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Full Citation: Parks, Sean A.; Holsinger, Lisa M.; Miller, Carol L.; Nelson, Cara R. 2015. Wildland fire as a self-regulating mechanism: the role of previous burns and weather in limiting fire progression. Ecological Applications 25(6):1478-1492.
External Identifier(s): 10.1890/14-1430.1 Digital Object Identifier
Location: The study areas included three large wilderness areas in Idaho and Montana, but also one site in the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness area in western New Mexico.
Ecosystem types: Forested ecosystems
Southwest FireCLIME Keywords: None
FRAMES Keywords: fire exclusion, fire frequency, fire regimes, fire size, fuel accumulation, fuel breaks, rate of spread, wildfires, duff, remote sensing, Abies concolor, white fir, Abies grandis, grand fir, Juniperus deppeana, alligator juniper, Larix lyallii, alpine larch, Larix occidentalis, western larch, Picea engelmannii, Engelmann spruce, Pinus albicaulis, white bark pine, Pinus contorta, lodgepole pine, Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine, Populus tremuloides, quaking aspen, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas-fir, Thuja plicata, western redcedar, Tsuga heterophylla, western hemlock, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Areas, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, fire management, forest management, fuel management, coniferous forests, wilderness areas, fire progression, fire spread, fuel break, fuel treatment, interacting fires, reburn, self-limiting, self-regulation, time-dependence, top-down vs bottom-up controls, wilderness, time-dependent fire regimes

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Wildland fire as a self-regulating mechanism: the role of previous burns and weather in limiting fire progression

Sean A. Parks, Lisa M. Holsinger, Carol L. Miller, Cara R. Nelson
Summary - what did the authors do and why?

The authors’ objective was to research the ability of wildfire to limit the spread of a subsequent fire based on the time between the two, and also to see how weather at the time of the fire alters this effect.


Publication findings:

Stands that are within unaltered, short-interval fire regimes tend to self-regulate the burn severity of secondary fires, and burn at the same or lower severity, suggesting that the initial fire moderated the burn severity of the second fire. However, this effect decays as time since fire increases. Specifically, the drier forests of New Mexico, the ability of wildfire to act as a fuel break decayed after only 6 years. Weather conditions conducive to fire ignition and spread, however, can weaken the effect of a previous reburn to limit fire spread or severity.

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme fire weather events, likely reducing the effectiveness of fire-created fuel breaks during extreme fire seasons. Still the authors suggest that using fire to regulate future fire severity may present opportunities to increase ecosystem resilience to future fire, especially in non-extreme fire years.

Climate and Fire Linkages

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

Weather conditions conducive to fire ignition and spread, however, can weaken the effect of a previous reburn to limit fire spread or severity.

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme fire weather events, likely reducing the effectiveness of fire-created fuel breaks during extreme fire seasons. Still the authors suggest that using fire to regulate future fire severity may present opportunities to increase ecosystem resilience to future fire, especially in non-extreme fire years.

Fire and Ecosystem Effects Linkages

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

Stands that are within unaltered, short-interval fire regimes tend to self-regulate the burn severity of secondary fires, and burn at the same or lower severity, suggesting that the initial fire moderated the burn severity of the second fire. However, this effect decays as time since fire increases. Specifically, the drier forests of New Mexico, the ability of wildfire to act as a fuel break decayed after only 6 years. Weather conditions conducive to fire ignition and spread, however, can weaken the effect of a previous reburn to limit fire spread or severity.

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme fire weather events, likely reducing the effectiveness of fire-created fuel breaks during extreme fire seasons. Still the authors suggest that using fire to regulate future fire severity may present opportunities to increase ecosystem resilience to future fire, especially in non-extreme fire years.

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

Stands that are within unaltered, short-interval fire regimes tend to self-regulate the burn severity of secondary fires, and burn at the same or lower severity, suggesting that the initial fire moderated the burn severity of the second fire. However, this effect decays as time since fire increases. Specifically, the drier forests of New Mexico, the ability of wildfire to act as a fuel break decayed after only 6 years. Weather conditions conducive to fire ignition and spread, however, can weaken the effect of a previous reburn to limit fire spread or severity.