Forest stand and site characteristics influence fuel consumption in repeat prescribed burns

Levine, Jacob; Collins, Brandon M.; York, R.A.; Foster, Daniel; Fry, Danny L.; Stephens, Scott L.

doi:10.1071/wf19043

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…1A). Canopy cover, which we believed could be a strong predictor of fuel consumption based on Levine et al (2020), was at best weakly correlated despite our plots having a wide range of canopy cover values (Fig. 1B).…”

Section: Statistically Modeled Prescribed Re Effectsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…As noted by our soil moisture measurements, winter burns occur during moist soil conditions, likely contributing to the general lack of duff combustion. Unlike generally drier fall burns in mature forests (Levine et al 2020), these winter burns were modest at best in consuming duff. When compared to burning prior to precipitation in the fall, burning after even a small amount of precipitation can lead to considerable variation in amounts of duff consumption (Hille and Stephens 2005).…”

Section: Plot-level Forest Structural Factors Of Prescribed Re Effectsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

York

Levine

Russell

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background Young, planted forests are particularly vulnerable to wildfire. High severity effects in planted forests translate to the loss of previous reforestation investments and the loss of future ecosystem service gains. We conducted prescribed burns in three ~ 35 year-old mixed conifer plantations during February in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of winter burning, which is not common in the Sierra Nevada, California. Results On average, 59% of fine fuels were consumed and the fires reduced shrub cover by 94%. The average percent of crown volume that was damaged was 25%, with no mortality observed in overstory trees one year following the fires. A plot-level analysis of the factors of fire effects did not find strong predictors of fuel consumption. Shrub cover was reduced dramatically, regardless of the specific structure that existed in plots. We found a positive relationship between crown damage and the two variables of Pinus ponderosa relative basal area and shrub cover. But these were not particularly strong predictors. An analysis of the weather conditions that have occurred at this site over the past 20 years indicated that there has consistently been opportunities to conduct winter burns. Windows of time are short, typically one or two days, and may occur at any time during the winter season. Conclusions This study demonstrates that winter burning can be an important piece of broader strategies to reduce wildfire severity in the Sierra Nevada. Preparing forest structures so that they can be feasible to burn and also preparing burn programs so that they can be nimble enough to burn opportunistically during short windows during the winter are key strategies.

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Section: Statistically Modeled Prescribed Re Effectsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Plot-level Forest Structural Factors Of Prescribed Re Effectsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

York

Levine

Russell

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As noted by our soil moisture measurements, winter burns occur during moist soil conditions, likely contributing to the general lack of duff combustion. Unlike generally drier fall burns in mature forests (Levine et al 2020), these winter burns were modest at best in consuming duff. When compared to burning prior to precipitation in the fall, burning after even a small amount of precipitation can to considerable variation in amounts of duff consumption (Hille and Stephens 2005).…”

Section: Plot-level Forest Structural Factors Of Prescribed Fire Effectsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

et al. 2021

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Background Young, planted forests are particularly vulnerable to wildfire. High severity effects in planted forests translate to the loss of previous reforestation investments and the loss of future ecosystem service gains. We conducted prescribed burns in three ~35-year-old mixed conifer plantations that had previously been masticated and thinned during February in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of winter burning, which is not common in the Sierra Nevada, California. Results On average, 59% of fine fuels were consumed and the fires reduced shrub cover by 94%. The average percent of crown volume that was damaged was 25%, with no mortality observed in overstory trees 1 year following the fires. A plot level analysis of the factors of fire effects did not find strong predictors of fuel consumption. Shrub cover was reduced dramatically, regardless of the specific structure that existed in plots. We found a positive relationship between crown damage and the two variables of Pinus ponderosa relative basal area and shrub cover. But these were not particularly strong predictors. An analysis of the weather conditions that have occurred at this site over the past 20 years indicated that there have consistently been opportunities to conduct winter burns. On average, 12 days per winter were feasible for burning using our criteria. Windows of time are short, typically 1 or 2 days, and may occur at any time during the winter season. Conclusions This study demonstrates that winter burning can be an important piece of broader strategies to reduce wildfire severity in the Sierra Nevada. Preparing forest structures so that they can be more feasible to burn and also preparing burn programs so that they can be nimble enough to burn opportunistically during short windows are key strategies. Both small landowners and large agencies may be able to explore winter burning opportunities to reduce wildfire severity.

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“…A high frequency burn schedule may be especially appropriate in young stands, where burns are likely designed to be low intensity to avoid canopy tree damage. Burning higher fuel loads infrequently and during dry conditions, while e cient from a fuels management perspective in mature forests (Levine et al 2020), can cause elevated levels of crown damage and mortality in young stands (York et al 2021). Planting stands at high stem densities during reforestation may be a logical approach when using prescribed res in young stands, since it allows for a wider range of acceptable re-induced mortality.…”

Section: Changes In Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Firing was done using a combination of backing res and strip head res. Relative humidity during burning was 30-37% in 2013 and 35-45% in 2017, and 10-hour fuel moisture was 6-7% in 2013 and 5-7% in 2017(Bellows et al 2016, Levine et al 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Fuels, Tree, and Stand Growth Using Prescribed Fire and Alternatives in Young Mixed Conifer Stands

Russell

York

2021

Preprint

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Background In the wake of increasingly frequent and severe wildfires in California, artificial regeneration and density management facilitate prompt reforestation and the rapid growth of large, fire-resistant trees. Young plantations are particularly prone to high-severity wildfire effects, suggesting the implementation of fuel reduction treatments in the early stages of stand development. The extent to which density management (i.e., thinning) and fuels management (i.e., prescribed fire) can work together is uncertain given their potentially conflicting effects on tree and stand level growth. We investigated how four different treatments – mastication, mastication plus herbicide, two prescribed burns, and mastication plus two burns – affected individual and stand-level growth versus fuel loads in mixed-conifer plantations during young stand development in the north-central Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Results The mastication plus herbicide treatment maximized individual tree growth, especially for white fir and incense-cedar, but fuel loads doubled after five years without the use of fire. The mastication only treatment resulted in a 151% increase in fuel loads over the same period, and individual tree growth was comparable to the burn only and mastication plus burn treatments. The burn only treatment greatly decreased fuel loads but also resulted in low relative stand growth. The mastication plus burn treatment prevented fuel accumulation and generally did not slow down individual tree growth. In addition, stand growth occurred at a rate similar to that of the mastication plus herbicide treatment. Conclusions Mastication followed by repeated prescribed burning could be a viable management strategy to reduce wildfire hazard without sacrificing growth in young mixed-conifer stands that are entering a vulnerable stage of fire risk. Mastication in combination with herbicide may grow trees to a large, fire-resistant size more quickly, but does not address fuel buildup. The use of fire alone can effectively reduce fuels while not substantially impacting individual tree growth, but stand growth may decline relative to mastication and herbicide.

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Forest stand and site characteristics influence fuel consumption in repeat prescribed burns

Cited by 19 publications

References 45 publications

Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

Managing Fuels, Tree, and Stand Growth Using Prescribed Fire and Alternatives in Young Mixed Conifer Stands

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