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Full Citation: Teske, Casey C.; Seielstad, Carl A.; Queen, Lloyd P. 2012. Characterizing fire-on-fire interactions in three large wilderness areas. Fire Ecology 8(2):82-106.
External Identifier(s): 10.4996/fireecology.0802082 Digital Object Identifier
Location: The Greater Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Montana, U.S.; The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area, Idaho and Montana, USA; Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, Idaho, US.
Ecosystem types: Forested ecosystems
Southwest FireCLIME Keywords: None
FRAMES Keywords: fire regime, natural fire rotation, fire atlas, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, MTBS - Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, fire-on-fire interaction, Frank Church Wilderness Area, fire frequency, fire intensity, fire scar analysis, fire size, rate of spread, wildfires, dendrochronology, Montana, Idaho, fire management, forest management, coniferous forests

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Characterizing fire-on-fire interactions in three large wilderness areas

Casey C. Teske, Carl A. Seielstad, Lloyd P. Queen
Summary - what did the authors do and why?

The authors assessed fire-on-fire interactions in three wilderness areas to see how past fire area burned and fire severity affect subsequent fire.
Publication findings:

The authors found that low- or moderate-severity fires generally regulated subsequent fires to similar severities, similar to historical patterns of frequent, low-severity fires in dry coniferous forest systems. Smaller burns created openings in both the understory and overstory vegetation, which adds diversity to the landscape, provides mechanisms for plant succession, and promotes differential tree establishment. In contrast to small burns, they found that large burns may create a homogeneous setting of burned areas which may not enhance species diversity following fire. Finally, the authors suggest that although typically previous fires kept the spread of subsequent fires in check most of the time, climate and weather can override fuel limitations and spread into recently burned landscapes.

Climate and Fire Linkages

How does drought relate to spatial and landscape patterns of fire?

The authors suggest that although typically previous fires kept the spread of subsequent fires in check most of the time, climate and weather can override fuel limitations and spread into recently burned landscapes.

How do temperature, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficit relate to spatial and landscape patterns of fire?

The authors suggest that although typically previous fires kept the spread of subsequent fires in check most of the time, climate and weather can override fuel limitations and spread into recently burned landscapes.

Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages

How do spatial and landscape patterns of fire relate to fuels?

The authors found that low- or moderate-severity fires generally regulated subsequent fires to similar severities, similar to historical patterns of frequent, low-severity fires in dry coniferous forest systems. Smaller burns created openings in both the understory and overstory vegetation, which adds diversity to the landscape, provides mechanisms for plant succession, and promotes differential tree establishment. In contrast to small burns, they found that large burns may create a homogeneous setting of burned areas which may not enhance species diversity following fire. Finally, the authors suggest that although typically previous fires kept the spread of subsequent fires in check most of the time, climate and weather can override fuel limitations and spread into recently burned landscapes.

How does fire severity relate to fuels?

The authors found that low- or moderate-severity fires generally regulated subsequent fires to similar severities, similar to historical patterns of frequent, low-severity fires in dry coniferous forest systems. Smaller burns created openings in both the understory and overstory vegetation, which adds diversity to the landscape, provides mechanisms for plant succession, and promotes differential tree establishment. In contrast to small burns, they found that large burns may create a homogeneous setting of burned areas which may not enhance species diversity following fire. Finally, the authors suggest that although typically previous fires kept the spread of subsequent fires in check most of the time, climate and weather can override fuel limitations and spread into recently burned landscapes.