{"title":"Variations in stand structure, composition, and fuelbeds drive prescribed fire behavior during mountain longleaf pine restoration","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2024.122372","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Across the central and eastern U.S., frequent-fire (∼ 1–5 year interval) dependent savannas, woodlands, and forests have experienced widespread ecological state shifts due to decades of fire exclusion. Without fire, mesophytes (i.e., shade-tolerant, often fire-sensitive and/or opportunistic tree species) are encroaching in the midstory, creating shady, moist understories with low flammability and reduced biodiversity through a process known as “mesophication.” Although prescribed fire is commonly used to reverse mesophication and restore fire-dependent ecosystems, fire behavior during restoration remains difficult to predict because variations in stand structure and composition and associated fuels interact to influence flammability. To better understand the mesophication mechanisms influencing fire behavior and to identify key predictors of fire behavior for the benefit of land managers, we assessed how metrics that describe fire intensity (maximum temperature, rate of spread, and residence time) and severity (fuel consumption) relate to pre-fire stand and leaf litter composition and structure. We focused on the restoration of remnant mountain longleaf pine (<em>Pinus palustris</em> Mill. (LLP)) stands during the dormant prescribed fire season in the Georgia Piedmont region, USA. Using Bayesian path analysis, we compared the effects of either stand or leaf litter composition and structure on fire behavior. Lower stand basal area and higher relative importance of pine and pyrophytic hardwoods (e.g., upland <em>Quercus</em> spp.) and associated leaf litter types were expected to increase fire intensity. Results showed that stand composition and structure significantly influenced fire behavior, but not because of their influence on litter structure (load and bulk density). Rather, leaf litter composition may better explain fire behavior than leaf litter structure. Results also suggest that simple measures of stand composition and structure alone can be used to predict fire behavior, providing a potentially useful tool for assessing restoration potential of fire-dependent ecosystems under threat of mesophication.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Forest Ecology and Management","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112724006844","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"FORESTRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Across the central and eastern U.S., frequent-fire (∼ 1–5 year interval) dependent savannas, woodlands, and forests have experienced widespread ecological state shifts due to decades of fire exclusion. Without fire, mesophytes (i.e., shade-tolerant, often fire-sensitive and/or opportunistic tree species) are encroaching in the midstory, creating shady, moist understories with low flammability and reduced biodiversity through a process known as “mesophication.” Although prescribed fire is commonly used to reverse mesophication and restore fire-dependent ecosystems, fire behavior during restoration remains difficult to predict because variations in stand structure and composition and associated fuels interact to influence flammability. To better understand the mesophication mechanisms influencing fire behavior and to identify key predictors of fire behavior for the benefit of land managers, we assessed how metrics that describe fire intensity (maximum temperature, rate of spread, and residence time) and severity (fuel consumption) relate to pre-fire stand and leaf litter composition and structure. We focused on the restoration of remnant mountain longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill. (LLP)) stands during the dormant prescribed fire season in the Georgia Piedmont region, USA. Using Bayesian path analysis, we compared the effects of either stand or leaf litter composition and structure on fire behavior. Lower stand basal area and higher relative importance of pine and pyrophytic hardwoods (e.g., upland Quercus spp.) and associated leaf litter types were expected to increase fire intensity. Results showed that stand composition and structure significantly influenced fire behavior, but not because of their influence on litter structure (load and bulk density). Rather, leaf litter composition may better explain fire behavior than leaf litter structure. Results also suggest that simple measures of stand composition and structure alone can be used to predict fire behavior, providing a potentially useful tool for assessing restoration potential of fire-dependent ecosystems under threat of mesophication.
期刊介绍:
Forest Ecology and Management publishes scientific articles linking forest ecology with forest management, focusing on the application of biological, ecological and social knowledge to the management and conservation of plantations and natural forests. The scope of the journal includes all forest ecosystems of the world.
A peer-review process ensures the quality and international interest of the manuscripts accepted for publication. The journal encourages communication between scientists in disparate fields who share a common interest in ecology and forest management, bridging the gap between research workers and forest managers.
We encourage submission of papers that will have the strongest interest and value to the Journal''s international readership. Some key features of papers with strong interest include:
1. Clear connections between the ecology and management of forests;
2. Novel ideas or approaches to important challenges in forest ecology and management;
3. Studies that address a population of interest beyond the scale of single research sites, Three key points in the design of forest experiments, Forest Ecology and Management 255 (2008) 2022-2023);
4. Review Articles on timely, important topics. Authors are welcome to contact one of the editors to discuss the suitability of a potential review manuscript.
The Journal encourages proposals for special issues examining important areas of forest ecology and management. Potential guest editors should contact any of the Editors to begin discussions about topics, potential papers, and other details.