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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): C. Fernandez; J. A. Vega; T. Fonturbel
Publication Date: April 2013

Prescribed burning is commonly used to reduce the risk of severe wildfire. However, further information about the associated environmental effects is required to help forest managers select the most appropriate treatment. To address this question, we evaluated if fire severity during spring prescribed burning significantly affects the resprouting ability of two common shrub species in shrubland under a Mediterranean climate in NW Spain. Fire behaviour and temperatures were recorded in tagged individuals of Erica australis and Pterospartum tridentatum during prescribed burning. The number and length of resprouted shoots were measured three times (6, 12 and 18 months) after the prescribed burning. The influence of a series of fire severity indicators on some plant resprouting vigour parameters was tested by canonical correlation analysis. Six months and one year after prescribed burning, soil burn severity (measured by the absolute reduction in depth of the organic soil layer, maximum temperatures in the organic soil layer and the mineral soil surface during burning and the post-fire depth of the organic soil layer) reduced the resprouting vigour of E. australis and P. tridentatum. In contrast, direct measurements of fire effects on plants (minimum branch diameter, duration of temperatures above 300 ºC in the shrub crown and fireline intensity) did not affect the post-fire plant vigour.Soil burn severity during spring prescribed burning significantly affected the short-term resprouting vigour in a mixed heathland in Galicia. The lack of effects eighteen months after prescribed burning indicates the high resilience of these species and illustrates the need to conciliate fire prevention and conservation goals. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Citation: Fernandez, C., J. A. Vega, and T. Fonturbel. 2013. Does fire severity influence shrub resprouting after spring prescribed burning? Acta Oecologica, v. 48, p. 30-36. 10.1016/j.actao.2013.01.012.

Cataloging Information

Regions:
Keywords:
  • canonical correlation
  • Erica australis
  • Erica australis
  • Europe
  • fire intensity
  • fire management
  • fire severity
  • forest management
  • Mediterranean habitats
  • Pterospartum tridentatum
  • Pterospartum tridentatum
  • resprouting
  • resprouting vigour
  • season of fire
  • shrubs
  • Spain
  • wildfire prevention
  • wildfires
Tall Timbers Record Number: 28535Location Status: Not in fileCall Number: AvailableAbstract Status: Okay, Fair use, Reproduced by permission
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 51616

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.