Restoring a Natural Fire Regime Alters the Water Balance of a Sierra Nevada Catchment

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 5751-5769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle F. S. Boisramé ◽  
Sally E. Thompson ◽  
Christina (Naomi) Tague ◽  
Scott L. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Natural Fire Regime

scholarly journals Fire response of the endangered Pinus culminicola stands after 18 years in Cerro El Potosí, northeast Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. e015
Author(s):  
José R. Arévalo ◽  
Eduardo Estrada ◽  
Juan A. Encina ◽  
José A. Villareal ◽  
Job R. Escobedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Response ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Natural Fire Regime ◽  
The Impact

Aim of the study: To analyze the impact of the 1998 wildfire on dwarf pine (Pinus culminicola) population stands 18 years after the fire.Area of study: Cerro el Potosí, Nuevo León (México)Material and methods: We measured regeneration, biovolume of individuals, diversity and species composition in unburned and burned plots randomly selected in the area.Main results: Recovery was very slow, with limited dense natural regeneration and very slow growth. Significant differences between control and burned plots were found with respect to regeneration, species composition, evenness and soil nutrients, suggesting that fire could promote natural regeneration and biodiversity in these communities.Research highlights: Management efforts are necessary to maintain a natural fire regime and ensure grazing exclusion in order to favor the conservation of the community dominated by this rare species P. culminicola.

scholarly journals What Constitutes a Natural Fire Regime? Insight from the Ecology and Distribution of Coniferous Forest Birds in North America

Fire Ecology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Hutto ◽  
Courtney J. Conway ◽  
Victoria A. Saab ◽  
Jeffrey R. Walters
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Natural Fire Regime

scholarly journals Natural fire regime: a guide for sustainable management of the Canadian boreal forest

Silva Fennica ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Alain Leduc ◽  
Brian Harvey ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Natural Fire Regime ◽  
Canadian Boreal Forest

Simulating a natural fire regime on an Atlantic coast barrier island complex in Florida, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 222 (9) ◽  
pp. 1639-1650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brean W. Duncan ◽  
John F. Weishampel ◽  
Seth H. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Barrier Island ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Natural Fire Regime

scholarly journals The distribution of woody species in relation to climate and fire in Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Fire Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan W. van Wagtendonk ◽  
Peggy E. Moore ◽  
Julie L. Yee ◽  
James A. Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
National Park ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Yosemite National Park ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Woody Plant Species

Abstract Background The effects of climate on plant species ranges are well appreciated, but the effects of other processes, such as fire, on plant species distribution are less well understood. We used a dataset of 561 plots 0.1 ha in size located throughout Yosemite National Park, in the Sierra Nevada of California, USA, to determine the joint effects of fire and climate on woody plant species. We analyzed the effect of climate (annual actual evapotranspiration [AET], climatic water deficit [Deficit]) and fire characteristics (occurrence [BURN] for all plots, fire return interval departure [FRID] for unburned plots, and severity of the most severe fire [dNBR]) on the distribution of woody plant species. Results Of 43 species that were present on at least two plots, 38 species occurred on five or more plots. Of those 38 species, models for the distribution of 13 species (34%) were significantly improved by including the variable for fire occurrence (BURN). Models for the distribution of 10 species (26%) were significantly improved by including FRID, and two species (5%) were improved by including dNBR. Species for which distribution models were improved by inclusion of fire variables included some of the most areally extensive woody plants. Species and ecological zones were aligned along an AET-Deficit gradient from cool and moist to hot and dry conditions. Conclusions In fire-frequent ecosystems, such as those in most of western North America, species distribution models were improved by including variables related to fire. Models for changing species distributions would also be improved by considering potential changes to the fire regime.

scholarly journals Socioecological transitions trigger fire regime shifts and modulate fire–climate interactions in the Sierra Nevada, USA, 1600–2015 CE

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (48) ◽  
pp. 13684-13689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan H. Taylor ◽  
Valerie Trouet ◽  
Carl N. Skinner ◽  
Scott Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Native American ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Climatic Effects ◽  
Fire Activity

Large wildfires in California cause significant socioecological impacts, and half of the federal funds for fire suppression are spent each year in California. Future fire activity is projected to increase with climate change, but predictions are uncertain because humans can modulate or even override climatic effects on fire activity. Here we test the hypothesis that changes in socioecological systems from the Native American to the current period drove shifts in fire activity and modulated fire–climate relationships in the Sierra Nevada. We developed a 415-y record (1600–2015 CE) of fire activity by merging a tree-ring–based record of Sierra Nevada fire history with a 20th-century record based on annual area burned. Large shifts in the fire record corresponded with socioecological change, and not climate change, and socioecological conditions amplified and buffered fire response to climate. Fire activity was highest and fire–climate relationships were strongest after Native American depopulation—following mission establishment (ca. 1775 CE)—reduced the self-limiting effect of Native American burns on fire spread. With the Gold Rush and Euro-American settlement (ca. 1865 CE), fire activity declined, and the strong multidecadal relationship between temperature and fire decayed and then disappeared after implementation of fire suppression (ca. 1904 CE). The amplification and buffering of fire–climate relationships by humans underscores the need for parameterizing thresholds of human- vs. climate-driven fire activity to improve the skill and value of fire–climate models for addressing the increasing fire risk in California.

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