Fire severity, size, and climate associations diverge from historical precedent along an ecological gradient in the Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona, USA

O’Connor, Christopher D.; Falk, Donald A.; Lynch, Ann M.; Swetnam, Thomas W.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2014.06.032

Cited by 127 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…arizonica), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), and high-elevation spruce-fir forest dominated by cork bark fir and Engelmann spruce [31,34]. Animals for this study were captured primarily within three mesic mixedconifer forest study sites: Columbine (104.3 ha), Soldier Creek (14.7 ha), and Merrill Peak (72.2 ha; figure 1).…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Red squirrel habitat in the Pinaleñ o Mountains occurs above 2 591 m, and animals in our study used habitat between 2 647 and 3 267 m in elevation. Fires in 1996 and 2004 burned a combined 14 160 ha of pine, mixed-conifer, and spruce-fir forest (45% of the forest above 2 135 m) which, combined with tree death from insects, reduced spruce and cork bark fir area by 66% [31].…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence of natal habitat preference induction within one habitat type

Merrick¹,

Koprowski²

2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Natal habitat preference induction (NHPI) is a mechanism for habitat selection by individuals during natal dispersal. NHPI occurs in wild animal populations, and evidence suggests it may be a common, although little studied, mechanism for post-dispersal habitat selection. Most tests of NHPI examine the influence of distinct, contrasting natal habitat types on post-dispersal habitat selection. We test the hypothesis that NHPI can occur within a single habitat type, an important consideration for habitat specialists. The Mount Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis) is an endangered forest obligate restricted to a single mountain primarily within mixed-conifer forest. We test for NHPI by comparing intra-individual differences in natal and settlement habitat structure and composition to expected random pairwise differences. Dispersing juveniles appear to select settlement locations that are more similar to natal areas than expected in several forest structure and composition variables that include canopy cover and live basal area. Our results provide support for NHPI as a mechanism for post-dispersal habitat selection in habitat specialists that occupy a single vegetation community type.

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Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of natal habitat preference induction within one habitat type

Merrick¹,

Koprowski²

2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…To understand the effects of weather on burn severity, two different types of weather should be considered: climate and fire weather. Climate reflects broad weather patterns and is closely associated with long-term annual and seasonal variation in precipitation, temperature, relative moisture, solar radiation, drought and wind on a regional scale [19,21]. In general, higher temperatures, lower humidity and dry conditions create environments that are more susceptible to forest fires due to decreased fuel moisture and the lower energy required for pre-heating [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex Relationships of the Effects of Topographic Characteristics and Susceptible Tree Cover on Burn Severity

2018

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Forest fires and burn severity mosaics have profound impacts on the post-fire dynamics and complexity of forest ecosystems. Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between topographic variables and susceptible tree covers with regard to burn severity. However, these relationships have not been fully elucidated, because most studies have assumed linearity in these relationships. Therefore, we examined the linearity and the nonlinearity in the relationships between topographic variables and susceptible tree covers with burn severity by comparing linear and nonlinear models. The site of the Samcheok fire, the largest recorded forest fire in Korea, was used as the study area. We generated 802 grid cells with a 500-m resolution that encompassed the entire study area and collected a dataset that included the topographic variables and percentage of red pine trees, which are the most susceptible tree cover types in Korea. We used conventional linear models and generalized additive models to estimate the linear and the nonlinear models based on topographic variables and Japanese red pine trees. The results revealed that the percentage of red pine trees had linear effects on burn severity, reinforcing the importance of silviculture and forest management to lower burn severity. Meanwhile, the topographic variables had nonlinear effects on burn severity. Among the topographic variables, elevation had the strongest nonlinear effect on burn severity, possibly by overriding the effects of susceptible fuels over elevation effects or due to the nonlinear effects of topographic characteristics on pre-fire fuel conditions, including the spatial distribution and availability of susceptible tree cover. To validate and generalize the nonlinear effects of elevation and other topographic variables, additional research is required at different fire sites with different tree cover types in different geographic locations.

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“…(e.g., Allen et al 2002), and many recent wildfires in this region have been uncharacteristically large and severe (Dennison et al 2014, O'Connor et al 2014. Large openings resulting from high-severity fire in former ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and mixed conifer forests may be persistent given tree seed source limitations, climatic constraints on reproduction and survival, and competition from herbaceous and shrubby vegetation (Bonnet et al 2005, Haire and McGarigal 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of Prior Wildfires on Vegetation Response to Subsequent Fire in a Reburned Southwestern Landscape

Parks¹,

McClernan²,

Holsinger³

2015

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. Large and severe wildfires have raised concerns about the future of forested landscapes in the southwestern United States, especially under repeated burning. In 2011, under extreme weather and drought conditions, the Las Conchas fire burned over several previous burns as well as forests not recently exposed to fire. Our purpose was to examine the influences of prior wildfires on plant community composition and structure, subsequent burn severity, and vegetation response. To assess these relationships, we used satellite-derived measures of burn severity and a nonmetric multidimensional scaling of pre-and post-Las Conchas field samples. Earlier burns were associated with shifts from forested sites to open savannas and meadows, oak scrub, and ruderal communities. These non-forested vegetation types exhibited both resistance to subsequent fire, measured by reduced burn severity, and resilience to reburning, measured by vegetation recovery relative to forests not exposed to recent prior fire. Previous shifts toward non-forested states were strongly reinforced by reburning. Ongoing losses of forests and their ecological values confirm the need for restoration interventions. However, given future wildfire and climate projections, there may also be opportunities presented by transformations toward fire-resistant and resilient vegetation types within portions of the landscape.

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Fire severity, size, and climate associations diverge from historical precedent along an ecological gradient in the Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona, USA

Cited by 127 publications

References 74 publications

Evidence of natal habitat preference induction within one habitat type

Evidence of natal habitat preference induction within one habitat type

Complex Relationships of the Effects of Topographic Characteristics and Susceptible Tree Cover on Burn Severity

Influences of Prior Wildfires on Vegetation Response to Subsequent Fire in a Reburned Southwestern Landscape

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