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Snag and woody debris dynamics following severe wildfires in northern Arizona ponderosa pine forests

M. David Passovoy, Peter Z. Fulé


Summary - what did the authors do and why?

The authors examined post-wildfire snag and down course woody debris characteristics including quantity, quality, and changes over time after severe wildfire.

Publication findings:

Snag densities declined rapidly with increased time since high severity fire, and most snags had fallen either partially or completely after five years. Total course woody debris biomass in the surface fuel load was similar between 8–9-year-old fires to a 27-year-old fire, but the wood became rotten with increasing time. The authors suggest that the increase in rotten wood could increase in ignitability with increasing time since fire, but fine fuels in the study sites were relatively low.

Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages

Snag densities declined rapidly with increased time since high severity fire, and most snags had fallen either partially or completely after five years. Total course woody debris biomass in the surface fuel load was similar between 8–9-year-old fires to a 27-year-old fire, but the wood became rotten with increasing time. The authors suggest that the increase in rotten wood could increase in ignitability with increasing time since fire, but fine fuels in the study sites were relatively low.