed three analytical techniques: (1) fire intervals from individual trees, (2) the interval between the tree origin and the first scar, and (3) proportional filtering. "Bracketing" fire regime statistics to account for purported uncertainty associated with targeted sampling was not useful. Quantifying differences in sampling approaches cannot resolve all the limitations of fire-scar methods, but does strengthen interpretation of these data.

A cross-dated fire history from coast redwood near Redwood National Park, California

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Brown ◽  
Thomas W. Swetnam
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Coast Redwood ◽  
Complete Representation ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Redwood National Park ◽  
The Mean

Cross sections from coast redwood trees (Sequoiasempervirens (D.Don.)Endl.) in and near Redwood National Park were dendrochronologically cross-dated and used to develop a fire history from 1714 to 1985. A master chronology for the study area was first developed from old-growth trees and provided dating control for fire-scarred samples. Redwood offers a challenge for dendrochronology owing to partially absent rings (ring wedging) and uniform ring widths (complacency). Cross dating was successful in portions of 12 of 24 fire-scarred trees. Fire events were dated by noting the position of fire scars and other fire-associated ring structures (resin ducts, double latewood, growth releases, and ring separations) in the cross-dated ring series. Using only dates of fire scars, the mean fire interval (MFI) was 9.9 years from the first recorded fire in 1714 to the last in 1962. The MFI was 8.0 years for the best represented (greatest sample depth) presettlement period from 1714 to 1881. Using dates for all fire-associated ring features, the MFI from 1714 to 1962 was 7.0 years and from 1714 to 1881 was 6.0 years. Use of all fire-associated ring characteristics is argued to be a more complete representation of past fire frequency due to possible under-representation of fire-scar records from stump-top samples. Based upon scar positions within annual rings, fires occurred predominately late in the growing season or after growth ceased for the year. The mean fire intervals determined are shorter than those reported in all except one other fire history study from coast redwood and suggest that fire frequency in redwood may have been underestimated in many past studies.

scholarly journals Dwarf Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) Contains Datable Fire Scars that Complement an Existing Fire History

Fire ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Thomas Saladyga
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Nyssa Sylvatica ◽  
Fire Intervals ◽  
In Fire

Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) is a “consummate subordinate” hardwood tree species consigned to the mid-canopy of many eastern North American forests. Despite its wide distribution and ecological amplitude, blackgum is an underutilized tree species in fire history reconstructions within its range. In this study, I analyzed cross-section samples collected from 19 fire-scarred blackgum trees at a dry, nutrient-poor ridgetop study area in northeastern Pennsylvania. All but two of these samples were successfully crossdated, each containing between one and six fire scars. Fires recorded by blackgum occurred frequently, with site-level mean fire intervals between approximately three and five years. There was an increase in blackgum growth within two years following fire events, but this increase was not statistically significant and it was dependent on local fire regime characteristics. In addition, the blackgum fire-scar data increased the temporal and spatial resolution of an existing local fire history. These results provide evidence for the potential use of blackgum in fire history reconstructions, but applications may be limited by tree age, complacent growth that prevents crossdating, and the degree of rot resistance after scarring.

Fire histories in ponderosa pine forests of Grand Canyon are well supported: reply to Baker

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Z. Fulé ◽  
Thomas A. Heinlein ◽  
W. Wallace Covington
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Grand Canyon ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Fire Intervals ◽  
Old Trees

Fire scars and other paleoecological methods are imperfect proxies for detecting past patterns of fire events. However, calculations of long fire rotations in Grand Canyon ponderosa pine forests by Baker are not convincing in methodology or assumptions compared with fire-scar evidence of frequent surface fires. Patches of severe disturbance are a possible hypothesis to explain the relatively short age structure at the park, where ~12% fewer trees were older than 300 years compared with another unharvested northern Arizona site. However, mapped patterns of old trees as well as the evidence for frequent surface fire from fire scars, charcoal deposition studies, and evolutionary history are more consistent with the dominance of surface fire prior to c. 1880. The most relevant available evidence of fire recurrence at a given point, mean point fire intervals, had median values <16 years at all five study sites, close to filtered composite fire interval statistics (~6–10 years), but much lower than Baker’s calculated fire rotation values (55–110 years). The composite fire interval is not a uniquely important statistic or a numerical guideline for management, but one of many lines of evidence underscoring the ecological role of frequent surface fire in ponderosa pine forests.

scholarly journals Integrating fire-scar, charcoal and fungal spore data to study fire events in the boreal forest of northern Europe

The Holocene ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 1480-1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Normunds Stivrins ◽  
Tuomas Aakala ◽  
Liisa Ilvonen ◽  
Leena Pasanen ◽  
Timo Kuuluvainen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Tree Rings ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Fire Event ◽  
Fire Scar

Fire is a major disturbance agent in the boreal forest, influencing many current and future ecosystem conditions and services. Surprisingly few studies have attempted to improve the accuracy of fire-event reconstructions even though the estimates of the occurrence of past fires may be biased, influencing the reliability of the models employing those data (e.g. C stock, cycle). This study aimed to demonstrate how three types of fire proxies – fire scars from tree rings, sedimentary charcoal and, for the first time in this context, fungal spores of Neurospora – can be integrated to achieve a better understanding of past fire dynamics. By studying charcoal and Neurospora from sediment cores from forest hollows, and the fire scars from tree rings in their surroundings in the southern Fennoscandian and western Russian boreal forest, we produced composite fire-event data sets and fire-event frequencies, and estimated fire return intervals. Our estimates show that the fire return interval varied between 126 and 237 years during the last 11,000 years. The highest fire frequency during the 18th–19th century can be associated with the anthropogenic influence. Importantly, statistical tests revealed a positive relationship between other fire event indicators and Neurospora occurrence allowing us to pinpoint past fire events at times when the sedimentary charcoal was absent, but Neurospora were abundant. We demonstrated how fire proxies with different temporal resolution can be linked, providing potential improvements in the reliability of fire history reconstructions from multiple proxies.

scholarly journals Fire History (1896–2013) in an Abies religiosa Forest in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, Mexico

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 700
Author(s):  
Julián Cerano-Paredes ◽  
Dante A. Rodríguez-Trejo ◽  
José M. Iniguez ◽  
Rosalinda Cervantes-Martínez ◽  
José Villanueva-Díaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Abies Religiosa

The oyamel forests, as Abies dominated forests are commonly known as, register their largest distribution (95% of their population) along the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). Although efforts have been made to study these forests with various approaches, dendrochronology-based studies have been limited, particularly in pure Abies forests in this region. The objective of this study was to reconstruct fire regimes in an Abies religiosa forest in the Sierra Norte in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Within an area of 50-ha, we collected 40 fire-scar samples, which were processed and analyzed using dendrochronological techniques to identify 153 fire scars. The fire history was reconstructed for a period of 118 years (1896–2013), with low severity surface fires occurring mainly during in the spring (92.8%) and summer (7.2%). Over the past century, fires were frequent, with an mean fire interval (MFI) and Weibull median probability of (WMPI) of five years when considering all fire scars and less than 10 years for fires covering larger areas (fires recorded by ≥25% of samples). Extensive fires were synchronized with drought conditions based on Ring Width Indexes, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). After 1983, we observed a change in fire frequencies attributed to regulated management. Longer fire intervals within the last several decades are likely leading to increased fuel accumulations and could potentially result in more severe fires in the future, threatening the sustainability of these forests. Based on our finding, we recommend management actions (silvicultural or prescribed fire) to reduce fuels and the risk of severe fires, particularly in the face of climatic changes.

Can scar-based fire history reconstructions be biased? An experimental study in boreal Scots pine

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 669-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aura Piha ◽  
Timo Kuuluvainen ◽  
Henrik Lindberg ◽  
Ilkka Vanha-Majamaa
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Surface Fires ◽  
Frequency Area

Determining forest fire history is commonly based on fire scar dating with dendrochronological methods. We used an experimental setup to investigate the impacts of low-intensity prescribed fire on fire scar formation 8 years after fire in 12 young managed Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands. Five stands were between 30 and 35 years old and seven were 45 years old at the time of burning. A total of 217 fire scars were recorded in 142 trees. The number of separate scars per tree originating from a single fire ranged from 1 to 6, with 67% of the trees having just one scar. The proportion of fire-scarred trees out of all trees per plot ranged from 0% to 30%, averaging 16.5% in young stands and 2.8% in older stands. Four of the 12 burned plots did not have any trees with fire scars, and these were all in the older age group. This means that in the older stands, in only three of seven plots (43%) did the fire leave scars from which fire can potentially be detected and dated afterwards. Our results suggest that fire scar dating in Scots pine dominated forests may underestimate fire frequency, area, and the importance of historically common low-intensity surface fires in dendrochronological reconstructions of past fire histories.

Spatial interpolation and mean fire interval analyses quantify historical mixed-severity fire regimes

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Greene ◽  
Lori D. Daniels
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Distance Weighted ◽  
Mean Fire Interval ◽  
Fire Intervals ◽  
Inverse Distance

Tree-age data in combination with fire scars improved inverse-distance-weighted spatial modelling of historical fire boundaries and intervals for the Darkwoods, British Columbia, Canada. Fire-scarred trees provided direct evidence of fire. The presence of fire-sensitive trees at sites with no fire scars indicated fire-free periods over their lifespan. Sensitivity analyses showed: (1) tree ages used in combination with fire-scar dates refined fire boundaries without biasing mean fire return intervals; and (2) compared with derived conservative, moderate and liberal thresholds (i.e. minimum burn likelihood cut-off values), fixed thresholds generated area burned estimates that were most consistent with estimates based on the proportion of plots that recorded historical fires. Unweighted and weighted spatial mean fire intervals (50–56 and 58–68 years respectively) exceeded dendrochronological plot-level (38-year) estimates based on fire scars only. Including tree-age data from fire-sensitive trees to calculate landscape-level fire interval metrics lengthened the mean return intervals, better representing historical high-severity fires. Supplementing fire scars with tree ages better reflects the spatiotemporal diversity of fire frequencies and severities inherent to mixed-severity fire regimes.

Stratigraphic Charcoal Analysis on Petrographic Thin Sections: Application to Fire History in Northwestern Minnesota

1988 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Lake Sediments ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Charcoal Analysis ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Fire Scar

Results of stratigraphic charcoal analysis from thin sections of varved lake sediments have been compared with fire scars on red pine trees in northwestern Minnesota to determine if charcoal data accurately reflect fire regimes. Pollen and opaque-spherule analyses were completed from a short core to confirm that laminations were annual over the last 350 yr. A good correspondence was found between fossil-charcoal and fire-scar data. Individual fires could be identified as specific peaks in the charcoal curves, and times of reduced fire frequency were reflected in the charcoal data. Charcoal was absent during the fire-suppression era from 1920 A.D. to the present. Distinct charcoal maxima from 1864 to 1920 occurred at times of fire within the lake catchment. Fire was less frequent during the 19th century, and charcoal was substantially less abundant. Fire was frequent from 1760 to 1815, and charcoal was abundant continuously. Fire scars and fossil charcoal indicate that fires did not occur during 1730–1750 and 1670–1700. Several fires occurred from 1640 to 1670 and 1700 to 1730. Charcoal counted from pollen preparations in the area generally do not show this changing fire regime. Simulated “sampling” of the thin-section data in a fashion comparable to pollen-slide methods suggests that sampling alone is not sufficient to account for differences between the two methods. Integrating annual charcoal values in this fashion still produced much higher resolution than the pollen-slide method, and the postfire suppression decline of charcoal characteristic of my method (but not of pollen slides) is still evident. Consideration of the differences in size of fragments counted by the two methods is necessary to explain charcoal representation in lake sediments.

scholarly journals Soil respiration in a fire scar chronosequence of Canadian boreal jack pine forest

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 8725-8773
Author(s):  
D. R. Smith ◽  
J. D. Kaduk ◽  
H. Balzter ◽  
M. J. Wooster ◽  
G. N. Mottram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Exponential Relationship ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Young Forest ◽  
C Cycle ◽  
Quantitative Understanding ◽  
Fire Intervals

Abstract. To fully understand the carbon (C) cycle impacts of forest fires, both C emissions during the fire and post-disturbance fluxes need to be considered. The latter are dominated by soil respiration (Rs), which is still subject to large uncertainties. This research investigates Rs in a boreal jack pine fire scar chronosequence at Sharpsand Creek, Ontario, Canada. During two field campaigns in 2006 and 2007, Rs was measured in a chronosequence of fire scars aged between 0 and 59 years since the last fire. Mean Rs per fire scar was adjusted for soil temperature (Ts) and soil moisture (Ms) (denoted RST,M). RST,M ranged from 0.56 μmol CO2/m2/s (32 years post fire) to 8.18 μmol CO2/m2/s (58 years post fire). The coefficient of variation (CV) of RST,M ranged from 20% (16 years post fire) to 56% (58 years post fire). Across the field site, there was a statistically highly significant exponential relationship between Rs adjusted for soil organic carbon (Cs) and Ts (P<0.00001; Q10=2.21) but no effect of Ms on Rs adjusted for Cs and Ts for the range 0.21 to 0.77 volumetric Ms (P=0.702). RST,M decreased significantly (P=0.030) after fire (4 to 8 days post fire) in mature forest, though no significant (P>0.1) difference could be detected between recently burned (4 to 8 days post fire) and unburned young forest. There were significant differences in RST,M between recently burned (4 to 8 days post fire) scar age categories that differed in their burn history, with between-fire intervals of 32 vs. 16 years (P<0.001) and 32 vs 59 years (P=0.044). There was a highly significant exponential increase in RST,M with time since fire (r2=0.999; P=0.006) for the chronosequence 0, 16 and 59 years post fire, and for all these age categories, RST,M was significantly different from one another (P<0.05). The results of this study contribute to a better quantitative understanding of Rs in boreal jack pine fire scars and will facilitate improvements in C cycle modelling. Further work is needed in quantifying autotrophic and heterotrophic contributions to Rs in jack pine systems; in monitoring Rs for extended time periods after fire; and in measuring different fire-prone forest types.

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