The Effects of Postfire Salvage Logging on Aquatic Ecosystems in the American West

Karr, James R.; Rhodes, Jonathan J.; Minshall, G. Wayne; Hauer, F. Richard; Beschta, Robert L.; Frissell, Christopher A.; Perry, David A.

doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[1029:teopsl]2.0.co;2

Cited by 76 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…This characteristic of burned soils combines with the destruction of ground vegetation by fire to increase surface runoff and erosion after fire. This leads to a significant increase in sediment loads to streams, in some extreme cases up to 20 times, and therefore affects aquatic life (Ice et al 2004, Karr et al 2004. Also, the increased solar radiation elevates stream temperatures, which can also negatively affect aquatic communities (Ice et al 2004).…”

Section: Impact Of Fire and Salvage Logging On Watershedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, the impact of fire on watersheds is highly variable and depends largely on site topography (McIver andStarr 2000, Karr et al 2004); in some cases, fire can be beneficial by, for example, bringing a pulsed addition of spawning gravel for fish populations and improving in-stream habitat structure with a large woody debris input (Karr et al 2004). Salvage logging, when conducted carelessly, can multiply the potential negative effects of fire on watersheds by intensifying erosion significantly (McIver and Starr 2000; Karr et al 2004). Building new roads, and logging in riparian areas, on steep slopes, on erosion-prone soils or on severely burned sites all contribute to increase sediment loads.…”

Section: Impact Of Fire and Salvage Logging On Watershedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Salvage logging in the boreal and cordilleran forests of Canada: Integrating industrial and ecological concerns in management plans

Saint‐Germain¹,

Greene²

2009

The Forestry Chronicle

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Fire has been part of the North American boreal and cordilleran ecosystems for thousands of years. Because fire and harvesting compete directly for the same wood supply, and provinces have, within the last few decades, tended to reach their annual allowable cut, salvage logging has emerged as a practice to minimize the impact of fire on long-term wood supply. In most parts of the boreal and cordilleran forests, fire-killed boles rapidly degrade after their death, as wood-boring insects, stain, wood-decay fungi and checking lead to significant loss of grade or volume in the months following the fire. Because of this impending degradation, salvage operations are often hurried and other considerations, including the potential ecological impacts of salvage logging, have seldom been taken into consideration when defining harvesting strategies. The ecological consequences of rapid salvage have been widely studied only in the last 5 years, and it is now clear that salvage logging can have negative impacts on natural regeneration by seed, water quality, and fire-associated animal species. In this paper, we review both industrial and ecological constraints to salvage logging and discuss how both can be integrated in salvage plans. In particular, we focus on the issues of salvage timing and retention. At this point, some type of retention of merchantable stands, even if only for a few years, appears to be the only way to alleviate the negative ecological impacts of post-fire logging. On-site operational constraints, e.g., stands that cannot be harvested due to lack of accessibility, represent an important starting point for any retention strategy.Key words: boreal forest, forest fires, salvage logging, biodiversity, natural disturbances, regeneration after fire RÉSUMÉLe feu fait partie de l' écosystème boréal et de l' environnement des Rocheuses en Amérique du Nord depuis des milliers d'années. Compte tenu que le feu et l' exploitation forestière sont directement en compétition pour la même source de bois et que les provinces ont, au cours des quelques dernières décennies, tenté d'atteindre leur possibilité annuelle de coupe, la coupe de récupération est de plus en plus utilisée en tant que mesure de réduction des effets du feu sur l'approvisionnement en bois à long terme. Dans la plupart des régions forestières boréales et des Rocheuses, les arbres brûlés se dégradent rapidement après leur mort, puisque les insectes perceurs de bois, les décolorations, les champignons de pourriture et les fentes entraînent une diminution significative de la qualité ou du volume au cours des mois qui suivent un feu de forêt. Cette situation a pour effet que les opérations de récupération sont souvent effectuées à la dernière minute et que les autres considérations, incluant les impacts écologiques potentiels de la coupe de récupération, sont rarement étudiées au moment de l' élaboration des stratégies d' exploitation. Les conséquences écologiques d'une récupération rapide ont été étudiées à plusieurs reprises seulement depuis les ...

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Section: Impact Of Fire and Salvage Logging On Watershedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Impact Of Fire and Salvage Logging On Watershedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salvage logging in the boreal and cordilleran forests of Canada: Integrating industrial and ecological concerns in management plans

Saint‐Germain¹,

Greene²

2009

The Forestry Chronicle

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Higher-severity fire benefits watersheds and aquatic ecosystems in several ways, including providing a bonanza of recruitment of large wood and pulsed sediment supply that can rejuvenate aquatic habitats and increase their productivity [8,14]. High severity fire is also a key process for the restoration of structural heterogeneity in forests, which is important for biodiversity [27,40].…”

Section: Relaxing the Assumptions And Some Caveatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ground-based methods and associated machine piling, burning of activity fuels, construction and increased use of roads and landings can increase soil erosion, compact soils, and elevate surface runoff [8,13,14]. Although the effects of prescribed fire on watersheds are typically limited and fleeting, it can increase soil erosion and sediment delivery, sometimes significantly and persistently [15], especially if fires escape and burn larger and more severely than planned.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%