Choose a search method


Climate + Fire

Fire + Ecosystem Effects

Search

Climate

Fire

Ecosystem Effects
Full Citation: Brown, Peter M. 2006. Climate effects on fire regimes and tree recruitment in Black Hills ponderosa pine forests. Ecology 87(10):2500-2510.
External Identifier(s): 10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2500:CEOFRA]2.0.CO;2 Digital Object Identifier
Location: Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S.
Ecosystem types: Ponderosa pine forest
Southwest FireCLIME Keywords: None
FRAMES Keywords: dendrochronology, ENSO - El Nino Southern Oscillation, fire regimes, Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine, PDO - Pacific Decadal Oscillation, precipitation, tree recruitment, AMO - Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, crossdate, Black Hills, climatology, coniferous forests, crown fires, disturbance, drought, fire frequency, fire management, fire scar analysis, forest management, mortality, national forests, overstory, pine forests, Pinus edulis, plant growth, regeneration, statistical analysis, South Dakota, surface fire, temperature, trees, Wyoming

View the FRAMES record

Climate effects on fire regimes and tree recruitment in Black Hills ponderosa pine forests

Peter M. Brown
Summary - what did the authors do and why?

The authors examined long-term, historic fire and post-fire recruitment chronologies of ponderosa pine in the Black Hills to evaluate the relationship between climate, fire years, and tree recruitment patterns and their effects on forest structure over time.
Publication findings:

The authors found that regional fire years were highly associated with drought with no prior lag years of moisture required. They suggest that because fire return intervals were generally longer in the Black Hills than in ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest, so that fuels had adequate time to build up between fire years. Fire years in the Black Hills were also related to La Niña years (summer-dry conditions) and cool phases of PDO, which magnifies the effects of the La Niña drought. Finally, episodes of synchronous tree recruitment and growth were highly associated with periods of increased moisture. These pluvial periods limited fire frequency and likely contributed to the increased establishment and survivorship of seedlings. The authors propose that variations in fire frequency and timing were more important in shaping forest structure than variations in fire severity.

Climate and Fire Linkages

How does drought relate to fire frequency, rotation, or return interval?

The authors found that regional fire years were highly associated with drought with no prior lag years of moisture required. They suggest that because fire return intervals were generally longer in the Black Hills than in ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest, so that fuels had adequate time to build up between fire years. Fire years in the Black Hills were also related to La Niña years (summer-dry conditions) and cool phases of PDO, which magnifies the effects of the La Niña drought.

Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages

How does fire severity relate to species composition, non-natives, and structure?

The authors propose that variations in fire frequency and timing were more important in shaping forest structure than variations in fire severity.

How do fire frequency, rotation, and return interval relate to tree mortality, survivorship, and turnover?

Episodes of synchronous tree recruitment and growth were highly associated with periods of increased moisture. These pluvial periods limited fire frequency and likely contributed to the increased establishment and survivorship of seedlings. The authors propose that variations in fire frequency and timing were more important in shaping forest structure than variations in fire severity.

How do fire frequency, rotation, and return interval relate to tree dispersal, regeneration, and establishment?

Episodes of synchronous tree recruitment and growth were highly associated with periods of increased moisture. These pluvial periods limited fire frequency and likely contributed to the increased establishment and survivorship of seedlings. The authors propose that variations in fire frequency and timing were more important in shaping forest structure than variations in fire severity.