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View the FRAMES recordWildland fire effects on forest structure over an altitudinal gradient, Grand Canyon National Park, USA
The authors studied four wildland fire-use fires across an altitudinal gradient to examine the restorative effects of wildfire on areas that experienced unusually long fire-free periods. The authors stratified study sites by elevation with the lowest elevation site dominated by ponderosa pine and gambel oak, the mid-elevation site dominated by ponderosa pine, white fir, aspen, and Douglas fir, and the high-elevation sites dominated by subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce.
At the higher elevation sites, despite long fire-free periods, fire severity was consistent with historical fire regime patterns and resulted in fuel conditions closer to the historical range of variation. Furthermore, the authors found that regeneration success was not tied to fire severity, but favored fire-susceptible species, typically resprouting species. Fire effects on cool, mixed-conifer ecosystems may allow the composition and structure of these ecosystems to be more resilient to the effect of catastrophic wildfire due to climate change.
Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages
At the higher elevation sites, despite long fire-free periods, fire severity was consistent with historical fire regime patterns and resulted in fuel conditions closer to the historical range of variation. Fire effects on cool, mixed-conifer ecosystems may allow the composition and structure of these ecosystems to be more resilient to the effect of catastrophic wildfire due to climate change.
Fire effects on cool, mixed-conifer ecosystems may allow the composition and structure of these ecosystems to be more resilient to the effect of catastrophic wildfire due to climate change.
Regeneration success was not tied to fire severity, but favored fire-susceptible species, typically resprouting species.