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Full Citation: Fulé, Peter Z.; Cocke, Allison E.; Heinlein, Thomas A.; Covington, W. Wallace. 2004. Effects of an intense prescribed forest fire: is it ecological restoration? Restoration Ecology 12(2):220-230.
External Identifier(s): 10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00283.x Digital Object Identifier
Location: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, U.S.
Ecosystem types: Ponderosa pine forest; Mixed-conifer forest
Southwest FireCLIME Keywords: None
FRAMES Keywords: Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine, aspen, Grand Canyon National Park, Populus tremuloides, tree density, mixed conifer, Kaibab Plateau, Abies concolor, Abies lasiocarpa, Arizona, coniferous forests, conservation, dendrochronology, distribution, duff, fire exclusion, fire intensity, fire regimes, fuel loading, heavy fuels, litter, mortality, national parks, Picea engelmannii, population density, escaped prescribed fires, presettlement vegetation, Pseudotsuga menziesii, regeneration, Robinia, seedlings, snags, plant species diversity, thinning, wilderness fire management, woody fuels

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Effects of an intense prescribed forest fire: is it ecological restoration?

Peter Z. Fulé, Allison E. Cocke, Thomas A. Heinlein, W. Wallace Covington
Summary - what did the authors do and why?

The authors utilized an escaped high-severity prescribed fire in Grand Canyon National Park to assess the effects of post-fire structure and composition on a ponderosa/mixed-conifer forest stand and determine if more intense prescribed fire has restoration benefits.
Publication findings:

Despite issues with pseudoreplication and the limited sample size, the authors found that post-fire conditions moved toward range of natural variation conditions after intense burning. Small trees and fire-susceptible understory trees were preferentially killed by fire and forest floor woody debris was within desired conditions. The sites had adequate regeneration of seedlings with no evidence of any landscape conversion to a non-forest vegetation type.

Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages

How does fire severity relate to tree mortality, survivorship, and turnover?

Despite issues with pseudoreplication and the limited sample size, the authors found that post-fire conditions moved toward range of natural variation conditions after intense burning. Small trees and fire-susceptible understory trees were preferentially killed by fire and forest floor woody debris was within desired conditions. The sites had adequate regeneration of seedlings with no evidence of any landscape conversion to a non-forest vegetation type.

How does fire severity relate to tree dispersal, regeneration, and establishment?

Despite issues with pseudoreplication and the limited sample size, the authors found that post-fire conditions moved toward range of natural variation conditions after intense burning. Small trees and fire-susceptible understory trees were preferentially killed by fire and forest floor woody debris was within desired conditions. The sites had adequate regeneration of seedlings with no evidence of any landscape conversion to a non-forest vegetation type.

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

Despite issues with pseudoreplication and the limited sample size, the authors found that post-fire conditions moved toward range of natural variation conditions after intense burning. Small trees and fire-susceptible understory trees were preferentially killed by fire and forest floor woody debris was within desired conditions. The sites had adequate regeneration of seedlings with no evidence of any landscape conversion to a non-forest vegetation type.