Density-dependent woody detritus accumulation in an even-aged, single-species forest

Schaedel, Michael S.; Larson, Andrew J.; Weisbrod, Cullen J.; Keane, Robert E.

doi:10.1139/cjfr-2017-0129

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Understanding snag and wood dynamics is critically important for evaluating the tradeoffs and effects of possible post-fire management actions such as salvage logging or reforestation planting on a host of key concerns (Graham et al 1994), including future wildfire potential (Johnson et al 2020), wildlife habitat conservation and development (Schaedel et al 2017), distribution of shrubs and forbs (Halpern and Lutz 2013), forest recruitment, forest carbon sequestration, and CO 2 emissions from fire (Stenzel et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is particularly true regarding carbon stored in large-diameter trees, where the majority of aboveground forest carbon is found (Stephenson et al 2014. For example, 62 years after clear-cut harvest and broadcast burning, large-diameter legacy wood originating from the preharvest stand still accounted for 45% of aboveground woody detritus stocks in a long-term replicated forest development experiment (Schaedel et al 2017). While newly created snags and fallen surface fuels will burn during future fires, any pieces that are not completely consumed will become charred, which can increase the carbon residence in these systems (DeLuca et al 2008, Brewer et al 2013, Santin et al 2015, Ward et al 2017.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large-diameter trees dominate snag and surface biomass following reintroduced fire

et al. 2020

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The reintroduction of fire to landscapes where it was once common is considered a priority to restore historical forest dynamics, including reducing tree density and decreasing levels of woody biomass on the forest floor. However, reintroducing fire causes tree mortality that can have unintended ecological outcomes related to woody biomass, with potential impacts to fuel accumulation, carbon sequestration, subsequent fire severity, and forest management. In this study, we examine the interplay between fire and carbon dynamics by asking how reintroduced fire impacts fuel accumulation, carbon sequestration, and subsequent fire severity potential. Beginning pre-fire, and continuing 6 years post-fire, we tracked all live, dead, and fallen trees ≥ 1 cm in diameter and mapped all pieces of deadwood (downed woody debris) originating from tree boles ≥ 10 cm diameter and ≥ 1 m in length in 25.6 ha of an Abies concolor/Pinus lambertiana forest in the central Sierra Nevada, California, USA. We also tracked surface fuels along 2240 m of planar transects pre-fire, immediately post-fire, and 6 years post-fire. Six years after moderate-severity fire, deadwood ≥ 10 cm diameter was 73 Mg ha −1 , comprised of 32 Mg ha −1 that persisted through fire and 41 Mg ha −1 of newly fallen wood (compared to 72 Mg ha −1 pre-fire). Woody surface fuel loading was spatially heterogeneous, with mass varying almost four orders of magnitude at the scale of 20 m × 20 m quadrats (minimum, 0.1 Mg ha −1 ; mean, 73 Mg ha −1 ; maximum, 497 Mg ha −1). Wood from large-diameter trees (≥ 60 cm diameter) comprised 57% of surface fuel in 2019, but was 75% of snag biomass, indicating high contributions to current and future fuel loading. Reintroduction of fire does not consume all large-diameter fuel and generates high levels of surface fuels ≥ 10 cm diameter within 6 years. Repeated fires are needed to reduce surface fuel loading.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-diameter trees dominate snag and surface biomass following reintroduced fire

et al. 2020

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“…Large woody debris takes longer to decay than smaller debris (Yin 1999) and at the same time wood that has burned but not fully combusted is coated in charcoal, which makes the wood more resistant to decay (Maestrini et al 2017). In one experiment, large-diameter dead wood accounted for 45% of AGC, 62 years after fire (Schaedel et al 2017), which means that residual dead wood can continue to store carbon, slowly releasing it to soil and atmospheric pools over decades, potentially centuries (Maestrini et al 2017, Lutz et al 2020, while the surrounding ecosystem regenerates and starts to ramp up carbon sequestration. This means that disallowing the removal of large-diameter standing live and dead standing trees in post-fire areas is an important step that land managers can take to meeting landscape carbon storage objectives (Lindenmayer et al 2008, Mildrexler et al 2020.…”

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confidence: 99%

An analysis of coastal temperate old forest residual carbon, structure and understory plant floristics after wildfire

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I assessed some coastal temperature old-growth forests of southwestern British Columbia to understand their post-wildfire structure, carbon storage and biodiversity values. I used a remotely sensed relativized burn ratio and a composite burn index to compare measures of aboveground carbon, structural complexity and floristic diversity between burned and unburned reference plots years after four large wildfires. The unburned reference plots represented the natural range of variation of old growth values. In burned plots, 21 of 60 retained carbon values and 10 plots retained structural values similar to unburned old growth plots. There was an average of 12% floristic similarity between burned and unburned understory plant communities.

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Density-dependent woody detritus accumulation in an even-aged, single-species forest

Cited by 2 publications

References 30 publications

Large-diameter trees dominate snag and surface biomass following reintroduced fire

Large-diameter trees dominate snag and surface biomass following reintroduced fire

An analysis of coastal temperate old forest residual carbon, structure and understory plant floristics after wildfire

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