Forest Sciences Commons^™

Regeneration And Fuel Loading With Varying Overstory Retention In Redwood Stands 10 Years After Transformation To Multiaged Management, Jud Fisher

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Forest managers using retention forestry in western forests need information on regeneration dynamics and fuel development to design stands that are both productive and fire resilient. This study analyzes 10-year remeasurement data from the Redwood Multiaged Experiment in Jackson Demonstration State Forest, California, comparing regeneration and fuel responses across group selection (GS), aggregated (HA), and dispersed (LD, HD) retention treatments. Target relative density (RD) of the residual stand was zero in GS, 13% in LD, and 21% in HA and HD. Measurements included sprout growth and size of redwood and tanoak, seedling and sprout density, and surface fuel loading.

Redwood …

Examining Private Landowner And Stakeholder Attitudes, Perceptions, And Knowledge Of Prescribed Fire In Louisiana, Chloe E. Crawford

LSU Master's Theses

Periodic fire was a primary driver of ecosystems across the Southeastern United States for millennia; however, fire suppression policies have become pervasive in the United States and led to increased fuel loads in forests as well as reduced biodiversity and reduced disease resilience. Prescribed fire presents a risk mitigation strategy and land management tool whereby practitioners can apply fire to the landscape in a controlled manner, thus reaping the benefits of fire while minimizing the risks associated with fire. Land in Louisiana is primarily privately managed and owned, so state-level conservation goals cannot be met without private landowner participation. As …

Influence Of Increasing Fires On Mixed Conifer Stand Dynamics In The U.S. Southwest, Simon D. Baker, Kristen M. Waring, David Auty, Nicholas Wilhelmi

Aspen Bibliography

(1) Stand-replacing fires may threaten the continued stability of mixed conifer forests in the U.S. Southwest. Increasing fire frequency and severity have made post-fire forest recovery trajectories uncertain for many coniferous species, potentially leading to long-term shifts in forest structure and composition. (2) The purpose of this study was to examine post-fire stand dynamics over a 10-year period, using a network of permanent plots established prior to wildfire events across Arizona and New Mexico. We assessed changes in over story composition, regeneration, and fuel loading across different fire severities. (3) High severity fire caused near-total over story mortality, with little …

Relict Ponderosa Pine Mortality And Fuels Study In The Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, Usa, Laura K. Schimmel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Many forests have historically experienced mixed-severity fire regimes that were disrupted during the 20th century due to fire exclusion policy. A stand of relict Pinus ponderosa in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex that burned in 2003, 2011, and 2018 provides a unique case study for investigating the effects of returned fire to the landscape. Many of the trees have fire scars or Indigenous bark-peeling scars, preserving valuable ecological and anthropological history. We sought to determine whether scarred trees were more susceptible to fire damage, if larger trees had greater fire resilience than smaller trees, and if fuel loads have changed …

Bridging The Gap Between Plot-Level And Landscape-Scale Analysis For Wildfire Risk Assessment, Vanessa Leigh Niemczyk

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Remote sensing technology has advanced greatly over the past couple of decades proving its ability to aid in wildfire risk assessment and improve our understanding of forest structure and fuel inventory across the landscape. While some aerial and satellite sensors perform better than others, they all have a common weakness, their reduced ability to capture understory fuels with high detail. Terrestrial laser scanning is an emerging solution due to its understory perspective. This research leverages the beneficial aspects of both terrestrial laser scanning and various aerial- or satellite-based remote sensing platforms (aerial laser scanning, digital aerial photogrammetry, and Sentinel-2) to …

The Role Of Forest Disturbance And Habitat Characteristics In Shaping Arthropod Ecology., Kane Alec Lawhorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances in forests often generate dead wood, which is an important resource for a variety of arthropods. In tropical wet forests where fire is rare, lightning and branchfalls are common disturbances that create canopy gaps with associated large amounts of localized dead wood. By contrast, prescribed fire is a common disturbance in temperate forest that creates habitat heterogeneity and widely dispersed dead wood resources. The ecological effects of these disturbances on arthropod communities are largely unknown. This dissertation investigates how disturbance and habitat associations in both tropical and temperate forest shape arthropod ecology. Throughout, I primarily focus on beetles, ants, …

Sustainability And Drivers Of Populus Tremuloides Regeneration And Recruitment Near The Southwestern Edge Of Its Range, Connor D. Crouch, Nicholas P. Wilhelmi, Paul C. Rogers, Margaret M. Moore, Kristen M. Waring

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) ecosystems are highly valued in the southwestern United States because of the ecological, economic, and aesthetic benefits they provide. Aspen has experienced extensive mortality in recent decades, and there is evidence that many areas in Arizona, United States lack adequate recruitment to replace dying overstory trees. Maintaining sustainable levels of regeneration and recruitment (i.e. juveniles) is critical for promoting aspen ecosystem resilience and adaptive capacity, but questions remain about which factors currently limit juvenile aspen and which strategies are appropriate for managing aspen in an increasingly uncertain future. To fill these critical knowledge gaps, …

Longevity Of Prescribed Fire Effectiveness In Mixed-Evergreen Forests Of The Klamath Mountains, Kaily M. Fineran

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Prescribed fire is a common management tool used across the western United States to create wildfire-resilient ecosystems and communities. The Klamath Mountains of northern California, USA has experienced numerous, large wildfires in recent years. This is due in part to a combination of highly flammable fuels, uncharacteristic weather events, and high fuel accumulations as a result of fire exclusion and forest management practices. Within the last decade, local land management organizations and the Karuk Tribe have begun re-introducing prescribed fire in low elevation, mixed evergreen forests. While the long-term effects of fuel treatments are not well-known, these efforts provided a …

Post-Fire Persistance Of Sequoia Semperviens In A Secondary Forest: Examining Drivers Of Basal Resprouting Response, Jackson T. Carrasco

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Historically frequent-fire forest ecosystems are now facing increased size, frequency, and severity of fires attributed to climate change, intensive forest management, and fire exclusion. Understanding post-fire resilience in forest ecosystems is critical amidst escalating challenges posed by recent increases in fire activity. This study examined the basal resprouting response of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in a secondary forest two years after the CZU Lightning Complex fire on the central coast of California. Robust allometric equations were developed to quantify redwood resprout biomass and leaf area, revealing strong explanatory power for biomass equations (R² > 0.85). Probability of …

Quantifying The Influences Of Abiotic And Biotic Factors On Post-Fire Vegetation In The Southwestern Us, Joseph Lafayette Crockett

Biology ETDs

The ongoing warming associated with climate change is increasing the flammability of southwestern US dry forests. As larger fractions of the landscape are impacted by high-severity fire, the potential exists for forests to convert to non-forest. Given that the forested area in the southwestern US is an important contributor of ecosystem services, quantifying limitations to vegetation establishment is critical to informing post-fire recovery efforts and understanding how ongoing climate change will limit seedling establishment in the future. To that end, this dissertation focuses on post-fire vegetation recovery of southwestern forests. First, I report on the influence of precipitation and topography …

Quantification Of Influential Surface Fuel Parameters In Fire-Prone Ecosystems Of The Netherlands, Lauren Lara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Changing climate conditions in northwest Europe present an increasing wildfire risk in the Netherlands. Focus on fuels monitoring in this region is not as extensive as it is in the United States. Accurate estimation of biomass fuel loading is integral to prevention of wildfires which pose a significant risk to both human lives and property. This research project attempted to create predictive models for three major fuel categories (litter/duff, shrub, and downed woody material). Reduction of the number of parameters to measure would streamline the process of fuel load estimation by reducing the number of measurements that need to be …

The Long-Term Effects Of Wildfire Severity On Oak-Pine Communities And Their Microclimates, Scott Glenn Culbert

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

In the eastern U.S., fire-dependent tree species have historically dominated upland forest communities, but are now experiencing widespread regeneration challenges as a result of 20^th century fire suppression policies, and are being replaced by mesophytic species. Wildfires that contain areas of high burn severity may provide an important means of mitigating these challenges and facilitating fire-dependent species regeneration and recruitment into larger size classes. One mechanism by which high-severity fire can accomplish this is by modifying understory microclimate characteristics to be more conducive to these species’ growth. A wildfire within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, USA, provided the …

Effects Of Prescribed Fire Regimes On White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Browse, Forage, And Nutrient Availability In The Pineywoods Ecoregion Of Texas, Wyatt L. Bagwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fire is a management tool for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) habitat, influencing browse availability, herbaceous production, and nutrient content. In 2020 and 2021, this study utilized 46 plots across East Texas to assess these habitat components. A stem count index survey method was used to assess browse utilization prior to April in both years, and preferred browse species were clipped and analyzed for nutrient availability, and herbaceous production was also measured. Additionally, white-tailed deer population data, browse survey data, and recent fire history were obtained from five different wildlife management areas to examine their relationship. Deer had preferences …

Assessing Post-Fire Revegetation Efforts In Box Elder County, Utah, Using The Rangeland Analysis Platform, Rayce Bryan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

After fires occur in western rangelands, land management agencies commonly perform vegetation treatments and reseeding projects. The West Box Elder Coordinated Resource Management Group expressed concern regarding the difficult process of determining outcomes from the many post-fire revegetation projects undertaken on rangeland of Box Elder County, Utah. This research attempted to compile and clarify the fire and treatment history of the county and produce an assessment of the outcomes from each unique post-fire treatment in West Box Elder County. Also produced was a database of post-fire revegetation outcomes in published literature.

Unique treatment polygons were identified and then subset according …

Deriving Surface Fuels From Uas Imagery Forfire Models, Matthew R. Cunningham

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding how fuel, weather, and terrain interact to produce fire behavior continues to motivate fire science andhas resulted in development of new physics-based fire behavior models that place increased demands on input data such as fuels. Recent technological advancements in computing, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and sensors (RGB, multispectral, thermal, and hyperspectral cameras) can provide new opportunities for land managers and scientists to advance knowledge of fuels and fire behavior and their interactions on the landscape. In this study, imagery from high resolution multispectral cameras mounted on UAS were used to build orthomosaics and point clouds of surface fuelbeds in …

Pitch Canker In The Año Nuevo Monterey Pine Stand: A Retrospective Analysis, Davis Harrison

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is a closed cone conifer tree native to California. Although it is an ecologically and economically valuable tree, there are only five remaining native populations, including, the Año Nuevo stand along California’s central coast. All the remaining native populations have faced threats to their survival, none more than the non-native disease pitch canker (Fusarium circinatum). This fungal infection causes lesions, dead branches, tree top death, and can be potentially fatal to infected trees. This paper is a continuation of a study beginning in 2001, aimed at evaluating the impact of silvicultural management practices on pitch canker …

Post-Czu Lightning Complex Regeneration In The Año Nuevo Monterey Pine Stand, Allison Trutna

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate induced increases in fire frequency and severity along with years of fire suppression and drought are predicted for California. The recent CZU Lightning Complex, a high severity wildfire, burned in the Santa Cruz Mountains on California’s central coast and affected an assortment of vegetation, including the survival and recovery of the native Año Nuevo Monterey pine (Pinus radiata (D. Don)) stand. This stand is partially located in Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch and has been monitored for over 20 years for the presence of pitch canker (Fusarium circinatum) fungal disease. This study characterized the survival and initial recovery of …

Planning For Future Fire: Scenario Analysis Of An Accelerated Fuel Reduction Plan For The Western United States, Alan A. Ager, Cody Evers, Michelle A. Day, Fermin J. Alcasena, Rachel Houtman

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent fire seasons brought a new fire reality to the western US, and motivated federal agencies to explore scenarios for augmenting current fuel management and forest restoration in areas where fires might threaten critical resources and developed areas. To support this effort, we modeled the scheduling of an accelerated forest and fuel management scenario on 76 western US national forests. Specifically, we modeled a 10-year ramp up of current forest and fuel management that targeted the source of wildfire exposure to developed areas and simulated treatment in areas that accounted for 77% of the predicted exposure. We used a sample …

Soil Macroinvertebrates Responses To Wildfires In The Blue Ridge Mountains, Usa, Madeline Olliff

Biology Theses

Fire has been a prevalent disturbance on Earth for millions of years. Around the globe there are several regions that have become fire adapted, including the Southeastern United States. There have been few studies examining the effects of wildland fires on soil macroinvertebrates in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in spite of the importance of these animals to soil processes and their contributions to the biodiversity of these ecosystems. During the fall of 2016, the Southeastern USA experienced numerous, large wildfires. These fires offered an opportunity to study the effects of wildland fire on soil macroinvertebrates. We sampled sites from three …

The Effects Of Fire On Oak-Forest Plant Communities Along Soil Moisture Gradients: A 25-Year Study, Rebekah Frances Shupe

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the eastern U.S., fire is a natural disturbance process in Quercus (oak) forests. Fire is thought to promote oak regeneration and plant diversity by reducing competition, preparing a suitable seedbed, and increasing light availability. However, the era of fire suppression that began in the early 20^th century is thought to have negatively impacted oak regeneration and the biodiversity of the understory layer. In this study, we examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree regeneration and the understory layer over 25 years. From a study initiated in 1994, we resampled 45 permanent vegetation plots measuring 1250 m^{2 …}

Wildlife Forage Recovery Following Boreal Wildfire, Alexis Jorgensen, Jennifer Baltzer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change is altering the boreal wildfire regime through increases in the extent and severity of burning and reductions in fire return intervals. These changes can alter the regeneration trajectory of canopy species and ground vegetation, with implications for wildlife habitat. There is some uncertainty about the timelines of when different animal species will use burned areas as their preferred forage taxa recover following fire, and how such recovery is mediated by environmental factors. Here, we aim to address these knowledge gaps through the following questions: 1) What are the main forage types consumed by boreal wildlife and how much …

Patterns Of Ecosystem Structure And Wildfire Carbon Combustion Across Six Ecoregions Of The North American Boreal Forest, Xanthe J. Walker, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Nicola J. Day, Catherine M. Dieleman, Jill F. Johnstone, Evan Kane, Brendan M. Rogers, Merritt R. Turetsky, Sander Veraverbeke, Michelle C. Mack

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Increases in fire frequency, extent, and severity are expected to strongly impact the structure and function of boreal forest ecosystems. An important function of the boreal forest is its ability to sequester and store carbon (C). Increasing disturbance from wildfires, emitting large amounts of C to the atmosphere, may create a positive feedback to climate warming. Variation in ecosystem structure and function throughout the boreal forest is important for predicting the effects of climate warming and changing fire regimes on C dynamics. In this study, we compiled data on soil characteristics, stand structure, pre-fire C pools, C loss from fire, …

Hosting Flame Cap Biochar Kiln Workshops To Teach Hazardous Fuel Reduction, Darren Mcavoy, Michael R. Kuhns, Megan Dettenmaier, Lauren Nicole Dupéy

Extension Research

The combination of large volumes of woody fuel needing disposal after forestry activities and evolving regulatory restrictions makes traditional methods of pile burning increasingly difficult. Alternatively, using small kilns to pyrolyze these fuels on-site yields a potentially valuable product: biochar. In this article, we describe an educational program on the use of small kilns for fuel treatment and biochar production. Survey results from our series of demonstrations indicate that 69% of respondents added biochar to their soils and 100% of respondents increased their interest in biochar. Moreover, we reduced hazardous fuel in Utah by more than 20 semitruck loads by …

Effects Of Pine Litter Raking On Plant Community Composition And Soil Seed Banks In Longleaf Pine Savannas, Jordan Andrew Winter

Graduate Theses

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas have been reduced to a small percentage of their original range in the southeastern United States. These savannas are fire-reliant and require frequent, low-intensity fires to maintain understory plant diversity. Currently, many landowners rake pine litter off the forest floor of longleaf pine savannas for subsequent sale in horticulture. Though raking is a common practice, little is known about the effects of raking on the understory plant community, the soil seed bank, or fire intensity. I conducted my research in two longleaf pine savanna sites where raking has occurred. At the McCain Forest Management Area …

Out Of The Ashes: Ecological Resilience To Extreme Wildfire, Prescribed Burns, And Indigenous Burning In Ecosystems, Christina Eisenberg, Christopher Anderson, Adam Collingwood, Robert Sissons, Christopher Dunn, Curtis Edson, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Until Euro-American colonization, Indigenous people used fire to modify eco-cultural systems, developing robust Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Since 1980, wildfire activity has increased due to fire suppression and climate change. In 2017, in Waterton Lakes National Park, AB, the Kenow wildfire burned 19,303 ha, exhibiting extreme fire behavior. It affected forests and the Eskerine Complex, a native-grass prairie treated with prescribed burns since 2006 to reduce aspen (Populus tremuloides) encroachment linked to fire suppression and bison (Bison bison bison) extirpation. One year post-fire, the Kenow wildfire caused vigorous aspen sprouting, altered stand structure to an early-seral …

Fire History Of A Georgia Montane Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Community, Nathan Klaus

Georgia Journal of Science

Montane longleaf pine forests, woodlands, and savannas are endangered, fire-dependent ecosystems of the Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian, and Cumberland Plateau physiographic provinces of Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Compared to other longleaf pine ecosystems, e.g., longleaf pine-wiregrass, little has been published about montane longleaf pine ecosystems. Understanding the historic fire regimes that once maintained montane longleaf pine ecosystems is an important first step toward achieving restoration and conservation goals for this ecosystem. I used two approaches to investigate historic fire regimes: 1) a dendrochronological study of fire scars on Sprewell Bluff Natural Area and 2) calculations of the average …

Data For Tree Mortality Calibration Of Satellite And Lidar-Derived Fire Severity Estimates, N. Macriss, T. J. Furniss, S.M.A. Jeronimo, E. L. Crowley, O. W. Germain, S. Germain, V. R. Kane, A. J. Larson, J. A. Lutz

Browse all Datasets

The 55 JFSP plots were established to capture forest types, fire histories, and severity levels beyond those found within the YFPD. The plots were square 50 m × 50 m plots established in Pinus ponderosa, Pinus jeffreyi, and Abies concolor – Pinus lambertiana forest types between 1,431 m and 2,250 m elevation. Plots were installed post-fire based on a randomly chosen locations stratified by burn severity levels as calculated from the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). For details on site selection see Furniss et al. (in review). In the field, plots were located using a handheld GPS and …

The Impact Of Prescribed Fire On Moth Assemblages In The Boston Mountains And Ozark Highlands, In Arkansas, Erin E. Guerra, Cristina M. Blanco, Jorista Garrie

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

In addition to the impacts of prescribed fires on forest vegetation, this ecosystem process also has dramatic impacts on associated insect assemblages. For herbivorous, terrestrial insects, fire predictably results in a cycle of initial insect population reduction followed by recovery and growth, in which these insect populations exceed pre-fire abundances. We sought to examine if fire-induced disturbance cycles make prescribed burned areas more or less suitable specifically for moths (order Lepidoptera), which is a major food source for, among others, multiple bat species. We surveyed moth assemblages at 20 burned and 20 unburned sites in the Boston Mountain and Ozark …

Long-Term Effectiveness Of Fuel Treatments In Oak And Chaparral Stands Of Northern California, Caroline Ann Martorano

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Fuel reduction treatments are broadly implemented to reduce the risk of extreme wildfire. Yet, research on the long-term effectiveness and ecological consequences among these treatments is lacking. In this study, I examined short- and long-term changes in fuels and understory vegetation after treatment in chaparral and oak-dominated stands of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Treatments included mastication and spring burning, spring burning only, mastication only, and hand-thinning. Treatments were applied randomly to 1 to 2 units within each of 10 blocks. Two plots were established in each treatment unit and fuel and vegetation data was collected and analyzed at the block …

Tamm Review: Reforestation For Resilience In Dry Western U.S. Forests, Malcolm P. North, Jens T. Stevens, David F. Greene, Michelle Coppoletta, Eric E. Knapp, Andrew M. Latimer, Christina M. Restaino, Ryan E. Tompkins, Kevin R. Welch, Rob A. York, Derek J.N. Young, Jodi N. Axelson, Tom N. Buckley, Becky L. Estes, Rachel N. Hager, Jonathan W. Long, Marc D. Meyer, Steven M. Ostoja, Hugh D. Safford, Kristen L. Shive, Carmen L. Tubbesing, Dana Walsh, Chhaya M. Werner, Peter Wyrsch, Heather Vice

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The increasing frequency and severity of fire and drought events have negatively impacted the capacity and success of reforestation efforts in many dry, western U.S. forests. Challenges to reforestation include the cost and safety concerns of replanting large areas of standing dead trees, and high seedling and sapling mortality rates due to water stress, competing vegetation, and repeat fires that burn young plantations. Standard reforestation practices have emphasized establishing dense conifer cover with gridded planting, sometimes called 'pines in lines', followed by shrub control and pre-commercial thinning. Resources for such intensive management are increasingly limited, reducing the capacity for young …