Prescribed fire effects on the herbaceous layer of mixed-oak forests

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd F Hutchinson ◽  
Ralph EJ Boerner ◽  
Steve Sutherland ◽  
Elaine Kennedy Sutherland ◽  
Marilyn Ortt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Compositional Variation ◽  
Herbaceous Layer ◽  
Moisture Index ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Species Frequencies

In 1994, a multidisciplinary project was established to study the effects of prescribed fire on oak forests in southern Ohio. Here we describe the herbaceous layer response to fires over a 5-year period. In four study sites, treatments imposed were unburned, periodic (1996 and 1999), and annual (1996–1999) fires. Sample plots (n = 108) were stratified by an integrated moisture index. Species' frequencies were recorded annually, and a total of 452 species (97% native) were documented. Though species composition was significantly affected by fire, the effects were shown by ordination to be small in magnitude relative to overall compositional variation. Burned areas developed greater small-scale species richness as grasses, summer forbs, and seed-banking species increased in frequency; however, these changes were also not large in magnitude. Though a few species increased substantially via germination after fire, most common species exhibited frequency increases or decreases of <10% on burned units. Fire effects on vegetation were largely similar between annual and periodic burns and also among integrated moisture index classes. Direct fire effects on vegetation were limited by the dormant-season timing of burns and the resprouting of woody plants. Indirect effects were limited, as fires caused relatively minor changes in forest structure and resource availability in these long-unburned forests.

Short-term effects of fire on small rodents in the Brazilian Cerrado and their relation with feeding habits

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emerson M. Vieira ◽  
Denis C. Briani
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Small Rodents ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Plant Matter

We investigated the short-term (up to 60 days) fire effects on small rodents and their relation to feeding habitats in the fire-prone Cerrado of central Brazil, the most species-rich savanna in the world. We conducted prescribed-fire experiments with pre- and post-fire simultaneous sampling in burned and unburned areas to investigate the hypothesis that the effects of fire on the abundance of small rodents is related to changes in food availability and consequently the feeding habits of the animals. The findings revealed a higher availability of invertebrates in just-burned areas compared with plant resources. Stomach analyses indicated that invertebrate consumption increased after fire for the four most common rodents, but Calomys tener and especially Calomys expulsus, consumed more invertebrates in the burned areas than Necromys lasiurus or Cerradomys scotti. These Calomys rodents were also the post-fire dominant species. Thus, even within the group of rodents that are generalist feeders, distinctive short-term responses to fire were associated with changes in resource availability and with resultant differences in the abundance of plant matter and invertebrates in the rodent diets.

scholarly journals Using the Landsat Burned Area Products to Derive Fire History Relevant for Fire Management and Conservation in the State of Florida, Southeastern USA

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Casey Teske ◽  
Melanie K. Vanderhoof ◽  
Todd J. Hawbaker ◽  
Joe Noble ◽  
John Kevin Hiers
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Behavior Modeling ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Burn Probability

Development of comprehensive spatially explicit fire occurrence data remains one of the most critical needs for fire managers globally, and especially for conservation across the southeastern United States. Not only are many endangered species and ecosystems in that region reliant on frequent fire, but fire risk analysis, prescribed fire planning, and fire behavior modeling are sensitive to fire history due to the long growing season and high vegetation productivity. Spatial data that map burned areas over time provide critical information for evaluating management successes. However, existing fire data have undocumented shortcomings that limit their use when detailing the effectiveness of fire management at state and regional scales. Here, we assessed information in existing fire datasets for Florida and the Landsat Burned Area products based on input from the fire management community. We considered the potential of different datasets to track the spatial extents of fires and derive fire history metrics (e.g., time since last burn, fire frequency, and seasonality). We found that burned areas generated by applying a 90% threshold to the Landsat burn probability product matched patterns recorded and observed by fire managers at three pilot areas. We then created fire history metrics for the entire state from the modified Landsat Burned Area product. Finally, to show their potential application for conservation management, we compared fire history metrics across ownerships for natural pinelands, where prescribed fire is frequently applied. Implications of this effort include increased awareness around conservation and fire management planning efforts and an extension of derivative products regionally or globally.

scholarly journals Soil-vegetation relationships in Mediterranean forests after fire

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor Fernández-García ◽  
Elena Marcos ◽  
Sara Huerta ◽  
Leonor Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
P Content ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Soil Status

Abstract Background Wildfires are one of the major environmental concerns in Mediterranean ecosystems. Thus, many studies have addressed wildfire impacts on soil and vegetation in Mediterranean forests, but the linkages between these ecosystem compartments after fire are not well understood. The aim of this work is to analyze soil-vegetation relationships in Mediterranean burned forests as well as the consistency of these relationships among forests with different environmental conditions, at different times after fire, and among vegetation with different functional traits. Results Our results indicate that study site conditions play an important role in mediating soil-vegetation relationships. Likewise, we found that the nature of soil-vegetation relationships may vary over time as fire effects are less dominant in both ecosystem compartments. Despite this, we detected several common soil-vegetation relationships among study sites and times after fire. For instance, our results revealed that available P content and stoichiometry (C:P and N:P) were closely linked to vegetation growth, and particularly to the growth of trees. We found that enzymatic activities and microbial biomass were inversely related to vegetation growth rates, whereas the specific activities of soil enzymes were higher in the areas with more vegetation height and cover. Likewise, our results suggest that resprouters may influence soil properties more than seeders, the growth of seeders being more dependent on soil status. Conclusions We provide pioneer insights into how vegetation is influenced by soil, and vice-versa, in Mediterranean burned areas. Our results reflect variability in soil-vegetation relationships among study sites and time after fire, but consistent patterns between soil properties and vegetation were also detected. Our research is highly relevant to advance in forest science and could be useful to achieve efficient post-fire management.

PENILAIAN DAMPAK KEBAKARAN PADA TEGAKAN AKASIA DI BKPH PARUNG PANJANG KPH BOGOR, PERUM PERHUTANI UNIT III JAWA BARAT DAN BANTEN Fire Severity Assessment on Akasia stand at BKPH Parung Panjang KPH Bogor, Perum Perhutani III West Java and Banten

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
Lailan Syaufina ◽  
Vera Linda Purba
Keyword(s):  
Growth Performance ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Forest Health Monitoring ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Forest fire is one of the problem in forest management. The objectives of the study was to measure the forest fire severity based on soil physical and chemical properties. The forest fire effects were assessed using fire severity method and forest health monitoring plot. The study indicated that the burned areas at BKPH Parung Panjang after two years included in low fire severity. The site properties and growth performance analysis showed that the fire has only affected on pH, Mg and tree diameter significantly, whereas the other parameters such as bulk density, P, N, Na, K, Ca and height were not significantly affected. In addition, both burned and unburned areas are classified as in health condition.Key words : fire severity, forest health monitoring, growth performance, site properties

scholarly journals Fire severity and ecosystem resilience – lessons from the Wombat Fire Effects Study (1984-2003)

2012 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Kevin G. Tolhurst
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Fire Characteristics ◽  
Understorey Plants

The Wombat Fire Effects Study was established to address a number of questions in relation to the effects of repeated low-intensity fires in mixed species eucalypt forest in the foothills of Victoria. This study has now been going for 25 years and has included the study of understorey plants, fuels, bats, terrestrial mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, fungi, birds, soils, tree growth, fire behaviour and weather. This forest system has shown a high resilience to fire that is attributed here to the patchiness and variability in the fire characteristics within a fire and the relatively small proportion of the landscape being affected. A means of comparing the level of “injury” caused by low-intensity prescribed fire with high intensity wildfire is proposed so that the debate about leverage benefits (the reduction in wildfire area compared to the area of planned burning) can be more rational. There are some significant implications for assessing the relative environmental impacts of wildfire compared with the planned burning program being implemented in Victoria since the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission recommendations (Teague et al. 2010).

scholarly journals Sagebrush steppe recovery after fire varies by development phase of Juniperus occidentalis woodland

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Bates ◽  
Robert N. Sharp ◽  
Kirk W. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Herbaceous Layer ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Juniperus Occidentalis

Woodland ecosystems of the world have been changed by land use demands, altered fire regimes, invasive species and climate change. Reduced fire frequency is recognised as a main causative agent for Pinus–Juniperus L. (piñon–juniper) expansion in North American woodlands. Piñon–juniper control measures, including prescribed fire, are increasingly employed to restore sagebrush steppe communities. We compared vegetation recovery following prescribed fire on Phase 2 (mid-succession) and Phase 3 (late-succession) Juniperus occidentalis Hook. (western juniper) woodlands in Oregon. The herbaceous layer on Phase 2 sites was comprised of native perennial and annual vegetation before and after fire. On Phase 3 sites the herbaceous layer shifted from native species to dominance by invasive Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass). After fire, shrubs on Phase 2 sites were comprised of sprouting species and Ceanothus velutinus Dougl. (snowbrush). On Phase 3 woodland sites the shrub layer was dominated by C. velutinus. The results suggest that Phase 2 sites have a greater likelihood of recovery to native vegetation after fire and indicate that sites transitioning from Phase 2 to Phase 3 woodlands cross a recovery threshold where there is a greater potential for invasive weeds, rather than native vegetation, to dominate after fire.

scholarly journals Prescribed Fire Effects on Advanced Regeneration in Mixed Hardwood Stands

1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.A. Barnes ◽  
D.H. Van Lear
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Oak Regeneration ◽  
Advanced Regeneration ◽  
Composition And Structure

Abstract Fire treatments were initiated in 1990 to evaluate effects of low-intensity prescribed fires on composition and structure of the advanced regeneration pool under mature mixed-hardwood stands on upland sites in the Piedmont of South Carolina. One spring burn was as effective as three winter burns in reducing midstory density, considered a prerequisite for subsequent development of oak (Quercus spp.) advanced regeneration. Burning increased the number of oak rootstocks, reduced the relative position of competing species, and increased root-to-shoot ratios of oak stems in the regeneration layer. These favorable effects of fire on oak regeneration outweigh the removal of small, poorly formed oak stems from the midstory/understory strata during burning. Prescribed burning in hardwood forests may solve some of the current oak regeneration problems, especially on better upland sites in the South. South. J. Appl. For. 22(3):138-142.

Understory species interactions in mature boreal mixedwood forests

Botany ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (10) ◽  
pp. 912-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Chávez ◽  
S. Ellen Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Herbaceous Layer ◽  
Competition Intensity ◽  
Understory Species ◽  
Mixedwood Forests ◽  
Natural Logarithm ◽  
Cornus Canadensis ◽  
Herb Species

We explored interactions among plant growth forms in the understory of mature boreal mixedwood forests in western Canada by investigating the competitive influence of erect shrubs on herbs (forbs and grasses). We established 10 pairs of plots; all erect shrubs were removed in one plot of each pair (removals) and left intact in the other plot (controls). Two years later, we harvested all aboveground biomass of the herbaceous layer (herb biomass: this included graminoids, forbs, trailing shrubs, and species with a woody base but not woody stems) from the 20 plots. We tested for significant differences in understory species biomass and composition between control and removal plots and examined the influence of 25 environmental factors on species composition of the herbaceous layer. Competition intensity was measured by the natural logarithm of response ratio (ln RR) index based on herb biomass. After erect shrub removal, there was a significant increase in herb biomass, mostly due to an increase of the most common species (e.g., Cornus canadensis Linnaeus, Linnaea borealis Linnaeus). The values of competition intensity (ln RR) varied among herb species but were, overall, positive, indicating a release from competition following shrub removal. Composition of the herbaceous layer was significantly different between removal and control plots and was also significantly related to seven environmental factors, which explained 40% of the variation in composition. Our study suggests that there is asymmetric competition for light between erect shrub and herb species in boreal ecosystems.

Evaluation of Mechanized Thinning and Prescribed Fire Effects on Long-Term Fuels Accumulations in Uneven-Aged Jeffrey Pine

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 827-859
Author(s):  
Shannon L. Swim ◽  
Roger F. Walker ◽  
Dale W. Johnson ◽  
Robert M. Fecko ◽  
Watkins W. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Jeffrey Pine
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