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Policies have been enacted to encourage carbon (C) sequestration through afforestation, reforestation, and other silvicultural practices; however, the effects of wildfires on forest C stocks are poorly understood. We present information from Sierran mixed-conifer forests regarding how control, mechanical, prescribed-fire, and mechanical followed by prescribed-fire treatments affected C pools. Secondly, we report CO2 emissions from machinery and burning associated with the treatments. Lastly, the effects of treatments on the potential for C loss to wildfire are presented. The amount of aboveground C in live trees was significantly reduced in mechanical-only and mechanical plus fire treatments; C contained in dead trees was not significantly different. There was no significant difference in aboveground live and dead tree C between the fire-only and control treatments. Fire-only and mechanical plus fire treatments emitted significantly more CO2 than the mechanical treatment and control. Modeling results for the control demonstrated 90% of the live tree C had a high (>75%) chance of being killed in a wildfire; in contrast, all three active treatments had low vulnerabilities to C loss. With wildfire severity increasing in most Sierran forests, management actions designed to increase fire resistance are justified for long-term C sequestration.
Cataloging Information
- Abies concolor
- air quality
- Arbutus menziesii
- C - carbon
- Calocedrus decurrens
- carbon sequestration
- Chrysolepis sempervirens
- CO2 - carbon dioxide
- coniferous forests
- diameter classes
- Douglas-fir
- duff
- fire intensity
- fire management
- fire suppression
- forest management
- forest products
- fuel management
- Lithocarpus densiflorus
- litter
- logging
- mechanical treatment
- mixed conifer
- mortality
- Pinus lambertiana
- Pinus ponderosa
- ponderosa pine
- Pseudotsuga menziesii
- Quercus kelloggii
- reforestation
- Sierra Nevada
- soil management
- soils
- surface fuels
- trees
- wildfires
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