Interactions Among Wildland Fires in a Long-Established Sierra Nevada Natural Fire Area

We investigate interactions between successive naturally occurring fires, and assess to what extent the environments in which fires burn influence these interactions. Using mapped fire perimeters and satellite-based estimates of post-fire effects (referred to hereafter as fire severity) for 19 fires burning relatively freely over a 31-year period, we demonstrate that fire as a landscape process can exhibit self-limiting characteristics in an upper elevation Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forest. We use the term ‘self-limiting’ to refer to recurring fire as a process over time (that is, fire regime) consuming fuel and ultimately constraining the spatial extent and lessening fire-induced effects of subsequent fires. When the amount of time between successive adjacent fires is under 9 years, and when fire weather is not extreme (burning index <34.9), the probability of the latter fire burning into the previous fire area is extremely low. Analysis of fire severity data by 10-year periods revealed a fair degree of stability in the proportion of area burned among fire severity classes (unchanged, low, moderate, high). This is in contrast to a recent study demonstrating increasing high-severity burning throughout the Sierra Nevada from 1984 to 2006, which suggests freely burning fires over time in upper elevation Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests can regulate fire-induced effects across the landscape. This information can help managers better anticipate short- and long-term effects of allowing naturally ignited fires to burn, and ultimately, improve their ability to implement Wildland Fire Use programs in similar forest types. BC wrote paper, performed analysis; JM gathered/processed data, performed analysis, contributed to writing; AT gathered/processed data, conducted field research; MK contributed new methods for analysis; JvW performed analysis, conceived the study; SS designed study, contributed to writing.     

Local forest structure variability increases resilience to wildfire in dry western U.S. coniferous forests

A ‘resilient’ forest endures disturbance and is likely to persist. Resilience to wildfire may arise from feedback between fire behaviour and forest structure in dry forest systems. Frequent fire creates fine‐scale variability in forest structure, which may then interrupt fuel continuity and prevent future fires from killing overstorey trees. Testing the generality and scale of this phenomenon is challenging for vast, long‐lived forest ecosystems. We quantify forest structural variability and fire severity across >30 years and >1000 wildfires in California's Sierra Nevada. We find that greater variability in forest structure increases resilience by reducing rates of fire‐induced tree mortality and that the scale of this effect is local, manifesting at the smallest spatial extent of forest structure tested (90 × 90 m). Resilience of these forests is likely compromised by structural homogenisation from a century of fire suppression, but could be restored with management that increases forest structural variability.     

BAER Soil Burn Severity Maps Do Not Measure Fire Effects to Vegetation: A Comment on Odion and Hanson (2006)

Abstract We comment on a recent Ecosystem paper by Odion and Hanson (Ecosystems 9:1177–1189, 2006), in which the authors claim that high severity fire is rare in the Sierra Nevada under current conditions. Odion and Hanson’s results are predicated on BAER soil burn severity maps, which are based primarily on fire effects to soil, not vegetation. Odion and Hanson, and we fear others as well, are misinformed as to the nature of the BAER severity mapping process, and proper applications of BAER soil burn severity maps. By comparing the BAER soil burn severity maps to a true vegetation burn severity measure (RdNBR) calibrated by field data, we show that the area in the high soil burn severity class for the three fires analyzed by Odion and Hanson is substantially less than the area of stand-replacing fire, and that BAER maps—especially hand-derived maps such as those from two of the three fires—also greatly underestimate the heterogeneity in vegetation burn severity on burned landscapes. We also show that, contrary to Odion and Hanson’s claims, Fire Return Interval Departure (FRID) is strongly correlated with fire severity in conifer stands within the perimeter of the McNally Fire.     

Interactive Effects of Fire, Soil Climate, and Moss on CO2 Fluxes in Black Spruce Ecosystems of Interior Alaska

Fire is an important control on the carbon (C) balance of the boreal forest region. Here, we present findings from two complementary studies that examine how fire modifies soil organic matter properties, and how these modifications influence rates of decomposition and C exchange in black spruce (Picea mariana) ecosystems of interior Alaska. First, we used laboratory incubations to explore soil temperature, moisture, and vegetation effects on CO₂ and DOC production rates in burned and unburned soils from three study regions in interior Alaska. Second, at one of the study regions used in the incubation experiments, we conducted intensive field measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and ecosystem respiration (ER) across an unreplicated factorial design of burning (2 year post-fire versus unburned sites) and drainage class (upland forest versus peatland sites). Our laboratory study showed that burning reduced the sensitivity of decomposition to increased temperature, most likely by inducing moisture or substrate quality limitations on decomposition rates. Burning also reduced the decomposability of Sphagnum-derived organic matter, increased the hydrophobicity of feather moss-derived organic matter, and increased the ratio of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in both the upland and peatland sites. At the ecosystem scale, our field measurements indicate that the surface organic soil was generally wetter in burned than in unburned sites, whereas soil temperature was not different between the burned and unburned sites. Analysis of variance results showed that ER varied with soil drainage class but not by burn status, averaging 0.9 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1 g C m⁻² d⁻¹ in the upland and peatland sites, respectively. However, a more complex general linear model showed that ER was controlled by an interaction between soil temperature, moisture, and burn status, and in general was less variable over time in the burned than in the unburned sites. Together, findings from these studies across different spatial scales suggest that although fire can create some soil climate conditions more conducive to rapid decomposition, rates of C release from soils may be constrained following fire by changes in moisture and/or substrate quality that impede rates of decomposition. Author contributions: JAO: performed research, analyzed data, contributed new methods, wrote the paper; MRT: designed laboratory study, performed research, analyzed data; JWH: designed field study, performed research; KLM: performed research; LEP: performed research, contributed new method; GS: performed research; JCN: performed research.     

Dataset of Passerine bird communities in a Mediterranean high mountain (Sierra Nevada,Spain)

In this data paper, a dataset of passerine bird communities is described in Sierra Nevada, a Mediterranean high mountain located in southern Spain. The dataset includes occurrence data from bird surveys conducted in four representative ecosystem types of Sierra Nevada from 2008 to 2015. For each visit, bird species numbers as well as distance to the transect line were recorded. A total of 27847 occurrence records were compiled with accompanying measurements on distance to the transect and animal counts. All records are of species in the order Passeriformes. Records of 16 different families and 44 genera were collected. Some of the taxa in the dataset are included in the European Red List. This dataset belongs to the Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area.     

Habitat Use and Selection by California Spotted Owls in a Postfire Landscape

ABSTRACT Forest fire is often considered a primary threat to California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) because fire has the potential to rapidly alter owl habitat. We examined effects of fire on 7 radiomarked California spotted owls from 4 territories by quantifying use of habitat for nesting, roosting, and foraging according to severity of burn in and near a 610-km²fire in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, 4 years after fire. Three nests were located in mixed-conifer forests, 2 in areas of moderate-severity burn, and one in an area of low-severity burn, and one nest was located in an unburned area of mixed-conifer-hardwood forest. For roosting during the breeding season, spotted owls selected low-severity burned forest and avoided moderate- and high-severity burned areas; unburned forest was used in proportion with availability. Within 1 km of the center of their foraging areas, spotted owls selected all severities of burned forest and avoided unburned forest. Beyond 1.5 km, there were no discernable differences in use patterns among burn severities. Most owls foraged in high-severity burned forest more than in all other burn categories; high-severity burned forests had greater basal area of snags and higher shrub and herbaceous cover, parameters thought to be associated with increased abundance or accessibility of prey. We recommend that burned forests within 1.5 km of nests or roosts of California spotted owls not be salvage-logged until long-term effects of fire on spotted owls and their prey are understood more fully.     

Climatic change and fire potential in South-Central British Columbia, Canada

The incidence and severity of forest fires are linked to the interaction between climate, fuel and topography. Increased warming and drying in the future is expected to have a significant impact on the risk of forest fire occurrence. An increase in fire risk is linked to the synchronous relationship between climate and fuel moisture conditions. A warmer, drier climate will lead to drier forest fuels that will in turn increase the chance of successful fire ignition and propagation. This interaction will increase the severity of fire weather, which, in turn, will increase the risk of extreme fire behaviour. A warmer climate will also extend fire season length, which will increase the likelihood of fires occurring over a greater proportion of the year. In this study of the North Okanagan area of British Columbia, Canada, the impacts of climate change of fire potential were evaluated using the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System and multiple climate scenario analysis. Utilizing this approach, a 30% increase in fire season length was modelled to occur by 2070. In addition, statistically significant increases in fire severity and fire behaviour were also modelled. Fire weather severity was predicted to increase by 95% during the summer months by 2070 while fire behaviour was predicted to shift from surface fire‐intermittent crown fire regimes to a predominantly intermittent‐full crown fire regime by 2070 onwards. An increase in fire season length, fire weather severity and fire behaviour will increase the costs of fire suppression and the risk of property and resource loss while limiting human‐use within vulnerable forest landscapes. An increase in fire weather severity and fire behaviour over a greater proportion of the season will increase the risks faced by ecosystems and biodiversity to climatic change and increase the costs and difficulty of achieving sustainable forest management.     

Response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arnica dealbata</Emphasis> to climate change,nitrogen deposition,and fire

Predicted changes in climate and increasing nitrogen deposition are likely to have significant impacts on species that have limited distributions or are already experiencing diminished population size. Arnica dealbata (A. Gray, Asteraceae), a listed sensitive species in Yosemite National Park, is endemic to California and has limited distribution within the park boundaries. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of altered precipitation resulting from climate change, increasing nitrogen deposition resulting from pollution, and prescribed fire on A. dealbata. A. dealbata cover significantly increased with increasing snowpack and prescribed fire. Increasing nitrogen deposition negatively affected cover. Our results suggest Yosemite’s A. dealbata populations can thrive even under a changing climate if prescribed fire is frequently applied coupled with increased moisture availability.     

Fire Severity in the Sierra Nevada Revisited: Conclusions Robust to Further Analysis

In our previous article (Odion and Hanson, Ecosystems 9:1177–89, 2006), we reported that fire severity in the conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, contrary to prevailing assumptions, did not burn with predominately stand-replacing, high severity fire. The reply by Safford and others (Ecosystems, this issue) using a new mapping approach also found this pattern. Their methods identify more high severity fire; however, as we illustrate here, this may be attributed to the different mapping approaches used. We previously also found that condition class based upon fire return interval departure (FRID) was not an effective predictor of fire severity. Safford and others (this issue) concluded that there was a strong correlation between FRID-based condition class and fire severity based upon data from the McNally fire of 2002. The difference between these findings about McNally fire reflects the fact that they combined FRID categories whereas we kept the categories separate. Here, using their fire severity data to evaluate all three fires, we found that severity was not predicted by FRID. Developing a consensus definition of fire severity within the scientific community might help alleviate future contradictions regarding fire effects.     

Fire Severity in Conifer Forests of the Sierra Nevada, California

Natural disturbances are an important source of environmental heterogeneity that have been linked to species diversity in ecosystems. However, spatial and temporal patterns of disturbances are often evaluated separately. Consequently, rates and scales of existing disturbance processes and their effects on biodiversity are often uncertain. We have studied both spatial and temporal patterns of contemporary fires in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA. Patterns of fire severity were analyzed for conifer forests in the three largest fires since 1999. These fires account for most cumulative area that has burned in recent years. They burned relatively remote areas where there was little timber management. To better characterize high-severity fire, we analyzed its effect on the survival of pines. We evaluated temporal patterns of fire since 1950 in the larger landscapes in which the three fires occurred. Finally, we evaluated the utility of a metric for the effects of fire suppression. Known as Condition Class it is now being used throughout the United States to predict where fire will be uncharacteristically severe. Contrary to the assumptions of fire management, we found that high-severity fire was uncommon. Moreover, pines were remarkably tolerant of it. The wildfires helped to restore landscape structure and heterogeneity, as well as producing fire effects associated with natural diversity. However, even with large recent fires, rates of burning are relatively low due to modern fire management. Condition Class was not able to predict patterns of high-severity fire. Our findings underscore the need to conduct more comprehensive assessments of existing disturbance regimes and to determine whether natural disturbances are occurring at rates and scales compatible with the maintenance of biodiversity.     

The savannization of moist forests in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

In the Rio Ranchería watershed of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, between 500 and 1500 m, savanna vegetation is interspersed with moist forests. The savannas are composed of native savanna grasses like Aristida adscensionis L., Arundinella sp., Panicum olyroides Kunth, and Schyzachyrium microstachyum (Desv.) Roseng., Arrill & Izag and the African Melinis minutiflora P. Beauv. There is also Curatella americana L. and Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) H.B.K., two typical tree species of the neotropical savannas. Although moist forest patches occur more often on lower slopes and narrow valley bottoms, they can also be found on mid- and upper-slopes and less often on ridges. Thus, these forest patches are not gallery forests as are found throughout the neotropics, but the result of deforestation and fractionation of a continuous forest. A comparison of soil profiles between the savannas and remnant forest patches on the same slope, showed the disappearance of the A and B horizons (approx. 50 cm) under savanna vegetation. The sharp difference between the savanna and forest soils at the Rio Ranchería does not appear to be due to a change in soil water status along a toposequence or differences in the underlying bedrock. We hypothesize that the savannas of the Rio Ranchería watershed, are the result of deforestation and land practices on infertile soils derived from granite. The savannization process was likely initiated by Amerindians by means of the frequent use of fire or clearing lands for the cultivation of maize. The introduction of cattle by Spaniards (c. 1530) and the frequent use of fire to maintain grazing fields, contributed to further degradation of the habitat. While some tropical landscapes recovered their forest cover when human pressure was removed approximately 500 years ago, areas such as the Rio Ranchería watershed have suffered permanent damage. The savannas of this region are likely to remain unless fire is suppressed and soil restoration practices implemented.     

基于3PGS-MTCLIM模型模拟根河林区火后植被净初级生产力恢复及其影响因子

林火是大兴安岭林区主要的干扰因子,且对森林生态系统的碳平衡有着重要影响.火干扰强度以及不同地形条件所导致的山地气候差异是影响火后植被净初级生产力恢复过程的主导因素.本研究以内蒙古根河林区为例,使用多时相的Landsat TM遥感数据(2008—2012年)和1980—2010年间的气象资料,结合山地小气候模型MTCLIM与光能利用效率模型3PGS,模拟森林火后植被净初级生产力(NPP)的时空恢复过程,并探讨不同火烧强度和地形因子对NPP恢复进程的影响.结果表明: 3PGS-MTCLIM模型能够较准确地在小尺度范围内模拟NPP的空间分布格局,模拟结果与样地具有较好的对应关系,R²=0.828;3PGS-MTCLIM模型模拟火后NPP下降百分比在43%~80%,相对于火前NPP水平该区域的平均恢复周期大约为10年;火烧强度对火后恢复具有显著影响,火烧强度越强,NPP恢复所需要的周期越长,火后NPP恢复速度呈现先快后慢的增长趋势;地形因子中,海拔对火后NPP恢复程度的影响最明显,其次为坡度,而坡向的影响最小.     

Short-term responses of birds to prescribed fire in fire-suppressed forests of California

Prescribed fire is one tool for restoring fire-suppressed forests, but application of fire during spring coincides with breeding and arrival of migrant birds. We examined effects of low-severity prescribed fires on counts of birds in a managed forest in the Sierra Nevada of California immediately, 1 year, and 3–6 years after fire was applied in spring. Of 26 species analyzed, counts of 3 species increased after fire (Pacific-slope flycatcher [Empidonax difficilis], brown creeper [Certhia americana], and American robin [Turdus migratorius]), and 6 species decreased after fire (Anna's hummingbird [Calypte anna], Hutton's vireo [Vireo huttoni], warbling vireo [Vireo gilvus], golden-crowned kinglet [Regulus satrapa], Nashville warbler [Vermivora ruficapilla], hermit warbler [Dendroica occidentalis]). Black-throated gray warbler (Dendroica nigrescens) increased in the first year following fire but decreased 3–6 years after fire. When grouped into guilds, habitat association and foraging guild best explained responses to fire, with the greatest changes occurring for oak-associated species (negative), riparian-associated species (positive), aerial foragers (positive), and bark foragers (positive). Lastly, when we compared our counts to those collected during the 1910s, changes were consistent with those predicted from fire suppression and species' affinity for burned forests, suggesting that results from contemporary fire studies should be interpreted within an ecological context that includes effects of fire suppression. We found that low-severity prescribed fires applied in spring served to drive the bird community towards pre-suppression conditions. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

1957-2007年云南省森林火险变化

当前以变暖为主要特征的气候变化已对全球林火的发生产生重要影响.本文基于日气象数据(气温、降水量、空气相对湿度、风速),按照加拿大火险天气指数的计算方法,计算了云南省1957-2007年间每日的森林火险天气指数,分析了该省50年来森林火险的变化趋势.结果表明:云南省的火险期为上年11月至当年6月,持续期约8个月;林火数据(林火数量、过火面积和受害森林面积)与火险天气指数的相关性显著,半腐层湿度码(DMC)的火险期平均值和火险期严峻度(SSR)可作为不同火险期火险状况比较的良好指标.1957-2007年云南省森林火险状况呈现2种变化趋势:1)总体上周期性变化趋势明显,在周期性变化的同时呈上升趋势,表现为1991-2007年的火险状况比1961-1990年的火险状况略有升高;2)1991-2007年各火险期火险状况的波动性下降,火险状况异常严峻的火险期数量比1961-1990年减少.

Abstract：

Climate warming has already made great impact on forest fires. Based on the daily me-teorological data (temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and wind speed), and by using the Canadian Fire Weather Index calculation formula, the daily forest fire weather indices (FWIs) of Yunnan Province in 1957-2007 were calculated, and through the statistical analysis of FWIs, the forest fire trends in this province over the past 50 years were studied. In the past 50 years, the forest fire season in Yunnan Province was from previous year November to current year June, lasting 8 months. Fire data (fire numbers, burned area, and burned forest area) had sig-nificant relationships with fire weather indices. The average daily duff moisture code (DMC) in whole fire season and the seasonal severity rating (SSR) were the good indices to evaluate the fire danger conditions among different fire seasons. The forest fire danger in Yunnan Province in 1957-2007 showed two change trends. One showed a clear cyclical change and a weak upward trend, i. e. , the fire danger conditions in 1991-2007 was slightly severer than that in 1961-1990 ; and the another was that the fluctuation of forest fire danger conditions among different fire seasons decreased in 1991-2007, and the number of abnormal severe fire seasons was less than that in 1961-1990.     

High‐severity fire corroborated in historical dry forests of the western United States: response to Fulé et al.

Accurate assessment of changing fire regimes is important, since climatic change and people may be promoting more wildfires. Government wildland fire policies and restoration programmes in dry western US forests are based on the hypothesis that high‐severity fire was rare in historical fire regimes, modern fire severity is unnaturally high and restoration efforts should focus primarily on thinning forests to eliminate high‐severity fire. Using General Land Office (GLO) survey data over large dry‐forest landscapes, we showed that the proportion of historical forest affected by high‐severity fire was not insignificant, fire severity has not increased as a proportion of total fire area and large areas of dense forest were present historically (Williams & Baker, Global Ecology and Biogeography, 21 , 1042–1052, 2012; W&B). In response, Fulé et al. (Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2013, doi: 10.1111/geb.12136; FE) suggest that our inferences are unsupported and land management based on our research could be damaging to native ecosystems. Here, we show that the concerns of FE are unfounded. Their criticism comes from misquoting W&B, mistaking W&B's methods, misusing evidence (e.g. from Aldo Leopold) and missing substantial available evidence. We also update corroboration for the extensive historical high‐severity fire shown by W&B. We suggest that restoration programmes are misdirected in seeking to reduce all high‐severity fire in dry forests, given findings from spatially extensive GLO data and other sources.     

不同火烈度对四川泸山林场云南松林土壤有机碳组分的影响

林火通过改变土壤理化性质显著影响土壤固碳能力及土壤有机碳各组分含量。阐明不同火烈度对云南松林土壤有机碳的影响,对于云南松林火后生态系统恢复及土壤碳库管理具有重要意义。以火烧2年后四川泸山林场云南松林0-5、5-10、10-15、15-20cm层土壤为研究对象,根据不同火烈度（未过火、低烈度、中烈度、高烈度）设置3块20m×30m样地,共12块样地,野外采集土壤样品,室内测定土壤全氮、容重等理化性质和土壤有机碳（Soil organic carbon,SOC）、土壤活性有机碳（易氧化有机碳,Readily oxidizable carbon,ROC;颗粒有机碳,Particulate organic carbon,POC;微生物生物量碳,Microbial biomass carbon,MBC;水溶性有机碳,Water-soluble organic carbon,WSOC）,采用方差分析研究不同火烈度下土壤有机碳各组分含量的差异性和变化趋势,并采用相关性分析和冗余分析从土壤理化性质角度探究林火对土壤有机碳的影响机制。研究结果表明：（1）不同火烈度显著影响土壤理化性质,其中土壤全氮、有效磷、阳离子交换量、毛管孔隙度、总孔隙度随火烈度增大而增加,而土壤pH、速效钾、碱解氮、容重随火烈度增大而减少。（2） SOC随火烈度增大而减少,其中5-10cm土层降幅最大为44.79%;4种土壤活性有机碳随火烈度增大而减小,其中0-5cm土层下降幅度最明显,各组分降幅大小依次为ROC （36.31%-61.31%） > POC （30.05%-53.61%） > MBC （20.60%-48.19%） > WSOC （13.47%-29.29%）,不同组分对林火的不同响应显著影响了土壤ROC、POC、WSOC的占比。（3）土壤有机碳及其活性组分与阳离子交换量、毛管孔隙度、总孔隙度、有效磷、碱解氮呈显著正相关（P<0.05）,与容重呈极显著负相关（P<0.01）。火烧后土壤有机碳的变化主要与阳离子交换量、容重、全氮、含水率有关,且阳离子交换量影响最大（解释率为61.7%）。     

Effect of Forest Fire Suppression on Buff-Breasted Flycatchers

ABSTRACT Buff-breasted flycatchers (Empidonax fulvifrons) are rare in the United States due to a >90% reduction in breeding distribution. Previous authors have implicated fire suppression in montane woodlands as the underlying cause of population declines and range contraction. We examined the effect of fire suppression on population declines of buff-breasted flycatchers by comparing both presence and abundance of flycatchers in areas with and without evidence of recent fire in 9 mountain ranges in southern Arizona, USA. We also replicated previous survey efforts conducted in 1980–1983 and 1995–1996 to determine population trajectory. Twenty-two (63%) of 35 survey routes had negative trends, and the average slope of the declines was −0.105 (10.5% annual decline). The number of buff-breasted flycatchers detected at a survey point was positively associated with severity of recent fires, and flycatchers were particularly associated with areas that had evidence of high-severity surface fire. However, we failed to detect flycatchers in 5 canyons that recently burned, which suggests one or more of the following: 1) fire suppression is not the cause (or is not the main cause) of population decline and range contraction, 2) flycatchers do not colonize burned areas until >10 years postfire, 3) low- or medium-severity fires are insufficient to make fire-suppressed areas suitable for breeding flycatchers, or 4) local recruitment and immigration are insufficient to allow buff-breasted flycatchers to expand into recent firerestored areas. Continued suppression of high-severity forest fires in the southwestern United States may eventually result in the extirpation of buff-breasted flycatchers. A landscape that includes a mosaic of recently burned and unburned forest patches appears to be most suitable for buff-breasted flycatchers. Prescribed burning is unlikely to help restore flycatcher populations unless burns are of high severity, conditions typically avoided during prescribed burns for safety reasons.     

Return of Fire as a Restoration Tool: Long‐Term Effects of Burn Severity on Habitat Use by Mexican Fox Squirrels

After decades of suppression, fire is returning to forests of the western United States through wildfires and prescribed burns. These fires may aid restoration of vegetation structure and processes, which could improve conditions for wildlife species and reduce severe wildfire risk. Understanding response of wildlife species to fires is essential to forest restoration because contemporary fires may not have the same effects as historical fires. Recent fires in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona provided opportunity to investigate long‐term effects of burn severity on habitat selection of a native wildlife species. We surveyed burned forest for squirrel feeding sign and related vegetation characteristics to frequency of feeding sign occurrence. We used radio‐telemetry within fire‐influenced forest to determine home ranges of Mexican fox squirrels, Sciurus nayaritensis chiricahuae, and compared vegetation characteristics within home ranges to random areas available to squirrels throughout burned conifer forest. Squirrels fed in forest with open understory and closed canopy cover. Vegetation within home ranges was characterized by lower understory density, consistent with the effects of low‐severity fire, and larger trees than random locations. Our results suggest that return of low‐severity fire can help restore habitat for Mexican fox squirrels and other native wildlife species with similar habitat affiliations in forests with a historical regime of frequent, low‐severity fire. Our study contributes to an understanding of the role and impact of fire in forest ecosystems and the implications for forest restoration as fire returns to the region.     

Mixed-conifer understory response to climate change, nitrogen, and fire

California's Sierra Nevada mountains are predicted to experience greater variation in annual precipitation according to climate change models, while nitrogen deposition from pollution continues to increase. These changes may significantly affect understory communities and fuels in forests where managers are attempting to restore historic conditions after a century of altered fire regimes. The objective of this research was to experimentally test the effects of increasing and decreasing snowpack depth, increasing nitrogen, and applying prescribed fire to mixed-conifer forest understories at two sites in the central and southern Sierra Nevada. Understory response to treatments significantly differed between sites with herb biomass increasing in shrub-dominated communities when snowpack was reduced. Fire was a more important factor in post-treatment species richness and cover than either snowpack addition or reduction. Nitrogen additions unexpectedly increased herbaceous species richness. These varied findings indicate that modeling future climatic influences on biodiversity may be more difficult than additive prediction based on increasing the ecosystem's two limiting growth resources. Increasing snowpack and nitrogen resulted in increased shrub biomass production at both sites and increased herb production at the southern site. This additional understory biomass has the potential to increase fuel connectivity in patchy Sierran mixed-conifer forests, increasing fire severity and size.     

兴安落叶松林火烧迹地土壤理化性质驱动因子

探索火烧迹地土壤理化性质的驱动因子是解释生态系统响应火干扰机制的重要组成部分。旨在分析兴安落叶松林火烧迹地土壤理化性质的决定因子,深入认识火干扰在北方森林生态系统所扮演的角色,为北方森林火烧迹地火后恢复、林业可持续发展提供科学支持和理论依据。以过火后1 a的兴安落叶松林火烧迹地为研究对象,设置了不同火烈度和立地条件的火烧迹地及对照研究样地共计35块。在每个研究样地记录了树种、胸径、存活状态等乔木数据,测量了坡向、坡位、坡度、海拔等地形数据,利用植被变化情况量化了火烈度。分别采集了0—5 cm和5—10 cm的土壤样品并测定其9种理化指标,对比了过火与未过火样地这些土壤理化指标的差异。然后,分析了各土壤理化指标与火烈度量化结果的关联趋势,比较了火烈度、地形和乔木因子对火烧迹地土壤理化性质的影响程度。与对照样地相比,火干扰提升了土壤理化指标观测值的离散程度,显著提高了0—5 cm土壤含水率(MC)(P<0.05)和5—10 cm土壤MC、总氮(TN)、总有机碳(TOC)含量(P<0.05)。土壤理化性质与火烈度有明显关联趋势的并不多,观察到0—5 cm土壤MC随火烈度指数的增加...