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

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.

Historical fire in the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky, USA, from remnant yellow pines

Background Knowledge of historical fire regimes informs the restoration of woodland communities. In the Appalachian Plateau of Ohio and Kentucky, USA, little is known about the long-term history of fire in oak–pine communities, which are declining in the region. To address this knowledge gap, two sites with remnant fire-scarred yellow pines, Hatton Ridge in Kentucky and McAtee Run in Ohio, were studied to document aspects of the historical fire regime. Cross-sections from fire-scarred yellow pines were collected. Fire chronologies were constructed and fire intervals were calculated using standard dendrochronological methods. Results Fires, the great majority of which occurred in the dormant season, were frequent at both sites from circa 1750 at Hatton and 1800 at McAtee, until the suppression period (1930 to present); only one fire was recorded after 1930. Mean fire intervals (MFI) for the entire period were nearly identical, 4.7 and 4.4 years at Hatton and McAtee, respectively. At both sites, MFIs were lowest in the industrial period (1850 to 1930). At Hatton, the MFI was 6.6 years before 1850 and 3.5 years from 1850 to 1930, while at McAtee, the MFI was 8.4 years before 1850 and 2.7 years from 1850 to 1930. At both sites, the occurrence of fire was not more frequent than expected in years associated with a drought. At McAtee, the majority of pine establishment occurred in pulses during two periods, 1770 to 1781 and 1853 to 1867, suggesting stand-scale canopy disturbances; the second pulse was associated with frequent burning. In contrast, large pulses of pine establishment were not found at Hatton. Conclusions Yellow pines were a component of these communities, which experienced frequent fire for at least 130 to 160 years. After more than 70 years with little or no fire, yellow pines are now a minor component of the overstory and pine regeneration is essentially absent. Although intensive management with partial harvesting and frequent fire would be required to restore oak–pine woodlands on appropriate sites, it would serve to sustain these increasingly uncommon communities.

Response of Arizona cypress (Hesperocyparis arizonica) to the Horseshoe Two Megafire in a south-eastern Arizona Sky Island mountain range

We examined the response of Arizona cypress (Hesperocyparis arizonica) to the 2011 Horseshoe Two Megafire in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, USA. We documented cover type, fire severity, cypress mortality and seedling establishment in 60 plots. In plots subject to severe fire, most mature cypresses were killed, the canopy opened and seedlings established abundantly. These results were consistent across three canyons differing in topography and vegetation. Successful regeneration of Arizona cypress contrasts with low seedling establishment for pines in the same area after the Horseshoe Two Fire, a difference possibly explained by abundant serotinous seed production in cypress or its preference for riparian sites protected from extreme fire. Our results firmly establish Arizona cypress as a fire-sensitive but fire-embracing species that depends on stand-replacing fire for regeneration. Given the fire sensitivity of Arizona cypress, however, recent increases in the frequency of high-severity fires in the south-west USA could pose a threat to the long-term viability of this species by preventing individuals from reaching sexual maturity during fire intervals. This scenario, termed the ‘interval squeeze’, has been documented in tecate cypress (H. forbesii) in California. A drier future with more frequent wildfires could pose serious threats to all New World cypresses.

Disjunct jack pine (Pinus banksiana) populations of the boreal forest in eastern Canada: expanding, declining, or stable?

Plant species are unique in their biological traits and biogeographical history, resulting in distinctive species distributions. Continuous and fragmented ranges of varying size and shape have captured the interest of biogeographers. Fragmented distribution into isolated populations is a common pattern of temperate and boreal species caused by contraction and expansion processes. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), a North American tree species, is among a multitude of species showing range distributions fragmented to isolated populations. Whether disjunct jack pine forests are remnants of larger Holocene populations or newly established populations due to long-distance transport remains unanswered. We used a retrospective approach based on soil macrocharcoal analysis to address the question of residency of a disjunct population in the boreal forest. The studied forest forms a disjunct population of a former regional population that has contracted since the mid-Holocene. Short to moderately long fire intervals occurred over the last 6000 years to maintain the species in a fire-prone, sandy environment assuring its regeneration and survival. Disjunct distributions similar to the studied pine population are often caused by regional extirpation of populations in which environmental contraction produces small ecological refugia where local conditions remain suitable through time for a species to complete its life cycle.

Long-term studies of post-fire reproduction in an Australian shrubland and woodland

Identifying appropriate fire-return times is critical for management of temperate southern Australia’s fire-prone shrublands and woodlands. The time to first flowering and peak flowering are useful attributes for understanding how species and vegetation will respond to different fire intervals. Using a plant fire-response trait framework, we investigate patterns of reproduction in south-western Australian kwongan and woodland after prescribed fires with a 30-year longitudinal study, with the aim of identifying appropriate fire intervals. Modelling of post-fire flowering responses of species and aggregating responses into plant functional types showed substantial differences in the time after fire to first and peak flowering. Tests of hypotheses of flowering patterns after fire with different fire-response traits showed that (1) resprouters flower sooner than recruits of non-resprouters, (2) serotinous non-resprouters reach first and peak flowering later than do non-resprouters with soil-stored seed, (3) species in taller strata reach first and peak flowering later than those in lower strata and (4) geophytes flower earlier than other resprouters that lose their aboveground biomass in fire. The most fire interval-sensitive non-resprouting serotinous species take 15–20 years in kwongan to reach peak flowering and in Allocasuarina woodland 25–30 years, providing a working hypothesis for minimum fire intervals in the plant communities under investigation. Our study illustrates the value of long-term ecological studies for informing biodiversity management.

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

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.