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Fire in R estoration Ecology

Fire in R estoration Ecology. Christie Sampson. Fire in ecosystems. Fire is an essential disturbance In the context of restoration ecology Restoring fire to a fire-dependent ecosystem Can be a tool in a new area

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Fire in R estoration Ecology

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  1. Fire in Restoration Ecology Christie Sampson

  2. Fire in ecosystems • Fire is an essential disturbance • In the context of restoration ecology • Restoring fire to a fire-dependent ecosystem • Can be a tool in a new area • Fire regime = spatial and temporal variations of fires and their effects in a given area over a given time period

  3. US Fire Adapted Ecosystems • Tallgrass Prairie: Midwest • Chaparral: California and Southwest • Ponderosa Pine: Interior West • Douglas-Fir: Pacific Northwest • Loblolly and Shortleaf Pine: The Southeast • Jack Pine: Great Lake States http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/okawen/fire/naches/index.shtml

  4. Fire in ecosystems • Recycling of nutrients • Regulation of plant succession and wildlife habitat • Controlling insect populations and diseases • Maintenance biological diversity • Reduction of biomass Fire contributes to the :

  5. Natural Burning Regime (nature.org)

  6. Changes in North American Fires • Increases in human-related fire ignitions • forest roads, widespread logging, recreational use and development • Reduction in biomass of fine fuels • livestock grazing and increased tree invasion • Increases in fuel accumulation • dense tree plantations and a buildup of shade-tolerant conifers

  7. Changes in North American Fires • Modifications/habitat fragmentation • agriculture, urban development, and other firebreaks • Active fire suppression changed the types of forests found in the US • fewer forest that need frequent, low intensity fire • Loss of forests with fire-resilient properties • community and landscape levels • removal of large trees and “legacy” stand components

  8. Environmental Effects

  9. Environmental Effects -Soil • Return nutrients to soil • Factors • Frequency, duration, and intensity • soil characteristics • Consequences • Loss of duff layer • Surface runoff and soil erosion http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ut/moab_fo/fire.Par.57697.Image.-1.-1.1.gif

  10. Environmental Effects -Water • Consequences • Erosion • Nutrient Loading

  11. Environmental Effects -Plants • Fire adapted • smoke-activated seeds or fire-activated buds • Southern pine bark thicker than many hardwoods, needles will survive exposure to 1300°F for about 5 minutes • chaparral - plants have oil covered leaves that allows their fire-activated seeds to germinate. The offspring can then flourish can then capitalize on the lack of competition in a burnt landscape. Grasses regenerate quickly, outcompeting trees and shrubs http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/

  12. Fire Impacts on Succession

  13. Environmental Effects -Wildlife • Primarily indirect • Regenerate food sources • Creation of habitat • Snags • Loss of habitat • Dead and down wood • Temporary loss of grasslands/understory

  14. RestorationChallenges • What was the temporal variability of the fire regime over multi-century reference periods? • History is needed to identify temporal trends that may be related to climatic variation prior to and during intensive European settlement • How was the fire regime influenced by Native Americans? • How much influence did they have on the ecosystem? • How did native and introduced herbivores affect fuels and fire regimes? • Fires declined with reduced grass fuels due to the introduction of sheep and cattle • Fluctuations in native herbivore populations (Veblen 2003)

  15. RestorationChallenges • What was the spatial variability of the fire regime within a particular ecosystem type? • climatic seasonality • topography • weather patterns • understory species/characteristics • site productivity (related to geology, soils, and/or climate) • use by Native Americans • How have invasive plant species altered fire regimes? • Exotic plant species can change fuel continuity- spread and intensity may be significantly altered (Veblen 2003)

  16. Invasive Species • Nonnative plant abundance was over 200% higher on fuel breaks than in adjacent areas

  17. Invasive Species • Reduced exotic plant seed production (seed bank) • Increased native seedling establishment through litter removal and decreased competition http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/biohires/ecoregions/h50805burn20011103crv185.jpg

  18. (Veblen 2003)

  19. Overcoming public dissent • Fire = dangerous force to be suppressed and contained at all costs http://www.dosomething.org/files/pictures/fire-road.jpg

  20. Overcoming public dissent • Walt Disney’s Bambi • U.S. Forest Service’s Smokey Bear http://inel.wordpress.com/2007/10/24/bambi-had-wildfires-but-not-as-bad-as-this/ http://harebrainedcreative.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/smokey_the_bear.jpg?w=453&h=660

  21. Overcoming public dissent • Discuss environmental, social and economic benefits and consequences for the community www.nature.org

  22. Additional References • www.bugwood.org/pfire/ • http://isebindia.com/95_99/98-04-1.html • http://www.wildlandfire.com/pics/wall/wall.htm • http://fireecology.org/education/doc1.htm • Brown, James K.; Smith, Jane Kapler (2000). "Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on flora". Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 2 40,56-68. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. • DellaSala, D. A., J. E. Williams, C.D. Williams and J. F. Franklin. 2004. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: a Synthesis of Fire Policy and Science. Conservation Biology, 18:976–986 • Menke, J. W. 1992. GRAZING AND FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR NATIVE PERENNIAL GRASS RESTORATION IN CALIFORNIA GRASSLANDS . Journal of the California Native Plant Society 20:22-25 • Merriam, Kyle E., Jon E. Keeley, and Jan L. Beyers. 2006. Fuel Breaks Affect Nonnative Species Abundance In Californian Plant Communities. Ecological Applications 16:515–527 • Romme, W.H. 1980. Fire history terminology: report of the Ad Hoc Committee. Pages 135-37 in M.A. Stokes and J.H. Dieterich, editors. Proceedings of the fire history workshop, Oct. 20-24, 1980. Tucson, Arizona. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, General Technical Report • Veblen, T.T. 2003. Key issues in fire regime research for fuels management and ecological restoration. Pages 259-276 in: P. Omi and L. Joyce (technical eds). Fire, Fuel Treatments and Ecological Restoration: Conference proceedings; 2002 16-18 April; Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 475 p.

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