Montane and Subalpine Vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges

Fites-Kaufman, Jo Ann; Rundel, P. W.; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Weixelman, Dave A.

doi:10.1525/california/9780520249554.003.0017

Cited by 103 publications

(139 citation statements)

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“…An increase in abundance of these species has probably occurred at the expense of shade-intolerant pines, such as ponderosa and sugar pine. Shifts in species abundance under the long-term absence of fire are well-documented trends for midelevation Sierra Nevada forests (e.g., Vankat and Major 1978, Parsons and Debenedetti 1979, McKelvey and Busse 1996, Ansley and Battles 1998, Barbour et al 2002, Sugihara et al 2006, Fites-Kaufman et al 2007.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Most of the species with the greatest difference in small tree density between data sets are those with seedlings and saplings that tolerate forest shade but are relatively intolerant of fire, including tan oak, white fir, incense cedar, Douglas-fir, and canyon live oak (Minore 1979, Oliver and Dolph 1992, Allen-Diaz et al 2007, Fites-Kaufman et al 2007). An increase in abundance of these species has probably occurred at the expense of shade-intolerant pines, such as ponderosa and sugar pine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our data suggest strong increases in small tree densities at high elevations (.2500 m), where fire suppression has likely had little impact on stand structure. High-elevation forests of the Sierra Nevada are typically sparse with shallow fuel beds and a short growing season (Fites-Kaufman et al 2007), leading to very long fire return intervals . These forests are naturally fire-suppressed and thus would not be expected to have been altered by fire suppression efforts at lower elevations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Timber harvest has been suggested as a major factor in the decline of large trees in the Sierra Nevada (Fites-Kaufman et al 2007). According to Barbour et al (1993), roughly half of the area of the mixed conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada was logged at least once over the last 150 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, significant logging had already occurred by the time the VTM project was underway (Sudworth 1900, Leiberg 1902. Two thirds of the Lake Tahoe Basin had been clearcut by the 1910s, and by World War II large areas of west slope mixed conifer forest had been railroad logged or selectively cut for ponderosa and sugar pine, as well as larger specimens of Douglas-fir (Barbour et al 2002, Fites-Kaufman et al 2007). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changing forest structure across the landscape of the Sierra Nevada, CA, USA, since the 1930s

et al. 2014

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Understanding the dynamics of forest structure aids inference regarding future forests and their distributions around the world. Over the last few decades, several papers have addressed changing forest structure in the Sierra Nevada, CA, USA, but these studies were limited in scope. We carried out a broad comparison of forest density and composition in the 1930s versus the 2000s for the west slope of the central and northern Sierra Nevada, using the two most extensive data sets available. Forests in this region have endured a long, complex history of human disturbance, and are now experiencing climatic shifts. We subdivided the landscape into elevation and latitude zones and compared historical and modern tree densities within each zone. We compared densities in historical plots to burned and unburned modern plots, as well as densities of individual tree species in historical vs. modern plots for their entire elevational distribution. Density of small trees (10.2–30.4 cm dbh) was significantly higher in the modern data set for all elevations and all latitudes, ranging from 20 to 148% higher. However, density of large trees (≥61.0 cm) was lower in the modern data set for most elevations and latitudes, ranging from 41% to 60% lower in most zones. Density difference of mid‐sized trees (30.5–60.9 cm) was mixed, but was generally higher in modern plots. The pattern of more small trees but fewer large trees held for most individual species as well, but with notable exceptions. Our comparison of burned and unburned plots strongly implicates fire suppression as a driver of increased density of small trees in low‐ to mid‐elevation forests. However, modern high‐elevation (>2500 m) forests, where fire suppression impacts should be minimal, were also significantly denser than historical plots. Changing climatic conditions may be driving increased densities of small trees in high elevations, as well as decreased densities of large trees across the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changing forest structure across the landscape of the Sierra Nevada, CA, USA, since the 1930s

et al. 2014

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What mediates tree mortality during drought in the southern Sierra Nevada?

Paz‐Kagan

Brodrick

Vaughn

et al. 2017

Ecological Applications

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Severe drought has the potential to cause selective mortality within a forest, thereby inducing shifts in forest species composition. The southern Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains of California have experienced extensive forest dieback due to drought stress and insect outbreak. We used high-fidelity imaging spectroscopy (HiFIS) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) to estimate the effect of forest dieback on species composition in response to drought stress in Sequoia National Park. Our aims were (1) to quantify site-specific conditions that mediate tree mortality along an elevation gradient in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, (2) to assess where mortality events have a greater probability of occurring, and (3) to estimate which tree species have a greater likelihood of mortality along the elevation gradient. A series of statistical models were generated to classify species composition and identify tree mortality, and the influences of different environmental factors were spatially quantified and analyzed to assess where mortality events have a greater likelihood of occurring. A higher probability of mortality was observed in the lower portion of the elevation gradient, on southwest- and west-facing slopes, in areas with shallow soils, on shallower slopes, and at greater distances from water. All of these factors are related to site water balance throughout the landscape. Our results also suggest that mortality is species-specific along the elevation gradient, mainly affecting Pinus ponderosa and Pinus lambertiana at lower elevations. Selective mortality within the forest may drive long-term shifts in community composition along the elevation gradient.

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