Influences of wildfire on the forest ecosystem and climate change: A comprehensive study

Environmental Research, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 240, P. 117537 - 117537

Published: Oct. 30, 2023

Language: Английский

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Biodiversity impacts of the 2019–2020 Australian megafires

Nature, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 635(8040), P. 898 - 905

Published: Nov. 13, 2024

With large wildfires becoming more frequent1,2, we must rapidly learn how megafires impact biodiversity to prioritize mitigation and improve policy. A key challenge is discover interactions among fire-regime components, drought land tenure shape wildfire impacts. The globally unprecedented3,4 2019–2020 Australian burnt than 10 million hectares5, prompting major investment in monitoring. Collated data include responses of 2,000 taxa, providing an unparalleled opportunity quantify affect biodiversity. We reveal that the largest effects on plants animals were areas with frequent or recent past fires within extensively areas. Areas at high severity, outside protected under extreme also had larger effects. included declines increases after fire, rainforests by mammals. Our results implicate species interactions, dispersal extent situ survival as mechanisms underlying fire responses. Building resilience into these ecosystems depends reducing recurrence, including rapid suppression frequently burnt. Defending wet ecosystems, expanding considering localized could contribute. While countermeasures can help mitigate impacts megafires, reversing anthropogenic climate change remains urgent broad-scale solution. Data collected from taxa provide biodiversity, revealing

Language: Английский

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Assessing carbon stocks and accumulation potential of mature forests and larger trees in U.S. federal lands

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 5

Published: Jan. 6, 2023

Mature and old-growth forests (collectively “mature”) larger trees are important carbon sinks that declining worldwide. Information on the value of mature in United States has policy relevance for complying with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14072 directing federal agencies to define conduct an inventory them conservation purposes. Specific metrics related maturity can help land managers maintain present future stocks at tree forest stand level, while making contribution nation’s goal net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We a systematic method assess status lands if protected from logging could substantial accumulation potential, along myriad climate ecological co-benefits. based onset age which achieves peak net primary productivity. our definition median diameter associated defines beginning provide practical way identify be different ecosystems. The average productivity ranged 35 75 years, some specific types extending this range. Typical thresholds separate smaller 4 18 inches (10–46 cm) among individual types, found Western forests. In assessing these metrics, we unprotected stock stands 36 68% total all representative selection 11 National Forests. annual live above-ground biomass 12 60% trees. potential impact avoiding harvesting large is thus significant would require shift include protection as additional management objective lands.

Language: Английский

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Enhanced future vegetation growth with elevated carbon dioxide concentrations could increase fire activity

Communications Earth & Environment, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 5(1)

Published: Jan. 27, 2024

Abstract Many regions of the planet have experienced an increase in fire activity recent decades. Although such increases are consistent with warming and drying under continued climate change, driving mechanisms remain uncertain. Here, we investigate effects increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on future using seven Earth system models. Centered time doubling, multi-model mean percent change emissions is 66.4 ± 38.8% (versus 1850 concentrations, fixed land-use conditions). A substantial associated enhanced vegetation growth due to biogeochemical impacts at 60.1 46.9%. In contrast, radiative impacts, including drying, yield a negligible response 1.7 9.4%. model representation processes remains uncertain, our results show importance dynamics dioxide, potentially important policy implications.

Language: Английский

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When Active Management of high conservation value forests may erode biodiversity and damage ecosystems

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 305, P. 111071 - 111071

Published: March 6, 2025

Language: Английский

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“Forest fire emissions: A contribution to global climate change”

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 5

Published: Nov. 29, 2022

Forest fires are emitting substantial amounts of greenhouse gases and particulate matter into the atmosphere than assumed in state climate targets. It can play an important role combustible environments, such as shrublands, grasslands, forests, contribute to change. Thus, forest fire, change is intertwined concepts. As vegetation burns, release carbon stored within them. This main reason why large-scale atmospheric dioxide (CO 2 ) hence, responsible for increasing rate a great extent. extremely significant measure contribution global fire emissions trends gases. In this context, continental-scale assessments were primarily attempted using ground-based datasets ecosystem fires. Considerable research has been published employing remote sensing data from coast coast. While valuable, they have some restrictions that be overcome by sensing. Ground-based limited total burned area, with their completeness changing yearly location. Remote provide additional spatio-temporal information improve emission estimates. paper, factors driving brief discussion on triangular relationship between land degradation, change, Sensing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), machine learning (ML), critical overview state-of-the-art presented.

Language: Английский

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Using ecosystem integrity to maximize climate mitigation and minimize risk in international forest policy

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 5

Published: Oct. 25, 2022

Several key international policy frameworks involve forests, including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and Convention Biological Diversity (CBD). However, rules guidelines that treat forest types equally regardless of their ecosystem integrity risk profiles in terms carbon loss limit effectiveness can facilitate degradation. Here we assess potential for using a framework to guide goals. We review theory present conceptual framework, compare elements between primary human-modified discuss management implications. find forests consistently have higher levels lower than forests. This underscores need protect develop consistent large-scale data products identify high-integrity operationalize integrity. Doing so will optimize long-term storage provision other services, help evolving at nexus biodiversity climate crises.

Language: Английский

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Countering Omitted Evidence of Variable Historical Forests and Fire Regime in Western USA Dry Forests: The Low-Severity-Fire Model Rejected

Fire, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 6(4), P. 146 - 146

Published: April 3, 2023

The structure and fire regime of pre-industrial (historical) dry forests over ~26 million ha the western USA is growing importance because wildfires are increasing spilling into communities. Management guided by current conditions relative to historical range variability (HRV). Two models HRV, with different implications, have been debated since 1990s in a complex series papers, replies, rebuttals. “low-severity” model that were relatively uniform, low tree density, dominated low- moderate-severity fires; “mixed-severity” heterogeneous, both high densities mixture severities. Here, we simply rebut evidence low-severity model’s latest review, including its 37 critiques mixed-severity model. A central finding high-severity recently exceeding rates was not supported review itself. large body published supporting omitted. These included numerous direct observations early scientists, forest atlases, newspaper accounts, oblique aerial photographs, seven paleo-charcoal reconstructions, ≥18 tree-ring 15 land survey analysis inventory data. Our rebuttal shows omitted left falsification scientific record, significant management implications. rejected corrected evidence.

Language: Английский

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Blending Indigenous and western science: Quantifying cultural burning impacts in Karuk Aboriginal Territory

Ecological Applications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 34(4)

Published: April 15, 2024

Abstract The combined effects of Indigenous fire stewardship and lightning ignitions shaped historical regimes, landscape patterns, available resources in many ecosystems globally. resulting regimes created complex fire–vegetation dynamics that were further influenced by biophysical setting, disturbance history, climate. While there is increasing recognition among western scientists managers, the extent purpose cultural burning generally absent from landscape–fire modeling literature our understanding ecosystem processes development. In collaboration with Karuk Tribe Department Natural Resources, we developed a transdisciplinary Monte Carlo simulation model ignition location, frequency, timing to simulate spatially explicit across 264,399‐ha within Aboriginal Territory northern California. Estimates parameters Tribal members knowledge holders using existing interviews, maps, ethnographies, recent ecological studies, contemporary generational knowledge. Spatial temporal attributes explicitly tied ecology specific resources, fuel receptivity, seasonal movement spiritual practices. Prior colonization, practices extensive study an estimated 6972 annual ignitions, averaging approximately 6.5 per steward year. characteristics document align closely data on vegetation but differ substantially location ignitions. This work demonstrates importance for developing maintaining present at time colonization underscores need collaboratively communities restore ecocultural these systems.

Language: Английский

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Refuge‐yeah or refuge‐nah? Predicting locations of forest resistance and recruitment in a fiery world

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 29(24), P. 7029 - 7050

Published: Sept. 14, 2023

Climate warming, land use change, and altered fire regimes are driving ecological transformations that can have critical effects on Earth's biota. Fire refugia-locations burned less frequently or severely than their surroundings-may act as sites of relative stability during this period rapid change by being resistant to supporting post-fire recovery in adjacent areas. Because value forest ecosystem persistence, there is an urgent need anticipate where refugia most likely be found they align with environmental conditions support tree recruitment. Using biophysical predictors patterns burn severity from 1180 recent events, we mapped the locations potential across upland conifer forests southwestern United States (US) (99,428 km2 area), a region highly vulnerable fire-driven transformation. We low pre-fire cover, flat slopes topographic concavities, moderate weather conditions, spring-season burning, areas affected low- moderate-severity within previous 15 years were commonly associated refugia. Based current (i.e., 2021) predicted 67.6% 18.1% our study area would contain under extreme weather, respectively. However, 36.4% (moderate weather) 31.2% (extreme more common experienced fires, increased prescribed resource objective fires promote fire-resistant landscapes. When overlaid models recruitment, 23.2% 6.4% classified high recruitment surrounding landscape. These may disproportionately valuable for sustainability, providing habitat fire-sensitive species maintaining persistence increasingly fire-prone world.

Language: Английский

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