Understory-Overstory Relationships in Ponderosa Pine Forests, Black Hills, South Dakota

This progress report summarized our findings in three years of research at Wind Cave National Park. Effects of prescription burns upon vegetation, birds, rodents, and bison were studied for three years in ponderosa pine forest and pine-grassland ecotone of Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. We established study plots and analyzed vegetation in summer 1979, prior to fall 1979 and spring 1980 burning. Vegetation and wildlife populations were studied in 1980 and 1981, through two post-fire growing seasons.

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Allometric Equation Development, Biomass, and Aboveground Productivity in Ponderosa Pine Forests, Black Hills, Wyoming

Western Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/wjaf/25.3.112 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 112-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Daniel Tinker ◽

Gail K. Stakes ◽

Richard M. Arcano

Keyword(s):

Carbon Storage ◽

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Aboveground Biomass ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Black Hills ◽

Allometric Equations ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Mature Trees ◽

Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽

Aboveground Productivity

Abstract Temperate forest ecosystems continue to play an important role in the global carbon cycle, and the ability to accurately quantify carbon storage and allocation remains a critical tool for managers and researchers. This study was aimed at developing new allometric equations for predicting above- and belowground biomass of both mature trees and saplings of ponderosa pine trees in the Black Hills region of the western United States and at evaluating thinning effects on biomass pools and aboveground productivity. Study sites included three stands that had been commercially thinned and one unmanaged stand. Nine allometric equations were developed for mature trees, and six equations were developed for saplings; all models exhibited strong predictive power. The unmanaged stand contained more than twice as much total aboveground biomass as any of the thinned stands. Aboveground biomass allocation among tree compartments was similar among the three older stands but quite different from the young, even-aged stand. Stand-level aboveground net primary production was higher in the unmanaged and intensively managed stands, yet tree-level annual productivity was much lower in the unmanaged stands than in any of the managed forests, suggesting that thinning of some forest stands may increase their ability to sequester and store carbon. Our data also suggest that different management approaches did not have the same effect on carbon allocation as they did on total carbon storage capacity, but rather, stand age was the most important factor in predicting carbon allocation within individual trees and stands. Identification of the relationships between stand structure and forest management practices may help identify various management strategies that maximize rates of carbon storage in ponderosa pine forests.

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Fire History in Interior Ponderosa Pine Communities of the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf9960097 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 97 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

PM Brown ◽

CH Sieg

Keyword(s):

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Fire History ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Black Hills ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Southern Rocky Mountains ◽

Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽

Fire Scar ◽

South Central ◽

Pine Trees

Chronologies of fire events were reconstructed from crossdated fire-scarred ponderosa pine trees for four sites in the south-central Black Hills. Compared to other ponderosa pine forests in the southwest US or southern Rocky Mountains, these communities burned less frequently. For all sites combined, and using all fires detected, the mean fire interval (MFI), or number of years between fire years, was 16 years (± 14 SD) for the period 1388 to 1900. When a yearly minimum percentage of trees recording scars of ≥ 25% is imposed, the MFI was 20 years (± 14 SD). The length of the most recent fire-free period (104 years, from 1890 to 1994) exceeds the longest intervals in the pre-settlement era (before ca. 1874), and is likely the result of human-induced land use changes. Based on fire scar position within annual rings, most past fires occurred late in the growing season or after growth had ceased for the year. These findings have important implications for management of ponderosa pine forests in the Black Hills and for understanding the role of fire in pre-settlement ecosystem function.

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The Effects of Fire on Understory Vegetation in Ponderosa Pine Forests

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.1980.2229 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 96-97

Author(s):

Jane Bock ◽

Carl Bock

Keyword(s):

Pinus Ponderosa ◽

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Prescribed Burning ◽

Fire Regime ◽

Management Plan ◽

Black Hills ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Natural Phenomenon ◽

Natural Fire ◽

Ponderosa Pine Forests

This was the second year of our study designed to evaluate the nature of vegetation occurring under Pinus ponderosa canopy in Wind Cave National Park and to define the relationship between this vegetation and fire. Fire is known to be a natural phenomenon in ponderosa pine forests (Wright 1978), and to play a major role in determining the position of the pine-grassland ecotone in the Black Hills (Gartner and Thompson 1973). Wind Cave personnel are developing a fire management plan allowing for prescribed burning, in hopes of bringing the park ecosystems back under a "natural" fire regime. Results of our study will help park management predict the effects of such prescribed burning on the ponderosa pine community.

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