Initial changes in forest structure and understory plant communities following fuel reduction activities in a Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forest

2007 ◽  
Vol 239 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 102-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon M. Collins ◽  
Jason J. Moghaddas ◽  
Scott L. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Fuel Reduction ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Understory Plant ◽  
Understory Plant Communities

scholarly journals Historical and current landscape-scale ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forest structure in the Southern Sierra Nevada

Ecosphere ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. art79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott L. Stephens ◽  
Jamie M. Lydersen ◽  
Brandon M. Collins ◽  
Danny L. Fry ◽  
Marc D. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest

Long-term effects of prescribed fire on mixed conifer forest structure in the Sierra Nevada, California

2011 ◽  
Vol 261 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip J. van Mantgem ◽  
Nathan L. Stephenson ◽  
Eric Knapp ◽  
John Battles ◽  
Jon E. Keeley
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest

Modeling climate and fuel reduction impacts on mixed-conifer forest carbon stocks in the Sierra Nevada, California

2014 ◽  
Vol 315 ◽  
pp. 30-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Hurteau ◽  
Timothy A. Robards ◽  
Donald Stevens ◽  
David Saah ◽  
Malcolm North ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Fuel Reduction ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest

scholarly journals Drivers of understory plant communities in Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests with pyrodiversity

Fire Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Wilkin ◽  
Lauren Ponisio ◽  
Danny L. Fry ◽  
Brandon M. Collins ◽  
Tadashi Moody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Understory Plant ◽  
Understory Plant Communities

Abstract Background Fire suppression in western North America increased and homogenized overstory cover in conifer forests, which likely affected understory plant communities. We sought to characterize understory plant communities and their drivers using plot-based observations from two contemporary reference sites in the Sierra Nevada, USA. These sites had long-established natural fire programs, which have resulted in restored natural fire regimes. In this study, we investigated how pyrodiversity—the diversity of fire size, severity, season, and frequency—and other environment factors influenced species composition and cover of forest understory plant communities. Results Understory plant communities were influenced by a combination of environmental, plot-scale recent fire history, and plot-neighborhood pyrodiversity within 50 m. Canopy cover was inversely proportional to understory plant cover, Simpson’s diversity, and evenness. Species richness was strongly influenced by the interaction of plot-based fire experience and plot-neighborhood pyrodiversity within 50 m. Conclusions Pyrodiversity appears to contribute both directly and indirectly to diverse understory plant communities in Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests. The indirect influence is mediated through variability in tree canopy cover, which is partially related to variation in fire severity, while direct influence is an interaction between local and neighborhood fire activity.

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