Fire severity affects mixed broadleaf–conifer forest bird communities: Results for 9 years following fire

Stephens, Jaime L.; Ausprey, Ian J.; Seavy, Nathaniel E.; Alexander, John D.

doi:10.1650/condor-14-58.1

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This contrasts with the assumption that mixed‐severity fire represents a “catastrophic” stressor for eastern ponderosa systems (Schneider et al, ). Our results also build upon shorter‐term studies in conifer systems demonstrating how fire legacies influence structure in burned versus unburned forests (Fontaine, Donato, Robinson, Law, & Kauffman, ; Hutto, ) and across fire severities (Fontaine & Kennedy, ; Stephens, Ausprey, Seavy, & Alexander, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Fire legacies in eastern ponderosa pine forests

Roberts

Donovan

Wonkka

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Disturbance legacies structure communities and ecological memory, but due to increasing changes in disturbance regimes, it is becoming more difficult to characterize disturbance legacies or determine how long they persist. We sought to quantify the characteristics and persistence of material legacies (e.g., biotic residuals of disturbance) that arise from variation in fire severity in an eastern ponderosa pine forest in North America. We compared forest stand structure and understory woody plant and bird community composition and species richness across unburned, low‐, moderate‐, and high‐severity burn patches in a 27‐year‐old mixed‐severity wildfire that had received minimal post‐fire management. We identified distinct tree densities (high: 14.3 ± 7.4 trees per ha, moderate: 22.3 ± 12.6, low: 135.3 ± 57.1, unburned: 907.9 ± 246.2) and coarse woody debris cover (high: 8.5 ± 1.6% cover per 30 m transect, moderate: 4.3 ± 0.7, low: 2.3 ± 0.6, unburned: 1.0 ± 0.4) among burn severities. Understory woody plant communities differed between high‐severity patches, moderate‐ and low‐severity patches, and unburned patches (all p < 0.05). Bird communities differed between high‐ and moderate‐severity patches, low‐severity patches, and unburned patches (all p < 0.05). Bird species richness varied across burn severities: low‐severity patches had the highest (5.29 ± 1.44) and high‐severity patches had the lowest (2.87 ± 0.72). Understory woody plant richness was highest in unburned (5.93 ± 1.10) and high‐severity (5.07 ± 1.17) patches, and it was lower in moderate‐ (3.43 ± 1.17) and low‐severity (3.43 ± 1.06) patches. We show material fire legacies persisted decades after the mixed‐severity wildfire in eastern ponderosa forest, fostering distinct structures, communities, and species in burned versus unburned patches and across fire severities. At a patch scale, eastern and western ponderosa system responses to mixed‐severity fires were consistent.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Fire legacies in eastern ponderosa pine forests

Roberts

Donovan

Wonkka

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…, Hutto , Stephens et al. ). The severity of a fire refers to the degree to which a site was altered by fire, usually in regard to changes in both above‐ and below‐ground biomass (Keeley , Miller et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interacting and non‐linear avian responses to mixed‐severity wildfire and time since fire

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Non-linear and interacting effects of fire severity and time since fire may help explain how pyrodiversity promotes biodiversity in fire-adapted systems. We built on previous research on avian responses to fire by investigating how complex effects of burn severity and time since fire influenced avian community composition across the northern Sierra Nevada, California. We conducted avian point counts from 2009 to 2015 in 10 fires that burned between 2000 and 2014, resulting in a chronosequence of 1-15 yr post-fire. We estimated the effects of burn severity, time since fire, non-linear and interacting effects of fire severity and time since fire, pre-fire forest conditions, and several physiographic parameters on the density of 44 breeding bird species using hierarchical distance sampling models. In addition, we fit separate models to observations of each species in unburned forest to compare species' densities between burned and unburned forests. At least one of the non-linear or interaction fire effects was significant for 27 (61%) of the 44 bird species. The quadratic effect of time since fire was an important predictor of post-fire densities of 20 species, illustrating the dynamic nature of this post-wildfire avian community. Greater maximum densities were estimated at some combination of burn severity and time since fire than in unburned forest for 13 of the 44 (30%) species, only one of which reached maximum density following low-severity fire. In contrast, all of the 12 species that were more abundant in unburned forest reached maximum post-fire densities in fires that burned at low severity. Results from the study suggest that consideration of the non-linear and interacting effects of fire severity and time since fire is important to fully understanding post-wildfire responses for a majority of birds. Moreover, the study supports a growing body of literature that indicates mixed-severity fire is essential for conserving avian diversity in many fire-maintained systems.

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“…This species is a Watch List Species undergoing significant declines in western forests (NABCI ); it is associated with structurally complex post‐burn habitats (Altman and Alexander , Stephens et al. ). The abundance of two additional coniferous forest species in decline (Wilson's Warbler and Orange‐crowned Warbler) was concentrated on non‐federal lands (Altman and Alexander ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using regional bird density distribution models to evaluate protected area networks and inform conservation planning

et al. 2017

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. 2017. Using regional bird density distribution models to evaluate protected area networks and inform conservation planning.Ecosphere 8(5):e01799. 10.1002/ecs2.1799Abstract. As data about populations of indicator species become available, proactive strategies that improve representation of biological diversity within protected area networks should consider finer-scaled evaluations, especially in regions identified as important through course-scale analyses. We use density distribution models derived from a robust regional bird abundance dataset, coupled with habitat conservation plans, to evaluate a network of protected areas and to inform conservation and biodiversity planning in the greater Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion, an area recognized globally as a region of outstanding biological diversity. Our novel modeling approach allowed for comparisons of abundance of conservation focal species on federal vs. non-federal lands, federal lands that are protected to maintain natural habitats vs. federal lands managed for multiple uses, and seven protected areas of interest. Our comparisons highlight conservation opportunities for suites of species associated with coniferous forests, oak woodlands, and grasslands. Specifically, we found that species associated with oak woodland and grassland habitats, both habitats of conservation concern, were not well represented in the Bioregion's existing protected areas. These species would benefit from expanding the regional protected area network to include their associated at-risk habitats. In contrast, our results suggest that coniferous forests birds are well represented in the Bioregion's protected areas. We identify management opportunities specifically associated with the restoration of fire-adapted ecosystems that would benefit coniferous forest focal species on both federally protected areas and other multiple-use lands. Our analysis provides an example of how a finer-scaled evaluation of a regional protected area network adds value to course-scale evaluations of protected areas and biological diversity. Data and results from this research were used to inform science-based expansion of the Bioregion's network of protected areas.

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Fire severity affects mixed broadleaf–conifer forest bird communities: Results for 9 years following fire

Cited by 26 publications

References 29 publications

Fire legacies in eastern ponderosa pine forests

Fire legacies in eastern ponderosa pine forests

Interacting and non‐linear avian responses to mixed‐severity wildfire and time since fire

Using regional bird density distribution models to evaluate protected area networks and inform conservation planning

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