Presettlement Vegetation of Hardin County, Texas

1983 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Schafale ◽  
P. A. Harcombe
Keyword(s):  
Presettlement Vegetation

Presettlement Vegetation of Two Prairie Peninsula Counties

1979 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra S. Rodgers ◽  
Roger C. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Presettlement Vegetation ◽  
Prairie Peninsula

Fire in the Virgin Forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota

1973 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miron L. Heinselman
Keyword(s):  
Jack Pine ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Average Interval ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Presettlement Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure

AbstractFire largely determined the composition and structure of the presettlement vegetation of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area as well as the vegetation mosaic on the landscape and the habitat patterns for wildlife. It also influenced nutrient cycles, and energy pathways, and helped maintain the diversity, productivity, and long-term stability of the ecosystem. Thus the whole ecosystem was fire-dependent.At least some overstory elements in virtually all forest stands still date from regeneration that followed one or more fires since 1595 A.D. The average interval between significant fire years was about 4 yr in presettlement times, but shortened to 2 yr from 1868 to 1910 during settlement. However, 83% of the area burned before the beginning of suppression programs resulted from just nine fire periods: 1894, 1875, 1863–1964, 1824, 1801, 1755–1959, 1727, 1692, 1681. The average interval between these major fire years was 26 yr. Most present virgin forests date from regeneration that followed fires in these years. Significant areas were also regenerated by fires in 1903, 1910, 1936, and 1971. Most major fire years occurred during prolonged summer droughts of subcontinental extent, such as those of 1864, 1910, and 1936. Many fires were man-caused, but lightning ignitions were also common. Lightning alone is probably a sufficient source of ignitions to guarantee that older stands burned before attaining climax. Dry matter accumulations, spruce budworm outbreaks, blowdowns, and other interactions related to time since fire increase the probability that old stands will burn. Vegetation patterns on the landscape were influenced by such natural firebreaks as lakes, streams, wetlands, and moist slopes. Red and white pine are most common on islands, and to the east, northeast, or southeast of such firebreaks. Jack pine, aspen-birch, and sprout hardwood forests are most common on large uplands distant from or west of such firebreaks.A Natural Fire Rotation of about 100 yr prevailed in presettlement times, but many red and white pine stands remained largely intact for 150–350 yr, and some jack pine and aspen-birch forests probably burned at intervals of 50 yr or less. There is paleoecological evidence that fire was an ecosystem factor before European man arrived, and even before early man migrated to North America. Probably few areas ever attained the postulated fir-spruce-cedar-birch climax in postglacial times. To understand the dynamics of fire-dependent ecosystems fire must be studied as an integral part of the system. The search for stable communities that might develop without fire is futile and avoids the real challenge of understanding nature on her own terms.To restore the natural ecosystem of the Canoe Area fire should soon be reintroduced through a program of prescribed fires and monitored lightning fires. Failing this, major unnatural, perhaps unpredictable, changes in the ecosystem will occur.

Presettlement land survey records of vegetation: geographic characteristics, quality and modes of analysis

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Chen Wang
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Positional Accuracy ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Presettlement Vegetation ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
Quality Issues

Presettlement land survey records (PLSRs) of North America provide insights into the landscape before European disturbance and have been used in various ecological studies. The usefulness of the data, however, varies with their characteristics and qualities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the geographic characteristics of PLSRs, to review PLSR studies in the last five decades and trends in these studies based on the geographic characteristics that have been analysed, and to investigate data quality issues concerning the PLSRs. The framework used in this examination is that of Geographic Information Science (GIScience), including geographic characteristics of space, theme and time, and data quality components of lineage, positional accuracy, attribute accuracy, logical consistency and completeness. The results show that different types of PLSRs have distinct geographic characteristics, especially regarding the spatial characteristics of shape and size/resolution. Prior studies have used PLSRs in six modes of analysis, with presettlement vegetation patterns and compositions analysed most often. Data quality investigations suggest that whether the potential quality issues will influence an analysis depends on the study purpose and the spatial extent of interest. In cases of studying vegetation dynamics of small areas, the positional accuracy of landscape features is essential, while this issue may not impede large area reconstruction. Finally, thoughts concerning future research avenues are presented. This study uses a GIScience framework to provide a more systematic and comprehensive examination of the usefulness and limitations of PLSRs than previous studies, and can assist future research to employ the data most appropriately.

scholarly journals Origins of the Chicago Urban Forest: Composition and Structure in Relation to Presettlement Vegetation and Modern Land Use

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 181-193
Author(s):  
Robert Fahey ◽  
Marlin Bowles ◽  
Jeanette McBride
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Structure ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Presettlement Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Exotic Pests

Urban forests provide important ecosystem services, but species composition and canopy structure influence provisioning of these services and long-term stability of the urban canopy. Two landscape-scale data sets (presettlement land surveys and an urban tree census) were used to explore relationships among modern land use, presettlement vegetation, and urban forest canopy structure, size structure, and composition in the Chicago, Illinois, U.S., metropolitan region. Presettlement vegetation and modern land use combined to influence urban forest composition and structure. Modern forested areas with high native species dominance, canopy cover, and structural complexity were associated with forest (rather than prairie) vegetation in the presettlement landscape. Oaks (Quercus spp.), which dominated presettlement forests and provide high ecosystem service value because of their large stature and wildlife value, were strongly associated with presettlement forest areas and modern natural areas. The Chicago region is in a transitional state where composition and structure of larger size classes is heavily tied to pre-urban vegetation. In the future, this landscape is likely to experience a shift in dominance from oaks to smaller-statured, shorter-lived non-native and opportunistic species. This shift, along with climatic change and introduction of exotic pests, may result in an urban forest with reduced potential to provide important ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Presettlement vegetation of southern Beaverhead County, Montana /

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter. Lesica ◽  
Stephen V Cooper ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Presettlement Vegetation
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