Moderating effects of past wildfire on reburn severity depend on climate and initial severity in Western US forests DOI Creative Commons
Claire M. Tortorelli, Andrew M. Latimer, Derek J. N. Young

et al.

Ecological Applications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 34(7)

Published: Aug. 15, 2024

Abstract Rising global fire activity is increasing the prevalence of repeated short‐interval burning (reburning) in forests worldwide. In that historically experienced frequent‐fire regimes, high‐severity exacerbates severity subsequent fires by shrubs and/or creating drier understory conditions. Low‐ to moderate‐severity fire, contrast, can moderate future behavior reducing fuel loads. The extent which previous will powerfully affect fire‐prone forest ecosystem trajectories over next century. Further, knowing where and when a wildfire may act as landscape‐scale treatment help direct pre‐ post‐fire management efforts. We leverage satellite imagery progression mapping model reburn dynamics within initially burned at low/moderate 726 unique pair events 36‐year period across four large Western US ecoregions. ask (1) how strong are moderating effects low‐ on severity, (2) long do last, (3) does time between (a proxy for accumulation) interact with initial day‐of‐burning weather conditions, climate influence severity. Short‐interval reburns primarily occurred dry‐ moist‐mixed conifer regimes. Previous moderated all ecoregions strongest occurring California Coast Mountains average duration ranging from 13 years >36 Coast. strength depended some regions, reflecting differences accumulation. Coast, lasted longer cooler wetter forests. Mountains, were stronger lasting higher Moderating largely robust weather, suggesting mediate even under extreme Our findings demonstrate buffers forests, underlining importance restoration tool adapting change.

Language: Английский

Tamm review: A meta-analysis of thinning, prescribed fire, and wildfire effects on subsequent wildfire severity in conifer dominated forests of the Western US DOI Creative Commons
Kimberley T. Davis, Jamie L. Peeler, Joseph Fargione

et al.

Forest Ecology and Management, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 561, P. 121885 - 121885

Published: April 5, 2024

Increased understanding of how mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, and wildfire affect subsequent severity is urgently needed as people forests face a growing crisis. In response, we reviewed scientific literature for the US West completed meta-analysis that answered three questions: (1) How much do treatments reduce within treated areas? (2) effects vary with treatment type, age, forest type? (3) does fire weather moderate treatments? We found overwhelming evidence thinning pile burning only are effective at reducing severity, resulting in reductions between 62% 72% relative to untreated areas. comparison, was less – underscoring importance treating surface fuels when mitigating management goal. The efficacy these did not among types assessed this study high across range conditions. Prior had more complex impacts on which varied type initial severity. Across types, effectiveness declined over time, mean reduction decreasing than twofold occurred greater 10 years after treatment. Our provides up-to-date information extent active reduces facilitates better outcomes during future events.

Language: Английский

Citations

32
Refuge‐yeah or refuge‐nah? Predicting locations of forest resistance and recruitment in a fiery world DOI Creative Commons
Kyle C. Rodman, Kimberley T. Davis, Sean A. Parks

et al.

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

Citations

11
Extreme Fire Spread Events Burn More Severely and Homogenize Postfire Landscapes in the Southwestern United States DOI Creative Commons

Jim McFarland,

Jonathan D. Coop, Jared A. Balik

et al.

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 31(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Extreme fire spread events rapidly burn large areas with disproportionate impacts on people and ecosystems. Such are associated warmer drier seasons expected to increase in the future. Our understanding of landscape outcomes extreme is limited, particularly regarding whether they more severely or produce spatial patterns less conducive ecosystem recovery. To assess relationships between rates severity patterns, we used satellite detections create day‐of‐burning maps for 623 fires comprising 4267 single‐day within forested ecoregions southwestern United States. We related satellite‐measured a suite high‐severity patch metrics daily area burned. (defined here as burning > 4900 ha/day) exhibited higher mean severity, greater proportion burned severely, increased like adjacencies pixels. Furthermore, increasing also resulted distances patches live tree seed sources. High‐severity size total core were substantially containing one than without an event. Larger homogenous produced during can limit regeneration set stage protracted forest conversion. These be magnified under future climate scenarios, accelerating fire‐driven loss long‐term ecological change.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Disturbance history has limited influence on subalpine fir decline DOI
Niko J. Tutland, Olivia Santiago,

Thomas R. Heydman

et al.

Forest Ecology and Management, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 585, P. 122622 - 122622

Published: March 9, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Biophysical drivers of Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii post-fire regeneration: role of fire refugia DOI Creative Commons
Ana Lucía Méndez‐Cartín, Lluís Coll, Meg A. Krawchuk

et al.

Landscape Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 40(4)

Published: April 9, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Patterns, drivers, and implications of postfire delayed tree mortality in temperate conifer forests of the western United States DOI Creative Commons
Sebastian Busby, Cody Evers, Andrés Holz

et al.

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(4)

Published: April 1, 2024

Abstract Conifer forest resilience may be threatened by increasing wildfire activity and compound disturbances in western North America. Fire refugia enhance resilience, yet decline over time due to delayed mortality—a process that remains poorly understood at landscape regional scales. To address this uncertainty, we used high‐resolution satellite imagery (5‐m pixel) map quantify mortality of conifer tree cover between 1 5 years postfire, across 30 large wildfires burned within three montane ecoregions the United States. We statistical models explore influence burn severity, topography, soils, climate moisture deficit on mortality. estimate reduced live 5%–25% fire perimeter scale 12%–15% ecoregion scale. Remotely sensed severity (1‐year postfire) was strongest predictor mortality, indicating patch‐level effects are a strong proxy for injury among surviving trees eventually perish. Delayed rates were further influenced long‐term average short‐term postfire deficits, illustrating impact drought fire‐injured survival. Our work demonstrates forests States can remotely quantified fine grain scale, is spatially extensive phenomenon, driven fire–climate–environment interactions, has important ecological implications.

Language: Английский

Citations

3
Long‐term ecological responses to landscape‐scale restoration in a western United States dry forest DOI Creative Commons
John P. Roccaforte, David W. Huffman, Kyle C. Rodman

et al.

Restoration Ecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 32(7)

Published: May 22, 2024

Tree thinning and the application of prescribed surface fire are widespread forest restoration strategies used to regain ecological structure function throughout dry forests western United States. Though such treatments increasingly applied broad extents, their effects on ecosystems commonly evaluated at individual experimental sites or treatment units rather than large, operational landscapes. We responses structure, regeneration, old‐tree mortality, tree growth for 21 years in a landscape‐scale (2114 ha) experiment Ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa )‐Gambel oak Quercus gambelii ) northern Arizona, Relative start 1996, density basal area (BA) treated were reduced by 56 38%, respectively, end study period compared untreated control. Conifer seedling densities generally declined sprouting hardwoods increased following treatment. Mortality old trees was significantly higher control, likely due fire‐caused injury during burning. Mean annual BA increment 93% Our provides new information spatial scales under realistic conditions. Results from this can help inform projects dry, fire‐dependent forests.

Language: Английский

Citations

2
Trees have similar growth responses to first-entry fires and reburns following long-term fire exclusion DOI
Kevin G. Willson, Ellis Q. Margolis, Matthew D. Hurteau

et al.

Forest Ecology and Management, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 571, P. 122226 - 122226

Published: Aug. 28, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

2
Montane springs provide regeneration refugia after high‐severity wildfire DOI Creative Commons

Grace Peven,

Mary Engels, Jan U.H. Eitel

et al.

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(9)

Published: Sept. 1, 2024

Abstract In the mountainous regions of Western United States, increasing wildfire activity and climate change are putting forests at risk regeneration failure conversion to non‐forests. During periods with unfavorable climatic conditions, locations that suitable for post‐fire tree (regeneration refugia) may be essential forest recovery. These refugia could provide scattered islands recovering from which broader recovery facilitated. Spring ecosystems cool wet microsites relative surrounding landscape act as refugia, though few studies have investigated their influence on regeneration. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified coniferous adjacent away springs in mixed‐conifer a region central Idaho, USA. Our research objectives were (1) quantify conifer density near springs, (2) assess importance distance spring compared other biophysical factors important regeneration, (3) examine temporal trends seedling establishment springs. areas burned high severity fires 1988, 2000, 2006, sampled transects 27 count, age, height extant seedlings, well topographic surviving seed source. We modeled effects spring, variables (slope, heat load index, elevation), climate, source two dominant species, Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) lodgepole pine Pinus contorta ), using generalized linear mixed‐effects model. study revealed proximity resulted higher earlier after high‐severity when conditions available seeds topography also met. results demonstrate previously undescribed landscape‐scale implications increasingly water‐limited environments. Springs relatively abundant features montane landscapes offer continued into future, but additional mapping hydroclimatic considerations needed.

Language: Английский

Citations

1
Green is the New Black: Outcomes of post-fire tree planting across the US Interior West DOI Creative Commons
Kyle C. Rodman, Paula J. Fornwalt, Zachary A. Holden

et al.

Forest Ecology and Management, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 574, P. 122358 - 122358

Published: Nov. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

1