Ignition Patterns Influence Fire Severity and Plant Communities in Pacific Northwest, USA, Prairies

Martin, Rebecca A.; Hamman, Sarah T.

doi:10.4996/fireecology.1201088

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Fire suppression and the subsequent encroachment of Douglas-fir and shore pine trees into Garry oak meadows has created significant management challenges such as maintaining native plants and animals that depend upon these once fire resilient ecosystems [45]. Fire suppression results in conifer encroachment to grassland and wetland areas, changing the soil chemistry and the organic matter composition on the forest floor, which enables the growth of some species, and inhibits the growth of others [13].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire Exclusion Destroys Habitats for At-Risk Species in a British Columbia Protected Area

Hoffman

Wickham

McInnes

et al. 2019

Fire

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Fire exclusion and suppression has altered the composition and structure of Garry oak and associated ecosystems in British Columbia. The absence of frequent low severity ground fires has been one of the main contributors to dense patches of non-native grasses, shrubs, and encroaching Douglas-fir trees in historical Garry oak dominated meadows. This case study uses remote sensing and dendrochronology to reconstruct the stand dynamics and long-term fire history of a Garry oak meadow situated within Helliwell Provincial Park located on Hornby Island, British Columbia. The Garry oak habitat in Helliwell Park has decreased by 50% since 1950 due to conifer encroachment. Lower densities and mortalities of Garry oak trees were associated with the presence of overstory Douglas-fir trees. To slow conifer encroachment into the remaining Garry oak meadows, we recommend that mechanical thinning of Douglas-fir be followed by a prescribed burning program. Reintroducing fire to Garry oak ecosystems can restore and maintain populations of plants, mammals, and insects that rely on these fire resilient habitats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire Exclusion Destroys Habitats for At-Risk Species in a British Columbia Protected Area

Hoffman

Wickham

McInnes

et al. 2019

Fire

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“…a fuel‐propelled higher intensity (localized) fire with a long residence time, low spread rate and shorter flames), a head fire (e.g. rapid spread among tops of grasses that quickly shape a larger landscape area) or a combination of fire prescriptions (Martin & Hamman, 2016).…”

Section: Staged‐scale Adaptive Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire can increase the occurrence of native plant species through nutrient cycling to build soil integrity and further the goal of ecological resilience (Dunwiddie & Martin, 2016) when properly managed. The height/depth of vegetation (native and exotic) can be knee high at the time of burning, with burns to remove exotics and burns to promote seed germination and maintenance (Martin & Hamman, 2016). In the short term, burning can alter soil cations by volatizing N, P and S and directly after a burn, improve nutrient content depending on soil type, horizons and existing organic matter, but not necessarily alter pH (DeBano, 1991).…”

Section: Staged‐scale Adaptive Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, excessive burns inflict both damage and recurrence of native prairie plant species by producing a slower rate of recurring early successional native forbs and annual grasses (Tveten, 1998) while reducing perennials. Species whose seeds tolerate fire intervals against those that do not may require head fires that can reduce exotics and burn at a higher intensity (Martin & Hamman, 2016). Bulb, tuber and corm species are preserved while the same fire can break seed dormancy for species that may have laid seeds in a previous season (Krock et al, 2016).…”

Section: Staged‐scale Adaptive Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Upland prairie adaptive management staged‐scale restoration practices for native plant and endangered butterfly reintroduction

Muzychko

2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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The present practice insight derives from land manager requests to document current on‐site activity and provides a management planning reference for restoration on Violet Prairie. Start‐up restoration initiates from trial‐and‐error adaptive management practices in the Puget Sound region of western Washington, USA. Treatments used focus on the implementation of staged‐scale restoration. Preparation intends to meet reintroduction goals of establishing a native plant community that could potentially support the threatened endemic Castilleja levisecta (golden paintbrush). Reintroduction of the associated native plant community provides habitat for endangered Euphydryas editha taylori (Taylor's checkerspot butterfly). Known conventional agricultural use coupled to fire suppression since the 1800s altered regional prairie lands to an unfavourable state for native plant species. Local native prairie soil types were favoured for growing conventional grasses and exotic forb species common to grazing pastures. Land abandonment and degradation has lengthened the time of disturbance and complicated restoring to a generalized reference point prior to settlement. Persistent exotic species, encroaching housing development, coniferous forest and recent wildfire complicate converting back to native prairie. Threatened and endangered species and their habitat are targeted in a trial‐and‐error process of staged‐scale adaptive management within the goal of whole ecosystem and connectivity restoration. Land managers focus on exotics removal and intensive native reseeding while restoring the use of prescribed burning as a maintenance tool. Embedded monitoring and observation advises where future practices need to be adapted by focusing on treatments and outcomes. Past land use practices replaced native soil seed banks with exotic seed banks that further distort reference proxies. Unknowns interrupt the current implementation additionally to soil conversion issues, while short‐term adaptive management methods initiate conversion back to native prairie. Species reintroduction choices to develop community structure are complicated by the fact that historical reference point species may be missing altogether from existing native communities. An unanswered outcome of the restoration process is determining which set of treatments best prepares soil for the desired native plant community.

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“…Fire behavior during prescribed fires is influenced by a number of factors, including fuel loading and arrangement [1,[17][18][19], fuel moisture content, previous and current weather conditions [20], and ignition pattern [21]. Fuel loading and consumption during prescribed fires have been quantified throughout fire-adapted forest ecosystems in the Eastern USA, and several studies have documented significant linear relationships between initial fuel loading and consumption of forest floor and understory vegetation across a range of fire intensities [19,22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire Behavior, Fuel Consumption, and Turbulence and Energy Exchange during Prescribed Fires in Pitch Pine Forests

et al. 2020

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Prescribed fires are conducted extensively in pine-dominated forests throughout the Eastern USA to reduce the risk of wildfires and maintain fire-adapted ecosystems. We asked how fire behavior and fuel consumption during prescribed fires are associated with turbulence and energy fluxes, which affect the dispersion of smoke and transport of firebrands, potentially impacting local communities and transportation corridors. We estimated fuel consumption and measured above-canopy turbulence and energy fluxes using eddy covariance during eight prescribed fires ranging in behavior from low-intensity backing fires to high-intensity head fires in pine-dominated forests of the New Jersey Pinelands, USA. Consumption was greatest for fine litter, intermediate for understory vegetation, and least for 1 + 10 hour wood, and was significantly correlated with pre-burn loading for all fuel types. Crown torching and canopy fuel consumption occurred only during high-intensity fires. Above-canopy air temperature, vertical wind velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in buoyant plumes above fires were enhanced up to 20.0, 3.9 and 4.1 times, respectively, compared to values measured simultaneously on control towers in unburned areas. When all prescribed fires were considered together, differences between above-canopy measurements in burn and control areas (Δ values) for maximum Δ air temperatures were significantly correlated with maximum Δ vertical wind velocities at all (10 Hz to 1 minute) integration times, and with Δ TKE. Maximum 10 minute averaged sensible heat fluxes measured above canopy were lower during low-intensity backing fires than for high-intensity head fires, averaging 1.8 MJ m−2 vs. 10.6 MJ m−2, respectively. Summed Δ sensible heat values averaged 70 ± 17%, and 112 ± 42% of convective heat flux estimated from fuel consumption for low-intensity and high-intensity fires, respectively. Surprisingly, there were only weak relationships between the consumption of surface and understory fuels and Δ air temperature, Δ wind velocities, or Δ TKE values in buoyant plumes. Overall, low-intensity fires were effective at reducing fuels on the forest floor, but less effective at consuming understory vegetation and ladder fuels, while high-intensity head fires resulted in greater consumption of ladder and canopy fuels but were also associated with large increases in turbulence and heat flux above the canopy. Our research quantifies some of the tradeoffs involved between fire behavior and turbulent transfer of smoke and firebrands during effective fuel reduction treatments and can assist wildland fire managers when planning and conducting prescribed fires.

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Ignition Patterns Influence Fire Severity and Plant Communities in Pacific Northwest, USA, Prairies

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

Fire Exclusion Destroys Habitats for At-Risk Species in a British Columbia Protected Area

Fire Exclusion Destroys Habitats for At-Risk Species in a British Columbia Protected Area

Upland prairie adaptive management staged‐scale restoration practices for native plant and endangered butterfly reintroduction

Fire Behavior, Fuel Consumption, and Turbulence and Energy Exchange during Prescribed Fires in Pitch Pine Forests

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