Wildfire’s resistance to control in mountain pine beetle-attacked lodgepole pine forests

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (06) ◽  
pp. 783-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley G. Page ◽  
Martin E. Alexander ◽  
Michael J. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

Concerns about the impacts of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins)-caused tree mortality on wildfire potential in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) forests have to date largely focused on the potential for extreme fire behaviour, including the development and spread of crown fires. Given that the wildland fire environment in which fire managers and firefighters work is composed of many interacting physical and human factors, viewing crown fire behaviour as the only or even the most important outcome of the tree mortality associated with a mountain pine beetle outbreak is questionable. Proper assessment of wildfire potential entails a broader approach, which requires expanding the concept of wildfire resistance to control to include an analysis of all relevant factors and their interactions. In this paper we describe a holistic concept of analyzing the impacts of mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality on wildfire potential in lodgepole pine forests on the basis of fire behaviour characteristics, fire suppression operations, and firefighter safety considerations within the framework of three recognizable stages of the approximate time since the initiation of an outbreak (i.e., “red” ∼1 to 5 years, “gray” ∼5 to 15 years, and post-epidemic ∼15+ years).

scholarly journals Subwatershed-Level Lodgepole Pine Attributes Associated with a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Williams ◽  
Sharon Hood ◽  
Christopher Keyes ◽  
Joel Egan ◽  
José Negrón
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pinus Spp

Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) is an aggressive bark beetle that attacks numerous Pinus spp. and causes extensive mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon; LPP) forests in the western United States and Canada. We used pre-outbreak LPP attributes, cumulative MPB attack severity, and areal extent of mortality data to identify subwatershed-scale forest attributes associated with severe MPB-caused tree mortality that occurred across the Northern Rockies, USA from 1999–2014. We upscaled stand-level data to the subwatershed scale to allow identification of large LPP areas vulnerable to MPB. The highest mortality occurred in subwatersheds where LPP mean basal area was greater than 11.5 m2 ha−1 and LPP quadratic mean diameter was greater than or equal to 18 cm. A coarse assessment of federally-owned LPP-dominated forestland in the analysis area indicated about 42% could potentially be silviculturally treated. Silvicultural management may be a suitable option for many LPP forests, and our hazard model can be used to identify subwatersheds with LPP attributes associated with high susceptibility to MPB across landscape spatial scales. Identifying highly susceptible subwatersheds can help prioritize general areas for potential treatments, especially where spatially extensive areas of contiguous, highly susceptible LPP occur.

scholarly journals Surface Fire Intensity Influences Simulated Crown Fire Behavior in Lodgepole Pine Forests with Recent Mountain Pine Beetle-Caused Tree Mortality

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad M. Hoffman ◽  
Penelope Morgan ◽  
William Mell ◽  
Russell Parsons ◽  
Eva Strand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Crown Fire ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

scholarly journals Characteristics of forest legacies following two mountain pine beetle outbreaks in British Columbia, Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1387-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
René I. Alfaro ◽  
Lara van Akker ◽  
Brad Hawkes
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), a native insect of North America, periodically reaches population sizes that cause serious economic impact to the forest industry in western North America. The most recent outbreak in British Columbia (BC), Canada, which began in the late 1990s, is only now (2015) abating, after causing unprecedented tree mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex. Loudon) forests. In this paper, we make use of permanent research plots to report on the condition of lodgepole pine forests in the Chilcotin Plateau of central BC, which underwent two fully documented mountain pine beetle outbreaks. In this region, the first outbreak started in the late 1970s and lasted until the mid-1980s; the second outbreak began in the early 2000s and ended in 2010. We measured the impacts of these outbreaks in terms of tree mortality and describe the characteristics of the legacies that remain following these outbreaks, including survivors in various canopy layers and levels of existing and new regeneration. We provide evidence in support of the existence of postdisturbance legacies that classify into five distinct stand structure types. Abundant regeneration and surviving intermediate canopy layers in most stands indicate that management actions to restock pine stands in this area will not likely be necessary. The information provided by this study is important for estimating future forest development and timber supply and for forest planning and management.

scholarly journals Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation: Cycling and Succession in Lodgepole Pine Forest

1982 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 128-132
Author(s):  
W. Romme ◽  
J. Yavitt ◽  
D. Knight ◽  
J. Fedders
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Northern Rocky Mountains ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Surrounding Areas

A research project was initiated in 1980 to study the effects of outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) on lodgepole pine forests (Pinus contorta spp. latifolia) in Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas. This native bark beetle recently has killed millions of trees over thousands of square kilometers in the central and northern Rocky Mountains. Major outbreaks first occurred in Grand Teton National Park in the 1950's and in Yellowstone National Park in the 1960's. The outbreak in Yellowstone Park is still spreading.

Forest structure altered by mountain pine beetle outbreaks affects subsequent attack in a Wyoming lodgepole pine forest, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 2403-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Kashian ◽  
Rebecca M. Jackson ◽  
Heather D. Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Cone Production ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
The 1960S

Extensive outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) will alter the structure of many stands that will likely be attacked again before experiencing a stand-replacing fire. We examined a stand of lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson) in Grand Teton National Park currently experiencing a moderate-level outbreak and previously attacked by mountain pine beetle in the 1960s. Consistent with published studies, tree diameter was the main predictor of beetle attack on a given tree, large trees were preferentially attacked, and tree vigor, age, and cone production were unimportant variables for beetle attack at epidemic levels. Small trees killed in the stand were killed based mainly on their proximity to large trees and were likely spatially aggregated with large trees as a result of the previous outbreak. We concluded that the driving factors of beetle attack and their spatial patterns are consistent across outbreak severities but that stand structure altered by the previous outbreak had implications for the current outbreaks in the same location. This study should catalyze additional research that examines how beetle-altered stand structure affects future outbreaks — an important priority for predicting their impacts under climate change scenarios that project increases in outbreak frequency and extent.

scholarly journals Resilience of Ponderosa and Lodgepole Pine Forests to Mountain Pine Beetle Disturbance and Limited Regeneration

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer S. Briggs ◽  
Todd J. Hawbaker ◽  
Don Vandendriesche
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

OBSERVATIONS ON A TRIAL OF BROADCAST BURNING TO CONTROL AN INFESTATION OF THE MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE DENDROCTONUS PONDEROSAE

1989 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 521-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Stock ◽  
R.A. Gorley
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Dendroctonus Ponderosae ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Direct Control ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk., causes extensive mortality of lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm., throughout western North America (Van Sickle 1982). The Prince Rupert Forest Region, in the northwest of British Columbia, initiated an aggressive beetle management program in 1981. Logging of infested stands, and winter felling and burning of individual infested trees are the most common direct control techniques.The “Bristol Lake” infestation developed in the Bulkley Forest District, approximately 55 km northwest of Smithers, B.C., on a steep rocky ridge within the valley of Harold Price Creek. The area contained large volumes of mature lodgepole pine, and control of the infestation was therefore considered critical to the local beetle management plan, but the size (50 ha) and rough topography of the infested area precluded normal direct control measures.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document