scholarly journals Propensities of Old Growth, Mature and Regrowth Wet Eucalypt Forest, and Eucalyptus nitens Plantation, to Burn During Wildfire and Suffer Fire-Induced Crown Death

Fire ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suyanti Winoto-Lewin ◽  
Jennifer Sanger ◽  
James Kirkpatrick

There are conflicting conclusions on how the flammability of wet eucalypt forests changes in the time after disturbances such as logging or wildfire. Some conclude that forests are most flammable in the decades following disturbance, while others conclude that disturbance has no effect on flammability. The comparative flammability of Eucalyptus nitens plantations in the same environment as wet eucalypt forest is not known. We determined fire incidence and fire severity in regrowth, mature and old growth wet eucalypt forest, and E. nitens plantation, in the Huon Valley, Tasmania after the January–February 2019 wildfire. To control for topographic variation and fire weather, we randomly selected sites within the fire footprint, then randomly located a paired site for each in different forest types in the same topographic environment within 3 km. Each pair of sites was burned on the same day. Old growth forest and plantations were the least likely to burn. Old growth and mature forest exhibited scorched eucalypt crowns to a much lesser degree than regrowth forests. In a comparison of paired sites, plantation forest was less likely to burn than combined mature and old growth forests, but in all cases of detected ignition the canopy of plantation was scorched. The lower flammability of older forests, and their importance as an increasing store of carbon, suggests that a cessation of logging outside plantations might have considerable benefits.

Fire ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Suyanti Winoto-Lewin ◽  
Jennifer Sanger ◽  
James Kirkpatrick

The authors were informed of some errors in the categorization of forest types by a colleague [...]


1978 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 305 ◽  
Author(s):  
GC Suckling ◽  
A Heislers

[See also FA 39, 2088] A 2-yr trapping study was made on (a) Rattus fuscipes, (b) Antechinus stuartii, (c) Mus musculus and (d) A. swainsonii in mature eucalypt forest, a narrow stream-side strip of eucalypt forest, and in 3 pine plantations, 8, 22 and 42 yr old. In each area (a) and (d) were largely and (c) always confined to dense native vegetation along streams, whilst (b) was more frequent along streams than on slopes. More animals were found away from streams in young pine plantations than in other forest types.


2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 1309-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélica Camacho-Cruz ◽  
Mario González-Espinosa ◽  
Jan H.D Wolf ◽  
Bernardus HJ De Jong

Germination and seedling survival of native tree species were studied in nursery (June-November 1998) and forest stands with varying dominance by pines in the central highlands of Chiapas (Mexico; June 1998 - November 1999). Species used are regarded as typical of mid- and late-successional habitats: Cornus disciflora Sessé & Mociño ex DC., Cornus excelsa H.B.K., Drimys granadensis L.f. var. mexicana (DC.) A.C. Smith, Liquidambar styraciflua L., Persea americana L., Quercus laurina H. & B., and Ternstroemia lineata (DC.) ssp. chalicophyla (Loesener) Bartholomew. Nursery treatments included presence and composition of litter collected from replicated plots of three forest types: old-growth forest, mixed pine-oak forest, and pine-dominated forest. Germination and seedling emergence of P. americana in the nursery were complete for all factor combinations. Cornus disciflora and L. styraciflua showed highest germination (p < 0.05) when sown in soil from old-growth forest and covered with litter of oak-broad-leaved species. In the field, differences (p < 0.05) among forest types (degree of pine dominance) were observed for C. disciflora (lowest germination in pinelands, 17%), D. granadensis (highest survival in old-growth forest, 23%), and Q. laurina (higher survival in pinelands, 54%). Natural recruitment and survival of seedlings were higher in old-growth forests. We conclude that oak litter may favor germination and early establishment of the studied species. However, the reintroduction of some of the studied species (C. excelsa, Q. laurina, and T. lineata) may be attempted with direct sowing on the forest floor of severely disturbed and species-poor pinelands.Key words: Cornus, Liquidambar, litter, Persea, Pinus, Quercus, seedling establishment, seeds.


2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Zeran ◽  
Robert S. Anderson ◽  
Terry A. Wheeler

AbstractFungivorous Coleoptera were sampled from old-growth and managed (selectively logged in 1999) hemlock–hardwood forests in southeastern Ontario to examine the effect of small-scale forest management on fungivore diversity in forest fragments. Sampling using flight-intercept traps and trunk-window traps for 22 weeks in 2003 yielded 11 888 beetles representing 73 species in 11 target families (Anthribidae, Cerylonidae, Endomychidae, Erotylidae, Leiodidae, Mycetophagidae, Scaphidiidae, Sphindidae, Tenebrionidae, Trogossitidae, and Zopheridae). The leiodid subfamily Leiodinae was the dominant taxon (10 386 individuals, 38 species). While old-growth stands had no recent logging and had higher volumes of coarse woody debris, species diversity and composition of fungivorous Coleoptera were similar between forest types, suggesting that the stand differences measured (recent logging history, volume of coarse woody debris) did not have a significant effect on beetle diversity in this study. Indicator species analysis showed that Triplax macra LeConte (Erotylidae) was strongly associated with old-growth stands, while Anisotoma blanchardi (Horn), Anogdus obsoletus (Melsheimer), Agathidium sp. 1 (Leiodidae), and Mycetina perpulchra (Newman) (Endomychidae) were associated with managed stands. The lack of difference observed between stand types may be related to the small size of the forest fragments or the relatively small scale of the disturbance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiying Cai ◽  
Xueying Di ◽  
Scott X. Chang ◽  
Chuankuan Wang ◽  
Baoku Shi ◽  
...  

Temperate forests in northeastern China play a key role in the national carbon (C) budget; however, this role has been poorly quantified. The objective of this study was to quantify C storage, net primary production (NPP), and net ecosystem production (NEP) in four major temperate forest types in northeastern China. The four forest types include a primary mixed broadleaf – Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc.) old-growth forest and three mid-aged regenerating forests, i.e., a secondary birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) forest, a Korean pine plantation, and a Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr.) plantation. Total C storage differed significantly among the four forest types, with the highest storage (315.4 t C·ha−1) in the old-growth forest. Soil organic C accounted for 55%–70% of the ecosystem C, whereas vegetation C accounted for 28%–43% of the ecosystem C. Soil organic C storage in the two plantations was significantly lower than that in old-growth and secondary birch forests. The allocation (aboveground and belowground) of NPP, but not the total NPP, differed significantly among the forest types. Litterfall (44%–60%) and fine root production (43%–47%) contributed the largest proportion of the aboveground and belowground NPP, respectively. The highest NEP was in the Korean pine plantation (328.0 g C·m−2·year−1), followed by the old-growth (311.9 g C·m−2·year−1) and secondary birch (231.1 g C·m−2·year−1) forests, with the lowest NEP in the Dahurian larch plantation (187.9 g C·m−2·year−1). These results suggest that the major forest types are currently C sinks and Korean pine plantation establishment can be a promising approach for increasing C sequestration in northeastern China.


2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Caouette ◽  
Eugene J. DeGayner

Abstract The forest classification and mapping system currently used in managing the Tongass National Forest (NF) is based largely on an economic forest measure, net board foot volume per acre. Although useful for timber economic modeling, this forest measure poorly differentiates old-growth forest types in a way that is meaningful to ecological and social concerns. In 2005, we published an article presenting a proposed tree size and tree density mapping model for the Tongass NF. We claimed the model would provide better information on the structural patterns in old-growth forests than did the current mapping models based on net board foot volume per acre. We also stated that further testing of our proposed model is required before it can be fully integrated into forest management plans and landscape analysis. In this article, we used independent field data to evaluate our proposed tree size and density model and better define its accuracy. Results showed differences among mapping classes similar to differences observed in the development stages of the model. Results also showed mapping accuracy estimates between 60 and 80%. We used the model in a forest management application by comparing the representation of old-growth forest types within a landscape to the representation within a management-defined subset of that landscape.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Loschiavo ◽  
Brett Cirulis ◽  
Yingxin Zuo ◽  
Bronwyn A. Hradsky ◽  
Julian Di Stefano

Accurate fire severity maps are fundamental to the management of flammable landscapes. Severity mapping methods have been developed and tested for wildfire, but need further refinement for prescribed fire. We evaluated the accuracy of two severity mapping methods for a low-intensity, patchy prescribed fire in a south-eastern Australian eucalypt forest: (1) the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from RapidEye satellite imagery, and (2) PHOENIX RapidFire, a fire-spread simulation model. We used each method to generate a fire severity map (four-category: unburnt, low, moderate and severe), and then validated the maps against field-based data. We used error matrices and the Kappa statistic to assess mapping accuracy. Overall, the satellite-based map was more accurate (75%; Kappa±95% confidence interval 0.54±0.06) than the modelled map (67%; Kappa 0.40±0.06). Both methods overestimated the area of unburnt forest; however, the satellite-based map better represented moderately burnt areas. Satellite- and model-based methods both provide viable approaches for mapping prescribed fire severity, but refinements could further improve map accuracy. Appropriate severity mapping methods are essential given the increasing use of prescribed fire as a forest management tool.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 450
Author(s):  
Luke Collins ◽  
Adele Hunter ◽  
Sarah McColl-Gausden ◽  
Trent D. Penman ◽  
Philip Zylstra

Research highlights—Feedbacks between fire severity, vegetation structure and ecosystem flammability are understudied in highly fire-tolerant forests that are dominated by epicormic resprouters. We examined the relationships between the severity of two overlapping fires in a resprouting eucalypt forest and the subsequent effect of fire severity on fuel structure. We found that the likelihood of a canopy fire was the highest in areas that had previously been exposed to a high level of canopy scorch or consumption. Fuel structure was sensitive to the time since the previous canopy fire, but not the number of canopy fires. Background and Objectives—Feedbacks between fire and vegetation may constrain or amplify the effect of climate change on future wildfire behaviour. Such feedbacks have been poorly studied in forests dominated by highly fire-tolerant epicormic resprouters. Here, we conducted a case study based on two overlapping fires within a eucalypt forest that was dominated by epicormic resprouters to examine (1) whether past wildfire severity affects future wildfire severity, and (2) how combinations of understorey fire and canopy fire within reburnt areas affect fuel properties. Materials and Methods—The study focused on ≈77,000 ha of forest in south-eastern Australia that was burnt by a wildfire in 2007 and reburnt in 2013. The study system was dominated by eucalyptus trees that can resprout epicormically following fires that substantially scorch or consume foliage in the canopy layer. We used satellite-derived mapping to assess whether the severity of the 2013 fire was affected by the severity of the 2007 fire. Five levels of fire severity were considered (lowest to highest): unburnt, low canopy scorch, moderate canopy scorch, high canopy scorch and canopy consumption. Field surveys were then used to assess whether combinations of understorey fire (<80% canopy scorch) and canopy fire (>90% canopy consumption) recorded over the 2007 and 2013 fires caused differences in fuel structure. Results—Reburn severity was influenced by antecedent fire severity under severe fire weather, with the likelihood of canopy-consuming fire increasing with increasing antecedent fire severity up to those classes causing a high degree of canopy disturbance (i.e., high canopy scorch or canopy consumption). The increased occurrence of canopy-consuming fire largely came at the expense of the moderate and high canopy scorch classes, suggesting that there was a shift from crown scorch to crown consumption. Antecedent fire severity had little effect on the severity patterns of the 2013 fire under nonsevere fire weather. Areas affected by canopy fire in 2007 and/or 2013 had greater vertical connectivity of fuels than sites that were reburnt by understorey fires, though we found no evidence that repeated canopy fires were having compounding effects on fuel structure. Conclusions—Our case study suggests that exposure to canopy-defoliating fires has the potential to increase the severity of subsequent fires in resprouting eucalypt forests in the short term. We propose that the increased vertical connectivity of fuels caused by resprouting and seedling recruitment were responsible for the elevated fire severity. The effect of antecedent fire severity on reburn severity will likely be constrained by a range of factors, such as fire weather.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxence Martin ◽  
Cornélia Krause ◽  
Nicole J. Fenton ◽  
Hubert Morin

Research Highlights: Radial growth patterns of trees growing in old-growth boreal forests in eastern Canada can be grouped into a small number of simple patterns that are specific to different old-growth forest types or successional stages. Background and Objectives: Identifying the main radial growth trends in old-growth forests could help to develop silvicultural treatments that mimic the complex dynamics of old-growth forests. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the main radial growth patterns and determine how their frequencies change during forest succession in old-growth forests, focusing on boreal landscapes in eastern Canada. Materials and Methods: We used dendrochronological data sampled from 21 old-growth stands in the province of Quebec, Canada. Tree-ring chronologies were simplified into chronologies of equal length to retain only primary growth trends. We used k-means clustering to identify individual growth patterns and the difference in growth-pattern frequency within the studied stands. We then used non-parametric analyses of variance to compare tree or stand characteristics among the clusters. Results: We identified six different growth patterns corresponding to four old-growth forest types, from stands at the canopy breakup stage to true old-growth stands (i.e., when all the pioneer cohort had disappeared). Secondary disturbances of low or moderate severity drove these growth patterns. Overall, the growth patterns were relatively simple and could be generally separated into two main phases (e.g., a phase of limited radial increment size due to juvenile suppression and a phase of increased radial increment size following a growth release). Conclusions: The complexity of old-growth forest dynamics was observed mainly at the stand level, not at the tree level. The growth patterns observed in true old-growth forests were similar to those observed following partial or stem-selection cuts in boreal stands; thus, these silvicultural treatments may be effective in mimicking old-growth dynamics.


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