scholarly journals Effects of Prescribed Burning on Mortality and Resin Defenses in Old Growth Ponderosa Pine (Crater Lake, Oregon): Four Years of Post-Fire Monitoring

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D.B. Perrakis ◽  
James K. Agee ◽  
Andris Eglitis
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Crater Lake ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Fire Monitoring ◽  
Resin Defenses

Prescribed-fire effects on fine-root and tree mortality in old-growth ponderosa pine

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Michael Swezy ◽  
James K. Agee
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Root Dry Weight

Old-growth Pinusponderosa Dougl. stands were surveyed at Crater Lake National Park to investigate potential accelerated mortality of large pines due to prescribed burning. Mortality of P. ponderosa greater than 22 cm diameter at breast height was higher in burned areas (19.5%) than in unburned areas (6.6%), and early-season burns had over 30% mortality. Mortality was associated with fire severity, as measured by scorch height and ground char, season of burning, and tree vigor. Pines of high, moderate, and low vigor were subjected to a prescribed burn in June; half of the trees had debris raked from tree bases as an additional treatment. Lethal heat loads (>60 °C) occurred in >75% of samples at the soil surface and at 5 cm soil depth, with duration exceeding 5 h. Burning reduced fine-root dry weight 50–75% 1 and 5 months after burning; raking and burning reduced fine-root dry weight more than burning alone after 1 month and had similar effects to burning after 5 months. A low-vigor tree that had been raked and burned died by the beginning of the fourth dry season after burning. Present fuel loads may be too high to burn during spring if old-growth P. ponderosa are to be protected.

scholarly journals Slash Compression Treatment Reduced Tree Mortality from Prescribed Fire in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Z. Fulé ◽  
Jason L. Jerman ◽  
Peter J. Gould
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Fuel Loading ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Crown Scorch ◽  
Tree Survival ◽  
Compression Treatment

Abstract Intensive thinning prescriptions intended to restore historic forest structure have produced heavy broadcast slash fuel loads in northwestern Arizona, sometimes leading to high tree mortality following prescribed burning. Mechanical slash compression with a D-6 bulldozer to reduce the severity of fire effects on residual trees was evaluated. Ten of 42 measured trees (24%) died within 2 years after burning of broadcast slash, and crown scorch of trees without slash compression treatment averaged 26%. In contrast, no trees died after burning of compressed slash and crown scorch averaged <3%, even though the total fuel loading was indistinguishable from the broadcast slash treatment. The practice of raking fuels away from the boles of old-growth trees also contributed to reduced scorch as compared to younger, unraked trees. Slash compression is a viable method of reducing mortality, offering ecological and economical tradeoffs. Benefits include the ability to reduce large quantities of slash, safeguarding old-growth tree survival while rapidly achieving open forest structure. Costs include paying for equipment operation as well as the possibility of damage to soils or plants. West. J. Appl. For. 19(3):149–153.

Reproductive output of ponderosa pine in response to thinning and prescribed burning in western Montana

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 844-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Peters ◽  
Anna Sala
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Western Montana ◽  
Cone Production

Thinning and thinning followed by prescribed fire are common management practices intended to restore historic conditions in low-elevation ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) forests of the northern Rocky Mountains. While these treatments generally ameliorate the physiology and growth of residual trees, treatment-specific effects on reproductive output are not known. We examined reproductive output of second-growth ponderosa pine in western Montana 9 years after the application of four treatments: thinning, thinning followed by spring prescribed fire, thinning followed by fall prescribed fire, and unthinned control stands. Field and greenhouse observations indicated that reproductive traits vary depending on the specific management treatment. Cone production was significantly higher in trees from all actively managed stands relative to control trees. Trees subjected to prescribed fire produced cones with higher numbers of filled seeds than trees in unburned treatments. Seed mass, percentage germination, and seedling biomass were significantly lower for seeds from trees in spring burn treatments relative to all others and were generally higher in trees from fall burn treatments. We show for the first time that thinning and prescribed-burning treatments can influence reproductive output in ponderosa pine.

A model of ponderosa pine growth response to prescribed burning

1991 ◽  
Vol 44 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 161-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Kennedy Sutherland ◽  
W. Wallace Covington ◽  
Steve Andariese
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
Prescribed Burning

Tree and opening spatial patterns vary by tree density in two old-growth remnant ponderosa pine forests in Northern Arizona, USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 450 ◽  
pp. 117502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose M. Iniguez ◽  
James F. Fowler ◽  
W. Keith Moser ◽  
Carolyn H. Sieg ◽  
L. Scott Baggett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Northern Arizona

scholarly journals Fuel Treatment Longevity in Ponderosa Pine-Dominated Forest 24 Years After Cutting and Prescribed Burning

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon M. Hood ◽  
Christopher R. Keyes ◽  
Katelynn J. Bowen ◽  
Duncan C. Lutes ◽  
Carl Seielstad
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fuel Treatment

scholarly journals Prescribed Burning in Ponderosa Pine: Fuel Reductions and Redistributing Fuels near Boles to Prevent Injury

Fire Ecology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Progar ◽  
Kathryn H. Hrinkevich ◽  
Edward S. Clark ◽  
Matthew J. Rinella
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Prescribed Burning

scholarly journals Limited Effects of Long-Term Repeated Season and Interval of Prescribed Burning on Understory Vegetation Compositional Trajectories and Indicator Species in Ponderosa Pine Forests of Northeastern Oregon, USA

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 834
Author(s):  
Harold S. J. Zald ◽  
Becky K. Kerns ◽  
Michelle A. Day
Keyword(s):  
Indicator Species ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Understory Vegetation ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Forest Fuels ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forests ◽  
Over Time

Fire exclusion has dramatically altered historically fire adapted forests across western North America. In response, forest managers reduce forest fuels with mechanical thinning and/or prescribed burning to alter fire behavior, with additional objectives of restoring forest composition, structure, and ecosystem processes. There has been extensive research on the effects of fuel reduction and restoration treatments on trees, fuels, regeneration, and fire behavior; but less is known about how these treatments influence understory vegetation, which contains the majority of vascular plant diversity in many dry conifer forests. Of particular interest is how understory vegetation may respond to the season and interval of prescribed burning. The season and interval of prescribed burning is often determined by operational constraints rather than historical fire regimes, potentially resulting in fire conditions and burn intervals to which native plants are poorly adapted. In this study, we examined how understory vegetation has responded to season and interval of prescribed burning in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon, USA. Using over a decade (2002–2015) of understory vegetation data collected in stands with different intervals (5 versus 15 year) and seasons (spring versus fall) of prescribed burning, we quantified how season and interval of prescribed burning has influenced understory vegetation compositional trajectories and indicator species over time. Season of prescribed burning resulted in different understory communities and distinct trajectories of understory composition over time, but interval of burning did not. Indicator species analysis suggests fall burning is facilitating early seral species, with native annual forbs displaying ephemeral responses to frequent burning, while invasive cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) increased in abundance and frequency across all treatments over time. These findings indicate that understory vegetation in these ecosystems are sensitive to seasonality of burning, but the responses are subtle. Our findings suggest season and interval of prescribed burning used in this study do not result in large changes in understory vegetation community composition, a key consideration as land managers increase the pace and scale of prescribed fire in these forests.

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