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Full Citation: Mast, Joy Nystrom; Fulé, Peter Z.; Moore, Margaret M.; Covington, W. Wallace; Waltz, Amy E. M. 1999. Restoration of presettlement age structure of an Arizona ponderosa pine forest. Ecological Applications 9(1):228-239.
External Identifier(s): 10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[0228:ROPASO]2.0.CO;2 Digital Object Identifier
Location: Fort Valley Experimental Forest, Arizona, U.S.
Ecosystem types: Ponderosa pine forest
Southwest FireCLIME Keywords: None
FRAMES Keywords: age classes, Arizona, competition, dendrochronology, distribution, disturbance, ecosystem dynamics, Festuca arizonica, fire exclusion, fire frequency, fire hazard reduction, forest management, grasses, mortality, Muhlenbergia montana, natural areas management, old growth forests, old growth vegetation, pine forests, Pinus ponderosa, population density, presettlement vegetation, regeneration, Sitanion hystrix, size classes, snags, stand characteristics, thinning, trees, wildfires, ecological restoration, fire regime, ponderosa pine, forest dynamics, old-growth, natural conditions

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Restoration of presettlement age structure of an Arizona ponderosa pine forest

Joy Nystrom Mast, Peter Z. Fulé, Margaret M. Moore, W. Wallace Covington, Amy E. M. Waltz
Summary - what did the authors do and why?

The authors reconstructed historical forest stand structure of a ponderosa pine forest prior to Euro-American settlement and compared pre- and post-historic reference age structure, and they compared forest conditions after restoration treatments were applied to the site.
Publication findings:

The authors found that the stand age distribution was multimodal with peaks of establishment due to interruptions to the historical frequent-fire regime. Due to fire exclusion, reduced understory competition, and favorable climate, abundant regeneration in the 20th century raised forest density from 60 trees/ha in 1876 to >3000 trees/ha in 1992.

Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages

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

The authors found that the stand age distribution was multimodal with peaks of establishment due to interruptions to the historical frequent-fire regime. Due to fire exclusion, reduced understory competition, and favorable climate, abundant regeneration in the 20th century raised forest density from 60 trees/ha in 1876 to >3000 trees/ha in 1992.

How do fire frequency, rotation, and return interval relate to fuels?

The authors found that the stand age distribution was multimodal with peaks of establishment due to interruptions to the historical frequent-fire regime. Due to fire exclusion, reduced understory competition, and favorable climate, abundant regeneration in the 20th century raised forest density from 60 trees/ha in 1876 to >3000 trees/ha in 1992.