Fire Ecology and Management in Eastern Broadleaf and Appalachian Forests

Arthur, Mary A.; Varner, J. Morgan; Lafon, Charles W.; Alexander, H. D.; Dey, Daniel C.; Harper, Craig A.; Horn, Sally P.; Hutchinson, Todd F.; Keyser, Tara L.; Lashley, Marcus A.; Moorman, Christopher E.; Schweitzer, Callie J.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-73267-7_4

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 227 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Periodic fires are considered to have been the primary factor sustaining eastern oak forests prior to the fire suppression era, by promoting oak regeneration and limiting the establishment and persistence of fire‐sensitive species (Abrams, 1992; Arthur et al, 2021). When our study began, oak–hickory seedlings were relatively abundant (median 17,000 seedlings ha −1 ) but only a small percentage were large (>50 cm tall) and oak saplings were essentially absent, a condition that has been well‐documented in unmanaged stands throughout the eastern United States (Aldrich et al, 2005; Nowacki & Abrams, 1992; Vander Yacht et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels

Hutchinson,

Adams,

Dickinson

et al. 2024

Ecological Applications

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Across much of the eastern United States, oak forests are undergoing mesophication as shade‐tolerant competitors become more abundant and suppress oak regeneration. Given the historical role of anthropogenic surface fires in promoting oak dominance, prescribed fire has become important in efforts to reverse mesophication and sustain oaks. In 2000 we established the Ohio Hills Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study to examine whether repeated prescribed fire (Fire), mechanical partial harvest (Mech), and their combined application (Mech + Fire) reduced the dominance of subcanopy mesophytic competitors, increased the abundance of large oak–hickory advance regeneration, created a more diverse and productive ground‐layer flora, and produced fuel beds more conducive to prescribed fire, reducing the risk of high‐severity wildfire. Here we report on the ~20‐year effects of treatments on vegetation and fuels and examine the support for interactive effects across a topographic‐moisture and energy gradient. In general, we found that Fire and Mech + Fire treatments tended to reverse mesophication while the Mech‐only treatment did not. The moderate and occasionally high‐intensity fires resulted in effects that were ultimately very similar between the two fire treatments but were modulated by topography with increasing fire severity on drier sites. In particular, we found support for an interaction effect between treatment and topography on forest structure and tree regeneration responses. Fire generally reduced mesophytic tree density in the midstory and sapling strata across all site conditions, while leading to substantial gains in the abundance of large oak–hickory advance regeneration on dry and intermediate landscape positions. Fire also promoted ground‐layer diversity and created compositionally distinct communities across all site conditions, primarily through the increased richness of native perennial herbs. However, the fire had limited effects on fine surface fuel loading and increased the loading of large woody fuels, potentially increasing the risk of high‐severity wildfire during drought conditions. We conclude that two decades of repeated fires, with and without mechanical density reduction, significantly shifted the trajectory of mesophication across most of the landscape, particularly on dry and intermediate sites, highlighting the capacity of a periodic fire regime to sustain eastern oak forests and promote plant diversity but modulated by topography.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, previous studies were largely based on a period when reintroducing fire was still a new concept and there was limited knowledge of the effects of repeated burning. Today we are better equipped to address whether returning to a periodic fire regime will achieve the desired outcomes (Arthur et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels

Hutchinson,

Adams,

Dickinson

et al. 2024

Ecological Applications

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition to knowledge gaps regarding the effects of burn season on attaining restoration goals, the practicality of growing season burns is also a consideration. The timing of prescribed burning is limited by “burn windows” based on weather, fuels condition, smoke dispersal and air quality standards, and/or considerations for federally listed endangered species (Arthur et al 2021). Due to limited burn windows in April–September (Chiodi et al 2018), restricting prescribed burns to the growing season may be difficult to adhere to over the long term.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Season of burn has minimal effect on groundlayer community structure and composition in an Appalachian mixed‐oak forest

Keyser,

Greenberg

2024

Restoration Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The groundlayer flora has a disproportionate influence on ecosystem function and contributes to the biodiversity in temperate Quercus forests of eastern North America. Historically open understory conditions perpetuated, in part by fire, have become closed and homogenized by long‐term fire exclusion, likely impacting the groundlayer community. We explored the effects of burn season (unburned = CON, dormant season = DSB, growing season = GSB) on groundlayer (<1 m) vegetation attributes pre‐ and post‐burn. The difference (post‐burn – pre‐burn) in tree cover was greater in GSB (+8.22%) than DSB (+1.24%) and CON (+0.15%), while the change in forb cover was greater in GSB (+1.17%) than CON (−0.15%). Minor effects of burning were observed in diversity metrics, with the change in forb richness greater in GSB (+0.11 species/m2) than CON (−0.78 species/m2), while the change in tree richness was greater in GSB (+1.11 species/m2) than DSB (−1.11 species/m2) and CON (−1.67 species/m2). Nonmetric multi‐dimensional scaling provided evidence that between pre‐ and post‐burn, modest composition shifts in DSB and GSB were associated with more open conditions and lower litter depth. Understory composition did not vary among burn treatments pre‐burn, while post‐burn, composition differed significantly between CON and DSB and DSB and GSB. However, overall, a growing season burn had relatively minor effects on the groundlayer community compared to a dormant season burn. A better understanding of multiple factors affecting groundlayer response to burning is critical to the effective use of prescribed burning in attaining restoration goals.

show abstract

“…This was followed by mass forest liquidation and slash wildfires in the late 19 th and early 20 th century (6). Negative perceptions of these wildfires led to a century of state-sanctioned fire exclusion and suppression that favored maple growth and wetter understories (7,8). As a result, Appalachian forests became dominated by even-aged stands with few large (20 to 25-m + diameter) canopy gaps and infrequent understory fires (4,9,10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Disturbances, Multiple Legacies: Fire, Canopy Gaps, and Deer Jointly Change the Forest Seed Bank

Reed,

Royo de sedas,

Carson

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The manipulation of pre-colonial disturbances in U.S. forests can play a critical role in determining ecological composition, structure, and function. However, our understanding of how concurrent disturbances influence non-tree species is extremely limited in forests. To this end, we used a long-term, multi-disturbance experiment in an oak dominated forest in West Virginia, U.S.A. that factorially manipulated understory fire, deer fencing, and canopy gaps. Thirteen years after disturbance initiation, we sampled and germinated the seed bank from each disturbance treatment. We found long-term seed banks differed only in plots with understory fire, with effects contingent on canopy gaps and deer fencing. Fire combined with canopy gaps caused a 205% increase in seed abundance. Combined fire, deer fencing, and canopy gaps led to the lowest diversity of all treatments and the dominance of the shrub Rubus in the seed bank, reflecting the continued legacy of extant plants that grew immediately after disturbance. Lastly, in plots with multiple reintroduced disturbances, seed communities were distinct from extant understory species at all time points, highlighting how the seed bank is an important reservoir of biodiversity. Each reintroduced disturbance combination left a unique legacy in the seed bank that will likely influence future forest reorganization following disturbance, adding to our understanding of how disturbances influence forest succession and organization. Our study highlights the many unexpected ways that multiple disturbances can change an understudied, but influential, component of the forest for well over a decade.

show abstract

Fire Ecology and Management in Eastern Broadleaf and Appalachian Forests

Cited by 14 publications

References 227 publications

Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels

Sustaining eastern oak forests: Synergistic effects of fire and topography on vegetation and fuels

Season of burn has minimal effect on groundlayer community structure and composition in an Appalachian mixed‐oak forest

Multiple Disturbances, Multiple Legacies: Fire, Canopy Gaps, and Deer Jointly Change the Forest Seed Bank

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About